“Haven’t I seen this post before?!”. Ehh, maybe…kind of.

I posted this on my local St Andrews subreddit on Friday, and a few people messaged saying I should share it here too as it gave them “Scotland’s smallest gym” vibes.

The tl;dr version: TinyGyms is a small pod with a treadmill, bike and weights…but unlike other gyms you get the whole place to yourself. Available 24/7 with access via scanning your phone at the door.

We just opened in St Andrews, and now looking at Dundee locations…then hopefully further afield after that 🙂

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I originally posted in the Dundee subreddit over a year ago asking what people thought about this idea I had. And shared a super rough concept sketch (scroll to the last image).

Flash forward many many months, and I’ve just opened our first TinyGyms site.

All the comments (yes, even the one saying “nice idea but people will shit in it” 🤢) were really appreciated and encouraged me to keep pushing forward. So, thank you reddit 🙏

We’ve had early-access visitors from our waiting list coming in for the last few weeks, and are now open to everyone.

If you’ve got any questions about the gym, or are curious about the journey from posting sketches on Reddit to having an actual real-life gym…I’ll try to respond to everything. And if you want to check it out in person, www.tinygyms.com to book a slot 🙂

Edit: The backstory is I’ve always enjoyed gyms, but most of my friends hate them and I wondered why. Turns out a huge % of people find gyms intimidating, despite wanting to exercise more. So I wanted to create a safe and comfortable exercise space for people who feel like busy public gyms aren’t for them.

by headphones-on-

26 comments

  1. So how does it work, do you book a time slot or is it first come first served?

  2. That looks fantastic, I’d be up for that.
    Well done on encouraging people to get some exercise in a cool environment. Hopefully they’ll continue until their confidence grows, to maybe proceed to larger gyms.

  3. How will you stop it being abused? Kids booking it to drink or bang their gf.

  6. Be warned every time one of you anyone critiques this the gym gets smaller

  7. you the guy who got ripped for this a few years back and deleted the post? [https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/1abozjc](https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/1abozjc)

    how would this even possibly work? if i want to work out at 7am every day, no one else would be able to? and if i want to work out 3 times a week, itll be 120-150 quid a month?

  8. Great job man, well done. Always great seeing new up and coming businesses and entrepreneurs, need more of that!

  9. This is really cool. I can think of a lot of different reasons why many people wouldn’t want to go to a normal public gym but would absolutely go to one of these pods. Great to give more folk the option

  11. This is a great idea and concept! Just wondering, do you someone who cleans the gym in between usage or are customers responsible for cleaning?

  14. I remember you posting about this in the past canvassing for opinions and potential issues. Best of luck with this, I hope it’s a success.

  15. I can see a place for this in more rural areas where finding a gym can be a pain in the arse. The small footprint and lack of need of an existing structure mean that you might be able to get these added in at parks and the like if you speak to local councils

  16. Isn’t this just like a personal training studio but you have put it in a storage box. Not sure its that revolutionary but good luck

  18. Sounds interesting. Will you be offering subscriptions etc or is the plan to always keep it as a pay per session thing? Also, I saw your comment regarding an emergency button that calls security. Is there any precaution against a situation where someone injures themselves in a way where they cannot get to the button, given the privacy blinds mean it’s unlikely anyone passing by would know somethings wrong (particularly if someone is using it late at night for example)? Also curious as to how you ensure only paying customers can access it, is there some kind of PIN code you get or something on your phone to scan? It’s a cool idea though, I hope it works out!

  19. Intriguing concept but how will you convince people to pay £100+ a month for a minimally equipped gym if they arent already using a much cheaper, better equipped public one?

    Id love a private gym but even a single two-hour session every week would be setting me back more than double my current membership, and it would mean not being able to keep up a three-a-week schedule at all.

  20. While I think it sounds nice, I coudn’t ever use a gym without a shower to freshen up/relax, and I guess a toilet as well. Sometimes workout routines create an urge for bladder/bowel movements, or drinking drinks. I mean does it have some kind of water mains connectivity?

  21. Put one in South Lan and I’ll be your best customer. Great idea.

  22. I wish you the very best in this op, but there are so many holes and flaws with this business plan I don’t even know where to start. I just hope you prove me wrong. All the best op

  23. I presume that the gyms will be cleaned daily, inspected daily (equipment safety & building safety). 

    Will bins be provided and be emptied daily?  People will bring food, water, wrappings , tissues and gosh knows what that will need to be thrown away and bins emptied.

    Is there going to be “stuff” to clean m/disinfect handles and the such after people have used equipment? 

    How will the buildings be monitored for safety, cleanliness etc?  A person could get eaten by an alligator hidden under the bike, and no one would know – unless someone checks on things. A meteor could hit the tiny gym and slaughter the weight lifter lifting the 3 tonne weights. Will there be cameras installed? 

    Sorry.  Just a few thoughts. You will have probably thought of these already.  

    EDIT. I note the mention of cameras.

  24. I can’t imagine you’ll be able to compete with the prices of regular gyms, but this looks like an awesome idea for those who are too self conscious in public gyms.

  25. This is an amazing idea, I live in a small(ish) town that has a desperate need for something like this. Our local school and swimming pools have gyms but nothing that has decent equipment or weights. I’ve always been of the opinion we’re crying out for a bigger gym, but a smaller idea like this would, I suspect, be a big hit.

  26. I’m not near St Andrews but curious (in case it rolls out), do they allow you to go in with others if you want? E.g. can I go in with my workout buddy?

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