“If you’re a woman, these doors are open for you. We want to be known as a safe space.”
The team at Glow-Up Female Fitness & Wellbeing
A new female-only gym in Co Down is hoping to empower more women and improve their confidence.
Glow-Up Female Fitness & Wellbeing in Bangor opened in June with a mission to provide women a safe space to exercise, build up strength, and make lasting friendships with like-minded people.
Amid a backdrop of rising violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland, the team behind the gym said they want to empower women to feel both physically and mentally stronger.
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Speaking to Belfast Live about how the gym started, co-owner Gliosa Moore said: “Esther Smyth was my personal trainer for quite some time following a period of bereavement and a breakdown in a toxic relationship. I reached out as I was really lost, and she changed my life in such a way that we got talking about how we could change other people’s lives.
“Esther has been a well-established PT in the Bangor area for 12 years, and I wouldn’t have wanted to go into business with anybody else. We started talking about the barriers women have in relation to training, and indeed I have faced some of those barriers, which is why I reached out to a female PT. The gym Esther was at was quite male dominated and she would have to come meet me in the car park because I was so nervous to go in alone.
“Often as women, we’re so heavily committed with family and children that it’s often very difficult to forge female friendships. We wanted to change that and provide a space women could find emotional support, and find somewhere there would be camaraderie and they could build confidence. A lot of women don’t feel confident and comfortable in a gym environment because, whether they like it or not, there is often unwanted attention from men.”
Esther Smyth, who recently won the Best Female PT in Northern Ireland award at the NI B-Fit Awards 2025, said anyone is welcome at the gym, regardless of their age or training experience.
As for what trends they are currently seeing in women’s fitness, she explained: “We’re seeing a lot in gyms that a lot of women are striving to become fitter and stronger, as opposed to back in the day when the culture was more about being skinny. It’s now all about getting healthier, stronger, and fitter.
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“We try to educate our clients about the benefits of lifting weights and resistance training. It helps promote joint health and bone health, which is especially important for menopausal women. We try to educate women on how lifting weights and building muscle in your body is actually the best anti-aging supplement you can use.
“Around 90% of my clients are mums, so it’s showing our children how to live a better lifestyle, and letting them see their mums get fitter and stronger. Being a mum could be a barrier to training for many, but we say to bring the kids along, there’s always a place for them.”
The gym has clients who are from all walks of life, with some experiencing toxic relationships and violence. Towards the summer, the team are planning to run some fundraisers in aid of Women’s Aid NI.
As for how training can help women when they face adversity, Esther said: “When you start to feel physically stronger, you also start to feel mentally stronger.
“You will tolerate less, because it’s about learning to love yourself and the body you’re in, and realise what your body is capable of. You realise how strong you are mentally, when you may have thought you weren’t. You learn to have a newfound respect for yourself.”
Gliosa added: “The confidence you get from taking care of yourself is second to none. Women can be quite bad at looking after ourselves, we’re at the bottom of the pecking order everyday.
“But just because you’re a mum, wife, daughter, sister, a friend, all of those things, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be first. If you show up for yourself first, you’re going to show up as a better wife, mum, daughter, because you’re not running on empty all the time.”
Glow-Up Fitness host a number of events such as coffee mornings and fun days, aiming to create a space for women and their families to come and socialise.
For any women who are interested in training but a bit nervous about making the first step, Gliosa said: “If you’re a woman, these doors are open for you. We want to be known as a safe space.
“In the short month since we opened, around half of our members are new clients, and it’s been so lovely to see those friendships forge. It’s been really rewarding, it’s lovely to watch the community start to build and build, and it can only get better from here.”
You can find out more about Glow-Up Female Fitness & Wellbeing by clicking here.
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