Wānaka gym hits back at review complaining about womens' clothing

A Wānaka gym has hit back at an online review criticising the way women dressed while working out, saying it is proud to offer women a safe space to work out.

Wānaka's FitGym received a review this week describing its $59 sign-up fee as "excessive", before declaring that "too many women dressed like they're working in a strip club".

"Completely unnecessary and distracting walking around in skin-tight underwear," the review read.

It follows a controversy sparked by a monologue by American comedian Shane Gillis on US TV show Saturday Night Live, where he said that women in gyms dressed like sex workers.

Co-owner Bianca Simpson was less than impressed with the review, but she told Checkpoint she wanted to turn the negative comment into a positive.

"We just really had to push back, we don't really tolerate any comments or any behaviour like that in our gym."

She said FitGym has decided to donate the "excessive" $59 joining fees it received from 2 November to 15 December to Central Lakes Family Services.

Simpson said it was "shocking" to receive such a review in 2026.

"We try to provide a very safe environment for women. We try and provide a very inclusive environment, we have a very good community at the gym and we live in a beautiful town, even though the town is growing, it's still a small community. So we were really shocked with the review."

Simpson said they felt they needed to deal with the situation quickly.

FitGym wrote in response to the review: "We're proud to be a safe space for women (and anyone) to wear what they're comfortable with and what makes them feel good during their workouts. It is 2026 - we will not regulate the length of someone's shorts or the size of their sports bra. But we will regulate men making women feel uncomfortable for simply existing."

"A lot of women have thanked me and my team for standing up for all women, not just the women in Wānaka," Simpson said.

She said FitGym did have a basic dress code ensuring shoes and shirts were worn at all time - "Nothing out of the ordinary".

Simpson said she had not seen the man who had left the review since it was posted, but "I don't think we'll see their face anytime soon".