To mark International Women's Day, we sat down with Rachael Beasley, owner of Devine Health & Fitness, to discuss the gym's popularity since rebranding and why women need to have their own workout space.

Rachael, 40, decided to rebrand her gym during lockdown to give more flexibility for all her members away from what used to be Curves, a franchise she owned for around five years. "With the franchise, I was very limited with what I could do. I wasn't allowed to have certain equipment in here, like dumbbells – it was very limited in what I could provide.

"Members were asking questions about bringing certain equipment into the gym and that's what I wanted to provide to them. When the Curves franchise did come to an end, I knew I wanted to continue but do it my way and listen to what the women wanted.

"They [members] wanted more access with longer opening hours, they wanted more classes, and they wanted more equipment."

Members that come to Devine Health & Fitness vary in age. Currently, the youngest member is 22 and the oldest is 84. "It's a very diverse age range and I would say, on average, most of our members are over 40," says Rachael. "But we have everything to suit all ages and there's something for everyone here."

Rachael says a lot of her members signed up to Devine Health & Fitness due to feeling intimidated by the environment in mixed-gender gyms. "Especially in weight areas in a usual gym, they [members] can feel intimidated by the men because a lot of them are bodybuilders."

Rachael decided to put together a programme specifically designed for women that wanted to do weight training. "We do weights together and at every station, there's a dumbbell set, so members won't feel intimidated in here. There are no mirrors either for women to feel intimidated and it's what the members prefer."

The gym uses a fob system, whereby all members are given a fob once they have signed up to access the facilities from 07:00 until 19:00. "Members do feel safe here and it's a nice environment because it's all women," says Rachael. "We all like to have a gossip and it's relaxed here too."

Interest in Devine Health & Fitness has also reached women outside of Penarth, with members visiting from nearby areas such as Barry, Llandough and Grangetown. There isn't much competition for local female-only fitness facilities either. "I think there might be one female-only gym in Barry but I'm not sure if they do yoga classes too," says Rachael.

This is one of the areas where Rachael plans to expand the business in the future. "It would be great to introduce more yoga classes. I've had feedback from members saying, 'can you put more on?'. So, I'm thinking about doing a mid-morning class and an afternoon class because the demand is there."

Members can also track their progress and book sessions at the gym through the Devine Health & Fitness app, which Rachael designed during the lockdown. "You can get points for all your workouts, there are chances to win prizes and we also set challenges on the app."

Every month, Rachael meets with the member tracking their progress through the app for a 'weights and measures' session. "We look at the member's BMI, do a few little fitness tests, check their heart rate, blood pressure, and it gives them a bio-age," says Rachael.

"Then every month, we work on ways on how we can improve that bio-age, to give them [members] a goal and see how they're getting fitter."

Rachael is also planning a yoga and walking retreat for her members in either September this year or May 2023, where they can enjoy two nights of meditation, morning and evening yoga, and guided hikes.

Click here to find out more about Devine Health & Fitness.

You can also contact Rachael directly. Email [email protected] or call 07961 753417