If you dread the day that your $46 fortnightly gym payment comes out of your bank balance, then NYC’s hottest gym, Dogpound, probably isn’t for you.
The gym is a beloved institution for the celebrities and billionaires of New York City, who fork over $US36,000 ($56,750) a year for a membership.
But the gym doesn’t even have showers.
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This is Dogpound gym, which counts celebrities like Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, and Cindy Crawford among its clients.
But you can’t buy a membership and hope to find yourself running on a treadmill next to your favourite pop singer. Though it’s jam-packed with the latest high-tech fitness equipment, at Dogpound, workouts are by appointment only.
An unlimited membership, which costs more than many peoples’ yearly salaries, provides you with unlimited one-on-one training sessions, with focuses on everything from Olympic weightlifting to weight loss.
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And while many gym memberships that come with a high price tag offer amenities like saunas and swimming pools, Dogpound only has two unisex toilet stalls.
Built in a warehouse space, they’ve been trying to install showers for years, but have been shot down by building regulations.
Dogpound founder Kirk Myers, 44, told the Telegraph that the vibe of the gym is “chic but rough”.
”Clients can buy personal training packages without a membership,” the Telegraph reports. “Unlike other gyms, users cannot turn up to Dogpound and use the equipment by themselves, they have to be booked in with a trainer.
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Myers says that he was inspired to open Dogpound after doing one-on-one personal training with Hugh Jackman. The Wolverine star began bringing his friends and his dog to the workouts, and the crew became known as the “dogpound”.
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From there, the gym took off, with celebrity investors including Adriana Lima and Tom Holland coming aboard. Another Dogpound location opened in Los Angeles in 2019, catering to the rich and famous of Hollywood.
Meanwhile, what’s been labelled as “Australia’s bougiest gym” is opening in Brisbane in November. TotalFusion will have two levels of open floor gym space, a full-service medical concierge and spa, plus cutting-edge recovery facilities including plunge pools, cryotherapy, saunas, a heated magnesium pool, a snow room, and a rooftop bar. Of course, it also has an on-site creche and a doggy daycare.
Australia is also home to a number of elite gyms that are known for their A-list clientele. Rebel Wilson is known to be a fan of Acero and Soma, while Dua Lipa attended classes at KX Pilates when she was in Sydney.