Health & Fitness / Lifestyle / Reviews

Bare Rooms Gym: A New Way To Exercise

I don’t know about you, but the thought of working out in a busy, crowded gym just doesn’t do it for me. Years back, I was a regular at my local gym. It was only small, and because of its limited size, it was split, so men and women had access at different times. Then, as time went on, I would only go to the gym with my friend, who would really put me through my paces.

But as I got older and put on more weight, the thought of going into a gym, especially with the rise of people filming content or themselves to check their form, filled me with dread.

What I wanted was a gym where I could work out alone, with no one watching me or having to wait to use equipment. Just me doing my thing. I convinced myself that was the only way I could work out properly. But alas, such a thing didn’t exist in my local area.

Until it did!

Introducing Bare Rooms

Update: This post was written and published in October 2023. Since then, some of the details in this post have changed. Firstly, the cost of the membership plans has changed, and new options have been introduced. The racing simulator is no longer in use, nor is the Flexi Studio. The Flexi Studoi is now a cardio zone that doesn’t require pre-booking and hosts 2 treadmills, a cross trainer, a rowing machine, and a stepper. There is a private room that has been added with a treadmill, which requires booking, and there is no longer a 2-hour booking or cancellation policy in force. I am still a full-paying member on the Platinum Membership plan, as I upgraded from Gold. Please visit the Bare Rooms website for updated information.

I noticed a few things circulating on social media about a new concept gym opening up locally to me that was boasting individual rooms where you could work out in peace; I mean, I couldn’t not sign up, could I? After all, all of my prayers were seemingly answered (except winning the lottery, but I won’t hold my breath).

Well, I didn’t, at first, but my sister did and spent a few months working out in the state-of-the-art private rooms. I ummed and ahhed for a while before taking the plunge in early August and taking myself for a trial session.

Would working out alone really be everything I had made it out to be, or was I just fooling myself? Can a workout in a room alone be just as effective as in a commercial gym?

Arriving at Bare Rooms, I was immediately greeted by Wayne, who was eager to show me around and explain everything I needed to know about Barerooms, from its beginnings to the gym it is today.

Bare Rooms has the following spaces for people to use;

• 2 Micro Gyms (max 2 people per room)
• 2 Fitness Suites (max 2 people per room)
• 4 PT Pods (max 1 person per room)
• Flexi Studio (max 6 people per class)
• Relax Room 
• Sensory Deprivation Float Tank
• Virtual Reality Pod (max 2 users per session)
• Boxing Pod
• Virtual Golf Suite
• Virtual Racing Simulator
• Outdoor Equipment

This innovative set-up is designed so that you see as few people as possible, and you get to close the door and work out in your own space.

For the rooms where you can have up to 2 people, you need to know or be invited to join another person if it’s already booked. So, for example, if I booked Fitness Suite 2, no one else can book unless I give explicit consent. This means I can go with my sister, and we can work out together, but a random stranger cannot book in if one space is already taken. It requires people to respect the rules; however, chances are those working out here are doing so for the same reasons as me or other members, so this isn’t likely to be an issue.

The Flexi Studio runs classes on the hour, every hour, Monday to Friday, and anyone can join these classes. The same class runs all day to keep things simple, with each day having a different class, and chances are you will likely be in here alone or with another person or two should you decide to join a class (I did a circuits one, and while I didn’t enjoy it at the time, it was an excellent workout!)

What You Need To Know About Bare Rooms Birkenhead

Bare Rooms is located on Valley Road, Birkenhead, or if you’re like me, on the industrial estate behind the big Tesco just further up past the tennis centre.

The space has been specially converted to divide the space up to allow for increased privacy, and each room will have different equipment (you can get an idea of what you can find in my images).

Each room has a tablet hooked up with a speaker and projector, meaning you can load up workouts from a pre-curated selection from YouTube via the mounted tablet, and it will projected onto the screen in front of you. Alternatively, you can hook up your playlist and get on with a workout.

Rooms need to be pre-booked online; you cannot turn up and request a room. This avoids any disappointment. Booking needs to be done more than two hours in advance, and if you need to cancel, you need to do so two hours prior, or you will use one of your sessions.

Rooms can be booked on the hour or half past the hour. This staggers the flow of people and ensures you can come and go in peace without running into people. Fitness Suite 1 and Micro Gym 2 can be booked for one-hour sessions on the hour, while Fitness Suite 2 and Micro Gym 1 run on the half hour. PT pods 1 and 3 again are on the hour while 2 and 4 are half past.

Opening hours are as follows;

• Weekdays 6 am to 9 pm
• Saturdays 8 am to 8 pm
• Sundays, 9 am to 4 pm

Bare Rooms Memberships

There are a few options regarding the type of membership you can take out.

Bronze £10 per month

• Unlimited group classes on the hour, every hour between 6 am-9 pm weekdays
• Circuits
• Yoga
• HIIT

Silver £15.99 per month

• 1 Private session every week
• Recreation Rooms Included
• Floatation Tank Excluded
• Unlimited access to group classes

Gold £25 per month

• 3 Private sessions every week
• Free PT Session
• Recreation Rooms Included
• Unlimited access to group classes

Platinum £35 per month

• 5 Private sessions every week
• Free PT Session
• Recreation Rooms Included
• Unlimited access to group classes

The Golf Programme is £15.99 on a recurring basis for £25 for a one-off pass.

On top of this, you can buy day passes for specific activities, such as the relaxation room featuring the epic full-body massage chair. Check out the website for more details.

Using Bare Rooms Gym

It’s been over two months now since I signed up for my membership, and honestly, from the first session, I was sold and signed up that day.

My first experience was in PT Pod 1. It was just me in a small room in a converted shipping container with everything I needed for a full-body weight workout. While I didn’t lift any weights that day, I have since become familiar with a range of exercises and workouts that have helped me on my fitness journey thus far.

There is just something so appealing to me about closing the door on the world and taking an hour out for yourself with nothing else to do but exercise.

Since that first session, I have experienced pretty much all of the workout rooms I want to try, along with the relaxation room. Well, aside from the floatation tank, I have seen Stranger Things; I know what happens! And honestly, I couldn’t be happier.

When I say the service from Wayne and Maxine has been above and beyond, I mean it. Nothing is too much trouble, and I can be a nightmare at times. They’re both always willing to help, and they’ve given me support, tips and the confidence to experiment to find out exactly what I want from my workouts and what works for me (my new favourite thing is deadlift, and my PB is 70kg after just two sessions). They even accommodate me when I call up asking to book a room ASAP because I have just decided at that minute I need to workout and I don’t want to wait the two-hour booking period; if the room is free, then I get booked in (see what I mean about me being trouble!)

From helping me get used to the set-up to using equipment, if you don’t know how to use something, ask, and they will help you or find you a video that will help to checking my form and just chatting I never feel like I’m imposing even though I likely am. They are there to assist in any way they could, which is helpful for someone who has no idea what she is doing. On top of this, Wayne helped to put together a playlist of videos for a workout plan I wanted to follow so I knew the exercises and how to do them. The advice and support are invaluable to me and ideal for those nervous new beginners like me who have no idea what is going on.

I have yet to take advantage of my free PT session with Maxine. I think I’m scared to be pushed, but it’s there for me to use whenever I am ready. But one thing I have abused a lot is the massage chair. OMG! It is a zero-gravity chair that massages your whole body from your head to your toes and everything in between. Absolute bliss! It worked wonders on my tight shoulders from my fibro, and the first time I used it, I was sore, but I tried it again a few days later, and now I try to use it once a week to help keep aches and pains to a minimum. It has pretty much eradicated my nighttime foot pain, which is worth the membership price itself.

What Is Bare Rooms Gym?

Barerooms is an innovative and cleverly thought-out place where people can go to exercise in a way that works for them. Ideal for beginners, experienced gym goers, people with no confidence to go to a standard gym and literally anyone else. It allows you to relax and find your groove in a safe space that is designed with your fitness and comfort in mind, and everyone is welcome. On top of this, it has extra amenities that support and supplement your physical and mental health that don’t seem to be on offer anywhere else. They really have thought of everything.

But, Bare Rooms gym for me is my haven. I get to take a couple of hours per week to focus on my health and fitness and know it’s a safe space to do what I need to do without feeling like everyone is staring at me. Since signing up, I have lost around 14 lbs and 50 cm in total, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

If you want to find out more about joining up or what there is onsite, you can book a free trial online or contact Bare Rooms by phone or email.

0151 245 5339

help@barerooms.com

Unit 8A, Valley Road Business Park, Birkenhead, CH41 7ED.

Just to clarify, I have not been asked to write this review, nor have I been compensated. I am paying for my membership myself. But if you do take a free trial, please tell them Tracey sent you; I don’t get anything in return, but I might not get barred for being a nuisance.