Fitness influencer defends ‘crazy’ price of her women’s only gym after backlash

A fitness influencer has defended the price of her women’s only gym after users on TikTok called the price “disheartening”.

Without a spa or pool, The Girls Spot will charge women £120 a month to join and will provide self defence classes alongside a traditional workout space.

However users have claimed that the space is “not worth the price”, also noting that the high price point will mean “a LOT of women will have to keep using men’s gym which defeats the purpose of this.”

Founder and CEO, Natalee Barnett, first spoke about her intention to open a women’s only gym that was inclusive of trans women around five years ago. However, she was the subject of controversy in March 2025 when she outlined that the gym would no longer be inclusive of trans women, despite previously claiming it would.

After revealing the price point of The Girls Spot four days ago, conversations on TikTok have called out the monthly subscription fee and highlighted how it is exclusive of many female gym-goers.

Priced at £120 a month, The Girls Spot promises to deliver “fully equipped, bespoke, state of the art equipment”, “a range of workout classes scheduled weekly” and “a community hub with complimentary supplements and products to fuel your workout”.

It also will feature “bathrooms with beautiful showers, complimentary sanitary products ad a beauty station” as well as host “workshops, activations and events centred around the menstrual cycle, PCOS and other hormone related topics.”

Members of The Girls Spot are told they will “become part of an exclusive, curated community with women’s wellbeing and women’s safety at the forefront.”

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The gym was the subject of controversy in March this year after Natalee announced that the space would no longer be inclusive of trans women, despite previously promising it would be.

In a TikTok posted in 2021, the fitness influencer said “of course” trans women would be included at her women’s only gym, and that she doesn’t see “trans women as trans women” but just “as women.”

Following the price announcement on Monday this week, Natalee has had to defend the price point after some users claimed that it simply was not worth the money.

Commenting on TikTok, one user wrote: “I mean you do you girl but there’s no spa, no swimming pool, no sauna and no ice bath. So I do not think it’s worth the price. And there’s barely any equipment from what I see. The only difference in there is everything pink and a place to make some drinks.”

Others compared The Girls Spot to other premium gyms such as David Lloyd, highlighting how the fee is high for the services provided: “I’m sure £120 is reasonable for what profits you need to reach. However, the comparison to David Lloyd is valid. David Lloyd offers a large variety of facilities including a spa and pool. People enjoy that luxury.

“You cannot expect people who pay £120 a month for gym, spa, pool, tennis etc to want to switch to your gym that does not have those.”

Another wrote: “1.5K a year from ONE customer is crazy though. Surely lowering the price would bring in more customers?”

The high price point also prompted a number of women to question the purpose behind creating a women’s only space if it excludes a lot of its target audience.

Advertised as a “premium female-only gym”, Natalee previously spoke at length online about how The Girls Spot would be a safe space for women to exercise without being looked at or interfered with by men. However, the higher fee has resulted in many women commenting that they’ve been priced out of this community.

One TikTok user wrote: “A LOT of women will have to keep using men’s gym which defeats the purpose of this…”

Another added: “I feel like charging 120 for a women’s only gym undermines the point of a women’s only gym.”

Some people defended the cost in the comments, explaining that the premium space is advertised for a certain target audience. In response to this, one person said: “The amount of people in the comments saying ‘If they can’t afford it you don’t want them as clientele’ and ‘If they can’t afford it that’s on them’ is truly so disheartening. Poor people deserve safe spaces too tf.”

Natalee addressed the conversation in a lengthy TikTok video where she said: “I’m not here to explain my pricing, I know the value of The Girls Spot and it’s going to stay at that price per month.”

She added: “Regardless of what I price my gym at, people would complain. If I priced it at £50 a month, the people that pay PureGym prices would complain. If I priced it at £70 a month, the people that pay Anytime Fitness prices would complain.

“People who are on the internet often speak about things they’re not educated about.

“I, as the CEO, am very aware of my [incomings], my outgoings, how much I need to profit, what I need to keep the doors open. This is a business. I am an independent, boutique, single gym.”

@nataleebfitness

@thegirlspotgym🎀 membership pricing #fyp #womensonlygym

♬ original sound – nataleebfitness

“Let’s call this out as what it is. People cannot stand to see a young, black, successful woman. I just turned 26, I have a seven month old baby, I’m contributing to society, I’m changing the gym and fitness industry, I’m changing women’s lives and you guys hate to see it.

“Because the way that people keep trying to continually undermine me and The Girls Spot, it needs to be studied.

“The amount of black women as well which really pains me, the amount of black women and black men that I see Tweeting so negatively, really trying to knock me and my business. You need to ask yourself, ‘Why does Natalee and The Girls Spot bother me so much?’.

“You guys will never ever be able to succeed in trying to knock me.”

Natalee added: “I think we need to change the dialogue from ‘Oh, that’s expensive’ to ‘Oh, maybe that’s not in my budget’.”

She also explained how she personally would not pay £250 0r £300 for the gym herself, adding that she does not want to pay for facilities such as a sauna or tennis court.

Commenting on the video, one user wrote: “This is giving uk hair dresser energy… ‘non refundable deposit, late fee, extra fee for length, extra fee for colour, no heating, no complaints, etc’. Customer service is also part of the business and you shouldn’t take feedback so personal but rather use it to find alternatives or improve your services. It’ll be more beneficial in the future.”

Others agreed that the controversy isn’t a personal attack on Natalee, writing “It’s not jealousy or about race at all it’s about common sense” and “I doubt race has anything to do with complaining about £120.”

Another agreed, adding that the backlash against The Girls Spot pricing isn’t personal against Natalee, but is a reasonable viewpoint from a financial perspective: “It’s not about hating on you or your gym, it’s just looking at it from a realistic standpoint. Not everything has to be so personal. I don’t agree with people hating on you specifically though.”

Natalee Barnett has been approached for comment.

Featured image via Instagram and TikTok