Third Places: Why A Private Gym is the New Third Place and How Strength Block Delivers

We all know what home and work are, but have you ever heard of the concept of the "third place"? We intrinsically understand this idea - after all it is a vital part of how our society works. Even if you've never consciously thought of it, you certainly already "get it"

A third place is a place that is neither your work nor your home. It is your space to connect with other people, socialise, feel joy and be yourself. A third place is where we instinctually express our need for community.

Without a third place, people often feel like something is "missing".

The concept of the third place has been around for centuries, but in recent years, there has been a decline in traditional third places like diners, coffee shops, parks and pubs. So where do people go now to socialise and connect with others? Without realising it, the gym has become many people's new third place.

In this blog post, we'll explore why the gym is now many people's third place and how Strength Block delivers on the third-place experience. We'll also touch on the role of social media and the internet in the decline of traditional third places.

What are Third Places?

We covered the concept of the Third Place in this episode of the Strength Block Podcast

A third place is somewhere people can gather outside of the home and workplace to socialize and connect with others. It's a place to relax, unwind, and be yourself. According to Ray Oldenburg, author of "The Great Good Place, "third places are "the heart of a community's social vitality and the sparkplug of democracy."

The third place ultimately serves an incredibly important role in our lives. It serves as a space to essentially escape to, where your burden of responsibility is lifted, and it's purpose is to enjoy yourself. Fill your cup. I'm sure you've experienced the laborious routine of work, home, sleep, and repeat. It's life on autopilot - and is that really living?

An example of busy cafe that is a third place

A third place, a place to socialise that isn’t your work place or home.

The Disappearance of Third Places

While the third place is still used in city planning, they are losing their prominence. There are a few factors at play. One of the main drivers is the densification of housing. As more and more countries, New Zealand included, face a strained housing market, space is being priorities for apartment-style living. Less and less priority is given to spaces for people to meet, rather than choosing to isolate everyone into smaller living spaces. As more people live on top of each other, the less connection we have with our neighbours. This results in places such as coffee shops and bars no longer feeling like "your local". It's now just another consumer-focused location servering an ever-changing roster of people.

The Role of Social Media and the Internet

As the places we inhabit become less personal, people have turned to the internet to compensate for the loss of easily accessible third places. It's a little bit of a chicken and the egg scenario - social media and the internet have filled the gap in people's lives as traditional third places disappear, but simultaneously with everyone spending more time online, there's less need for physical spaces to gather and socialise

While this purely online existence works for some people, the heavy uptick in mental health issues during the COVID-19 lockdowns is evidence that it isn't a real substitute for genuine, physical human interaction.

Examining the Modern Third Place: The Gym

Characteristics of a True Third Place Experience at the Gym

A relatively contemporary third place that many have adopted is the gym. It makes sense. It's a great place to escape to, work out with friends (or even just around other people) scratches that itch, and many people use it as a way of having fun and reducing their stress - ticking that box for alleviating a sense of everyday responsibility. The gym's role as a third place is further cemented as we've seen a shift in our culture towards health - minimising the role of traditional social lubricants such as alcohol (but let's face it, we're Kiwis, the drinking culture is in our DNA). We're trading in shots for squats.

But as with the densification of our housing, the same can be said about commercial gyms. When a gym expands to cram as many members in as possible, it falls into the same trappings as other overly commercialised spaces. A true third place experience should be welcoming, comfortable, and inclusive. It should be a safe space where people can let their guard down and be themselves without judgement. A true third place experience should also offer opportunities for connection. Giant commercial gyms herd members like cattle, have almost no personal connection, and most members just want to get in and out as quickly as possible. While they still serve their purpose for some, for the vast majority of people, they just aren't going to be able to serve the role as their third place.

Advantages of Smaller Private Gyms in Fulfilling This Need

Smaller private gyms are better equipped to provide a true third place experience than larger chain gyms because they have a more personal feel. When you walk into a small gym, you're not just another number; you're part of a community. The staff at smaller gyms get to know their members by name and are more invested in their success. In addition, smaller gyms often have more diverse membership bases, which provides the framework for people to be themselves.

Strength Block is Designed to Be Your Third Place

When we opened Strength Block, a private gym in Auckland, we made a list of what was important to us. At the top of the list wasn't "making money" it was building a community. We offer our members a true third place experience, knowing every single member by name (not a number) and what motivated them to walk through our gym in the first place. We put our effort into creating a comfortable environment for everyone and take the time to introduce members and PT clients to each other. We make sure our gym is filled with friendly faces - and we make sure to create this membership. Our extremely limited membership allows us to do something most gyms wouldn't - if we feel that a person is a wrong fit for our community, we politely won't let them join. Our member's experience in the gym is the single most important thing to us - and that is the mark of a true third place.

Is the Gym your Third Place?

Gym memberships are no longer just about getting fit, they provide an opportunity for people to find their third place. Smaller private gyms like Strength Block offer a true third place experience that is welcoming, comfortable and inclusive with the perfect balance of personal connection and community spirit. If you’re looking at gyms in Albany where you can truly escape from everyday life into a supportive environment then contact Strength Block today to find out more about joining Strength Block! We would be delighted to have the chance to show you around our facility so come on in and see why we believe we could be your ideal third place.

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