Two ways a gym makes room for women
A women-only section is a permanent space: a separate area with its own equipment that men do not use at any hour. Ladies' hours reserve a shared floor for women at set times, and men use the same floor before and after each slot.
RPM's Ladies section is the first kind, and RPM does not run ladies' hours on its Mixed floor. The ladies gym comparison adds a third format, the standalone women's studio.
The decision table
| Permanent women-only section | Ladies' hours in a shared gym | |
|---|---|---|
| When you can train | Any time the section is open | Only in the reserved slots |
| If your plans change | Go earlier or later the same day | Miss the slot and wait for the next one |
| Equipment | The section's own kit, which may be less than the main floor holds | The whole floor, for as long as the slot lasts |
| Privacy while training | Women only at every visit | Women only within the slot, with men arriving at the changeover |
| Staff on the floor | Ask whether the staff in the section are women | Ask whether the staff on duty change for the slot |
| Windows and glass | Check what can be seen from outside the section | Check whether blinds or screens go up for the slot |
| Crowding | Spread across the day | Squeezed into the slot, which can make it the busiest hour of the week |
| Ramadan and holidays | Ask whether the section keeps the club's hours | Slots often move, so ask for the new timetable |
Who each one suits
A permanent section suits you if:
- your spare hour moves around because of shifts, school runs or travel
- you like to drop in when an afternoon unexpectedly frees up
- privacy has to be there at every visit, with no changeover moment
- you train four or more times a week and need a choice of times
Ladies' hours suit you if:
- the slots match a routine you can keep, such as weekday mornings after the school drop-off
- your plan needs equipment that a smaller women-only area might lack
- you train two or three times a week at fixed times
- you are comfortable on a floor men use, as long as they are not there at the time
Things people notice only after joining
- The slot belongs to every woman at the gym. If they all train in the same few hours, the racks and machines can be busier than at any other time. Visit during the slot, and read when gyms are least busy for how to judge quiet hours.
- Changeovers. In the minutes either side of the slot, men may be finishing or waiting to start. If that matters to you, ask how the handover is managed.
- Timetable reshuffles. Ramadan, school holidays and summer often move the slots, so a time that suited you in spring may vanish in July.
- A section can be small. Permanence is worth less if the space lacks the rack or cable your plan needs, so judge its kit against your plan.
- The changing room. In either format, find out where the women's changing room is and whether you cross a shared area after changing.
Questions to ask
| If the gym has a women-only section | If the gym runs ladies' hours |
|---|---|
| Is the section open whenever the club is open, including in Ramadan? | What are the slots, and how often have they changed this year? |
| What equipment is inside the section itself? | Is the whole floor reserved, or only part of it? |
| Who works in the section? | Who is on duty during the slot, and can men enter for any reason? |
| Can anyone see into the section from outside? | Are the windows covered during the slot? |
| Which tier covers the section? | Does my membership let me train outside the slot too? |
Worked example: a teacher with a moving afternoon
Take a teacher who finishes school mid-afternoon on most days but stays late for meetings and parents' evenings once or twice a week. Her current gym runs ladies' hours on weekday mornings, when she is at work, and on two evenings, one of which often clashes with a meeting.
| She weighs | Ladies' hours at her current gym | A gym with a permanent women-only section |
|---|---|---|
| Sessions she can make | One a week, sometimes none | Three a week, whenever her day allows |
| Equipment | The full floor during the slot | The section's kit, which she checks against her plan |
| Privacy | Good within the slot | Good at every visit |
She tours the gym with the section at the time she would usually arrive, checks that its racks and dumbbells cover her plan, and asks which tier includes it. Three sessions a week beat one, so she moves. Had the section lacked a rack, she would have weighed that against the extra sessions before deciding.
Where RPM fits
RPM has a section, not hours. The Ladies section is a separate women-only part of the club on Level 4 of AD HUB Sports Complex in Al Manhal, with its own strength and cardio equipment and the Pilates studio, and female coaches on the roster work there. Men train in the Mixed section. Which sections a membership covers depends on the tier, so confirm yours. Women-only training at RPM has more on the section.
The club opens early and closes late, with shorter Friday hours, as listed below. Ask whether the Ladies section keeps these hours in full, including during Ramadan, and ask to see the route into the section on a free guided tour.
| Days | Opening hours |
|---|---|
| Saturday to Thursday | 06:00–23:00 |
| Friday | 09:00–22:00 |
Hours can change, for example during Ramadan. Confirm with the team before a late or early visit.
Questions, answered.
Does RPM run ladies' hours?
No. RPM has a permanent women-only Ladies section instead, and its Mixed section is used by men and women.
Are ladies' hours less private than a section?
Within the slot, both are women-only. The difference lies at the edges: men may be leaving or waiting at the changeover, and staff or windows may stay as they are. Ask how each is handled.
Do ladies' hours give me more equipment?
Often, because you get the main floor while the slot lasts. A section has only its own kit, so compare it with your plan before choosing.
What happens to ladies' hours in Ramadan?
They often move along with the rest of the timetable. Ask for the Ramadan schedule before relying on it, and ask the same about a section's hours.
Is a section worth it if the slots already suit me?
Perhaps not. If the slots fit your week and the floor is quiet enough during them, ladies' hours may give you more equipment for your money. Look again when your routine changes.