(Updated at 2:40 p.m.) A Canadian boxing gym franchise designed to help women develop strength and self-defense skills is opening its first Virginia location in Ballston.
The new outpost of 30 Minute Hit on the ground floor of Randolph Towers (4001 9th Street N.) plans to open in late August, franchise owner Carola McGiffert said.
“It was the right market at the right time,” she tells ARLnow.
30 Minute Hit aims to help women and girls ages 13 and older feel empowered and safe with 30-minute circuits that combine cardio and strengthening. The gym will cater to its female clientele by offering places for children to play, keeping sessions short and not on a class schedule and hosting community events, she said.
“A lot of women we talk to love boxing and martial arts but are intimidated in boxing gyms because it’s a male-dominated environment,” the franchise owner said. “[At 30 Minute Hit] you’re not competing. You’re in a safe space with other women.”
The facility is also in touch with the needs of busy moms and working women, she said.
“There will be a child play area, a place where you can park your kid with a book or a game,” she said.
Unlike other gyms, 30 Minute Hit will not have set classes. Instead, boxers of all experience levels can come anytime within open hours to complete a half-hour circuit, which consists of multiple two-minute rounds of boxing, kickboxing, general self-defense and core training across 13 stations.
McGiffert said the 30 Minute Hit location will not just help women get stronger — it will also build community, drawing on mix of young professionals and families in the area.
“We do community events and happy hours. One popular day is the day you can bring a non-female person to the gym like a son or husband to workout for a day,” McGiffert said. “We do a lot of things that go beyond the circuit.”
Those who are interested can sign up for a free trial for one circuit with coaching from an instructor. To access unlimited circuits, clients can pay $109 a month for a two-year membership, $119 a month for a one-year membership, or $129 month-to-month.
The gym is open Monday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to noon and 4-8 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 4-8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.