Industry veteran Susan Dyson is one of the visionaries behind Hiitgirl, the studio for women in Highgate Village. She talks to Kath Hudson about creating a concept for women who hate gyms
By Kath Hudson | Published in Health Club Management 2018 issue 5
Susan Dyson, co-founder and creator of the Hiitgirl concept
Created to solve the workout dilemmas of affluent, busy women, Hiitgirl opened its first studio in 2013.
“We didn’t actually set out to create a HIIT concept, but when talking to our target market, we found HIIT-style training happened to be one of the tools which could meet their needs,” says Susan Dyson, who co-founded the club with her partner Stuart Dyson.
The duo used the same retail design agency as sports retailer Sweaty Betty and perfumier Jo Malone to create a studio environment which supports their customer experience map.
They also turned to fragrance partner, NEOM Organics, London, to create a multi-sensory space with smells, textures and visuals. “We were inspired by what retail brands like Lululemon, Nike and Sweaty Betty were doing for women,” says Dyson. “So many of the women we used for our research reported negative experiences with gyms. They suggested that we create the spaces in our new studio to be as unlike a gym as possible!”
Barefoot workout Hiitgirl workouts happen in small groups and are done barefoot and using a wide range of eco-friendly fitness toys – from mini trampolines and medicine balls to things like water-filled kettlebells.
Four to five group sessions are offered each day, six days a week and the rest of the time is taken up with privately booked sessions in the same space.
Different tribes “We have the ‘before work’ crew, followed by the ‘school run mums’,” says Dyson. “In the daytime we have 121 sessions for women who have flexible working schedules, such as freelancers and celebrities/media people. Evenings are then taken up with the after-work crew of professionals, often in high pressure roles who are working long hours.”
Because Hiitgirl clients are so busy, a special drop-in concept is on offer, so even if people get delayed, they can still join in and get their full workout time. It’s proven to be very popular.
In term-time, the studio partners with a local school to offer a School of Sweat course for pupils aged 15-16 which comprises structured HIIT sessions, along with supporting information around body confidence and related mental wellness issues.
This school exercise programme is growing in popularity as this age group come on stream as consumers and adopt a wellness lifestyle.
Dyson says the entire programme at Hiitgirl is also constantly being refined and extended: “We’re currently developing a wider range of experiences to enhance our core offer,” she explains, “Including things such as mobility and recovery workouts, and complementary activities around nutrition and behaviour change.
“We’re also looking at how we can monetise the concept outside of our studio, with videos, apps and content licensing being a natural progression.”
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
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Industry veteran Susan Dyson is one of the visionaries behind Hiitgirl, the studio for women in Highgate Village. She talks to Kath Hudson about creating a concept for women who hate gyms
By Kath Hudson | Published in Health Club Management 2018 issue 5
Susan Dyson, co-founder and creator of the Hiitgirl concept
Created to solve the workout dilemmas of affluent, busy women, Hiitgirl opened its first studio in 2013.
“We didn’t actually set out to create a HIIT concept, but when talking to our target market, we found HIIT-style training happened to be one of the tools which could meet their needs,” says Susan Dyson, who co-founded the club with her partner Stuart Dyson.
The duo used the same retail design agency as sports retailer Sweaty Betty and perfumier Jo Malone to create a studio environment which supports their customer experience map.
They also turned to fragrance partner, NEOM Organics, London, to create a multi-sensory space with smells, textures and visuals. “We were inspired by what retail brands like Lululemon, Nike and Sweaty Betty were doing for women,” says Dyson. “So many of the women we used for our research reported negative experiences with gyms. They suggested that we create the spaces in our new studio to be as unlike a gym as possible!”
Barefoot workout Hiitgirl workouts happen in small groups and are done barefoot and using a wide range of eco-friendly fitness toys – from mini trampolines and medicine balls to things like water-filled kettlebells.
Four to five group sessions are offered each day, six days a week and the rest of the time is taken up with privately booked sessions in the same space.
Different tribes “We have the ‘before work’ crew, followed by the ‘school run mums’,” says Dyson. “In the daytime we have 121 sessions for women who have flexible working schedules, such as freelancers and celebrities/media people. Evenings are then taken up with the after-work crew of professionals, often in high pressure roles who are working long hours.”
Because Hiitgirl clients are so busy, a special drop-in concept is on offer, so even if people get delayed, they can still join in and get their full workout time. It’s proven to be very popular.
In term-time, the studio partners with a local school to offer a School of Sweat course for pupils aged 15-16 which comprises structured HIIT sessions, along with supporting information around body confidence and related mental wellness issues.
This school exercise programme is growing in popularity as this age group come on stream as consumers and adopt a wellness lifestyle.
Dyson says the entire programme at Hiitgirl is also constantly being refined and extended: “We’re currently developing a wider range of experiences to enhance our core offer,” she explains, “Including things such as mobility and recovery workouts, and complementary activities around nutrition and behaviour change.
“We’re also looking at how we can monetise the concept outside of our studio, with videos, apps and content licensing being a natural progression.”
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
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