A UK leisure centre gym will begin offering “silent sessions” following requests from members who want to work out in a quiet and peaceful environment.
Leisure trust 1610 will introduce the Music Free Moves (MFM) sessions at Trinity Sports and Leisure in Bridgwater, Somerset, a centre which it operates on behalf of Sedgemoor District Council.
The MFM sessions will run at lunchtimes and will cater for a number of groups – including older people who have impaired hearing and people on the autistic spectrum, who are sensitive to noise and have difficulty processing sensory information.
Customers will still be able to listen to their own music on headphones while working out, but the gym floor at the leisure centre will be kept quiet and music-free.
General announcements over loudspeakers and other audio systems will also be stopped during this time.
The trial will begin on Monday 5 December and, if deemed successful, MFM will be launched officially in the new year. There are also plans to expand the service to other centres.
Amanda Godsell, health development manager at 1610, said: “Modern life means we are constantly bombarded by noise and music, and it means we are never given a chance to rest our brains from relentless stimulation. This can be problematic for many older people with hearing difficulties or for people with autism, who can be distressed by constant noise. We will monitor the response from customers and then review whether we should introduce 'quiet gym' sessions permanently at Trinity and elsewhere within the 1610 leisure centre network.”
The quiet gym follows an experimental trend by supermarkets and retailers elsewhere in the UK, which have trialled “quiet hours” in their stores so shoppers can enjoy a music-free environment.
The Asda Living store in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, earlier this year introduced sessions during which all escalators were stopped and in-store music and display TVs turned off.
Spas are also jumping on the silent bandwagon in an effort to create areas of contemplation in an always-on world;
Mandarin Oriental launched a Silent Night programme last year in spas across the world, which it is continuing again this year on 14 December, and Austrian-based Vamed Vitality World is opening a new Silent Spa this month.
