Words by

Hannah Jane Cohen

Photo by

World Class Laugar Facebook

Alright, so I’m kind of a gym addict. I started seriously lifting around a year ago after getting really into MMA and Muay Thai. I’m since become an avid runner (training for a marathon!), but still, lifting is my crack and has totally changed my life. Though I kind of feel like I should be in better shape considering how much I work out, I drink a lot so I guess it cancels each other out. That’s not bad. 

Anyway, it’s—that is working out, not drinking—my favourite activity, so naturally I joined a gym as soon as I arrived in Reykjavík. I chose World Class Laugar purely due to location, and I love it. It’s an amazing gym—super clean, free towels, great weight area. There’s really anything I could want to do, including pools! Also, the showers are so nice: overhead high pressure shower heads, like being a freakin’ rainforest. You press a button and warm water immediately comes out. You never have that awkward “is it hot or cold yet?” moment. It’s always the perfect temperature. I seriously love them so much that I have highly considered going there just to shower.

So far so good—but this article isn’t about showers. I had been going to World Class for around a week before one thing started freaking me out. You see, I’ve gone to a tonne of gyms. Gyms in New York, gyms in New Zealand, gyms in Vietnam. I’ve been to crappy gyms like New York Sports Club, and really fancy ones like Equinox.

But here in Iceland, something else was weird.

World Class Laugar is like a fashion show. Really, it’s like people go there more to dress up and be seen rather than to work out. Picture this: on my first day there, I saw girls doing makeup in the locker room before they went to work out. They then went and did cardio in stylish COTTON nike sweatshirts — what the fuck? Who does that?

Now that’s not to say I don’t appreciate work out clothes. I love work out clothes. I’m a total Nike whore and I also have an embarrassing amount of lululemon. It’s definitely important to look good—what if you meet your soulmate at the gym? You don’t want to look stupid. Ok, I’m joking (but call me, soulmate.)

I guess what confused me more was that World Class Laugar is like a fashion show where everyone is dressed exactly the same. It was like an army of well-dressed work out barbies. I felt really inadequate.

World Class Clone Uniform

Here’s the uniform for girls:
– Nike Frees (this is a MUST!)
– Either long black Nike Pants or long “funky” patterned ones
– Nike long sleeve half zips up or (occasionally) a nike tank top
– Hair in sleek top knots or high ponytails
– A fake tan (c’mon now girls, we know it’s fake)

My normal workout uniform involves spandex shorts and tank tops—but no one wears that here! Maybe this is just me being insecure or self-conscious but I seriously stopped wearing those because no one else was. I don’t want to stand out. Also, compared to all these done-up beauties I get so self-conscious if I sweat at all. I don’t know what to do.

But I guess if I’m looking to get swole I’ll just have to deal with it. So I guess I’ll see y’all at the squat rack in my Nike Frees and high ponytail. Say hi.