Some PureGym members say the chain’s new glass pod entry doors are causing long waits and, in at least one case, trapping people inside.
The brand took over all formerly BLINK fitness locations in Brooklyn, and with the makeover came the new sliding doors that require being scanned in through a phone to enter the gym.
A TikTok video posted by member Gabby Kalomiris drew more than 500,000 views after she recorded herself stuck inside one of the pods at a PureGym location in Bed-Stuy earlier this month.
Kalomiris said the gym was unstaffed at the time because it operates 24 hours a day. She had to wait for another member to let her out.
Members at the Bed-Stuy location told News 12 they prefer the traditional doors on the building’s ground floor and wish the upstairs entrance used the same setup.
Kalomiris said the experience left her shaken and raised questions about what would happen in an emergency.
“It was very nerve-wracking and just very claustrophobic,” she said, explaining she was nervous about the pods ever since they were installed. “I kept saying under my breath, this is how I am going to get stuck in here one day. And then I did. God forbid there was a fire or a safety threat in the gym. People should be able to very quickly get out.”
Some PureGym locations do have a standard door next to the pods, but members say that is not enough and wish they could avoid the pods with those doors entirely.
"At this point I don't want to go inside that again ever," Kalomiris said.
In a statement to News 12, PureGym said the pods are ADA-compliant, meet all applicable building codes and have formal approval from the Department of Buildings.