Signs a Gym is Actually Women-Friendly (And Why It’s More Complicated Than You Think)

One of the most common questions I get is: “Do you know any women-friendly Muay Thai gyms?” I wish the answer was as easy as handing you a list. But here’s the truth: what makes a gym “women-friendly” isn’t as simple as having a few women on the mat. It’s one of the most basic and understandably asked questions. It comes from those completely new and wanting to start their Muay Thai journey, as well as from seasoned practitioners looking for a change in environment but unsure of what to look for before forking over high monthly training fees. Yet, it’s also a question that’s deeply nuanced and difficult to answer. Having been in Muay Thai myself since 2012 (training, fighting, and teaching in gyms across the U.S. and in Thailand), I’ve trained at gyms that made me feel respected, challenged, and valued. And I’ve been in ones that made me painfully aware that I was “the other” in the room. I’ve also watched friends have their passion for the sport crushed because of unsupportive environments. As Jeannie Nguyen put it in an Instagram post on this topic, combat sports gyms aren’t always the most welcoming spaces for women. I agree, and that’s putting it mildly. In fact, Jeannie’s post is great; it went over some simple ideas that anyone can use as a starting point to decide if a place is welcoming and safe for women. It also inspired me to finally address this topic myself. The reality is layered, and if we stop at surface-level signs, we risk missing the deeper issues that can make or break a woman’s training experience. In this article, I’ll break down why the question is so complex, what you should really be looking for, and then give you a starting checklist you can use when evaluating a gym. Note that this article is meant for gyms outside of Thailand, but there are still lots of overlapping points you can use when looking for a Muay Thai camp in Thailand that veers more “women-friendly”. Please also remember that many gyms don’t intentionally try to create unwelcoming environments. As I’ll discuss further in this article, knowledge and awareness are the first steps to making positive changes. Seeking Gym Recommendations for Women Let’s get this out of the way early. Blanket recommendations like “You should train at [X Gym], it’s the best!” without any context are... not helpful. When people ask for gym recommendations, they’re often hoping for a quick, universal answer. But what’s “best” for one person can be a nightmare for someone else. Your background, goals, prior experiences, trauma history, and even your comfort level with different training styles all matter. A gym that’s great for an experienced fighter might be completely overwhelming (or even unsafe) for someone brand new. And in the Muay Thai space, I’ve found that inclusion is often used as a buzzword. Sometimes, people recommend gyms because they see women training there, without asking why those women stayed or...

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