When Georgia State University professor and certified yoga and meditation instructor Sarah Carlson decided to start lifting weights as she entered perimenopause, she joined gain., a boutique, all-women’s gym in Reynoldstown. Like many women, Carlson found traditional gyms intimidating and unwelcoming to newcomers. But gain. was different. It’s a tight-knit, supportive community of like-minded women.
“It’s unlike any other gym or wellness space I’ve been a part of,” said Carlson, who regularly attends strength-training classes and recently joined the gym’s low-key run club, “W(h)ine and Run,” which meets at Side Saddle Wine Saloon every other Sunday.
This type of intentional, community-centered programming makes Atlanta wellness and fitness centers essential third spaces, especially at a time when Americans are reporting increased rates of loneliness and isolation.
More than just a gym
Gyms and wellness spaces have long served as community hubs, said Allison Toller, Chief of Staff and Strategy at the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, which first opened in 1858. In addition to longstanding programs like group exercise classes, Toller said local YMCA branches have started adding community-building events such as silent book clubs, writing collectives, and language-based social groups to help members connect with one another.
Now a new wave of Atlanta wellness spaces are building on that same model.
When Abby Ellis Ingalls and her late business partner Dara Metcalfe McCord opened Future Perfect in Cabbagetown in 2016, the duo wanted to include more wellness offerings than standard massages and facials. As the business expanded to the upper floor of its two-story bungalow, the programming did as well. The calendar now includes regular Reiki shares, tarot readings, and small group meditations. Last year, they launched a nonprofit arm, Future Perfect Integrative Wellness, dedicated to supporting people at all stages of cancer survivorship.
The genesis was McCord’s own cancer diagnosis.
“She saw how much massage and medication helped her during and after treatment, and she and a friend and fellow cancer patient wanted to share that with others who might not otherwise have known or had access to these things,” said Ingalls. While McCord passed away in February 2026, her legacy includes Future Perfect’s survivorship circles, which incorporate healing practices like sound baths and yoga nidra.
“Gaps in care and community input are big factors in what we offer,” said Ingalls of why Future Perfect expanded to these types of community-centered activities.
Community-minded safe spaces
Veteran strength coach Lis Saunders opened East Atlanta Village’s Team Lis Smash gym in 2016 to fill a similar community need—a safe workout space for people left out of mainstream gyms, specifically the LGBTQ+ community, women, and members with bigger bodies, disabilities, or neurodivergencies.
“We need a space for us, to unapologetically take up space, find joy in movement, learn about our bodies, and be respected in the process,” said Saunders.
Inside the private, access-controlled gym, all equipment is labeled, spaced out, and cleared after each use to accommodate people with disabilities and those unable to unload heavy weights. Saunders and their fellow gender-affirming trainers play music primarily by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women artists.
Outside of weightlifting sessions, members get together for queer clothing swaps, a monthly book club, and powerlifting meets, including the gym’s annual fundraiser, Rainbow Deadlift Showdown, scheduled for June 13.
Social and emotional support
When Erika Audrey relocated her longstanding salon and boutique to Old Fourth Ward in April, she decided to rebrand her business as Clover Club to better reflect its role as a gathering place for the community.
“I’ve been working with many of my clients for close to 20 years, and I learned they wanted more from me than salon services,” said Audrey. In addition to a women- and small-business-centric retail and e-commerce shop, Audrey hosts the Clover Club podcast, and will soon launch a series of intimate book clubs, dinner parties, guest lectures, and sound baths modeled after the traditional French salons.
“Sometimes you just need a beautiful space to gather in that isn’t your own, and people are craving community and connection right now,” she said.
Gain. co-founder Katie Wetzel also believes health and wellness spaces like hers are ideal for making those connections and building groups of like-minded individuals with similar interests.
“Joining a space that is centered around a structured activity creates an environment where it’s possible to facilitate new connections, and in a world where we often feel so very separate from one another, I think that is what makes wellness spaces so special,” said Wetzel.
