History Facts & Stories on Instagram: "In 1961, women’s gyms were often small, boutique-style spaces that looked more like social clubs than today’s fitness centers. Instead of rows of weight machines, they featured exercise classes, calisthenics, stretching routines, and sometimes early vibrating belt machines that promised to “shake off” fat. The focus wasn’t on building muscle but on maintaining a slender, toned figure in line with the beauty ideals of the era. Many gyms also doubled as beaut