Manal (45) never imagined her daily route to a women-only gym in Darayya (a suburb southwest of Damascus, in Rural Damascus governorate) would, over time, become an alternative to an operating room.

Years ago, severe lower back disc pain wore her down. She moved between long courses of physiotherapy and strong painkillers until she reached a point where she could no longer sit or stand without help. When she finally saw a specialist, the answer was definitive, surgery was the only option.

Manal chose another path. She refused surgery and began exercising alongside medication that, at first, brought no improvement. On the contrary, her condition worsened in the early weeks and the pain spread to her knee. Still, she kept training.

The decision was not easy, but it was firm. After about three months, she began to notice a real difference.

Today, after nearly 10 years of intermittent commitment to exercise, Manal estimates her health has improved by about 70%. She struggles to carve out time from her daily obligations, but she returns home more able to complete her tasks with energy. She told Enab Baladi that her day feels incomplete when she cannot make it to the gym.

Manal’s story does not seem like an exception. It is one of 10 experiences Enab Baladi documented during a field survey in Darayya, examining the reality of women-only gyms and their spread in recent months.

In a city long known for its socially conservative environment, some families’ reservations about girls taking part in sports remained a constant factor for years. But the scene has been gradually changing. Field observations point to a relative shift in attitudes, with growing demand for women-only gyms, whether for treatment, fitness, or simply the search for a psychologically safe space.

A change in numbers, and in self-perception

For Rama (24), exercise was not an appealing option at first. She never imagined she would choose the gym’s fatigue and strain to become, as she describes it, the “sweetness” of her life, but the experience quickly turned into a turning point.

Over a year and a half, Rama lost between 20 and 25 kilograms after her weight had exceeded 100 kilograms.

The change was not only physical, it also reshaped her lifestyle and self-confidence.

Hanadi (24) feels a similar transformation. She says the changes in her body brought back a feeling she had missed for a long time.

Her family’s support was essential to keeping her going, from driving her to the gym every day to encouraging her to stay committed.

With regular workouts and a diet plan agreed with her trainer, Hanadi’s weight dropped from 113 to 89 kilograms.

Today, she feels her appearance is closer to her real age, after years in which obesity had made her look older than she was.

As for Lynn (17), she was searching for acceptance before any number on the scale. She reduced her weight from 105 to 80 kilograms, but what mattered most to her was the sense of safety inside the gym.

“I feel safe here,” Lynn told Enab Baladi, adding that the experience encouraged her to invite family members to try it with her.

High privacy

This growing turnout is clearly visible in a gym located just meters from Anas Mosque in Darayya. The space is adequate, the machines are in good condition, and the management is led by a trainer with 34 years of experience, supported by training certificates and recognition from the sports federation.

In this place, women do not come only in search of a slimmer body. Most arrive with therapeutic goals, which requires a precise training approach that focuses on each muscle based on the body’s needs, from ligaments to deep muscles in the pelvis and back.

Despite the absence of clear statistics, the trainer pointed to a stable group of committed trainees, ranging between 30 and 40 women, all female, with no mixed-gender training sessions.

According to the trainer, the gym also takes into account the circumstances of some widows and orphans, exempting specific cases from subscription fees. It also receives trainees from areas neighboring Darayya, some of whom have been attending for more than 15 years.

The conservative character of the place, from clothing to the type of music, has not been an obstacle. Instead, it has been a point of attraction, especially for older women. As for development, there are no current plans, except for special programs being prepared for Ramadan, the trainer concluded.

Training passion meets weak infrastructure

On al-Thanawiya al-Shar’iya (Religious Secondary School) Street, another gym offers a different picture. It has a wide space, neatly arranged machines, and a young trainer who entered the field out of passion and love for sport.

Here too, women’s views on exercise differ. Some see it as an investment in health, while others consider it a luxury, and levels of commitment vary accordingly.

The trainer estimates the number of members ranges between 18 and 23 women, with no precise, organized records. As for infrastructure, she described it to Enab Baladi as closer to basic neighborhood gyms, paired with a constant ambition to improve.

Incomplete numbers, overlapping experiences

In a third gym, near al-Alam Square, privacy imposes itself due to its underground location.

The trainer there preferred not to discuss numbers, saying only that they change continuously. Still, information gathered by Enab Baladi suggests the number of members ranges between 20 and 25 women.

Training here is built around individual differences, especially with cases joining for therapeutic reasons, the trainer explained, noting that time separation between women and young men is clear.

Amid these details, other individual stories emerge. Raghad, who joined for entertainment, found herself continuing for eight months. Aisha (49) found in the gym a release from household pressures, and a clear message, exercise has no age limit.

A medical view, between benefit and caution

From a medical angle, physician and physiotherapist Mohammad Shaheen links many cases to the nature of daily work and poor use of the spine, arguing that exercise has become a necessity, not a choice. The difference, in his view, lies in method and supervision.

Shaheen warned, in his conversation with Enab Baladi, against practicing general exercise for treatment purposes without a medical evaluation, pointing to a “severe lack of expertise” among some trainers, and the dangerous mistakes that can result.

He recommended turning to a physiotherapist when needed, and put swimming at the top of safer options.

Psychologically, the impact is no less important. Exercise, he explained, boosts vitality, reduces stress, and improves heart and respiratory function, provided it is practiced in a safe environment and under informed supervision.

The experience of women-only gyms in Darayya reflects a social and health shift taking shape gradually, as exercise becomes more present in women’s lives, not as a leisure activity, but as both a therapeutic and psychological need, within an environment that respects privacy and the city’s social realities.

Between stories of women who found these gyms a way to improve their physical and mental health, and trainers working with limited resources and infrastructure still in need of development, the importance of stronger medical oversight and sustained support stands out as essential to keeping the experience safe and lasting.

For Manal, who refused surgery years ago, going to the gym has become a fixed part of her day. Her condition improved, she says, and exercise has become her lasting choice, in a city still trying to recover its rhythm, step by step.