How to differentiate your gym from the competition
The fitness sector in Spain is very much alive and is still competitive, a market in which the retention of members and their loyalty is very important, and there are many ways to face this challenge.
In our market study on the fitness sector in Spain in 2018 we have analyzed what differentiates a gym from the competition, and the key lies in these value propositions. Original and different ideas that help your gym to offer something that others do not have, following the trends in fitness and listening to what members need.
9 value propositions for a gym
1. Personal training outside of quota
Personal training outside the quota is the option that Spanish clubs choose the most when it comes to differentiating themselves. It is a direct way and closely related to the operation of the club that improves the loyalty of the members and gives them an extra that helps them feel part of the center while improving their results.
2. Develop a new digital proposal
Undoubtedly, the commitment to digital fitness is already a reality and updating is essential. Both at the level of gym machines and connectivity or marketing, gyms in Spain are aware that members care about digital.
3. Incorporate services (aesthetics, space rental, physiotherapy ...)
In addition to providing income and benefits, having extra services in the gym brings prestige and is an option to grow as a club in other areas.
4. Implement the Gym Boutique concept
Without a doubt, the Gym Boutique concept is one of the value propositions that can most help a center. Specializing in a subject and finding the people who want to practice it is a great differentiator. A trend that grows every year.
5. Activities directed outside of quota
Many sports centers and gyms offer a series of directed activities at a separate cost, outside of their normal fees and that have some differentiating element that makes them more attractive to the member.
There are distinct sorts of arm tattoos for guys, however the option basically is dependent in your arm and in which you wish to layout your tattoo. Arm becoming one of the most famous location for tattoos, has remained really a location for tattoo designers to experiment and appear up with stunning results. Nevertheless, arm tattoos demand specific therapy and concentrate around the component from the tattoo artist. Therefore, it is imperative to select a great and experienced tattoo artist who is fantastic at arm tattoos for guys.
Here are a few of factors in your case to adhere to if you ever wish to get an arm tattoo:
Choose The proper Tattoo Artist: Arm tattoos are pretty prominent and include for your awesomeness. Hence, you must be cautious about deciding on the tattoo artist. Ideally, you might select the a single which has ample encounter inside the tattoo industry. much better still, you may appear for somebody who specializes in arm tattoos for guys. You wish to make certain the artist understands your concept and produces an arm tattoo that not merely speaks for by itself but in addition reflects your private philosophy. Decide The area of Tattoo: An arm may be a large spot and provides a fantastic offer of inventive chance for the tattoo artist to produce fantastic arm tattoos for guys. However, it is in your case to produce a option with regards for the area from the tattoo. Some individuals include an whole arm, whilst other people include the shoulder affordable the forearm. Your option of area largely is dependent around the styles as well. Choose The proper Design: Arm tattoo styles perform a essential part in assisting your arm tattoo show up different and different. Depending around the area of your arm tattoo location, you can opt for any particular layout that appears stylish in your arms. attempt to realize the distinct method utilized to location tattoos on arms and how they are applied. this can aid you choose the proper design.
Home gyms – to build muscle or just to keep in shape
Home gyms come in a variety of shapes and sizes and it’s important that you do your due diligence in choosing the best home gym your house. If you have a special room set aside for a gym, then you will be out of fit more equipment into that room but you still need to take into account things like the weight of the home gym and its dimensions. For example, is your ceiling high enough to take the gym? Is your floor strong enough to take a heavy weight stack that some home gyms come with.
For those who need lighter home gyms, Bowflex have created a series of Bowflex home gyms that use an innovative rod system to generate the “weights” you will be “lifting”. These home gyms are excellent for those people that might not have a floor capable of holding a weight stack body weight.
For those who can fit a gym with a weight stack there is a huge range to choose from, from basic home gyms to professional machines dedicated to certain body parts.
In the table above you can see the ratings and reviews given to the home gyms that we’ve reviewed on this site. Also feel free to add your own rating and review at the end of any home gym that we have on the site, and your rating scores will be taken into account in the overall rating that we give each home gym.
Tattoo Safety is an important part of preventing the spread of infectious disease……
Yeah, yeah. I know what you’re thinking: “Bor-ring! I just want to look at cool tattoos!”
I hear ya, I really do – the idea of talking about hygiene and safety brings back memories of all the great naps I got in school when they showed those horrible films in health class. But if you can bear with me for just a little while, you just might learn something that could save your life.
tattoo safety
Let’s start out with a brief explanation of the two phrases you will read often throughout this article:
Blood Borne Pathogens
A pathogen, in this instance, is a living microorganism that carries and has the potential to cause disease. Since we’re talking specifically about blood-borne pathogens, that means the microorganisms are present in blood and bodily fluids. As far as tattoos go, the only bodily fluid that could potentially be an issue is saliva, if someone gets a tattoo inside their mouth.
Blood Borne Pathogens
Disease and Infection Risk
Cross contamination is when you transfer microorganisms from one location to another through contact with your own body or some other object. Since microorganisms are invisible, numerous, and can reproduce at an alarming rate, it’s very easy to accidentally cross-contaminate if your methods aren’t absolutely precise.
To give you an idea of how cross-contamination works, the best illustration is to start with something you’re familiar with: your own home. Have you ever cooked in your kitchen? Do you have any idea how easy it is to spread food-borne pathogens? Well, let’s take a look:
cross contaminationAnd if you think it’s not as big a deal as he makes it out to be, or that everyone knows how to be safe in the kitchen, check out this little factoid
lick lick lick, dawwww!
And that’s just food related illness. There are many other ways that we cross-contaminate every day without giving it much thought, but fortunately our bodies build up a resistance to the most common germs around us. However, there are some things you can’t ever build up an immunity to, like disease—especially blood borne diseases.
There are four diseases known to be transmitted through blood:
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- HIV
In addition to blood-borne illness, you are also susceptible to various germs and bacteria the moment your skin is broken with the tattoo needle. You’ve probably heard that we all have hundreds of bacteria living on our skin, and about a third of the human population carries some kind of staph bacteria, including MRSA. All it needs is the smallest opening to enter your body and start wreaking havoc. A localized infection that gets out of control can lead to tissue loss, limb amputation, and even death.
bloodborne pathogens
Compared to a little salmonella in your potato salad, these mo-fos are the rampaging Godzillas of the pathogen world. So, if you value your health, your vital organs, and your life, you need to know how to protect yourself from these invisible monsters. And when it comes to getting a tattoo, that means knowing if they are doing things right to protect you!
If your artist was doing something wrong, would you even know? So many people think it’s proof that their tattooer is being safe because he wears gloves. Wearing gloves doesn’t mean jack. Did you know that professional artists are even trained in the proper donning and removal of protective gloves? If something that simply isn’t done correctly, the process of cross-contamination has already begun. Here’s a short video on glove safety:
Looks legit, right? Well, guess what? It’s WRONG. That so-called instructional video shows a potentially dangerous method of glove removal because it could lead to cross-contamination. Here’s another video on the CORRECT way to remove disposable gloves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTYioOo__6U
And that’s just putting on and taking off the gloves, but there’s even more training that goes into knowing when to remove gloves and don a new pair. Wearing gloves means nothing if your tattooer touches a contaminated surface and then touches your broken skin. Remember – microorganisms are invisible and numerous!
Going Beyond Gloves
To outline all of the training a tattoo artist has to go through in order to be certified in blood-borne pathogens and cross-contamination prevention, it would take several pages and I know you don’t really want to read that much. If you really want to know all of the ins and outs of tattoo safety, then I suggest you take a course in BPP/CCP yourself. You can take the course and be properly certified for $25.00 through the Red Cross Online Training Course. Then you’ll know for sure what to expect from your tattoo artist.
certificate of completion
However, even if you aren’t certified, now that you know that tattoo artist is held to a high standard when it comes to cleanliness, it’s your job to make sure they uphold those standards before sitting in their chair. Watch them work on other clients and look to see if they are being careful about how they work, what they touch, and when they change their gloves.
Here’s a few other safety rules professional tattoo artists follow:
- The client’s skin must be wiped clean first, to remove as much skin “flora” as possible.
- If deodorant stick or similar product is used to transfer the stencil, it is never applied directly to the skin. It’s applied to a clean paper towel first and then the towel is applied to the skin to distribute the product.
- Spray bottles of water or soap are never used on the skin. Instead, squeeze bottles are used to prevent a backspray of pathogens.
- Proper bandaging should always be used. Saran wrap is NOT proper bandaging.
Even if your prospective artist isn’t tattooing, you can learn about their habits by checking out their booth. Unoccupied stations should be wiped clean with no used tools laying around. Floors should be mopped clean.
Autoclave Sterilizing
Autoclave Sterilizing
Typical examples of a Steam Autoclave Sterilizer (left) and the sterile pouches before (top right) and after (bottom right) being autoclaved.
One of the biggest and most important things that every tattoo artist is required to do in order to prevent cross contamination is to sterilize any equipment that is re-used from one client to the next. Every tattoo shop – unless absolutely everything they use is disposable – should have an ultrasonic cleaner and autoclave sterilizer. All tools and grips have to be pre-cleaned, placed in OSHA-approved sterilization pouches, and put in an autoclave sterilizer that reaches the required temperature and pressure to kill all pathogens.
spore test example
An example of a spore test kit (left) and results report example from Thrive Studios.
In addition to this procedure, the autoclave itself must be tested regularly (usually monthly) to make sure it is operating properly. To do this, a spore sample from a lab is sent to the shop to be sterilized in the autoclave. Then the sample is sent back to the lab to be tested, to make sure all the spores are dead. Then the lab sends the results back to the shop. Every tattoo shop with an autoclave should have its spore test results available for anyone who wants to see them.
One Shot/Disposable Studios
There are some tattoo shops that have gone completely disposable, for safety and convenience. Needles and tubes (grips) both come in disposable options. However, if the shop also does piercing, it is very unlikely they could get by without an autoclave. Piercing needles, clamps, and even the jewelry all need to be sterilized prior to use and should come out of a sterilization pouch before they use them on you, including the disposable ones.
Celtic tattoo designs cover a wide range of styles. Irish traditional symbols and art are very popular for tattoos, especially in people who connect with their heritage and want to show their pride in their ancestry. The artwork of the most emblematic of Ireland Celtic knot. Celtic knots are interlaced field lines are represented in an endless loop and a maze. These models sometimes show people or animals, but perhaps decorative.
The best known source of Celtic knot-work came from the Book of Kells, illuminated manuscript that contains the four Gospels. The nodes themselves often have a deep meaning and symbolism and are sometimes used as stations against evil. People who have tattoos of Celtic knots, especially those with historical significance should be as Triskele or triquetra, then you the importance of design.
Celtic crosses are also historically and culturally important, not to mention beautiful, and as such are popular tattoo designs. Often, these tattoos are Irish heritage more than religious belief. The Celtic cross is a cross with a circle cut. It is usually decorated with intricate knot-work and traditional.
Like a tattoo, the design of the cross in the first place regarded as a religious tattoo design or Irish Christian. However, the Celtic cross design is important in Wales and Scotland and parts of Scandinavia. In addition, much history and influence as a Christian pagan. For this reason, the Celtic cross tattoo design for a corresponding number of different people, not just the Irish Catholics. Cross tattoos are mostly based on cross existing or developing real designs of illuminated manuscripts.
The Claddagh is an Irish SymbOS key. The Claddagh is two hands holding a crowned heart, and began as an Irish wedding ring or engagement ring, where the hands are extended with fingers to form a group. Symbolically represents the Claddagh Friendship, loyalty and love that each be represented by another feature of the design and all aspects of a good and successful marriage.
The hands represent friendship, the heart for love and loyalty to the crown. Interestingly, the rings by the popular but were used to the relations of the user to specify. When the heart is far away from the door reveals that is available. When the heart is turned towards her, she will open her heart and not for others. The symbol, a resident of a small village in Galway, has been around since the 17th century. Like a tattoo, which usually only for Claddagh Irish heritage and cultural pride, instead of a symbol of the love relationship.
The clover is to a more common to represent Ireland. A shamrock is a type of clover, with three heart-shaped cam. Often people confuse clover, symbol of Ireland, with the four-leaf clover, a symbol of happiness. The four-leaf clover is not related to Irish culture. Irish folklore suggests that the true clovers, accepted in most cases, a variety of white clover can be grown in the Irish soil.
St. Patrick, an Irish saint remarkably, The Shamrock once used to the idea of the Trinity to pagans and druids to illustrate. In the 17 century, the shamrock as a symbol of resistance to British control, and wearing a shamrock is a matter of execution. Today, the shamrock, an unofficial symbol of Ireland (the harp is the official symbol), such as thistle with Scotland and the rose represents England. Shamrock tattoos are clear, let the Irish pride designs.
Americans often think of when they think of leprechauns in Ireland. This magical little creatures do not appear in Irish folklore, until about the 14th century, but they are perhaps the most famous of all Irish stories. Presumably, the small people, as they are always men, mending shoes, and enjoy something. They are sometimes described as evil or cruel. According to legend, they grant three wishes in exchange for their release if they are caught. Pixie tattoos are weird and funny.
Most models are exaggerated versions of stereotypical and goblins from the ideas of Irish culture. They are often depicted as men with small bright red hair, very green. Although entertaining, not on the same design Kobold historical tradition than other Celtic symbols.
