Super Yacht gym designer exposes the WILD world of rich workout spaces – from customers requesting $50,000 teak and bronze dumbbells to demands for HERMES bench press

When it comes to gym design, these super chic fitness studios hit the mark.

Installed aboard multi-million dollar superyachts, these gyms are in a league of their own, with equipment for fitness enthusiasts with highly refined tastes.

Edward Thomas has specialized in designing gyms for superyachts for nearly a decade, and he told DailyMail.com that the requests can range from the sublime to the ridiculous.

His most expensive installation cost more than $300,000.

For a set of 12 non-rusting dumbbells made of brass and fine wood plus a rack, the price tag comes in at just over $50,000

Thomas’ Gym Marine company uses products of the highest standard for its high-flying customers

He said of the project: ‘Our largest installation we’ve done will be completed in 2022; aboard a yacht with four individual fitness rooms.

‘There is an extensive gym for the yacht’s full-time crew, a separate gym for the owner’s personal staff, a gym for the owner’s guests and a private owner’s gym that forms part of the layout of the yacht. their main cabin.

“This project was delivered with a slew of unique customizations and additional services, bringing the budget for the project to a total of over $300,000 spent on gyms.”

Thomas’ Gym Marine company uses products of the highest standard for its high-flying customers.

For a set of 12 non-rusting dumbbells made of brass and fine wood plus a rack, the price tag comes in at just over $50,000.

Meanwhile, a high-tech treadmill from Matrix can cost around $7,000 and aesthetically pleasing bikes from German brand Nohrd have a price tag in the neighborhood of $4,500.

During his time in the superyacht industry, Thomas says he’s had some pretty crazy requests.

He recalls an incident where he had to wrap all the equipment in Hermes-style leather and said, “A few years ago, a customer asked us to supply a selection of cardio equipment for their yacht, but determined that they didn’t want to . see every gray plastic.

“In the end, the only way to achieve this was to wrap the machines in leather by hand.

‘The client decided that we should use a brown Hermes style fabric to match the famous handbags we saw in the Paris atelier!

‘We carried out this project with a partner in the north of France, and the results were nothing short of astounding – although of course no photos of the finished product are allowed!’

During his time in the superyacht industry, Thomas says he’s had some pretty crazy requests

Thomas, 32, who is from the UK but works with clients all over the world, originally entered the world of superyachts as a deckhand

On another occasion, Thomas said he was approached by “a shopping tycoon’s wife” who was looking for exercise equipment for the family yacht being built in Italy.

Telling the story, he revealed, “This family had chosen a custom leopard print finish for all of their jet skis and other water toys and asked us if we could replicate this on their kettlebells!

“We explored a number of methods to achieve this, including hydrographic dipping and airbrushing, but unfortunately the project never materialized in the end.”

Thomas, 32, who is from the UK but works with clients all over the world, originally entered the world of superyachts as a sailor.

One of his main duties was cleaning the ships and part of his job was taking care of the fitness equipment.

He said it was his experience of seeing fitness equipment rusting that inspired him to design yacht gyms and he began looking at how to find more durable products that wouldn’t tarnish in the sea air.

Recalling his lightbulb moment, he said, “There was a certain set of dumbbells that rusted like crazy, and I sat up all night polishing them — only to find them orange again in the morning!”

“This prompted me to look at products more suited to the marine environment and resulted in starting the company in 2014.”

Discovering a gap in the market, Thomas’s consultancy, Gym Marine, has gone from strength to strength and now has offices in the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and Fort Lauderdale in the US.

In addition to sourcing non-rusting gym equipment, Thomas’ company goes to great lengths to ensure that the heavy equipment does not cause damage if it becomes loose in bad weather.

Discovering a gap in the market, Thomas’s Gym Marine business has gone from strength to strength and now has offices in the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and the US.

Thomas says the key elements of a “brilliant” yacht gym are panoramic ocean views, state-of-the-art equipment and sleek interiors

To do this, his employees work with yacht builders “to ensure that weight distribution and positioning of equipment maximizes safe operation of the yacht.”

The company has also developed its own range of bespoke marine mounting brackets for the equipment which are available in a number of finishes including gold.

Thomas says the key elements of a “brilliant” yacht gym are panoramic ocean views, state-of-the-art equipment, and sleek interiors.

He notes that there is a “bit of difference” between a yacht gym aboard a private boat and one available for charter.

The entrepreneur explains, “The private yacht gym will be highly customized for the owner family and will reflect their unique fitness habits, while the charter yacht gym will be more like a hotel gym with something for everyone and a wide range of accessories and workouts. . tools to get ready for that fitness-obsessed dude.

“You may also notice that the gym on a smaller charter yacht doubles as a massage room – the larger yachts, however, have a very large dedicated spa deck.”

Before departing for his next port of call, Thomas concludes, “At Gym Marine, we are fortunate to have worked on 60 percent of the world’s largest in-water yachts, and are currently advising on no less than 331 active gym projects from our design studios around the world. world.

‘These range from hunting projects, residential gyms to commercial facilities in hotels and offices.

‘We have some incredible clients today who trust us to manage their properties worldwide – a billionaire client has just approached us to advise on 12 of his properties worldwide, plus a very large yacht he is currently building in Europe.

“The assignment is to make the experience the same in every building, so that he can stick to his specific training plan anywhere in the world.”