West Wood Club, one of Ireland’s biggest gym franchises, sent out a warning to members about a lapse in etiquette.

Among the new rules it enforced in February was “carrying a towel during your workout and using it to wipe away your sweat”.

It also asked members to refrain from “unnecessary grunting and shouting” and to make sure to wear “appropriate and fresh gym attire”.

Failure to adhere to the new guidelines could lead to immediate termination of membership, it said.

A West Wood spokesperson said the email warning appeared to have had the desired effect.

Member experience manager Luke Heapes said that “as a shared space, people should be respectful of that”.

Asked what prompted the email about the gym’s rules, he said there was a consensus among members that “standards in general were falling”.

It had become particularly problematic after Covid and the email was sent to remind members about what behaviour was appropriate.

We don’t promote any filming in our gyms

“In some gyms, it’s OK for the guys to take their tops off during their work-outs, that’s part of the brand, but that’s not the case in West Wood,” Mr Heapes said.

“A few people were not happy after the email went out and were not willing to follow the rules and a few members cancelled [their membership], but we had nothing major.

“There was more of a mutual understanding with most people.”

The chain, which has six gyms in Dublin, experiences a little bit of a “kick-back”, particularly in relation to members having to carry a towel in the gym.

But generally, the message has been well received and has led to an improvement in standards.

“The reason we did it was really down to member feedback. That’s what prompted it,” Mr Heapes said.

There was also an issue with people filming themselves during work-outs.

“Some gyms are happy for members to set up a tripod and film themselves during work-outs. We don’t promote any filming in our gyms,” Mr Heapes said.

“There are also GDPR issues there.”​

Established in 1994, West Wood reported profits of more than €730,000 in 2024 and saw turnover grow 11pc up to €32.5m.