What are the real benefits of air treatment in fitness centers?
Financial benefits
Air treatment in fitness centers helps improve business performance in several ways. First, it reduces costs related to sick leave caused by poor indoor air quality (estimated at €450 per year per employee). Secondly, improving the overall gym environment with this solution—without requiring heavy investment—helps increase membership numbers. Finally, air purification contributes to a better brand image and higher perceived quality, leading to greater member loyalty and easier staff recruitment.
Health protection
Air purification creates an allergen-free environment in fitness centers, helping protect sensitive individuals. Today, 1 in 3 gym members is allergic, and the same statistics apply to coaching and supervisory staff.
Reducing the ambient microbial load through air purification lowers the risk of cross-contamination. These so-called airborne transmissions of seasonal viruses such as influenza pose a real threat to gym users and represent a key health management issue for these facilities.
Air treatment also helps reduce exposure to chemical products used to disinfect equipment or manage odors.
Improved comfort
The comfort provided by air purification in fitness centers is most noticeable in the management of sweat and strong body odors, particularly during physical effort. Cleaner air also helps create a sporting environment that promotes better post-exercise recovery, which is beneficial in the long term.
Using professional air purifiers ensures healthy indoor air without the need for repeated ventilation, a particularly valuable benefit during winter, when opening windows is often impractical due to cold temperatures.
What are the air nuisances in fitness centers?
1. Contaminants
Fitness centers are primarily exposed to the risk of airborne virus transmission. These risks increase significantly during winter, from November to March, with well-known seasonal viruses such as influenza and gastroenteritis.
2. Odors
Sweat-related and strong body odors are ever-present in fitness centers, especially during intense workouts. Unpleasant chemical odors from disinfectants used daily to clean sports equipment are also common.
3. Chemical pollutants
The intensive use of chemical disinfectants and the materials used in sports equipment release numerous pollutants into the air.
Among them are formaldehyde (an irritating and carcinogenic substance used in adhesives, binders, and resins) and benzene (a carcinogenic substance with hematological effects resulting from combustion processes such as vehicle exhaust, fireplaces, or cigarette smoke). Their health risks are well documented, and they are widespread in indoor gym air, especially in city-center locations.
Also present in fitness center air, PM10 and PM2.5 particles are urban pollutants with a strong impact on health. Facilities located near fine particle emission sources may therefore significantly affect the health of occupants.
4. Allergens
Allergen peaks from April to July, particularly when windows are opened more frequently, affect gym users and contribute to indoor air pollution in fitness centers.
Benefits of the Shield range
• Reassurance of health and safety protocols
• Treatment of occasional odors: tests conducted under real conditions in a 40 m² room, simulating extremely high odor and VOC peaks. Results show a 90% reduction in odors in BOOST and CONTINUOUS modes in less than 30 minutes.
• Reduction of viral load: tests carried out by an independent laboratory according to the NFB44-200 standard procedure, evaluating Shield® performance against continuous contaminant generation. Results demonstrate 94% to 97% microorganism destruction in ONE PASS (single air pass).
• Low noise level
• Expertly designed: created by Ramy Fischler, founder of RF Studio, named Designer of the Year in 2018 and awarded the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture in 2016.
• Eco-friendly: designed to protect both health and the environment, using easily recyclable materials such as steel, a consumable-free technology with no filter replacement, plastic-free packaging, and products repairable for up to 10 years.
Key moments and spaces in fitness centers
All key spaces and moments in fitness centers can be effectively managed using Shield and Shield Compact professional air purifiers and their accessories. Key applications include:
- Gym floor during peak hours and group classes (Shield in BOOST mode)
- Relaxation areas (Shield with optional anti-theft system)
- Facility reception (Shield Compact on the counter)
- Locker rooms (Shield Compact wall-mounted or Shield for locker rooms larger than 20 m², with an educational poster available for download to raise awareness)
Testimonial from a gym owner
User of the Shield air purifier
“I use the Shield continuously throughout the day in a 60 m² room. I activate BOOST mode when there are strong sweat odors or in the morning when the air feels heavy. My members love it. To put it simply, it feels like going from thick fog to a completely clear view. I only have one skylight to ventilate my basement room, and the air purifier gives me a real breath of fresh air. We breathe better, feel less tired at the end of the day, and therefore have more energy.”
