New Hope Women’s Fitness Club Takes the Cake
The only all-women gym in the Twin Cities is open in the northwest suburbs. It’s designed to empower — with a generous helping of cake.
At Cake Body Club, cake has multiple meanings. Celebration and your rear end — after some toning exercises. Founder Dani Medin wanted to merge the perks of a good workout, female community and a love of desserts in one spot.
“This brings out so much passion in me,” Medin said.
The gym is made up of women of all ages who sought a special kind of community. Medin calls it a modern-day Curves for a younger demographic.
“Not to knock on some big box gyms, but they’re scary for people! Women of all sizes were intimidated,” Medin said.
Cake Body Club provides fitness for women, alongside some couples’ classes, to provide a safe and empowering space. There are classes, individual training opportunities and a studio space to learn and practice pole fitness.
Medin said the double meaning of “cake” also encourages women to fuel.
“They can lift heavy and create curves, and still go home and eat cake and not feel like they have to earn it,” Medin said. “Having a healthy relationship with food and your body is what makes this place come together.”
Dani Medin founded Cake Body Club as a fusion of her passions, which all came back to fitness.
Big Dreams
Medin said this unique model caught the eye of WomenVenture, who gave her a loan to get her studio up and running.
“They said that they had never gotten an application across their desk so quickly. Like pushed and approved. So clearly people believed in this. They saw a need for it,” Medin said.
Medin used to be a TV reporter, but shifted to other passions four years ago. All of those passions sustained her throughout her career, but didn’t become a big dream until now.
“I’d get on an airplane every weekend, and I’d come back and coach gymnastics and personal train people. What I’d always come back to is fitness,” Medin said.
Looking around her studio space, she sees a combination of the things she loves: fitness, cake and femininity.
“It’s really just a collaboration of all these ingredients of everything I’ve done into this beautiful space.”
Sweet Benefits
That collaboration is paying off. Medin hopes women are feeling empowered– and one lap around the Wednesday afternoon class shows they do.
“She’s always there to support me and talk through anything and everything,” said Aubri Akervik, who signed up to find fitness and community. “It’s awesome.”
Sarah Dreher, who also attends classes, said she enjoys the group and Medin’s energy.
“I joke that I don’t ever look at my watch to hope class is over,” Dreher said. “I come back often. I’m here more than four days a week now.”
The gym is growing. Eventually, Medin hopes the space will have some beauty offerings, like an eyelash studio.
Medin hopes this message goes further.
“To kind of create this small community where—how can we help each other? Are we really lifting each other up? I hope that this comes out of here and spreads into the real world,” Medin said.
Cake Body Club is located on 42nd Avenue in New Hope. There are classes most days and nights, and studio space available for those interested in pole fitness or personal training.
Cake Body Club holds small classes and personal training sessions. Medin said they also spend a lot of time getting to know each other in conversation.
