CITY GYM: AN ICON IS RE-BORN

A million-dollar renovation is just the cosmetic revival of the iconic City Gym. The heart, soul and community spirit of the muchloved venue is coming back to life. Feature by Mark McFarlane Photography by Riley-McFarlane Photography

The heart and soul of the iconic venue is coming back to life. And the open showers are back, too!

Years before there was a gym or fitness studio on every corner, there was City Gym. For decades, City Gym was a significant part of the Sydney gay community. It opened on Crown Street, East Sydney in 1978, the same year as the first Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras. In many ways, it was as fondly regarded as the gay bars and clubs just a couple of blocks away on Oxford Street – so much so that it was regarded as “the gay gym”.

A few months ago, City Gym completed a $1.5 million renovation. It’s changed a lot since my first visit in the ’90s. I joined up because a man I was interested in was a member and I thought going to his gym would improve my chances. Things didn’t work out with him, but I endedup hooked on fitness training.

I discovered that City Gym wasn’t just a place to work out, it had a history, it was a social place, it was a safe space where I could network and find information about my community.

Most people at the time knew Billy Moore, City Gym’s founder, as an equal rights champion. His support for the gay community at a time when it was still illegal to be gay made City Gym a haven. It was a place where you knew you were respected and would not be discriminated against.

That didn’t just apply to the LGBTIQA+ members, but to everyone. The gym was the great social leveller: irrespective of body shape, the amount you could lift, your endurance or strength, when you stepped through the door, every member was there for one thing, to train and to achieve their personal goals. If anyone didn’t respect this ethos, they were politely shown the way out.

This equality principal became an intrinsic part of City Gym’s reputation, and it seemed to especially appeal to celebrities, both local and visiting. With everyone on the same level playing field, they knew they could train without being pestered.

Over the years, the list of visiting celebs started to read like a Who’s Who: Arnold Schwarzenegger declared “I’ll be back” and was, often. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson trained there and once had a pose-down with one of the gym’s regular body building boys. Jane Fonda, who, in the ’80s was a fitness guru, shocked a City Gym aerobics class by standing in as a substitute instructor during a visit. On one of his visits, George Michael sang Happy Birthday to one of the gym’s staff members. Hugh Jackman was often seen pumping iron and enjoying a post-work-out shake during preparation for his Wolverine movies. Hulk Hogan demonstrated some wrestling moves on a few willing members. Olivia Newton-John, Grace Jones, Christopher Aitken and Eartha Kitt all came to City Gym.

My first time was an aerobics class taught by the then-Australian Aerobics Champion, Anton Scott. It was not unusual to find fitness champions leading classes at City Gym. Champion body builders not only trained there but were personal trainers there, too. The City Gym roster has boasted Olympians, pro-surfers, two Mr Gay Olympics, a Mr World Leather, male and female Australian Aerobics champions and World Aerobics winners, a couple of Mr Australias and a Mr Universe.

In the ’80s, the aerobics classes were so popular you had to get there early to ensure you had a spot before the maximum participant limit was reached.

The gym always had the latest equipment and machines and offered training for all levels. It was not unusual to find professional bodybuilders training alongside first timers, and this gave the gym its great sense of community.

Its location in East Sydney also meant that its core locals were drawn from the surrounding gay districts of Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and Potts Point, plus the CBD after-work crowd, and those who travelled from outside the area to benefit from the specialty training offered. All this created a dynamic mix of gay and straight, professionals and creatives, entertainers and hospitality workers and, yes, the party gays and lesbians who just wanted to look buff for the next big event. This diversity made the gym feel like a gym for everyone: an authentic community gym.

To be honest, the gym’s reputation extended beyond the weights area and the aerobics floor. The “gay gym” label was well earned.

Many of those hot, sweaty, well-defined bodies showered off before they went home and the open showers in the men’s change room and the sauna were the perfect place to show off all that hard work. The City Gym showers were a cruising paradise.

I recall a conversation between two guys next to me in the showers. After a few lingering glances they starting to “lather up” a storm. The exchange went something like this…

“Hey, I noticed you training. Nice form.” >>

I discovered that City Gym wasn’t just a place to work out, it had history, it was social, it was a safe space for my community.

>> “Thanks mate. Yeah, I saw you, too. You look pretty ripped. You must train hard.”

“Thanks. Yeah, five days a week. I’m Steve, by the way.”

“Hi Steve. I’m Adam.”

“You must do a lot of squats Adam, you’ve got a great arse.”

And if you think that sounded like the beginning of a porno, I can confidently say that it ended in a fairly pornographic way, too.

“We met in the showers at City Gym,” was not an uncommon way to introduce a new boyfriend to one’s friends. And if your gaydar was off, most of the straight guys really didn’t mind the attention and took it as a compliment. To this day, I still have a few very close friends, straight and gay, who I met at the gym.

Billy Moore died in 2014. Under new management, the old City Gym began to fade. The cherished sense of community became diluted and, facing fierce new competitors, franchised gyms and big-business operators entering the fitness industry, the old girl began looking tired.

The positive attitude fostered by the Billy Moore management team was gone. In my experience, the staff became less friendly, no longer interested in members or supporting any of the connections that City Gym had built up over the years. The vibe on the gym floor bordered on aggressive and the sense that all were welcome was gone. It’s the reason I cancelled my membership and moved on.

But this was when another Billy, Billy (Junior) Kokkinis stepped up. He first walked through the City Gym doors in 1986 as a wide-eyed schoolboy on work experience. Billy Moore took young Billy Kokkinis under his wing and showed him the ropes, especially how to run a successful operation.

From that time on, Billy Kokkinis continued to train there, undertook courses to become a Fitness Leader and Personal Trainer, then worked at the gym under the mentorship of Billy Moore.

Billy Kokkinis saw the decline of the gym and the approaching death knell. “I thought, ‘This can’t be allowed to happen,’” he tells DNA. “City Gym is so much more than just a gym.”

Kokkinis bought into the business and took over management in 2017, determined to turn it around. In 2019, he and business partner Andy Mamasioulas set out to revive the “old” City Gym; a return to that authentic community gym with a connection to and respect for the LGBTQIA+ community. He wanted a return to the days where beginners and bodybuilders could work-out side-by-side in a friendly atmosphere, where friendships were made and the gym could be, once again, a social hub as well as a place to train.

So began the revival, including the $1.5 million renovation, that saw some of the classic fitness equipment refurbished and new stateof-the-art equipment purchased. The layout of the three floors was changed to include a dedicated cardio studio, a boxing ring and functional training area, an enlarged studio for guided classes such as group fitness, Pilates and yoga as well as specialised therapy rooms.

Long-term plans are to utilise these rooms in collaboration with medical specialists such as cardiologists, psychologists and physiotherapists to take City Gym to the next level and make it a “one-stop fitness shop”.

Unlike many gyms, City Gym doesn’t have a sign-up fee or lock-in contracts, making its membership rates and alternative plans very competitive.

Also included in the rejuvenation is an

The equality principal became intrinsic to City Gym’s reputation. It appealed to celebrities, who knew they could train without being pestered.

The modernisation of the changerooms, sauna, spa and the return of a few communal showers will no doubt revive that cruising culture…

>> eatery serving Allpress coffee and readymade fresh and healthy meals, smoothies and protein pancakes under the guidance of Harnady Susantio, who has previously worked in the kitchens of both Aria and Tetsuya’s. The eatery is already a favourite with members and a servery window onto the street means passersby are also getting a taste of the healthy offerings.

Jane Fonda shocked a City Gym aerobics class by standing in as a substitute instructor during a visit in the ’80s.

The final piece in the jigsaw makeover was the modernisation of the locker- and change-rooms, sauna, spa, private showers and the return of a few communal showers, which will no doubt revive some off that cruising culture, too.

However, there’s more to a gym than equipment and bricks and mortar. People are its most important asset, says Kokkinis, and he’s applying the most valuable thing he learned from his mentor – to put the members and the community first.

Kokkinis himself walks the floor, saying hello to members he’s known for years and introducing himself to people he doesn’t recognise. And although it’s known as a serious weightlifting gym, he says he wants City Gym to remain as unpretentious as possible. “I don’t allow idiots in,” he says.

Billy has already demonstrated the gym’s commitment to the LGBTIQA+ community. In March they hosted a Fair Day for community organisations like the newly formed World Gay Boxing Association, community sports teams, small business, ACON and DNA. The event raised funds for Beyond Blue and provided space for Team Sydney registrations. Another is planned for October.

Billy’s plans for a float in the 2021 Mardi Gras Parade were scuttled by the pandemic but he’s already planning something “bigger and better” for the Parade in 2022.

So, the “old” City Gym is back with a facelift or, rather, having had some major work done!

“It looks different but the old feeling is back,” say Billy with pride.

As a lapsed member, I’m looking forward to renewing my acquaintance with an icon. •