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wield the power to get women to buy them expensive gifts, free meals and other perks regularly.

On top of that, many of these instructors tend to use their workplace to hunt for prey and sex. “I would know because I was hit on a couple of times when I  rst joined the gym,” says Jane. It’s a given that most tness instructors have droolworthy abs and Ryan Gosling-like sex appeal, but what exactly is it that turns sweaty circuit sessions into steamy romps?

Friendship, says Eton*, a European personal trainer in his late 20s. “A personal trainer is not just someone who tells you how to diet and work out. He’s a friend you can trust and con de in. There are some sessions where my students spend more time sharing their personal woes than exercising, but I’ll listen to them anyway,” says Eton in between sips of his iced Americano.

His gentlemanly disposition and killer smile urge me to blurt out the question: “Do many of your female students hit on you?” His modest answer (“At times”) is disappointing. Upon further prodding, Eton reveals the modus operandi of his clients. “Some of them ask if they can join me when they see me working out on my own. Others will send me pictures of their bikini- clad bodies, asking if their physique has improved,” he says.

His students comprise single and married women in their mid-30s to late 40s. The more daring and wealthier ones have even bought him $1,400 shoes and invited him to spas and on holidays.

Eton confesses that the boundary between friendship and romance is blurry at times, but says he plays it safe by sticking to one rule: no dating. “I’ll accept their gifts, give them compliments about their bodies (if they really look