In Portugal, 45.2% of adults aged 18 to 69 took part in some kind of sporting activity in 2022. The hard reality is different: only 23.2% of these kept up the practice regularly. Most people start, lose the rhythm, try again, and quit once more.
When you ask why, lack of time leads the way ( of respondents). But there is a less talked-about and more revealing answer: simply say they "don't like it". They don't like the queues, they don't like being watched, they don't like the background noise, they don't like sharing sweaty machines with strangers. The problem is rarely willpower. It is the environment.
Private training was created to solve exactly this problem. Instead of sharing a space with dozens of other people, you book the whole studio for the duration of your session. It is yours from start to finish.
In this guide we walk through the 7 concrete benefits you will feel from your very first session at a private gym in Lisbon, with practical examples from day-to-day life at MySelf Studio.
1. Total Privacy: The Studio is All Yours During the Session
Private means exactly what it sounds like. When you book a session at MySelf Studio, the whole studio is yours during that hour. Nobody walks in, nobody watches you, nobody needs to share your machine with you.
The psychological difference is bigger than it might seem at first. There is no one waiting to use the equipment you are on, you don't have to manage eye contact with strangers, and there is none of that "social performance" pressure that makes so many people give up on trying new exercises.
This privacy is particularly valuable for three profiles: people coming back to training after a long break, people who are starting for the very first time, and people who simply prefer to train away from the eyes of others. For any of the three, sticking with the habit starts with feeling comfortable in the space.
2. Zero Queues, Zero Wasted Time
In an hour of training in a busy gym, you can easily lose 10 to 15 minutes in queues, especially between 6pm and 9pm, which is when most people arrive from work. For someone who only has that one hour available, it means cutting almost a third of the workout.
In the private format, all the equipment is available 100% of the time. You can run a five-station circuit without stopping halfway, go back to the same machine three times in a row, and chain exercises together without having to ask permission. It is your hour, from beginning to end.
3. Real Schedule Flexibility (Not Just on Paper)
Most gyms claim to have "extended" opening hours. In practice, you train when there is space, and the "space" disappears at the very times most people want to train. Private training works the other way around: you book the exact hour you want online, and that hour is yours.
"Anti-peak" time slots open up options that are unsustainable in a traditional gym. Early mornings, lunch breaks, late evenings, all become viable without queues or chaos. Cancellation up to 12 hours before the session is free, which makes all the difference for people with unpredictable schedules or frequent work travel.
4. Controlled Environment: Hygiene, Sound and Temperature
Without a constant stream of anonymous users, the equipment stays clean between sessions. There is no unidentified sweat on a bench, no towel forgotten by the previous user, and no feeling of touching surfaces handled by someone who has just walked out.
There are three variables that, in a busy gym, are anything but controllable: music, lighting and temperature. You put on your own playlist (or train in complete silence if you prefer), adjust the light to your liking, and pick the temperature of the space. The environment works for you instead of against you.
5. Freedom to Fail (and Grow) Without an Audience
Learning a new movement exposes you to failing several times before you master it. In a busy gym, this moment of exposure is exactly what makes many people avoid exercises they feel insecure about. The result is always training inside the comfort zone and never progressing.
With no audience, you can experiment freely. New positions, heavier loads than you thought you could handle, exercises you saw in a video and want to test before adding to your plan. Nobody notices, nobody comments, nobody judges. For many women, this is the number one reason for moving from a traditional gym to a private space.
The wider literature backs this up. A Lund University study published in 2021 in Frontiers in Psychiatry, with more than 400,000 participants followed for 21 years, showed that an active lifestyle reduces the risk of developing anxiety disorders by almost 60%. The practical takeaway: managing to keep the habit is half the battle. And the right environment helps a lot to keep it.
6. Ideal for Training as a Pair, or with a Personal Trainer
The private format scales well to more than one person. At MySelf Studio you can book for up to two people training at the same time, plus a third non-training person (usually a personal trainer supervising). The absolute limit is three people in the studio, and the third is only allowed when they are not training.
For personal trainers who use MySelf Studio as their workspace, the model is the opposite of the one at the chains: no monthly rent, no commission, and the client pays the PT directly. The PT books the session (using their own pack or subscription), brings their client along, and the studio is fully reserved during the booked hour. See the full guide at studio for personal trainers in Lisbon.
For clients who already work with an independent PT, you can bring them along to a session at MySelf without the studio interfering with your relationship. There is no in-house team pushing their own packs or exclusivity clauses, just a space for the two of you to train in private.
For friends, couples or family members who want to train together without a PT, the pair or trio format works as a real alternative to group classes, without the mandatory choreography or the dependence on a fixed timetable set by an instructor.
7. No Contracts, No Lock-in, No Commitment
Most gyms in Portugal operate on a fixed monthly fee between 30 and 60 euros, often with a 6 or 12 month lock-in. Cancelling means paperwork, often penalties, and almost always the feeling of losing money in the months when you didn't go.
The private model works the other way around. You have three buying formats, all without lock-in: a monthly subscription that can be cancelled at any time, from 10€/session (Pro, 200€/month for 20 sessions, going up to 14.75€/session on Casual at 59€/month for 4 sessions); packs valid for 45 to 90 days, from 11€/session (Pack 40, 440€), rising to 12€/session (Pack 30), 13€/session (Pack 20) or 14€/session (Pack 10); or a single session at 20€. You train when it makes sense for your week, and you don't pay for the months when life gets in the way.
If you are comparing private training options in Lisbon, our comparison of private gyms in Lisbon helps you decide between different concepts (100% private studios, bookable areas inside larger gyms, mini studios by the hour).
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a training space reserved just for you during your session. There are no other users at the same time, no shared equipment and no queues. At MySelf Studio in Lisbon, the whole studio is available during the hour you book.
At MySelf Studio, a single 60-minute session costs 20€. In a pack (valid for 45 to 90 days), the best price per session is 11€ (Pack 40, 440€), then 12€ (Pack 30), 13€ (Pack 20) or 14€ (Pack 10). On a monthly subscription that can be cancelled at any time, the best price per session is 10€ (Pro, 200€/month for 20 sessions), followed by 12.75€ (Frequent), 13.75€ (Regular) and 14.75€ (Casual, 59€/month for 4 sessions). No lock-in in any format.
It depends on what you value. If your barriers are time lost in queues, social discomfort or lack of flexibility, yes. If you are only looking for the lowest monthly price, a low-cost gym may be cheaper.
You can train alone or as a pair. A third person is only allowed when they are not training, typically the personal trainer supervising. The absolute maximum is three people per session, with no more than two training.
No. Private gyms in Lisbon, including MySelf Studio, usually operate without lock-ins. You pay per session or per pack. Cancellation up to 12 hours before the session is free.
Yes. MySelf Studio has weight machines, free weights, cardio equipment and accessories that are enough for a complete workout. See our guide to gym machines to understand what types exist.
It is one of the best options for someone starting out. With no audience, you can practise movements without pressure. If you want a base to follow, check out our beginner workout plan.
You book and pay online through the MySelf Studio web app. At the booked time, you open the app on your phone and unlock the door from it; there are no physical cards or codes to memorise.
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TLDR: Key Points
You train with the whole studio to yourself, no sharing machines or mirrors
Zero queues and zero equipment negotiation, every minute of the session is training
Bookings fit your real schedule, with no fixed hours or rush hour
Controlled, hygienic and quiet environment, ideal for focus and for beginners
No lock-ins, you pay per single session, pack or monthly subscription that can be cancelled, with free session cancellation up to 12 hours before
Tomás Jorge
