Before women broke a sweat at the gym . . .

They signed up for “body conditioning” courses at discreetly named places like the American Women’s Club, as seen in this ad from the November 25, 1939 Brooklyn edition of Cue magazine.

353 West 57th Street is now the Hudson Hotel, a glammed-up version of the 1929 building that originally housed the American Woman’s Association. This organization was started by Anne Morgan, daughter of financier J.P. Morgan, to advance the cause of working women. 

The swimming pool, badminton courts, and “scientific massages” didn’t exactly draw them in; the organization gave up the building in 1941.

Tags: American Woman's Association, body conditioning courses, history of gyms, Hudson Hotel, women and working out