Florida Woman Claims Crunch Fitness Manager Used Meta Glasses to Record Guests: ‘This Is My Protection’

A routine gym visit turned into an uncomfortable experience for a Florida woman after she says she encountered a Crunch Fitness general manager who was wearing Meta smart glasses while interacting with guests.

Marilyn, who posts on TikTok under the handle @marixorell, shared a now-deleted video describing what she said happened at a Crunch Fitness location in Maitland, Florida. The video reportedly crossed 139,000 views before being removed.

According to Marilyn, the incident involved her friend and the gym’s general manager, whom she accused of behaving aggressively and using Meta glasses to record conversations. She also said several other women at the gym described having negative interactions with the same manager.

The claims have not been independently established in the material provided.

Why Marilyn Became Concerned About the Meta Glasses

Marilyn said she initially had a positive experience at the Crunch Fitness location. She had previously brought a friend using a guest pass and described the staff as friendly and the facilities as clean.

She and her friend subsequently returned to the gym around Labor Day. During that visit, Marilyn said she met the general manager for the first time and found his interaction with them unfriendly.

“He was kind of sassy when we got there. I mean, he was kinda sassy with me. He didn’t wanna, like, bring up my membership,” she recalled, adding that he repeatedly told her the membership was not appearing in the system.

According to Marilyn, her friend then noticed that the manager was wearing Meta smart glasses and asked why he was using them while working.

Marilyn said the manager responded that the glasses were his “protection.”

After their workout, Marilyn and her friend continued discussing the glasses. She said other women nearby joined the conversation and claimed they had also experienced problems with the manager.

Marilyn Says Her Friend’s Husband Confronted the Manager

Marilyn said her friend later told her husband about what had happened. When the husband returned to the gym to collect his driver’s licence, he approached the general manager and attempted to discuss the earlier incident.

According to Marilyn’s account, the conversation quickly became tense.

She recalled the manager responding with, “Do you wanna get bonk with me?”, which she interpreted as an invitation to fight.

Marilyn said her friend’s husband told the manager that he did not want to fight and instead asked for his identification back.

The situation became more complicated when, according to Marilyn, the manager could not locate the driver’s licence.

Another employee reportedly attempted to help find it, but Marilyn alleged that the manager became angry with that employee as well.

She said the husband eventually became frustrated and demanded that his identification be returned. According to Marilyn, the manager threatened to call police and ban him from the gym.

Marilyn said the husband was subsequently banned.

Woman Claims Manager Shouted at Other Gym Members

Marilyn also described another incident involving two women who approached the front desk with questions about their memberships.

According to her account, the women had been experiencing membership-related problems and wanted to speak with the manager. Marilyn alleged that he became angry and shouted at them.

She claimed the women, whom she estimated to be in their early 20s, were told to “get the F out of his face” and were allegedly called a derogatory term.

Marilyn said the overall experience left her uncomfortable about bringing guests to the gym and prompted her to consider other fitness centres in the Orlando area.

Other Viewers Share Their Alleged Experiences

The video also generated comments from people who claimed they had encountered the same manager.

One commenter accused the manager of being unprofessional and questioned whether people exercising at the gym were being recorded without their knowledge.

Another viewer described the use of Meta glasses inside a gym as uncomfortable and questioned what might happen to any footage captured by the device.

A commenter who said she had met Marilyn and her friends at the gym claimed she had also asked the manager about his smart glasses.

According to that commenter, the manager said the glasses were being used for “outreach” and protection. She alleged that when she questioned why he needed them while standing behind the front desk, he became hostile and repeatedly told her to leave.

Another commenter claimed that the manager had also been rude to her and her boyfriend.

These are comments posted by viewers and should be treated as individual allegations rather than independently verified accounts.

What Are the Rules Around Recording at Gyms?

The controversy also raises questions about recording inside fitness facilities.

Gym recording policies can vary by location. Some Crunch Fitness facilities may permit members to film themselves, provided they follow rules designed to protect other members’ privacy, particularly in areas such as changing rooms.

Marilyn, however, said the contract governing her location contained a strict no-recording policy.

The use of Meta smart glasses adds another layer because the devices can capture audio and video while appearing similar to ordinary eyewear.

Florida’s laws concerning the recording of private conversations are also relevant. Florida generally requires the consent of all parties to a conversation when the conversation is protected by the state’s interception law. Whether a particular interaction falls within that law depends on the circumstances, including whether the participants had a reasonable expectation that the conversation was private.

The legal treatment of a recording can therefore depend on what was captured, where it occurred and the circumstances surrounding the conversation. The mere presence of smart glasses does not, by itself, establish that an unlawful recording occurred.

Crunch Fitness Response Has Not Been Included

The incident has prompted some commenters to say they would avoid the Maitland location, while others called for the gym to investigate the allegations.

The original report said inquiries were sent to Marilyn through TikTok and to Crunch Fitness through its contact form. A response from the company was not included in the material provided.

For now, the allegations surrounding the manager’s conduct, the alleged recordings and the confrontation remain claims from Marilyn and other commenters rather than established findings.