Membership

HEX Boxing Club Northampton is a private membership association. We center women to create a focused training environment without the uncomfortable dynamics that are common in public gyms. Members co-create a respectful, nurturing community. If you’re interested but don’t know a member, you can apply by filling our Prospective Member form.

HEX Boxing Club Northampton is a USA Boxing registered gym. We teach Olympic-style technique to all members so they can experience the full benefit of the martial art. Our holistic approach to coaching is grounded in founder Vanessa Chakour’s extensive training background, years of learning from elite trainers, ongoing education through USA Boxing, and a commitment to continually refining technique. As membership grows, we will also bring in visiting coaches whose experience and perspectives deepen the collective skill and knowledge of the club.

In addition to boxing, HEX offers meditation, creative arts, and herbalism workshops. Our approach to herbalism is rooted in local plants and ecological well‑being. At HEX, we emphasize what many herbalists call “people’s medicine”—working with abundant, resilient plants such as dandelion, nettles, and burdock that have long histories of use and thrive in our region. Centering local plant medicine helps us build intimacy with our ecosystem and deepen our awareness of the land that holds us. This kind of attention is also foundational to martial arts; awareness of one’s environment is a critical aspect of boxing and of moving through the world with presence.

Membership includes classes and offers access to our boxing gym, meditation room, co-work and gathering spaces, reading areas and clubhouse kitchen. Members can enjoy organic coffee, tea, and healthy snacks while they read quietly or gather, and attend community events. Every element in the space is intentionally sourced, from meditation cushions and seating to the boxing ring, heavy bags, and the coffee and tea we serve. HEX prioritizes organic and local options to support our wider community. We hope members come to see the HEX clubhouse as a supportive third space where personal, collective, and ecological resilience are nurtured. You can learn more about our ethos and read member feedback on our homepage.

Membership Basics

Private Membership Association

Our PMA model keeps HEX intentional and community‑centered. Membership happens through relationship rather than drop‑ins, helping us maintain a supportive culture. If you’re interested but aren’t sure if you know a member, you can apply by filling out our Prospective Member form.

Pathway to Membership

Membership begins with a guest visit so people can get a feel for the space. If it’s a good fit, guests can enter the Prospect phase, where they train, meet members, and complete a few simple steps before becoming eligible for full membership. This approach gives people time to enter the community naturally and helps ensure the space continues to feel good for all who train here.

Member Experience

Full members are trusted with a key to our clubhouse that provides access during open hours. Members can use the boxing gym, showers, co‑work areas, shared kitchen, herbal apothecary, meditation room, and gathering spaces. They’re invited to participate in events and co‑create our sanctuary.

FAQs

  • In too many typical gym settings, women are objectified, underestimated, met with unwanted advances, or patronizing unsolicited advice — dynamics that make it difficult to train at a high level while feeling safe and supported. And in a sport like boxing, traditionally associated with men, women often have to work harder to prove themselves and be taken seriously.

    By centering women at HEX, we offer an environment where members are respected as athletes and able to focus on real progression. Non-binary people seeking a respectful, intentional space to learn and grow through boxing are equally welcome.

  • Offerings at HEX are designed to strengthen and support the whole person. We approach boxing as a holistic martial art that cultivates presence, situational awareness, reflexes, and grounded strength. Skills that matter both in the gym and in daily life.

    Holistic also means recognizing that we’re part of a living ecosystem. We need connection to Earth, to place, to supportive community, and safe spaces to learn and grow.

  • While all movement disciplines offer physical and social benefits, technical boxing uniquely engages our fight, flight, and freeze response. By training our nervous systems to stay present and grounded during defense drills or under pressure in the ring, we can expand our capacity to focus in high stress situations. Boxing training sharpens situational and spatial awareness, allows us to access primal instincts we are conditioned to tamp down, and (counterintuitively) cultivates a calm demeanor. Building deep resilience for whatever life throws your way.

  • While technical, Olympic-style boxing isn't taught as standard self-defense, the real-world application is undeniable. We teach boxing as a disciplined martial art—focusing on defense, reflexes, footwork, explosive punching power, and boxing-centered scenario training.

    Because HEX Boxing Club centers women, we recognize the disturbing reality our members navigate: CDC statistics show nearly 1 in 2 women experience sexual assault in their lifetime. For members carrying stress, hypervigilance, or processing past trauma, our unique training space provides a grounded, supportive environment for physical empowerment and therapeutic release. Members report that the intense concentration required in boxing acts as a moving meditation that clears their head and builds focus.

    If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault contact local authorities or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.

  • Founder & Head Coach Vanessa Chakour runs the boxing and conditioning programs. HEX assistant coaches and visiting trainers may also lead sessions on occassion.

    Vanessa is also experienced herbalist and outdoor educator and teaches monthly herbalism classes. Additional herbalism and creative workshops are led by experienced teachers, by invitation.

  • This may not be the space for you. Every member participates in training. Boxing is the core of HEX because it supports the full, embodied experience. You don’t need prior experience, and you don’t need to spar. Non-contact training is the norm.

  • Absolutely not. Sparring is optional and only available to members who train consistently and demonstrate defensive and offensive readiness. For those who have a strong desire to spar, we offer structured pathways via USA Boxing rules and regulations to support safe progression. Every member who spars must join USA Boxing as an athlete.

  • Absolutely. We teach Olympic-style boxing to all members, regardless of experience. We also expose members to holistic practices of herbalism, meditation, and creative arts.

  • No. HEX is a private membership association. Membership is by invitation, extended by the founder or by current members. If you’re interested but aren’t sure if you know a member, you can fill our Prospective Member form.

    Only members and their guests have access to the clubhouse. This keeps the space intentional and community‑centered.

  • A Private Membership Association (PMA) is a private, member-supported organization grounded in the constitutional right to freedom of association and governed by contract law. Unlike a business operating as a place of public accommodation—which offers services to the general public and must open its doors to walk-ins and casual drop-ins—a PMA exists strictly within the private domain. At HEX Boxing Club, choosing this model allows us to decline public accommodation status so we can protect our space, maintain autonomy over our operations, and create a welcoming, intentional container. These clear boundaries allow members to let down their guard and experience a truly safe, supportive third space free from common public gym dynamics.

    Access to our facility, coaching, and clubhouse amenities is reserved for those who sign a member agreement and commit to upholding our community culture. While operating privately means we do not offer walk-ins or public pass drop-ins, interested individuals are welcome to apply through our prospective member form. Our multi-step entry process ensures new members enter the community thoughtfully, preserving a high standard of safety, respect, and grounded presence for everyone who trains here.

  • HEX is meant to be a healthy vice, not an expensive one. Membership is an ongoing monthly commitment, and the total simply matches what many people already spend each day on a morning latte. Here, that same daily amount goes toward building strength, skills and community.

    In 2026 membership is $240/month. This breaks down to $20/boxing class for boxers who commit to training 3 x week. In additional to technical boxing and conditioning, members can also take part in resistance training, meditation, herbalism classes, special events and organic, fair‑trade coffee and herbal tea on us.

    We have a Stewardship Circle Fund to help offset sliding scale for members who need it. Priority is given to boxers who are competing.

  • HEX Boxing Club is in Northampton, Massachusetts. Our 3000 square-foot space is in a repurposed mill buidling, housing many art studios and creative businesses.

  • No. Our purpose is to get people offline to be present in their bodies and with each other. Everything we offer happens in person within our private membership community.

  • Thank you for this generous question. If you’re in a position to contribute financially, you can contribute to our Stewardship Circle Fund or support a boxer directly through this link. Just as meaningful to us is keeping our mission in mind and sharing it with others. We’re deeply grateful for any support.