A woman found a screen attached to every sink faucet in a Planet Fitness bathroom, and she wrote ‘Planet Fitness what are you doing?’

A woman filmed a row of sinks at a Planet Fitness location with screens attached right to the faucets. TikTok user Kay (@recklessgoodness) shared the video, which shows a large screen at each sink displaying advertisements.

As first highlighted by BroBible, Kay summed up her confusion with the overlay text, asking, “Planet Fitness what are you doing?” The video has drawn hundreds of thousands of views.

Her followers shared that confusion. One user asked why they would need an iPad to wash their hands, while another wrote, “Okay, This [has] genuinely gone way too far.”

Gym-goers were not sold on ads at the sink

Screens have been popping up in more places, from self-checkout machines replacing cashiers to cars ditching physical buttons for large displays. Even quick interactions with baristas often involve a tablet prompting customers for a tip, and not everyone is thrilled about the shift.

One company behind the technology, Sinkside Billboards, installs free sensor faucets with built-in screens that play 15-second ads in public restrooms. On the Stock Alternatives podcast, its co-founders said installations are already live at Planet Fitness locations in Miami and Boston.

Another company, VODXS, makes a faucet that displays ads when people place their hands under the spout. VODXS has said the faucet uses analytics to measure dwell time and audience demographics, and an executive has said its faucets can detect people’s mobile devices through Bluetooth and WiFi as they approach.

Reaction to the sink screens online has been largely negative. On Reddit, Planet Fitness members have called them “dystopian” and compared them to something out of the show “Black Mirror.” Member frustration with the chain has gone viral before, as a Planet Fitness worker’s $500 demand showed.

Some users pointed to what they see as irony, saying the gym is investing in screens while other amenities are neglected. One user wrote, “My gym has a broken hydro massage bed,” adding that the screen was advertising Black Card memberships. Another said, “Meanwhile, at my location, we don’t even have a legit water filling station.”

Some users also claim the ads often look AI-generated, which they say may explain why some advertised services do not match what the gym offers. In one ad, a man flips a large tire, but commenters alleged that many locations only have a half-tire flip machine.

Some users said the sinks were short-lived at their locations. One user recalled that their home gym had the screens for a few months before removing them, adding, “I really hope they don’t come back.”

Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify Planet Fitness’s side of the story, as these accounts come solely from TikTok and Reddit posts.