Planet Fitness is facing a barrage of lawsuits from women who claim a male gym member repeatedly broke into locked tanning rooms and secretly filmed dozens of naked patrons — sometimes recording himself masturbating — as employees allegedly ignored warnings and suspicious behavior for months.
The explosive allegations center on a Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande, Calif., where Kyle Combs was accused of amassing more than 50 photos and videos of roughly 47 women in various states of undress between January and December 2025, according to court papers.
Combs, 40, of Grover Beach, Calif., has been charged with 12 misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy for secretly recording nude women in tanning booths, according to prosecutors. He has pleaded not guilty.
Eight women suing as Jane Does allege that Combs sometimes videotaped himself masturbating while filming his unsuspecting victims, according to one of four complaints filed recently in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court.
One woman claims she caught Combs inside her tanning area in May 2025 and immediately begged a Planet Fitness employee and manager for help — only to have them laugh at her and blame her for supposedly failing to lock the door.
When the woman insisted she had locked it, the workers allegedly dismissed her complaint and told her there was nothing wrong with the locks, the suit claims.
“The safety and privacy of our members is our top priority, and we do not tolerate inappropriate behavior of any kind. The franchise group cancelled the member in question and worked closely with the local police in their investigation,” Planet Fitness told The Post in a statement.
Combs’ alleged spree continued for months, until a different woman caught him pointing a cellphone camera through a crack in her tanning booth on Dec. 29, according to the complaint.
The woman, identified as Jane Doe I, had stripped down except for a bikini top when she spotted the camera lens aimed at her unclothed body, the suit alleges.
She screamed, prompting Combs to bolt from the gym and run through the parking lot while at least one employee saw him flee but did not intervene, according to the complaint.
The woman called police and was left “screaming and hysterical,” according to a Planet Fitness employee quoted in the filing.
The ensuing police investigation allegedly uncovered a staggering cache on Combs’ cellphone and other electronic devices: more than 50 photos and videos showing about 47 female Planet Fitness members inside tanning booths.
The women claim Combs repeatedly penetrated supposedly private tanning and red-light therapy rooms by exploiting flimsy locks that could be opened from outside simply by inserting a coin or other flat object into a slot and turning it.
Another lawsuit alleges Combs told police he would hang around the gym’s lounge and massage-chair area, waiting for women to enter private tanning rooms.
Once a woman was inside, Combs allegedly used his thumb and thumbnail to turn the lock from outside, slipped into the room, closed the door behind him and filmed her completely naked before leaving, according to a May 28 complaint filed by two other women.
The plaintiffs claim one of the victims has been identified in at least two videos and another, in at least four.
The lawsuits paint a picture of a year-long alleged Peeping Tom operation unfolding steps away from Planet Fitness workers.
Members had to check in with an employee to use the Black Card Spa and scan their membership cards before entering, according to the court documents. An employee also had to activate the tanning booth, meaning staff knew when the rooms were occupied.
Combs frequently showed up wearing medical scrubs and was captured on security footage pacing, swaying nervously, looking over his shoulder, scanning the area and lingering around the spa with his phone, the complaint claims.
Several women alleged that Planet Fitness workers routinely appeared distracted.
One alleged victim said employees were frequently on their phones rather than monitoring members entering the spa, while another claimed workers were often talking among themselves or staring at their phones.
The Post has sought comment from Combs and the Arroyo Grande Police Department.
Credit: Source link
