Halaa Menasy and Norman Bahij, co-owners of The Cave boxing gym in Astoria. Photo by Kathryn Greene
July 29, 2024 By Kathryn Greene
Whether you are there to workout, change your lifestyle or train for a fight, Astoria’s first boxing gym, “The Cave,” welcomes you.
“Everything in the world was born from a cave,” said Norman Bahij, co-owner and head coach of The Cave, explaining how Astoria’s first boxing gym got its name, a reference to the origins of humanity some 170,000 years ago. And after viewing real estate with co-owner Halaa Menasy, the first space they chose was in a basement, recalling a primordial dwelling.
Photo by Kathryn Greene
However, the pair were unsuccessful in nabbing the basement space.
Where The Cave landed, though, in February 2024, was 25-95 Steinway St., on the second floor of a stone facade building. Inside, natural light floods the interiors, which house everything one would expect to find in a boxing gym — punching bags, a boxing ring, weights and gloves. But there is something no one else has, and that is Bahij and Menasy.
Photo by Kathryn Greene
Their paths first crossed when Bahij was a trainer at the now-shuttered UFC gym in SoHo. Menasy, who had been working out with other coaches, had heard of his great reputation and said, “Let me go train with him. And then it just stuck.” After six years of training together, she approached Bahij about starting a gym together. Menasy, who still daylights at her software engineering job, is all in on The Cave. “There is no one better to do it with than Coach Norman, because he has a wealth of experience.”
Norman Bahij and Halaa Menasy. Photo courtesy of Norman Bahij and Halaa Menasy
Bahij, a Morocco native, first took an interest in martial arts when he was eight. By the time he was 12, he visited his first boxing gym. Although he loved it, he knew it would be difficult to do full-time. “In Morocco, if you want to be a professional fighter, it’s hard,” he said, reflecting on the past. “You have to have another job.”
Photo courtesy of Norman Bahij
When starting out, Bahij also worked as a legal advisor while studying fitness. Even though one could argue he is more than qualified, he never stops learning—earning new certifications whenever he can. And while wellness is central to Bahij’s professional life, it is personal, too. He was born with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a rare heart condition that causes a rapid heartbeat, and at age 22, he had his first heart attack. Because he was in such phenomenal shape, the doctor remarked that it saved his life. Ever since he has wanted to help others.
“This is why I want to save other lives and I want to have a positive effect on anyone coming to our gym or trusting us,” he said.
The partners’ priority is creating a welcoming atmosphere and everything else flows from there. “We give everyone a space to feel comfortable,” Menasy said. “To make mistakes, to learn, to get better. And to figure out what their body can do. And I think that’s the most you could hope for from a fitness space. We have to make sure that everyone, from the highest skilled professionals to those who just stepped foot in a gym for the first time, know that this is a space for them.”
Photo courtesy of Halaa Menasy
For a monthly fee, gym membership includes unlimited, 50-minute classes. In addition to daily skills and fitness classes, offered at 9 a.m., noon, 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., The Cave hosts sparring sessions on Sundays, classes for kids, personal training and corrective exercises for recovery. Self-defense classes are free for members on the third Saturday of every month.
“This is my dream,” Bahij said.
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