2 women get locked inside Fresno gym after it closes while they were in sauna

FRESNO, Calif. (KABC) -- Two women got stuck inside a Fresno fitness center after it closed while they were in the sauna.

Matrisha Ervin and Qiona Johnson found out they were stranded inside Blackstone Blast Fitness a few minutes after it closed at 8 p.m. Saturday.

"We started walking around, calling out for help, nobody answered," said Johnson. "We tried to go out the door, found out it was locked."

Johnson told ABC News affiliate KFSN-TV it was funny at first when they realized they were stuck. But after almost two hours, she says it was irritating. The women took selfies from inside the gym and posted them on Facebook, where their friends found humor in their dilemma.

"Everybody was commenting and laughing," Johnson said. "They made it fun for us, so it kind of wasn't so bad."

The ladies tried everything they could think of to get out: They pushed on doors; they called another Blast Fitness center and asked for help; they even briefly considered a Facebook suggestion that they use the gym's weights to break a window. Instead, they finally just called police.

"I called 911," Johnson said. "I'm like, 'We gotta get out of here.' We're hungry, started hearing things, scared."

An employee eventually arrived and opened the door.

Johnson says she got no apology from the employee and never heard from corporate offices when she complained to Blast Fitness.

A small sign near the door does mention the gym's hours, and regional vice president Jesus Mendoza told KFSN that closing announcements are supposed to be made every 10 minutes in the last hour the gym is open, but they can't be heard in the sauna.

Mendoza said an employee thought he checked the sauna that night, but he didn't. He has since been disciplined. Mendoza said he has since reached out to the women following the media report.