Gym aka Health Club Membership Costs

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lx93

lx93

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Sep 19, 2005
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Location
Fairfax, VA... land of the 2-hour commute
Hard to run in the local park trails when they're iced over. So, I checked into their cost this past week, heard some horror stories which made used-car lots seem low-pressure by comparison and wanted to ask.....

Q1: How much bargaining power do I have? I.e., if I come in on the last day of the year, can I reasonably expect to negotiate 20% off?
Q2) Can stupid "administrative fees" be waived? I mean, 2 or 3 keystrokes in a computer can't be that time-consuming.

So far, I've come up with:

a) Fitness First- $25-$33/month, $99 membership fee, no comittment.
b) Gold's Gym- $30 per month, I forgot to ask about the stupid add-on fees.

Merry Christmas to all who reply!
 
I go to the local suburban YMCA. It costs me more than either of your options, but there's leeway depending on income and family status, and I feel good that my full price is supporting those families who don't otherwise have the means.

Unfortunately, I don't know what bargaining options you have with the particular centers you've mentioned, but usually a "I'll join right here, right now if you waive the membership fee" will work. Unless they have a common problem with people quitting in the first couple months, which may be the reason for the fee.
 
We belong to Golds and pay $20 each which includes spinning and access to the Golds in our town as well as 3 others in neighboring towns.

You can probably get a lower rate with a 1 year committment. When we joined we called on the phone and asked what the least exspensive rate was. They quoted a rate bt did not mention any other fees. when we went in person they wanted other fees - we told them that we were their based on the cost they quoted and we would sign up for that rate alone, or not at all. They took our money :>
 
Ordinarily, this is not the best time for you to bargain, however, in a slower economy the gym I belong to (Best Fitness) has had a zero enrollment fee going on. Several of my co-workers negotiated better deals for themselves.

The longer you commit or the more you pay up front, the better the rate. You can certainly negotiate. I pay $19.99/month, automatic billing.

Tim
 
I think the best deal is Planet Fitness which you can join for $10/month, no contracts, and a one time fee of $20. All the cardio and weights you'd ever need are there, but no extras like yoga or spinning classes (although they have the spinning stationarys) or babysitting.
 
I can walk to Best Fitness from my office in 5 minutes. That's worth a bunch of money, fee-wise, for the convenience (at $19.99/mo, with $200 reimbursement from insurance, it's a steal!)

Tim
 
bikehikeskifish said:
I can walk to Best Fitness from my office in 5 minutes. That's worth a bunch of money, fee-wise, for the convenience (at $19.99/mo, with $200 reimbursement from insurance, it's a steal!)

Tim
Click to expand...

Could it be that the five-minute walk each way to the gym and back does you nearly as much good as the gym session itself ... at a lot less cost?:)

Merry Christmas!

G.
 
Check your health insurance. Some give a rebate/discount for certain places.
 
I do not go to a gym so cannot give any specific advice, but just read this in the NY Times: Resolution: Get a Deal on a Gym Membership:
This time of year you can count on heavy promotions. Clubs depend on the December-January rush for the bulk of their memberships. But this year the frenzy has been ratcheted up a notch as clubs try to make up for the recession, which caused many corporate sponsorships to evaporate and many individual members to drop out or cut way back on costly extras like personal training and massage.

But lean times for the fitness clubs are good news for consumers.
Click to expand...
 
They like better the people who pay per month, because it is more expensive that way. If you want to train all year, you should take a subscription for one year. It is cheaper then pay per month.
I always take a subscription for one year. :)
 
Ditto on dentonfabrics' Planet Fitness.

Mine is $10/month with a $29 annual fee. My health insurance reimburses up to $150 per year. Perfect!
 
wardsgirl said:
Ditto on dentonfabrics' Planet Fitness.

Mine is $10/month with a $29 annual fee. My health insurance reimburses up to $150 per year. Perfect!
Click to expand...

Make it three. I'm very happy with my $10 per month membership, at an urban outpost that opened 6 months ago. (Their only frill, which they don't flog, is a $20 per mo. "platinum" membership, with bennies like free admission to other PF's and guest passes that I seemed unlikely to use.) It's a big basement filled with a wide assortment of brand-new, top-shelf weight and aerobic machines, plus impressive arrays of Universal stations and free weights. You'd better know how to use them, but like most of the people there (from what I've seen), I already did, from years of pricier places. One bubbler for the whole place, no kleenex and bring your own padlock for the lockers, but it's clean. Nobody will try to sell you personal trainer lessons because there aren't any.
 
To everyone who's replied thus far, thanks, it's been very insightful.

As for running w/ various forms of traction, well, yes, those are practical options. But for me, another advantage of a gym is that I get to beat TRAFFIC by getting to a gym close to my workplace at 6am, then showering before I go into work 10 minutes away.

You can only appreciate this if you've lived in N. VA. Boston traffic ain't nothin' in comparison.



jniehof said:
An inexpensive alternative

But if you do go the health club route, definitely look into health insurance deductions/tax breaks/work matching; I know there are several programs out there.
Click to expand...
 
We're joing the YMCA as a family this weekend and will get $100. back from insurance. I pass it on the way to and from work and is less than 10 min from the house. :cool:

It will be good to go as a family :) and pass McDonalds :( on the way back.
 
I'm a little late to this thread, sorry about that. Anyway, if you can get a gym membership for $30 month w/o any add on fees then you've gotten a good deal. Between competition in the fitness industry and the bad economy, most gyms are willing to negotiate with you these days.

I think the biggest thing to look for in a health club (besides price) is convienence. How close is it to your home or work? What are the hours?

I see you are in Virginia Beach, VA. Anytime Fitness has a few locations there. I recently joined one that is 2.2 miles from my driveway. Like the name implies those places are open 24/7/365. I paid up front and joined for a full year at $300. Perhaps you might consider that as an option?
 
Another plug for the YMCA

What I like about the Y is that one flat rate includes everything, including unlimited yoga classes, and my local Y (Ventura, CA) has an instructor who is absolutely fantastic. They also have a huge pool along with all the regular stuff--weights, cardio machines, spinning, etc.

Another nifty feature is the ability to go to YMCAs across the country as part of the AWAY program--really nice if you travel as much as we do. I think places like 24-Hour Fitness offer the same thing.

Gyms do get crazily busy this time of year with New Year's resolutions and all... :rolleyes:
 
smitty77 said:
Noticed a commercial on the tube last night: Planet Fitness is running a special through 1/8/2010 - $1 annual fee and $10/month.
Click to expand...

Gyms do get crazily busy this time of year with New Year's resolutions and all...
Click to expand...

is that why i had to wait for a treadmill last night? i thought it was the free pizza that planet fitness offers first monday night of the month....:D
 
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