Need a new gym, but which one?

[mmsmum]

Hi all,

It's time to find a new gym and there are a few in my area. I have Greens, Fitness First, the council, or a country club to choose from.

Does anyone have any experience of Greens, Fitness First or what a country club is like?

I'm trying to gather as much info as I can before going along for visits and the big sell that comes with it, not looking forward to that!

I have been a member of the council gym before, it was fantastic for group ex. but not much in the way of luxury, i.e. no dryers, nice pools, saunas etc and I never liked the gym very much.

Also does anyone know about child policies? All I can find for Greens is that kids can only use the pool and only at certain times, 12-4 at weekends and bank holidays, and 10-12 and 3-5 on weekdays which is not great. FF seem to have no info at all.

No where. except the council, has prices listed, is this because everyone gets charged a different rate? Do they sum you up before seeing what you can afford?

Choosing a gym should not be this stressful. Any help and advice is gratefully appreciated. Thanks :)

Hi I think your question is pretty impossible for anyone to answer without knowing where you are, all gyms vary so much, even across chains, I know a few fitness firsts for example, some nice, some pretty basic and a bit grotty! Same obviously for council ones.

In the absence of someone local being able to advise you, you will have to visit and suss out the best one for you. Re prices, there will be standard rates but the private gyms inevitably have "special offers" on, most are pretty desperate for new members so negotiate hard and then do not sign on the spot, go away for a think then call and push a little harder! Make them aware you are looking at the alternative, cheaper options and as a minimum do not pay a joining fee. If possible also avoid any lengthy commitments in case you change your mind....unless you are very sure you will stick it, in which case you may be able to negotiate a big discount for a large upfront payment for up to 12m, if you are able to afford a lump sum now.

Hi thanks for your advice. I actually did think large chain gyms would be pretty standard across the board, obviously I was wrong! The one's I'll visit are Greens in Clarkston, near Glasgow, Fitness First in East Kilbride and/or the one in Glasgow. I don't know if you get reciprocal membership with Greens but if so I'd use the one in Glasgow city centre too.

Thanks for the tips on pricing, no joining fee (I didn't even know they did this!), and no long contract unless I can get a discount for paying upfront. I actually like the idea of paying once, I always did this with the council gym and there was a discount, but then I'll bet it's a lot cheaper and more affordable than private ones.