To start narrowing things down, think of each gym as having its own distinct personality and find the one that best matches yours. It helps to have an idea of exactly what you are looking for long before you walk through the door. Whether you’re in the market for a Vinyasa Yoga class, somewhere to swim laps in January or just a place to pound out a couple of miles on the treadmill everyday, you will find all of these options—you just have to worry about that tedious monthly fee.
Equinox was by far the most luxury-minded of the gyms surveyed, complete with an ultra-contemporary layout, classrooms dedicated to Pilates (and only Pilates), locker rooms stocked with complimentary razors and deodorant, roaming personal trainers and on-call masseuses. On the other end of the spectrum,
Synergy was sparse and utilitarian—equipment and locker rooms, but not much else. Filling out the middle,
New York Health and Racquet, New York Sports Club and Crunch all offer laundry lists of classes, boast a wide range of equipment, and straddle the extremes on amenities.
The only true way to get a feel for the right gym is to experience it, and the more generous clubs offer a trial period. New York Sports Club offers a week’s free membership with a coupon printed from its website. And while he refused to confirm the truth, the New York Health and Racquet Club rep’s card allowed for a one-day guest membership. A free sample somewhere else might take some haggling. Crunch offered a free one-time use of its facilities after a meeting and tour with a sales rep.
When looking for a gym, you’ll probably experience at least one unrelenting salesperson; it’s the nature of the game. The sales rep is trying to ink a contract while you’re still in the door, and like any other commission-based marketplace, this can sometimes lead to pushy pitches. You shouldn’t expect a freebee as much as a rundown of why that particular gym is the right place for you, and how it is, thus, virtually risk-free to sign up for a month anyway.
“The salespeople, at least in some respects, reminded me of college admissions people,” Zdroik said. “They’re trying to sell you a lifestyle.”
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