Exercising Caution When Weighing Benefits of a Health Club
From January 2005
Community Comments
Spark a community dialogue. Be the first to contribute by adding your comments.
“Check out the clubs closest to you first,” advises Jason Froehlich, club manager for Wenmat Athletic Clubs, which maintains five full-service health and racquetball clubs throughout the region — the Alhambra and Riverside athletic clubs in Sacramento, the Carmichael and Signature athletic clubs in Carmichael, and the Roseville Athletic Club in Roseville.
Froehlich believes it pays to perform due diligence for at least three facilities in your neighborhood and compare their services and prices. Try to get a feel for the atmosphere and culture of the club. Take advantage of free trial memberships. “If the club doesn’t offer a no-charge trial of its facilities, it probably can’t stand behind the club,” he says.
Lin Conrad, executive director for the California Clubs of Distinction (CCD) in El Sobrante, agrees: “Look for clubs within a one- or two-mile radius and visit several at different times of the day,” she says. CCD is a regional organization affiliated with the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), which supports the health and fitness industry.
“Don’t just talk to the sales people; ask to talk to the manager. Find out if the (club) has a philosophy for providing fitness,” advises Conrad. “Ask if it has a mission statement. If it doesn’t, that’s a good sign it may not be giving quality service.”
Match Costs and Services
Sacramento-region health and fitness clubs and the services they offer vary widely. You can find an express resistant circuit in a 1,200-square-foot, bring your-own-towel club with no showers or lockers (Curves for Women, Cuts for Men, Lady Express Workout). You can also find expansive resort-like sports and fitness facilities that offer swimming and tennis, upscale amenities, and social events (Spare Time Inc.’s Broadstone Racquet Club, County Oaks, Gold River and Natomas athletic clubs).
Average individual monthly dues for full-service clubs and “serious fitness” gyms range between $43 and $115. Because clubs vary widely in services, you might get more for your money by carefully shopping clubs in the same price range, Froehlich says.
Full-service clubs (such as the nine 24-Hour Fitness locations in the region) that routinely offer lockers, showers, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, free weights, resistance machines and a variety of group fitness classes, sometimes have basketball, squash and/or racquetball courts (Wenmat Clubs, Broadstone).
Continued...
Froehlich believes it pays to perform due diligence for at least three facilities in your neighborhood and compare their services and prices. Try to get a feel for the atmosphere and culture of the club. Take advantage of free trial memberships. “If the club doesn’t offer a no-charge trial of its facilities, it probably can’t stand behind the club,” he says.
Lin Conrad, executive director for the California Clubs of Distinction (CCD) in El Sobrante, agrees: “Look for clubs within a one- or two-mile radius and visit several at different times of the day,” she says. CCD is a regional organization affiliated with the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), which supports the health and fitness industry.
“Don’t just talk to the sales people; ask to talk to the manager. Find out if the (club) has a philosophy for providing fitness,” advises Conrad. “Ask if it has a mission statement. If it doesn’t, that’s a good sign it may not be giving quality service.”
Match Costs and Services
Sacramento-region health and fitness clubs and the services they offer vary widely. You can find an express resistant circuit in a 1,200-square-foot, bring your-own-towel club with no showers or lockers (Curves for Women, Cuts for Men, Lady Express Workout). You can also find expansive resort-like sports and fitness facilities that offer swimming and tennis, upscale amenities, and social events (Spare Time Inc.’s Broadstone Racquet Club, County Oaks, Gold River and Natomas athletic clubs).
Average individual monthly dues for full-service clubs and “serious fitness” gyms range between $43 and $115. Because clubs vary widely in services, you might get more for your money by carefully shopping clubs in the same price range, Froehlich says.
Full-service clubs (such as the nine 24-Hour Fitness locations in the region) that routinely offer lockers, showers, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, free weights, resistance machines and a variety of group fitness classes, sometimes have basketball, squash and/or racquetball courts (Wenmat Clubs, Broadstone).
Continued...
The Magazine
Site Links
Prosper Plus +
- Get Prosper Plus to receive e-mail alerts, special event invites, and content that interests you.
Community
- Join the Community and start participating. It's fast. It's easy. It's free.
Advertise on this site! Show your support for the Prosper Network and reach influential thought leaders and web users like yourself. Contact us to find out how.
© 2004-2007 Prosper Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
The materials on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Prosper Media, LLC.
Community Comments