How much does your gym membership cost?

[wellyes]

If you don't mind me asking. After a very unpleasant physical today, I'm looking at a couple of places in town. Very much need a gym. The prices vary wildly......

Option 1: Planet Fitness, $20/month, no daycare - no classes - no pool. Can't, need babysitting service.

Option 2: Local club, $35/month, daycare extra, but unfortunately I was a member here last year and just didn't like the vibe of the place. Gossipy and unwelcoming. But I'll probably end up joining this again due to price. Or am I just being too cheap?

Option 3: YMCA, $57/month plus $100 to join, daycare free, but it's old and very busy and slightly smelly. I went to tour the place today and (not meaning to sneak, just looking for front desk) walked into the pool area, then through locker room, past the daycare!!, and then walked past the front desk where they didn't stop me or ask to see ID. I'm not very stringent about security but that's ridiculous.

Option 4: super fancy local "wellness center", $165 month includes all daycare and regular meetings with a personal trainer. It's very nice inside. Did I mention the special they are running now, joining fee just $400?

So. Please tell me what you pay!

[bubbaray]

For one person, our YMCA is around that price. For a family of four (kids are around $10/m), I'm paying just under $100. That is a brand-spankin' new facility that is spotless. I know, b/c my kids have eaten off the floor (j/k -- kinda). Childminding is not included, but is available at an extremely reduced rate for members (also available for non-members who can use the childminding and the facility for dropin fees).

Not sure I would join a stinky gym, though. That would skeeve me out. If you didn't like the vibe of the 2nd gym, that is out too -- if you don't like it, you won't use it, no matter how cheap it is.

[baymom]

We have an all-gym membership at 24 Hour Fitness, which means we can go to any branch, not just the one we enrolled at. We signed up about 10 years ago, with a one lump-sum payment for two people (dh & I) for 2 years. It was a large payment upfront, but it came out to be much cheaper. When the two years were up, they asked if we wanted to continue at that rate, on a month to month basis. Well, it is only $18 a month for BOTH of us--so of course we said YES!

We like the 3 of the branches around our house and typically do not go at peak times, but they can be hit or miss. Also, we have been very happy with the child-care, so far--although we don't use it very often, especially during flu/cold season.

I'm not sure if you would be interested in signing a long term contract like we did, but you might be able to get a better deal that way. Also, at least at 24 Hour, from what I've heard from friends and family, the price they first quote you is very negotiable, so do try to bargain a little bit (if you are comfortable with that).

[Jen841]

@$100 a month for a family.

GREAT outdoor pool during the summer.
Indoor pool year round.
Free fitness classes
Desired swim classes for a fee
Sports classes for kid for a fee (@$40 for 8 weeks of classes)
Free babysitting
Nice facility
Sister facilty is free
Can upgrade $10 to belong to another facility, but it is no where close to our normal traffic patterns

Discounted daycare available for members

Discounted summer camp for members (may do next year)

[okinawama]

we pay 49.99/mo for the membership and 24.00 for unlimited childcare. It is the only place in town, so they can really charge what they want. The child care is clean and they only allow two infants at a time (they call in another person if the need to), so I feel that he gets the care we pay for. I do think that the price is expensive, but for my physical and mental well being, we pay it. Going to the gym affects my outlook on everything, so it is money well spent!

[mommylamb]

Just wanted to say hugs... I've had those sorts of physicals when the dr tells you to go lose weight and I cry every time.

My gym is the one in my HOA, so it's included in my monthly fee (so I SHOULD use it more often because I'm paying for it anyway). Proud to say that I went today. I just got home and I'm sitting in my sweaty gym clothes on the computer before I go change and pick up DS from daycare.

I just have a hard time getting to the gym. I work full time, which isn't really the problem. The problem is that I live in traffic land and my commute is outrageous. It's just so hard to find the time even for half an hour on the bike... but I know I need to do it. I'm not terribly overweight (size 10-12, but well proportioned), but I do have high cholesterol thanks to genes, so I really need to lose a few lbs. I'm freaked out becasue I want to have a second child next year and I need to go off my statins for that... anyway, sorry to hijack your post with my melodrama.

[tylersmama]

Our YMCA family membership runs about $80/month, but I pay yearly. Babysitting is included with a max of 2 hours a day. (Well, 2 hours at a time, so I guess you could go in the morning and the afternoon/evening!) There is a room for infants through 6 years and an activity room for older kids. It's an older facility, but clean and very well run. Security is good. They recently received a huge donation, so they've added on and made a bunch of updates. We pay extra for certain things like personal training and swim lessons.

, almost exactly.

I pay $69/month for a single parent family membership (DS has to be a member in order to get free childcare). 2 hour limit for childcare. I've been very happy with my Y and I love it there. It's definitely older, both the building and the clientele, but I kind of like it, it has character. And I love that I don't feel like I need to put on make-up to go work out. I belonged to 24 Hour Fitness a few years ago, and it was a total meat market. And they were such pushy used-car salesmen about the personal training. It drove me nuts. I use it primarily for spin class and swimming, and it's great for that. They have classes that are at perfect times for me. DS loves the childcare, too.

[WatchingThemGrow]

$114/mo rising to $120/mo for the family membership. It is (was) brand new, very close to home, has LOTS of natural light in the facility, an indoor, cushioned track, a great indoor pool open looong hours(not overnight, though), hot tub that isn't skanky, a steamroom, lots of non-sleazy staff to help, free childcare!!!!, and a clientele that is there for health, not to hook up (Ok, slightly geriatric, but oh well). If i ever get a hankering for some classes, I could do one easily. We get guests passes out the wazoo, but everyone probably gets those.

They let us take 3 mos/year off w/o penalty, so we're going back after a baby hiatus in a couple weeks. DH and I have found that the only time we REALLY get to talk without interruption is when we put DC in the childcare and walk on the track several nights/week. We'll take a couple topics at a time and talk until the 30 min. are up. We love it.

[jess_g]

I think you ought to pick the one that you will most likely use. If babysitting is a most then defently check out the babysitting area before you decide and make sure you would be comfortable leaving your kid there and make sure the child likes it too.

We pay $57 per month for a one adult plus children membership at out YMCA. At our YMCA once you join one you can goto about 7 different Ys and use the same membership card. This is a great feature if you have a small Y near you and a bigger fancier one that is a drive away. You can go and work out at the smaller one that is closer to your house but drive to the bigger one for swimming and gymnastics and kids classes. This is what we did all last year. But they built a realy fancy one just 10 minutes away from us so we go there now. At the YMCA you can also cancel your membership if you don't use it or change your mind and at ours you can cancel it for a month or two while on vacation.

Jessica.

[AnnieW625]

We belong to LA Fitness and pay $63 a month for both of us and can use any club nationwide. I can go on my lunch hour so that is a big plus, and DH goes after work. The only thing I haven't been super happy with are the yoga classes so I go to another studio for that. Babysitting which we don't use is $10 a month more. Our iniatian fee was $150 (thankfully it was bogo) and since I could've gotten a similar deal at 24 Hr. Fitness through my work (but they didn't have raquetball which DH wanted) so I asked them for the best month to month deal they had (and told them I was state employee) and that's what they gave me. Our club has pretty much everything including basketball, raquetball, and a large lap pool. Aerobics classes are good too.

Prior to this club we paid $90 a month for a smaller local neighborhood club in a neighboring city that we loved, but once we had DD it was harder to get to (pre DD I went on my way home from work). We miss that club a lot and I didn't have to pay for separate yoga there.

If you can swing it and you really like the facility I would go to the $165/mos. club. It sounds expensive, but if it includes everything including a trainer I think that's a good deal. See if they will let you do a trial run of the club to see how you like it.

Our YMCA is $79 a month for a family, and a $79 initiation fee. It's in pretty good shape and we thought about joining, but DH liked the LA Fitness a bit better. We take DD there for swim lessons and it's only $10 more a month than it would be for a member so we aren't losing that much money by not being a member.

FWIW, this is the BEST gym I ever went to at SDSU and it was free, it's amazing and there is nothing else like it: http://arc.sdsu.edu/
If there are any San Diego mamas who read this and want a gym check this place out.