Life Time Fitness membership: Is it worth it?

[boys2enough]

I actually have no idea how much it costs. They do not tell you the price on their website. Actually, they refused to tell me when I popped in to ask the person at the front desk! I guess that does not bode well. Like Rodeo Drive? If you have to ask, you can't afford it? LOL.

Am wondering whether anybody here has any experience with it and whether it is worth it. I am sensing a dilemma coming up: if I have time to enjoy it, I will not be able to afford this; if I have to work, I have no time.

SIGH. Time to start buying lottery tickets me think.


Cheers, Lin
Mom to 2 wild boys
D 3/98
G 11/02

http://smilies.vidahost.com/kao/chika/chirol_buha.gif

I am celebrating: just passed my "1000 posts" mark. Yipee!

[Mommy_Again]

I have personally never been but my in-laws belong in Michigan and really like it. I'm pretty sure they have a child care center and the coolest thing (to me) is that they have a salon in the lobby where you can get manis and pedis! Nothing like sweating on the treadmill and pulling off your stinky socks for a little foot massage.

As far as not telling you how much the membership is - that is how all (or most) gyms work and I hate it. They have to give you a tour, sit you down at a desk for the hard sell, and tell you that you *have* to sign up today or you can't get those rates (which is bogus, and on top of that the rates are usually not even a deal in the first place). It's just a really skeezy business practice, but they know people will tolerate it b/c there are no other alternatives.

[icunurse]

Personally, the fact that they wouldn't tell me the price at the front desk would have turned me off from joining (I'm a big believer in the "let's save both of us some time" theory - answer my questions and then if it can still work, give me your sales pitch). I'm not sure how prices go across the nation, but when I was a member out here a few years ago, it was, I believe, $50/month for an individual membership and a joining fee of several hundred dollars. You can sometimes get a discount if you work for certain companies, though.

Is it worth it? If it was closer to my house, maybe. Ours was very clean, had everything you could want (2 pools, equipment, classes, salon, cafe, etc), was pampering but not in an overwhelming way. I really liked it, but my drive time was too long for me to get there enough to rationalize the membership fee.

Traci
~Connor's Mom 02/2004~
Agency paperwork completed - waiting (and waiting) for another baby!

[jayali]

My brother and his family belong to the one in Wayzata, Minnesota. I think it was VERY pricey. They really like it, but they are very religious about working out every day, so they get their money's worth.

My personal opinion about places like that is that it is more of a "status" thing. We have a similar type place here. The woman that gave me my tour was dressed in white cashmere and stillettos. Talk about a turn-off! I felt like I was being interviewed. I ended up joining a gym for less then half price. I try to workout at least three times a week and don't feel guilty when I can't get there at all some weeks. My gym has babysitting but other then that it is bare bones, which is fine with me. I would think about how much you really would use all of the "extra" services.

If you would like I could ask my brother how much he paid for his family membership.

[newmomto3kids]

We belong as a family and pay $95 a month. We love it, go about 3 times a week and are definitely satisfied with the services.
The child care center is incredible, the pools are great and the extra services (cafe, salon etc) are also so nice.
We highly recommend it, especially to people with kids.
HTH