Powerhouse Gym

[Ulysses G.]

The Duangtuwan is better than nothing, but there are a lot of places with much better equipment around for the same price. Also, the shallow L shaped pool makes exercise very difficult. There are usually kids playing ball and wading around without regard for others making swimming laps very difficult.

[tahlin]

It´s expensive but you cant compare PowerHouse to fitness thailand or Hillside.. PowerHouse has got the best group training ever and the personal training is outstanding. Staff is great, great location, lovely white fluffy towels and very clean.

And does it matter if the owner is a member of a church or not?

All I know is that it´s a american guy and a thai guy who runs it and they do it in a personal way and you always feel welcome.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

It´s expensive but you cant compare PowerHouse to fitness thailand or Hillside.. PowerHouse has got the best group training ever and the personal training is outstanding. Staff is great, great location, lovely white fluffy towels and very clean.

And does it matter if the owner is a member of a church or not?

All I know is that it´s a american guy and a thai guy who runs it and they do it in a personal way and you always feel welcome.

It's twice the price of fitness thailand with less than half the machines. IMHO it is very overpriced. It has been dead recently, almost no trainers and no-one in the gym keeping an eye on people using the equipment.

I have amost found the staff to be ranging from pushy (in terms of promoting personal training) to completely indifferent - would rather talk to friends than assist customers.

[kiwis]

It´s expensive but you cant compare PowerHouse to fitness thailand or Hillside.. PowerHouse has got the best group training ever and the personal training is outstanding. Staff is great, great location, lovely white fluffy towels and very clean.

And does it matter if the owner is a member of a church or not?

All I know is that it´s a american guy and a thai guy who runs it and they do it in a personal way and you always feel welcome.

It's twice the price of fitness thailand with less than half the machines. IMHO it is very overpriced. It has been dead recently, almost no trainers and no-one in the gym keeping an eye on people using the equipment.

I have amost found the staff to be ranging from pushy (in terms of promoting personal training) to completely indifferent - would rather talk to friends than assist customers.

But Fitness Thailand looks like a dump? It has the machines but no showers, no juice bar, no yoga studio.. its all under construction and god knows for how long.. Its not like you feel like working out when you enter that building.

But I do agree, Powerhouse is too expensive but the only option I would say. And I dont agree about the trainers, I think they are great. They have given me a six pack

So is California Wow open now and how much is that?

[Austhaied]

It´s expensive but you cant compare PowerHouse to fitness thailand or Hillside.. PowerHouse has got the best group training ever and the personal training is outstanding. Staff is great, great location, lovely white fluffy towels and very clean.

And does it matter if the owner is a member of a church or not?

All I know is that it´s a american guy and a thai guy who runs it and they do it in a personal way and you always feel welcome.

It's twice the price of fitness thailand with less than half the machines. IMHO it is very overpriced. It has been dead recently, almost no trainers and no-one in the gym keeping an eye on people using the equipment.

I have amost found the staff to be ranging from pushy (in terms of promoting personal training) to completely indifferent - would rather talk to friends than assist customers.

But Fitness Thailand looks like a dump? It has the machines but no showers, no juice bar, no yoga studio.. its all under construction and god knows for how long.. Its not like you feel like working out when you enter that building.

But I do agree, Powerhouse is too expensive but the only option I would say. And I dont agree about the trainers, I think they are great. They have given me a six pack

So is California Wow open now and how much is that?

i seen california wow advertising 989 per month, but the catch was you had to join for a year plus other ramblings that i couldnt make head nor tail of.. Not a single word of english spoken by the spruikers..

[okinasan]

It´s expensive but you cant compare PowerHouse to fitness thailand or Hillside.. PowerHouse has got the best group training ever and the personal training is outstanding. Staff is great, great location, lovely white fluffy towels and very clean.

And does it matter if the owner is a member of a church or not?

All I know is that it´s a american guy and a thai guy who runs it and they do it in a personal way and you always feel welcome.

It's twice the price of fitness thailand with less than half the machines. IMHO it is very overpriced. It has been dead recently, almost no trainers and no-one in the gym keeping an eye on people using the equipment.

I have amost found the staff to be ranging from pushy (in terms of promoting personal training) to completely indifferent - would rather talk to friends than assist customers.

But Fitness Thailand looks like a dump? It has the machines but no showers, no juice bar, no yoga studio.. its all under construction and god knows for how long.. Its not like you feel like working out when you enter that building.

But I do agree, Powerhouse is too expensive but the only option I would say. And I dont agree about the trainers, I think they are great. They have given me a six pack

So is California Wow open now and how much is that?

i seen california wow advertising 989 per month, but the catch was you had to join for a year plus other ramblings that i couldnt make head nor tail of.. Not a single word of english spoken by the spruikers..

None of the above mentioned gyms seem to be able to offer a service tailored to the older person who may have medical referral problems. In the UK many older guys with health problems were referred by doctors and hospitals to specialist personal trainers with qualifications in medical referral work. Many older people retire to CM for health reasons, I dread to think of the results of their just going to one of these gyms and taking personal training from instructors without specialist training or good enough English to uinderstand if someone has a problem. Hope the gyms have good insurance policies....... My husband specialised in medical referral training for 5 years in the UK, and is fully qualified -- he tried to interest several of the gyms mentioned in his services, and was met with an uncaring blank wall all round. The guy at Powerhouse told him that if he employed him he would also have to employ four Thais ---- true, but gives the strong impression that all that organisation is concerned with is making loads of profit without responsibility to clients-- perhaps that explains the high fees?? Seems it hasn't occurred to these gyms that they can charge a lot for specialist services of that kind, and that there are a large number of older farangs in CM who would like to continue to train under the correct supervision!

Believe me, working out is not just for those who require a six pack as part of their pulling equipment, and we all get older...... and older....

Okinasan

[CM-Joe]

I go to Platinum Fitness Center, which I find better than Powerhouse, because it also has a large Swimming Pool. They also have Yoga Center, white fluffy towels for 10 THB, Spinning Center, Personal Trainers, Juice Bar, Massage, Sauna, good equipement etc. Cost for one year is 10'000 THB, for 3 is 15'000 or 20'000 I dont remember. It is very clean, good and friendly staff, good equipment, a lot of parking space ...

[Austhaied]

I go to Platinum Fitness Center, which I find better than Powerhouse, because it also has a large Swimming Pool. They also have Yoga Center, white fluffy towels for 10 THB, Spinning Center, Personal Trainers, Juice Bar, Massage, Sauna, good equipement etc. Cost for one year is 10'000 THB, for 3 is 15'000 or 20'000 I dont remember. It is very clean, good and friendly staff, good equipment, a lot of parking space ...

Where exactly is Platinum situated ??

[jackr]

I go to Platinum Fitness Center, which I find better than Powerhouse, because it also has a large Swimming Pool. They also have Yoga Center, white fluffy towels for 10 THB, Spinning Center, Personal Trainers, Juice Bar, Massage, Sauna, good equipement etc. Cost for one year is 10'000 THB, for 3 is 15'000 or 20'000 I dont remember. It is very clean, good and friendly staff, good equipment, a lot of parking space ...

Where exactly is Platinum situated ??

It's about 1k north of the superhighway on the Mae Rim road (in a southerly direction), opposite Lanna Golf Course. Take it slow and you'll see the banner over the soi. Go down there about 100m and it's on the right. Kit ain't bad and a cracking sauna. I'd also say it's better all round than Powerhouse.

[Austhaied]

I go to Platinum Fitness Center, which I find better than Powerhouse, because it also has a large Swimming Pool. They also have Yoga Center, white fluffy towels for 10 THB, Spinning Center, Personal Trainers, Juice Bar, Massage, Sauna, good equipement etc. Cost for one year is 10'000 THB, for 3 is 15'000 or 20'000 I dont remember. It is very clean, good and friendly staff, good equipment, a lot of parking space ...

Where exactly is Platinum situated ??

It's about 1k north of the superhighway on the Mae Rim road (in a southerly direction), opposite Lanna Golf Course. Take it slow and you'll see the banner over the soi. Go down there about 100m and it's on the right. Kit ain't bad and a cracking sauna. I'd also say it's better all round than Powerhouse.

Cheers mate.

[FTB]

My membership at Powerhouse in the states was cheaper than their CNX location. I was also not impressed with the wieght room and equipment for the lofty entrance fee. However the location was nice 'n handy.

Platinum fitness I thought better equipped and a more flowing layout. Fantastic pool and sauna. Sadly more of a hump from town to get there.

How does the Orchid compare to these two places?

I worked out a bit in a small gym inside the Cental Plaza on the 3rd floor. 800 bht per month for a small very basic gym.

Also where is Duangtawan located? Anybody else with insight into this lair?

i would like a basic gym with free wieghts and cardio exquipment somewhat centrally located. Are there other options available?

[Ulysses G.]

The Duangtawan and the Orchid are nowhere in the league of those other gyms.

Better than nothing, but not very good all in all.

[ozzieovaseas]

I have found a well equiped gym (about 3 mins walk from Phrom Phong BTS on Sukhamvit)..no pushy sales talk,nice location,pool,sauna,squash court ect,am looking for a buddy to join up at the price of 2000 bht each monthly fee if anyones interested....

[Nienke]

Well, THAT's the way to go: in a steady run to the gym .... steady, don't overdo it! Do your work-out at the gym, and in a slow pace back home.

[HTWoodson]

Powerhouse has a website, here: Powerhouse

Nothing about costs on the website, but good pictures of all the equipment.

I paid 8000 for a year membership last August (2008), but I don't know what it is now. I like the fact that it's mostly empty in the mornings, and there are some good running routes nearby along the canal road if you want to mix in some street running with your workout. I don't care for treadmills. Has a respectable free weight section unlike some of the hotel gyms.

[Loaded]

Buy a mountain bike and use the beautiful 5km exercise track at Huay Tung Taow for free whenever you want.

[greedisgood]

I have found a well equiped gym (about 3 mins walk from Phrom Phong BTS on Sukhamvit)..no pushy sales talk,nice location,pool,sauna,squash court ect,am looking for a buddy to join up at the price of 2000 bht each monthly fee if anyones interested....

Ozzie,

Let me see...

A 5-6 hr car ride to Sukh in BKK, a 1 1/2 workout, then the same ride back to CM. Seems like a long day. Not much time to get back to work :-)

[wedders]

I have found a well equiped gym (about 3 mins walk from Phrom Phong BTS on Sukhamvit)..no pushy sales talk,nice location,pool,sauna,squash court ect,am looking for a buddy to join up at the price of 2000 bht each monthly fee if anyones interested....

Ozzie,

Let me see...

A 5-6 hr car ride to Sukh in BKK, a 1 1/2 workout, then the same ride back to CM. Seems like a long day. Not much time to get back to work :-)

5-6 hours? Hope you've got enough cash available and have allowed for the enforced stops along the way!

[orang37]

Buy a mountain bike and use the beautiful 5km exercise track at Huay Tung Taow for free whenever you want.

Great idea, Khun Loaded,

For those who don't know where it is :

... borrowed from Yahoo :

"Off Canal Road, 5kms from the Intersection with Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai, 50300

Phone: +66 53 24 8604

Opening hours: 24hrs"

Site with lots of pictures and details :

http://www.nikdaum.com/news/2008/08/huay-t...-reservoir.html

For those with OCD who must search everywhere : Google on ... "chiang mai" "huay tung taow" ...

By the way, do you have a half-brother named Khun Un ? Or a sister named Khun Pre ?

~o:37;

Edited February 12, 2009 by orang37

[el jefe]

to Orang and Loaded,

Hmmmm, how does the suggestion to "buy a mountain bike" help someone who wants to use freeweights and other equipment in a gym? That's almost as helpful as the post about a gym in BKK!

btw, why would someone need a mountain bike specifically to ride the paved, relatively flat track at Huay Tung Taow?

And while I'm being helpful, yahoo's direction's that it's "5kms from the Intersection with Huay Kaew Road", is almost 3 km short.

Buy a mountain bike and use the beautiful 5km exercise track at Huay Tung Taow for free whenever you want.

Great idea, Khun Loaded,

For those who don't know where it is :

... borrowed from Yahoo :

"Off Canal Road, 5kms from the Intersection with Huay Kaew Road, Chiang Mai, 50300

Phone: +66 53 24 8604

Opening hours: 24hrs"

Site with lots of pictures and details :

http://www.nikdaum.com/news/2008/08/huay-t...-reservoir.html

For those with OCD who must search everywhere : Google on ... "chiang mai" "huay tung taow" ...

By the way, do you have a half-brother named Khun Un ? Or a sister named Khun Pre ?

~o:37;

[wedders]

Powerhouse has a website, here: Powerhouse

Nothing about costs on the website, but good pictures of all the equipment.

I paid 8000 for a year membership last August (2008), but I don't know what it is now. I like the fact that it's mostly empty in the mornings, and there are some good running routes nearby along the canal road if you want to mix in some street running with your workout. I don't care for treadmills. Has a respectable free weight section unlike some of the hotel gyms.

I joined a couple of months earlier, forget the cost. Ditto ref the mornings, I usually go around 10 or 11. Tks for tip about the canal road, sounds like an idea when I get back to CM... and on that subject, having to be away from CM for a few months, Powerhouse has a good system where they suspend membership until you get back.

One niggle, I not a fan of evangelical Christian missions in Thailand, and I noticed a collection box for one had appeared at reception there in December. Plus if the managers really feel it's ok to do that, I would have thought the least they could have done by way of respect for the culture and traditions of Thailand, would have been to have another box or two for those who would prefer to donate to Thai/Buddhist/secular charities.

It's the sort of thing that would definitely force me to change gyms in fact, if it turned out the place was actually financed by fundamentalist Americans and linked to other mission activities in CM/Thailand.

[FMFK86]

old thread but came across it while googling gyms.

any recommendations for a cheap gym in the same area of that powerhouse gym? i dont care if theres no shower/sauna or everythings dirty, just something basic. wheres that fitness thailand gym located? i cant find it on google

thanks

[heybruce]

old thread but came across it while googling gyms.

any recommendations for a cheap gym in the same area of that powerhouse gym? i dont care if theres no shower/sauna or everythings dirty, just something basic. wheres that fitness thailand gym located? i cant find it on google

thanks

Fitness Thailand is on the seventh and eighth floors of the parking garage behind Icon Computer Plaza.

[czGLoRy]

I have heard of people paying as low as 8,000 for a yearly membership, but I just went in to get a quote and they said 13,000 for a year, 10,000 for 100 hours that can be interchangeable. Anyone know what the deal is? Thanks

[Jobo]

13,000 is the correct current annual fee. That allows you to go at any time,any day and use all facilities.

For 8,000 baht you may get an annual membership but only for off peak times and not weekends and you would not be able to use showers and sauna.

But I only heard of that offer over a year ago.

[ARISTIDE]

I pay around 8000 but as a renewed member and I'm allowed in the gym after 10 am to 4pm and no classes. Which are all fine by me. I have things to do in the morning and I hate classes.

I have heard of people paying as low as 8,000 for a yearly membership, but I just went in to get a quote and they said 13,000 for a year, 10,000 for 100 hours that can be interchangeable. Anyone know what the deal is? Thanks

[happysanook]

Thats around 75 US dollars a month and then 50 dollars

Wow ! what a deal!!

They should have a pool and a free buffet and get your car washed and your laundry done all while you workout included in for those fees!!

Gyms in The US arent that expensive!!

No wonder there are only 100 or so members

I wonder what Thai's pay?

I just joined Powerhouse this week. Great equipment, very well designed. Good staff. Great workout view of Doi Suthep. Wish they had a pool.

Expensive: Monthly plan is 3000 first month and 2000 after that. Monthly costs are lower for other plans with larger up-front fees.

I don't know about the evangelical connection, but this is a larger American corp with a 40+ location presence in China. This location is their first in Thailnd.

No doubt. A ridiculous cost. Gyms in US typically run $30 a month.

[infernalman7]

Thais pay the same. Except some get "student" discounts.

But I secretly hope they keep prices high for the reason it's always not crowded. I hate crowded gyms.