California Wow At The Siam Paragon

[orlandoiam]

Hello. Thinking of joining California Wow at Siam Paragon. But, I'm not sure when it opens. They are already selling memberships but....

Does anyone know?

[Rinrada]

OK gotta ask.........

[bkkmadness]

Is this the same company as California fitness? If so what prices they offering? As I understand it with the other places the price varies pretty wildy depending on what you can haggle for.

oh yeah, don't know when it opens, sorry.

[orlandoiam]

I know! It's amazing! I've been shopping around and some of the places offer a measly equipment room with no amenities for almost 4,000 B a month.

Fitness First at the Ari BTS station quoted me 450B per day (if I didn't want a membership.) Then, they said if I just did aerobic classes and didn't want to use the exercise machines I could pay 200B a day (what a deal ).

I never would have thought it would take so much careful plodding to join a gym. I'm hoping to buy my membership from some unhappy person who discarded their membership (and thus get a slight discount).

Anyways...

[Ijustwannateach]

At other branches of California, they've been advertising the Paragon branch in the following way (on giant posters with a smarmy, self-satisfied looking female model):

"Come Exercise With Famous Celebrities At Our New Six-Star Gym In Siam Paragon!"

Doesn't bode well.

I think it's mainly a device to squeeze more cash out of existing members for adding a new branch (because the contracts given out in the last year or so have specifically excluded Paragon from "all branches available" level of memberships.

"Steven"

[orlandoiam]

Oh well-- I've always wanted to exercise with celebrities! Although Paragon is a bit difficult to navigate.

I'm hoping the more branches that open the prices will start going down. Kind of like haircuts in Bangkok.

[expatinasia]

"Is this the same company as California fitness?"

Yes. In the US, it's "California Fitness". Outside of the US, it's "California WOW". I signed a longer-term contract for less than 400 THB/month.

[trajan]

Hello. Thinking of joining California Wow at Siam Paragon. But, I'm not sure when it opens. They are already selling memberships but....

Does anyone know?

on-site sales office said grand opening by March 2006....Silom branch sales office said by Thai New Year in April 2006.....

[Heng]

Fitness First, 1,800 Baht a month. A bargain really as you're buying health (assuming that you actually go and work out regularly), which is priceless. That said, if you have the space at home (and don't mind the lack of variety in machines, and lack of candy), it's much more financially practical to build your own gym.

The cost to work out at the flagship branch is typically only a few hundred Baht more a month.... mostly because of the addition of having towel service, I'd assume California Wow is the same.

Edited January 26, 2006 by Heng

[trajan]

"Is this the same company as California fitness?"

Yes. In the US, it's "California Fitness". Outside of the US, it's "California WOW". I signed a longer-term contract for less than 400 THB/month.

wow how did you get that? the lowest price I found was "Diamond" membership for 8 years at B45,000 which works out to B469 per month.....

[backflip]

I kept repeating "that's too expensive". Finally, the 4-5 sales people gave up and a "sales manager" (who knows what she really did) came up with an acceptable price - in actuality: 358 THB/month. Too, I went from the Suk23 location to the Silom gym...back and forth, several times...

[trajan]

I kept repeating "that's too expensive". Finally, the 4-5 sales people gave up and a "sales manager" (who knows what she really did) came up with an acceptable price - in actuality: 358 THB/month. Too, I went from the Suk23 location to the Silom gym...back and forth, several times...

so you signed up for the 8 year Diamond membership?

[meadish_sweetball]

Outside of the US, it's "California WOW".

Ask for Chuck, Wow is his surname. I hear he does individual training.

[backflip]

trajan,

That's correct. Just to be sure that it's the same level of memebership to which you're referring, I can use:

- any facility

- any day of the week

- at any time

[Ijustwannateach]

Heng, as far as I know all the branches provide towels. I think the only thing you get extra at Paragon is the fact that you're exercising in Paragon.

They've now replaced the horrible Paragon promotional posters with the anorexic model with other horrible posters featuring the same horrible anorexic model with even fewer clothes. I mean, I can appreciate female beauty but this is not that.

"Steven"

[trajan]

backflip......wow, sounds like you got a good deal