Gym/Fitness center in Pinklao

[relocate]

So I just finished my 3 day free trial at fitness first in Central Pinklao. They have good facilities and the staff are good however they have a overly complicated sales process. All I want to do is access they gym however they seem to believe I should be paying for personal trainers by default, over the top admin fee to sign up, plus signup fee plus, plus, plus.

I called my wife to speak with the "sales rep" who came out with a flyer and a calculator, the conversation lasted 20 minutes. I said all I want to do is pay to access the gym, and they started again. "If you pay for this and this you will get a discount".

The monthly fee is around $2,600 per month to access they gym, they want an extra $1,600 for admin fees plus $500 for setup fees plus $1,600 for personal trainer plus another fee they came up with. Then they will not accept cash, I have to pay them a further ~$180 a month for transaction fees.

So the simple ~$2,600 per month is now around $6,480 just to access the gym????

They say I will get a $1,600 discount on the next month and they want me on a contract.

So, does anyone know of a gym near Pinklao that has realistic fees and doesn't just want to screw a farang for as much as they possible can??? I really want to access a gym however don't want to pay over the top prices.

I had a look at Leaders further up the road however they are very small, out dated and the staff only wanted to sign me up as soon as I walked in the door. Basically I walked in the door and said may I have a look. They man said, you want to sign up now. I said no I would like to look first. Take two steps into the first door and again, "You sign now?".

If there are no other gyms I may just buy the equipment myself as it would be cheaper than paying for the fitness first membership over a year.

[Northwindhermit]

First of all, I have absolutely no experience with Bangkok gyms. But I had always thought that I may one day try the Central Pinklao Fitness First simply because it is the closest at only 7 klicks from my home in Nonthaburi. But with your revelations -- Wow! They seem to be way over the top, as are others.

The expensiveness you quote is staggering. You quote in US dollars, is that right? Not Thai Baht? If so, no wonder they are begging so much for additional money -- how many people can afford such basic prices?

Home equipment is worth the initial investment, in my book. I bought a treadmill for home use many years ago, but it was ruined by the Great Flood of 2011 because I had no means to move it to higher ground. Since then I have bought a bigger, better treadmill, top of the line with good elevation capability and a heart-rate monitor, and I love it. I rigged a kind of table-top on my treadmill so that I can put a book or a Kindle on it to read while working out. I also have a good set of dumbbells at home. As a senior citizen, all of this works very well for me.

However, one basic additional exercise I cannot resist is to get out into the neighborhood and force-march around a 4-klick circuit around by the river. I tie on a sweatband and put on a sunhat and I hard-charge through the heat. It's exhausting but rewarding, as I get to know my neighbors. It also helps me acclimatize to this ungodly heat and humidity (but only a bit). As was once said:

"Mad dogs and Englishmen

[including this expat American]

Go out in the midday sun!"

The pursuit of personal fitness is among the most worthy of ideals. Keep up the good work whenever you can!