health clubs - cost/benefit question I'm weighing

[dex]

I switched to a gym that's a little less conveniently located (not entirely by choice, since my previous gym just closed its doors with no notice one afternoon). I find that I still go, but it takes massaging my schedule a bit--sometimes driving instead of riding to work if it's a swim day, changing around my lifting routine, packing extra food in the morning...nothing drastic, but little tweaks that make traveling a little farther out of my way a little easier to accommodate. Sometimes I find this extra prep stuff annoying, but usually I don't pay much attention to it.

You might want to ask the gym staff about how busy the lap pool is in the winter, since it seems like a pool is one of the most important criteria for you. It would suck to fork over the extra dough only to find that the pool is way too crowded for your comfort/use for a chunk of the year.

[tygab]

@crazycanuck, no, neither has a swim only pass. I have yet to find someplace that does. if there were a convenient one that'd probably do it, because the rest I could do elsewhere most days.

@dex, very true. this is probably the sticking point. Based on what I've seen of area pools, this is probably the best one because they have other pools for exercise classes and kids. The only conflict is in winter the lap pool is used for swim team between 4-6 but I'm working then anyway. Every other pool I know of and researched (including Y's, none of which are close) splits one pool into many different uses which means it's likely busy.

I think I'd be happy going here and could work out the scheduling somehow. guess I gotta find a way to save $50 somewhere else to come out even.

[teigyr]

I was lucky because when I switched gyms, everything was in my favor. The new gym was nicer, less crowded, closer, and less expensive

I will say that when I quit my old gym, I was fed up. I had already been researching other possibilities. I only use the gym for swimming and spinning though I might start up weights. In the new one, the pool is so nice. The locker room (not that it matters but still) has hair dryers, a bathing suit dryer, sauna, and the lockers are wood-paneled. It just seems more civilized.

I think you should go for it. While the new one seems less convenient and it's more expensive, you might look forward to going vs. dreading an unpleasant gym experience. It'd be nice if you could find somewhere closer though. I know the cost is more but there is something to be said for a gym that is within a mile or two of your work or where you live.