May is National Physical Fitness Month. I thought I would celebrate the top of the month answering questions about where and how I get my physical activity in.
I’m a member of Equinox. The first time I went in I was awestruck by how clean and well lit the place is. It’s beautiful with eucalyptus towels and a eucalyptus steam sauna. I love eucalyptus ya’ll. I was in love. Then I saw the price tag and was in shock for a long time. I had never paid $200 for a gym membership and this was slightly over that. When I initially went in for my tour, I was told the sign up fee was $300, so that would be $500 for the first month and $200 each month after. So, that was a no for me. It was way out of my budget.
Then January and gym promotions rolled around and Equinox was still on my mind. The place was clean with eucalyptus towels and lots of classes and it was super convenient for me location wise. It was in a safe spot not surrounded by homeless folks, which in LA is a huge issue. So with the special in January of no sign-on fee and just $210 per month cost, I said yes. When I signed up I found out you have to pay first and last month’s membership so my bill came out to $420 but ok.
Now, this money is so worth it because I used to go to Rumble Boxing which was like $30 a class and I had a ton of fun. It was like therapy for me. I sweat and had fun and was worn out by the end of it. I took all my week’s frustrations to the bag and let it go. With Equinox, I would pay less per class and be able to go more frequently but boxing is not an option. They have a Tae Bo like class there but it’s not the same as Rumble Boxing where you fight a huge bag filled with water that has the mass like a person. You feel like you are actually snatching the kidneys of whoever did you wrong. LOL. But I digress.
So anyway, I have more accountability and received a cost savings with my switch to Equinox, not to mention it was way more convenient to get to location-wise than Rumble Boxing.
Are equinox classes good?
The classes are great. The gym prides itself on being a place for people who love fitness. It is a lifestyle for them and I feel like I naturally fit in there but my gym location is not the most diverse. It reminds me of NYU’s campus with mostly white and Asian members. There are a handful of black people so we all see each other. I think this has a lot to do with the high price point of the gym and racial inequality in Los Angeles. But we can move on.
Back to the classes, they are super fun and I have tried many of them. There are HIIT classes that will wear you out and squeeze every last drop of sweat you have and then there are daily yoga classes. I love the yoga classes because I don’t have to sign up and reserve a spot so if my schedule changes last minute, I can just jump into a yoga class.
The yin yoga class is bomb because I used to have knee issues from my numerous right ankle sprains and then I was having right hip issues from wearing a walking boot the last time I sprained the right ankle. The yin yoga classes utilize these yoga balls that work like foam rollers in that you leave it on tight knots and pressure points and it releases the tension in the fascia and gets rid of the pain. It has the same principles as the MELT Method which we discussed on the Raw Food Health Empowerment Show. On top of that, it is a slow restorative practice where you stay in a state of rest and allow your body to melt on to the ball and props so it is very relaxing for an anxious person like myself. Since I have been regularly doing this class, I have had no knee pain at all and minimal ankle stiffness.
Are equinox classes free?
You have to be a member but the number of classes you can take is unlimited.
Are equinox memberships month to month?
No, you get put in a 12 month contract ☹ and then it goes month to month unless you cancel.
Are equinox trainers good?
Yes, and they are very knowledgeable. Mine was a guy named Moon at the downtown LA location and he was working in and studied kinesiology so he was able to answer a lot of my tough questions. He’s super smart. You actually get 2 complimentary sessions with a trainer when you sign up which is the most I’ve ever gotten from a gym. That first session was great where I got a print out of all my readings. We discussed my goals and how to get there.
Are equinox trainers worth it?
To work with a trainer beyond your complimentary sessions is $110 a session or more. It depends on the tier of the trainer, which is a ranking system created by Equinox. My trainer, Moon, is a tier 3 so he would cost $140 for a 60 minute session. He was awesome but that’s not in the budget for me to pay $210 a month on the gym and then another $140 for personalized sessions. He is worth it though. He was smart and answered all my questions. I had faith he could get me to my #BodyGoals.
Are equinox gyms worth it?
If you budget and it is important to you, I say it is. I found room in my budget for it like my clients find room in their budget for me. You get all the things I mentioned before plus showers, sauna, and razors and other products to help you get ready after showering. Everyone is really nice and the gym is super clean. It smells delightful because eucalyptus is everywhere.
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