Hi Asheville

Like to get some feedback on the health clubs and gyms in the area you belong to.

I belonged to the now defunk Peak Gym (used to be The Spa Health Club) in WestGate Mall
since the early ‘90s.

Interested in who are:
-cleanest
-up to date equipment
-have swimming pool/saunas?
-classes (yoga, spinning, exercise)
-best gym for singles
-best gym for families
-most helpful, friendliest
-times they are open

What do you like/dislike about the gyms in the area.
Looking forward to your input.
Brian V

I’m interested in this too.  And for those who go to one, include price! :)

I hear that the Lord’s Gym was bought by Asheville Racquet and Fitness.  What?  No more HMCJBP? (How Much Could Jesus Bench Press)?

my scope is admittedly narrow, but here’s what i know:

i belonged to both the YMCA and YWCA for extended periods of time over the last 20 years and now go to one to which i get free access where i work, so my observations may not be most current ... i didn’t try the private ones because my primary interest was lap swimming and they didn’t have adequate facilities ...

i found the YM to be the more expensive, more crowded and more frustrating to deal with “problems” that might arise. as i am mostly a swimmer and walker, i can’t judge the weight machines, but was attracted to the YM’s TWO pools ... one cooler, one warmer. one drawback to using the warmer pool was that it was used for family swims in the evenings and was not carefully cleaned afterwards. on more than one occasion, i was greeted with floating feces in my wee-hours-in-the-AM swim (i typically was there when they opened, on a daily basis). they DID provide towels, which was a major bonus as i didn’t like hauling wet towels back and forth on a daily basis. the sauna and hot tub were nice, but usually in use and i didn’t have time in my routine to enjoy them, so maybe that’s a moot point.

the YW (where i last belonged until transferring out 3 yrs ago) was much cleaner, more modern (it had been recently updated when i first joined) and has a more supportable mission for my taste. the cost was less, the pool was smaller but i ALWAYS got a lane and i used the treadmill/ellipticals and never had to wait for one, which was important because i like to work out in the mornings before work and my schedule was pared down to the minute. at that time, no sauna or hot tub, but i didn’t miss them.

hope this helps ... you might want to check out any college or university close by to see if they allow community memberships. i now attend a university gym and it far exceeds any private or Y gym i’ve ever seen, complete with climbing wall, indoor track, extensive equipment, classes, etc.

also, check with your employers and/or health insurance companies, as you may get subsidies for joining any of your choice, or a particular one with which they have parternship as an employee benefit.

Some time in the 80s, there was a chain called “Living Well Fitness Center” that had gyms in Asheville and Hendersonville, complete with pool, sauna, whirlpool, aerobics, machines and free weights. One was close by where I lived and so I paid a tidy sum for a “lifetime” membership. Little did I realize that the lifetime they were referring to was not mine, apparently, but THIERS. They closed down and sold all the locations around here and I was out of luck and my money.

Since then, I only buy my own equipment and will never pay for a gym membership again. I can just as easily ignore my own equipment as I can theirs.

the ywca is great - affordable, clean and relatively not crowded.

i’ve heard that Asheville Raquet Club is good, but i haven’t been then. they’re running specials right now for people taking part in the Lighten Up for Life weight loss competition that Mission Hospitals is sponsoring.

anybody know what will move into that Westgate health club space? i heard several people talk about how nasty it had gotten before it closed.

I looked around alot when I first moved to town for a decent gym.

Most of the ones I visited were disgusting.  I mean, I know it’s a gym, but it doesn’t have to smell like a dirty jock strap/sweat sock depository.

The cleanest and the most well equipped gym I could find was The Body Shop on H-ville Rd.

Plenty of free weight stations and two squat racks....which in my opinion is all you need.

But they also have plenty of Nautilus type machines and treadmills/stationary bikes/elliptical runners etc. if you go that route.

They are open 24 hours and have four locations.  Friendly staff and plenty of regulars.

I belong to and frequent the YW on S. French Broad. I initially joined because I was sick of paying a fortune for yoga crammed into a tiny little room. Some of the yoga classes, not so great. There is one every Mon. Wed. Fri. eve. that is awesome.  I would like to swim, but I find the locker rooms are quite cold and that just makes it miserable. The pool itself is very warm.
I wish like nothing else they had a sauna/jacuzzi! Peak Fitness had the best!

The staff are very friendly, but sometimes it seems there aren’t enough of them.
There is little to no wait on the nautilus machines.
The gym is somewhat cold.
Parking sucks.
The cost is fantastic- and they offer all kinds of discounts to bring it down even lower.

I highly recommend it though :0) Great, non-intimidating atmosphere.

A low-cost alternative is the Stephen Lee Recreational Center near Martin Luther King Rd. They revamped the workout room recently and it has decent equipment. It has a few classes that are free and a few that are low cost. It doesn’t have a pool. It’s very multi-cultural and lots of kids hang out there. The best thing is that it’s only $80 a year to be a member. There was a shooting there several months ago - the first event of that kind ever - which is too bad because I actually feel really safe there. I think it’s a great center and the staff are wonderful!