Planet Fitness is a gym company famous for its affordable monthly membership fee and their philosophy of making everyone feel welcome. Its mantra of “Judgment Free Fitness” makes it an appealing option for both new and regular gym-goers. Is the company’s gyms equipped with facilities like saunas or steam rooms?
Planet Fitness doesn’t have a sauna or steam room in most of their gyms because of their focus on maintaining low membership prices. The Planet Fitness Black Card tier membership level ($22.99 per month) provides access to tanning and a hydro-massage machine.
The rest of this article will take a look at what you need to know about Planet Fitness, their facilities, and more. There’s also a segment on the gyms to look at if you want to facilities like saunas and steam rooms.
What Is Planet Fitness?
Planet Fitness is a fitness franchisor brand in the US, with over 2,000 clubs across the country. The brand offers gym memberships for as low as $10 per month, and it focuses on providing gyms and fitness centers that are welcoming to all kinds of users.
There are three membership tiers to choose from when signing up for Planet Fitness. The cheapest and most regularly marketed option is the $10 per month tier, but it comes with a 12-month contract. The second option is $15 per month tier, which requires no contract.
The costliest option is the PF Black Card tier, which costs $22.99 per month, but also requires getting tied to a 12-month contract. However, it provides the flexibility of using all Planet Fitness gyms anywhere in the country, among other benefits, such as free use of massage chairs and tanning beds. You can also bring someone along to the gym every time.
Why There Is No Sauna or Steam Room in Planet Fitness Gyms?
Looking at the planet fitness brand, you can see that there’s an emphasis on keeping fitness affordable for everyone. This means that they pay attention to providing only the very basic necessities.
Saunas and steam rooms are costly to install, especially on a commercial scale. Since unisex saunas and steam rooms are not allowed in the US, the company has to shoulder at least twice the cost of the installation.
The expenses don’t end after the installation. Steam rooms and saunas generally attract a lot of dirt and debris, so they have to be cleaned every 30 minutes. Most Planet Fitness gyms typically have one maintenance person per shift, and thus can’t afford such level of regular maintenance.
If Planet Fitness adds saunas and steam rooms in their offerings, the cost of their memberships will most likely change.
What Are the Facilities That Can Be Found in a Planet Fitness Gym?
The facilities in a Planet Fitness gym cover just the basics.
You’ll find cardio and strength training equipment, including treadmills, bikes, etc. There are also lots of weights to choose from. The locker rooms have a few shower stalls and hair dryers, and that’s just about all you’ll find.
Apart from the lack of saunas and steam rooms, planet fitness gyms also don’t have swimming pools or Jacuzzis. You also won’t find any Pilates or yoga studios, and there are no workout classes. You have to work out on your own.
Why Choose Planet Fitness Then?
As we’ve seen above, the affordability and the massive coverage of the franchise makes them very popular, but that’s not all.
Planet Fitness has positioned itself as an approachable brand that has bright, clean, and well-maintained facilities all over the country. They want to make it easy to start a membership near your home and use it whenever and wherever you want. Essentially, they want to be the everyman’s gym.
They Are Open Round the Clock
If you love to work out super early in the morning or very late at night after work, you can count on Planet Fitness gyms to always be open. You don’t have to plan your workout routine to fit into their schedule.
Being able to visit the gym during off-peak hours means you can be a lot more flexible with your routines because you are unlikely to run into lines at the machines.
Those that are a little more body-conscious will also love the fact that there are fewer people to see you when you work out at odd hours.
They Are Big on Cleanliness
Most Planet Fitness users agreed that most of the gyms are generally clean. Machines are wiped down regularly, and the shower curtains in the changing rooms are swapped out often. You don’t have to worry about mildew smell or having to use dirty machines.
If you are used to a local gym with lower standards then this could come as a surprise to you!
You Won’t Have to Wait
Most planet gyms are fully stocked with multiple treadmills, bikes, weights, and more. You don’t have to wait for someone to finish a rep or a session before you can get started with your routine. With treadmills, for instance, it’s not uncommon to find two dozen of them in one gym.
You can, therefore, take your time to run or walk for as long as you want. You won’t have to deal with restrictions put in place to ensure machines don’t stay occupied for long.
What Are Alternative Gyms With Saunas and Steam Rooms?
If you want to sign up at a gym that offers facilities such as saunas and steam rooms, you have to first and foremost be ready to pay a higher monthly membership. In some cases, the membership fee can cost up to $150 per month. If you have no problem with the higher fees, some of the gyms you should consider are covered below:
Life Time
Life Time gym locations are known for exquisite looking pools and water slides, but you can also find a steam room, sauna, and a hot tub. However, the family-friendly approach might mean a lot of traffic during peak hours and weekends. The membership fees are more than $100 per month.
Equinox Fitness
This is another one of the high-end gym options you’ll find today, so it’s no surprise that they offer everything, including saunas and steam rooms. You’ll also find some of the best looking swimming pools across their clubs. However, there are only 100 of them across the country, making them a bit hard to find.
LA Fitness
LA Fitness is a mid-range option to consider if you’d like to go a bit higher than Planet Fitness but not quite as big as the costliest gym options on this list. However, the lower membership fee—which can still be as high as $50 per month—means that you won’t get saunas and steam rooms across all their gym spots.
You’ll have to check with the LA Fitness website to find a location near you and then check the listed facilities. Still, you are more likely to get your sauna or steam room experience with them compared to Planet Fitness.
YMCA
If you’re looking for a fitness chain that maintains uniformity with their gyms, you should ignore the YMCA. While some of their locations are just bare bone centers similar to Planet Fitness, others come fitted with everything from steam rooms and saunas to swimming pools and basketball courts. So, it’s another option where you have to check the location to see what they offer first before signing up.
24 Hour Fitness
This is another mid-range gym option that provides saunas and steam rooms across their various locations. Their facilities are typically clean and functional, but like others above, your experience might vary from one location to another.
I’ve also put together a complete list of gyms that do have a sauna, steam room, or infrared sauna!
Conclusion
Planet Fitness excels at providing comfortable and affordable fitness centers across the country. Their business ethos is such that they simply can’t afford the cost of having steam rooms and saunas. If you’re looking for such facilities, you have to consider other options.
However, keep in mind that most of the alternatives will charge higher monthly fees and will most likely not have the same wide geographic coverage provided by Planet Fitness.
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