So you might have been enjoying the culinary side of Chiang Mai a bit too much – spoiling yourself with too many plates of greasy pad thai and hyper-calorific sticky rice with mango. As you bend over to tie your shoe laces you find yourself panting with exertion; your tummy is beginning to resemble Doi Suthep!
Don’t worry about it…there are several places in the city where you can drop the excess weight and get reunited with your long lost six pack – or discover those muscles for the first time. There are quite a few well equipped gyms in town. Citylife Chiang Mai has visited four of them to help you find the ‘hamster wheel’ that suits you best.
The first stop on our ‘tour de workout’ was Powerhouse Gym
, 50 Nimmanhaemin Road. This fitness centre recently relocated to its current address, and they are still busy getting set up. It’s a spacious spot with two storeys, stylishly decorated and painted in bright white and pastel blue colours. A big plus is the lavish sitting lounge, where you can kick back and gaze at your fellow sweat-pursuers. Other great features: a snack bar offering protein shakes and other tasty, nutritious titbits, English speaking staff and superbly designed locker rooms. This gym is suited for the serious athlete as well as the guys and girls who just want to go for a quick run, enjoy the atmosphere and socialise. Additional info:
Prices: 400 baht for a single day workout. 2,500 baht for a month’s membership. 12,000 baht for an annual membership (at the moment you get two months extra when signing for a year).
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 6 a.m. – 9 p.m., Sat 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sun 1 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Free weights:
an adequate amount of bars and plates for you readers, who strive for a Vin Diesel- physique. Heaviest dumbbells = 75 lbs.
Machines:
loads of machines for working all body parts – several exercise bikes, treadmills and cross trainers for cardio.
Group exercise classes: aerobics, body combat, yoga, Latin burning and much more
Air-con: o
Sauna: o
Instructors: o
Our next destination on the odyssey of voluntary physical labour was Hillside Fitness Centre
in the Hillside Plaza & Condotel 4, 4th floor, Huay Kaew Road. This gym offers great value for your money. It is much less posh than Powerhouse Gym, but the facilities make it worth the visit. Some nice features are a ping-pong table and large pool. A small drawback is the showers with cold water only. This is the place to go, if you’re more focused on a solid full-body workout than on surroundings. Facts and figures:
Prices:
100 baht for a single-day workout 1,500 baht for a month’s membership. 10,000 baht for an annual membership. 50 baht for pool only.
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 9 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sat + Sun 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Free weights: plenty of bars and plates for the hardcore lifters. They have dumbbells up to 88 lbs.
Machines:
a massive selection of machines for strength, muscle mass and tone development – several exercise bikes, many treadmills and some cross trainers.
Group-exercise classes: aerobics, yoga and many other types are available.
Air-con: o
Sauna: o
Instructors: o
Kantary Hills Fitness Centre
, located in the very stylish hotel on Nimmanhemin Road, is a small gym, but it has a great vibe – very mellow. The décor is cool and somewhat unusual for a workout studio – a lot of dark wood and brownish colours. You should choose this gym if you are looking for a high service level and spend a lot of your exercise in the pool, which is amazing and has a ‘Miami Keys’ touch to it. The gym might be crowded at times, but their ‘Space Odyssey 2001’ – like steam baths and the option to recover in the outdoor Jacuzzi makes up for it.
Prices:
5,000 baht for a three month membership. 18,000 baht for an annual membership. You can’t join for a day/month only.
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 6 a.m. – 9 p.m., Sat 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sun 1 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Free weights:
a sufficient amount of bars and plates. Heaviest dumbbells = 75 lbs.
Machines:
a limited, but sufficient amount of machines for working all body parts _ some exercise bikes and treadmills for cardio.
Group-exercise classes: none available.
Air-con: o
Sauna: o
Instructors: o
If you are seeking a hip, exclusive gym – with an MTV-ambiance, pack your sports bag and go to California WOW Xperience
in Central Airport Plaza. This fashionable gym offers everything in fitness packed into a plastic fantastic design. If you can’t get fit here _ give up your aspirations of being ripped and accept your destiny as a couch potato. It is a large gym and compared to the other places mentioned in this review, and contains the most cardio machines. Appealing facilities; free international newspapers, a boxing ring for specialised cardio sessions, and body fat measuring _ if you dare! A drawback for some self-conscious readers might be the multiple posters of super-fit lads and lassies plastered all over the place.
Prices:
800 baht for a single-day workout. 999 baht for a month’s membership. 11,988 baht for an annual membership.
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. all week.
Free weights:
a large amount of bars and plates for those who wish to buff up. Dumbbells up to 100 lbs.
Machines:
an abundance of equipment for working all body parts _ several bikes, treadmills and cross trainers for cardio.
Group-exercise classes:
aerobics, different kinds of yoga, spinning and loads more.
Air-con: o
Sauna: –
Instructors: o
