Yay! After a few days of canvassing and checking out gyms around Taipei, I’ve finally settled on a gym!
No, it’s not California Fitness which for me, feels more like a boxing gym and is infamous for its multitude of gays (not that it bothers me, but it does bother my guy friends).
The manager gave me a so-so price of NT$30,000 for 2 years, or NT$699 entrance/processing fee + NT$1,699/monthly fee if I pay periodically. As a bonus, it comes with two appointments with a personal trainer.
Ha! I have friends who were able to get a membership NT$20,000 for 2 years, all-in, which amounts to a mere NT$833/month.
However, in this case, it’s not really the price. Simply said, it’s not my type of gym — too dim, too crowded and too many hardcore machines. 🙁
If I want to exercise, I want to do it in leisure and in comfort. I don’t want to balk on going to the gym to exercise just because I dislike the facilities. Of course, you’d rather chose a gym you’d look forward to going, and California Fitness is not it.
Gymlux which opened recently just right at the Yongchun MRT was another option.
It was nice, the facilities were extremely new, there’s a small pool, and my friend who works there gave me her “friendly” discount price at NT$35,800 for 2 years, all-in. Okay, it’s not as cheap, but given it’s super new facilities and good service, it should be worth the premium (it’s also one MRT stop away from my new place).
Nevertheless, I finally settled on my third option — Alexander.
I was going to sign up last night for Gymlux when Eve MSNd me in the afternoon suggesting her gym (Wow, it’s really worth it to advertise via MSN!), which she totally loves. “Eric, Berta, and I go there and I personally love it!!! I go there 3, 4 or 5 times a week!”
Hahaha, no wonder Eve’s buffed (Happy birthday to you girl btw!)… she works out!
So she got me in touch with her marketing agent, and I went there last night before going to Gymlux, and after checking the place out, I was sold! 😀
The facilities were and clean decent, some of their machines have their own TV (you can plug on headphones to watch your favorite cable shows), I didn’t care much about the swimming pool in Neo 19, but I did appreciate the wide-ranging choice of classes available!
In addition, I can use any of the 19 branches of Alexander all around the country. The gym’s also conveniently located — one at Neo 19 and the other in New York, New York — just 5 minutes walk away from my new job, and 10-minutes away from my new apartment.
*thumbs up*
And the price?
Well, it wasn’t cheap, but it was reasonable at NT$45,000 for 3 years + 3 months thrown in just to sweeten the deal, equating to less than NT$1,200 a month, with a few perks available.
The marketing agent was very friendly as well, and made me feel comfortable. A fellow Libran, she didn’t pressure me at all in buying her package. Instead her approach was, “See what Alexander can offer, and if you’re interested, let me give you the best price I can.“
After finding out I was still single (with of course, the surprised look and usual exclamations thrown in), she even tried to set me up with her long-time client!!! She immediately called him and asked him to come over to meet me!
Oh my, the horror! And I wasn’t looking my best last night too!
Hahaha, I guess that’s what’s good/bad about being single — people are constantly being very helpful and hooking you up with friends/relatives/acquaintances/clients…! 😛
Anyway, I think I’ve gotten a pretty good deal, or at least, satisfied with it.
Sure, I may not stay here for 3 years, but she assured me I can always sell my gym membership if I had to go back. Considering that I have a pretty sweet deal, I doubt if I’d have any trouble selling out.
So overall, am pretty happy on how my productive my day was. Heck, I may be a few thousands poorer (Boo! Hoo!), but I do place a lot of emphasis in maintaining my health so I think it’s a worthwhile investment. In addition, it may save me a lot of $$$ because instead of going out and spending on beer and junk food, I’d focus on my health and body more, and feel more confident while I’m at it!
Besides, am looking forward to all those classes! Yay, pilates!!! 😉
I’ll update in the afternoon, I have some interesting things about Taiwan to share… but gotta finish this document first!
Talk to you guys later!
