Business | Your Money
Health clubs offering packages to suit your pocket
Budget-friendly options and promotions in store as summer heats up
- By Cleofe Maceda, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 June 12, 2010
For those who prefer to exercise in commercial fitness centres in Dubai, there are still ways to save on hefty fees.
Gym memberships usually thin out during summer, so health clubs are now dangling budget-friendly packages and rewards for fitness buffs. Some gyms are giving away one month free for a three-month membership, while others offer 10 to 15 per cent discount.
Depending on the location, facilities and gym equipment, fees for a month's use range between Dh500 and Dh1,200.
Gyms in hotel chains are usually more expensive than small-time, independent-run facilities.
However, exclusive clubs with a wider list of leisure and fitness amenities are a pricey bunch, where annual rates can go up as high as Dh6,000 to Dh12,000.
Gym rates can vary depending on the gender of the members and the number of people joining. Females, as well as those enrolling as a couple or group, are more likely to cut better deals.
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Paying 12 months upfront can also cut monthly fees by more than half, while those who choose off-peak packages, which limit gym use to quieter periods of the day, can save loads as well.
"If you haggle for a lower price, you may get a better price. For example, you can get a 15 per cent discount if you enroll with three of your friends or get a 10 per cent discount if you pay three months upfront," says one marketing staff of a popular fitness facility in Dubai.
At the Dimension and Fitness Club of the Metropolitan Club Hotel on Shaikh Zayed Road, those who enroll until the end of July can get about 10 per cent discount on fees, according to Saji T.S., health club manager. They also have corporate packages offering special prices to a group of 10 to 40 people.
Under its summer promotion, the facility charges Dh400 per month for single females and Dh500 monthly for single men. A family with three kids will need Dh1,200 per month, while children ages two to 16 are charged Dh200 monthly.
Save on fees
But to really save on fees, going for the annual package is the best option. Dimension's annual fee for females is Dh2,500, which comes out about Dh208 a month, almost 50 per cent cheaper than the monthly rate.
Couples getting a one-year membership can also score bigger savings, with the package costing only Dh4,000, or a little over Dh160 per month, per person.
At the Lifestyle Health Club of City Centre Hotel and Residence, those who pay a three-month membership are entitled to get one month free. The offer is valid from June 1 to August 31, 2010.
According to Diana Arnaudova, the facility's sports and leisure executive, members will get 25 per cent discount on massage service and 20 per cent discount on hotel's food and beverage outlets, as well as complimentary fitness assessment, personalised fitness programme and group exercise classes.
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