Gyms in Seattle (SeaTac, Newcastle: home, neighborhoods, YMCA)

[movingcat23]

Hi everyone!

My husband and I are coming out to Seattle next week to scope out neighborhoods for a (fingers crossed!) move in the next couple of months. I've been researching the places that we would be interested in frequenting in our daily life, but I'm a little stuck on gyms. A good gym is very important to us. I realize that the definition of a "good gym" varies by individual. For us, that means:

- lots of free weights
- good classes (mostly interested in zumba and maybe some yoga)
- a swimming pool
- a clean, light space and not overcrowded
- no music playing on loud speakers

We pay $84 a month for both of us at a YMCA right now that is overcrowded and on the dingy side -- has a good zumba class but terrible yoga classes. For us, $40-60 per person a month is reasonable. However, one of our favorite gyms was a parks and recs gym in another city where we paid for the year upfront and it worked out to something insanely cheap like $15 a month. The building was LEED certified, had a huge lap pool plus a leisure pool with a slide and stuff for kids, and terrific classes.

That's the overall price range we're looking for.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Ruth4Truth]

The YMCA gym in Seattle is in the university district. It doesn't have a pool, and there's no air conditioning in the weight room, which gets challenging in the summers. Though I liked it; I enjoyed the friendly atmosphere there. To get a pool, you'll have to pay more, unless you get lucky, and find something through the Seattle Parks Dept. (They have a website.)

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

The YMCA gym in Seattle is in the university district. It doesn't have a pool, and there's no air conditioning in the weight room, which gets challenging in the summers. Though I liked it; I enjoyed the friendly atmosphere there. To get a pool, you'll have to pay more, unless you get lucky, and find something through the Seattle Parks Dept. (They have a website.)

There's also a YMCA in downtown Seattle, and in West Seattle. As well as SeaTac and Newcastle. The downtown Y has a pool, don't know about West Seattle, but the Newcastle and SeaTac Y's have lovely pools and hot tubs and great equipment.

[movingcat23]

Good to know! Thanks, Ruth4Truth and Ira500!

[RotseCherut]

I built my own home gym in my garage.. My backyard is the extension of my gym where I have a heavy tire for flipping and sledgehammer workouts, in addition to a gazillion other exercises. Try walking around in your backyard for 2 minutes holding an 80lb or 100lb dumbbell in each arm if you want a fitness experience you won't forget.

I utterly hate working out gyms and feel a serious workout is not the time for socializing and chit-chat. There are several reasons I just hate gyms. Some examples are the barbies in their tight spandex bending their butts in front of you while you are trying to complete a set. Or, there is the belligerent meatheads who like being in everyone's face and belittling every other person they can start a fight with. Then there is the Russian guys who spent the entire night talking with their friends and hogging the pull-up bars. They are not doing any exercise but just chatting in Russian and you ask them if they are done and they say no. You come back 30 minutes later and they are still not done with it as each Russian takes 30 minutes to do his set.

Oh, then there is the music. I just love hearing "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" when I am trying to pull off that last intense deadlift. Yeah, great inspiration.. So, of course, I am stuck where headphones and trying to filter out the music around me.

Anyway, if you are just going to find a gym for a place to socialize and get a basic workout, then places like LA Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness or, even better, a Gold's Gym are the places to go probably. YMCA, in my opinion, has always been the worst if you are serious about finding a good place to workout. Crossfit gyms tend to be for the more serious fitness people who still want a social atmosphere during their workouts. Crossfit is all group based and the workouts are done through their classes.


If you want a good yoga class, go to a yoga studio, Zumba class, go to a Zumba studio. If you want a weight room, then go to a Crossfit Gym or Gold's Gym where you have serious weight equipment and serious lifters. Trying to join a giant fitness club like the YMCA or any athletic club will result an institutionalized , overcrowded and sub-standard experience across the board.

[FrankSpencer]

I'm going to be working in South Lake Union so am hoping one of the gyms there is good. Weights, cardio and really good spin classes are what I'm looking for.