{"id":775265,"date":"2026-05-05T16:25:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/775265\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T16:25:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:25:16","slug":"i-quit-my-luxury-gym-to-join-less-expensive-one-prefer-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/775265\/","title":{"rendered":"I Quit My Luxury Gym to Join Less Expensive One; Prefer It"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since moving to New York City<\/a>, I dreamed of getting to work out at a high-end club with eucalyptus-scented towels, premium toiletries, and top-rated classes.<\/p>\n

\n Loading audio narration…\n <\/p>\n

When I signed up for a $250 monthly membership at a luxury gym eight years ago, I felt like I’d made it. But when I lost my full-time job at the end of last year, I had to reprioritize my finances. <\/p>\n

As much as I loved my fancy club and its amenities (jacuzzi and smoothie bar included), I could no longer justify such a steep monthly expense on fitness.<\/p>\n

So, I found a more affordable option that was only a couple of blocks from my apartment, took advantage of a new-member deal at the beginning of 2026, and signed up to pay $93 a month.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, going to a new gym was an adjustment<\/p>\n

\"Christina<\/p>\n

From the time I moved to New York in 2011, I dreamt of joining a luxury fitness club.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Christina Stiehl<\/p>\n

Going in, I knew the new gym would be more pared back than what I was used to.<\/p>\n

For starters, the lockers don’t have built-in locks, so I had to buy one and remember to bring it with me. And because my new gym’s showers are much smaller, stocked with toiletries that aren’t much better than the ones I have at home, I rarely wash up there.<\/p>\n

The space itself is also very different. The loud colors and fluorescent lights are a far cry from my old gym’s muted neutrals and natural light<\/a>. It doesn’t help that my new gym is in a basement, whereas my old one is above ground in a historic building drenched in sunlight.<\/p>\n

I immediately noticed that my new gym’s equipment shows some wear, and I couldn’t find certain machines, like a T-bar row, that I frequently used at the luxury club. There are also rogue weight plates and dumbbells scattered around the floor, which I rarely, if ever, saw in my old gym’s meticulously organized weight room.<\/p>\n

That said, my new gym has everything I need for my four weekly strength workouts<\/a>, including four Olympic platforms with squat racks and a couple of additional platforms with barbells.<\/p>\n

It even has some equipment I couldn’t find at my former gym, like a hack-squat machine, more leg-press variations, and a few more barbell setups to make rows and military presses easier.<\/p>\n

I’ve come to prefer certain aspects of the less expensive club<\/p>\n

\"Christina<\/p>\n

My fitness plan includes four days of lifting weights and a few cardio sessions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Christina Stiehl<\/p>\n

The new space is generally less crowded, too. My old gym was large, but it often got so packed that I didn’t have consistent access to the equipment I needed, even during off-peak hours.<\/p>\n

I’d often have to wait in line or abandon my workout plan<\/a> because the machines were in use. I’m glad I rarely have to do that now.<\/p>\n

My new gym also has perks that make it hard to believe I’m saving $160 a month.<\/p>\n

Although the sauna is smaller than the one at my old gym, I love that it’s in the women’s locker room rather than in a coed space. I never took classes at my old gym, but I immediately felt welcome when I decided to test out the heated fitness studio in my new one.<\/p>\n

I now take yoga and Pilates classes<\/a> taught by approachable, accommodating instructors. As much as I love lifting heavy, it’s been an exciting challenge to incorporate these new movements into my routine to build core strength, improve flexibility, and gain stability.<\/p>\n

Another bonus? I don’t feel guilty about taking a rest day or two, since I pay an average of $3 a day for my current gym, compared to more than $8 a day for my old one.<\/p>\n

I’m not sure if I’ll return to a luxury fitness club down the road, but for now, I’m satisfied with the switch. Although I miss my old gym’s amenities, beautiful interiors, and natural light, my fitness routine hasn’t suffered \u2014 and that’s what really matters.<\/p>\n

With some distance, I can see that I viewed my membership at my old gym as part of my identity. It felt like a status symbol<\/a>, placing me in an elite group of New Yorkers who prioritized fitness and looked chic doing it.<\/p>\n

However, exclusivity isn’t one of my core priorities. Now, I care more about having access to the equipment I need for a good strength-training session.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Since moving to New York City, I dreamed of getting to work out at a high-end club with…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":775266,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[135815,317703,317705,10756,25250,1198,5843,210,167348,9105,41896,139661,317700,317704,317702,317701,67,132,68,1628],"class_list":{"0":"post-775265","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-amenity","9":"tag-certain-machine","10":"tag-consistent-access","11":"tag-couple","12":"tag-equipment","13":"tag-fitness","14":"tag-fitness-routine","15":"tag-health","16":"tag-luxury-gym","17":"tag-month","18":"tag-natural-light","19":"tag-new-gym","20":"tag-old-gym","21":"tag-premium-toiletry","22":"tag-rest-day","23":"tag-t-bar-row","24":"tag-united-states","25":"tag-unitedstates","26":"tag-us","27":"tag-year"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116522905183818038","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=775265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775265\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/775266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=775265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=775265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=775265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}