Top-class fitness at Fitness First
By ALFRED THA HLA
Oil prices may be wandering off to unchartered territories but that shouldn't stop you from burning energy.
Fitness First Platinum is housed on the third floor of Q-House Lumphini Tower, located at the corner of Rama IV and Sathon road.
In car speak, this club is on par to a range topper or flagship model with all the options and accessories to spoil its members. To date Fitness First operates only two Platinum centres: Q-House Lumphini and Sukhumvit 39.
At 2,500 baht per month, which adds up to 30,000 baht a year, members get access to about 200 apparatus: Weight resistance, free weights and cardio machines. Recently installed are four Kinesis apparatus, which is like a built-in training cum therapy system with a personal trainer to instruct you on about 300 techniques. Personal trainer fees are 1,000 baht per hour.
There are two studios for Group X classes such as aerobics, yoga, body balance (combination of pilates, yoga and Tai Chi) and the popular body combat classes.
Also included is a cycling room with about 40 stationary bicycles housed in dark theme walls with disco lighting for effect.
In addition to free coffee, tea, soft drinks, magazines and newspapers plus VCD movies; there's a Squeeze outlet with the best lineup of fruit and yoghurt-based frostees, fruit juice and shake drinks in town.
It boils down to the operation of a viable business model that allows any health club to provide certain services to its members.
Platinum provides a T-shirt and shorts for members, plus small lockers for 300 baht per month to store your shoes; translating into the ability to work out anytime without carrying a cumbersome sports bag.
The steam room here is what a steam room should be like, hot! Five minutes is all I needed, unlike the 20 to 30 minutes required at other popular gyms.
The most important aspect is the human traffic here. I tried peak hours at 6pm, a regular afternoon and on a Sunday; and the atmosphere is great for a commercial health club which doesn't make you feel like squeezing through Soi Lai Lai Sap on Silom Soi, 5 as you literally fight for an apparatus to work up a sweat.
There are about 230 wooden lockers for the men's changing room and 250 for women. Spacious and purposeful.
The Platinum reviewed today is like the range-topping Honda Jazz 1.5-litre SV model (705,000 baht) compared to a base-line Toyota Yaris 1.5-litre J version (529,000 baht) of the California Wow Sukhumvit 23 with the basic necessities.
Bear in mind that both deliver just about the same results but with a very different ownership experience when one considers the "accessories" provided.
You will pay 30,000 baht every year to this Platinum centre to enjoy the atmosphere provided by an ideal number of members and other catered services - when compared to the 30,000 baht one-time fee (which currently has been reduced to about 15,000 baht) followed by a 100 baht annual fee.
Fitness First Platinum, Q-House Lumphini Tower, Life Centre. Open Monday to Friday from 6am to 10pm, and on weekends from 8am to 9pm. Call 02-677-7133 or fax 02-677-7144. Email ca-qhl@fitness.co.th or visit http://www.fitnessfirst.co.th/
Prev
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Next
