I need to find a short-term gym in LA!

December 17, 2009 10:47 AM

How to find a short-term (holiday) gym membership in LA?

I'm in the midst of a major self-transformation campaign that involves lots of trips to the gym. Normally, I'm attached to a university with a lovely gym that I don't have to pay for, so I'm not a member of anything. But over the holiday, I'm visiting family in LA, where there is no such thing.

Last year, I recall calling 24-hour fitness and asking if they had holiday memberships available, and them telling me that it would cost me hundreds of dollars to use their facilities for a couple weeks. That obviously won't do.

Does anyone know any gyms in the LA area (preferably toward the south bay, i.e., San Pedro, Long Beach, Palos Verdes, etc.) that offers short-term memberships for this kind of situation? Thanks!

posted by paultopia to Health & Fitness (8 answers total)

How long are you staying? All of the gyms I've been involved in would give you a day pass (my current will give you a week) to "try out" the place. Neither of these are in LA though so that won't help.
posted by Big_B at 11:13 AM on December 17, 2009

Free 7-day pass from 24 Hour Fitness. Anything longer there will, unfortunately, cost you.
posted by mykescipark at 11:31 AM on December 17, 2009

You can also get a 7-day guest pass from the San Pedro YMCA.
posted by scody at 11:36 AM on December 17, 2009

I think you could cobble together a few different gyms with free day passes.

if that's too skeevy for you, could get a student YMCA membership (you say "attached" not a student, so I don't know if this applies)

Do any of the family you are visiting attend a gym? they might have free/cheap guest passes as part of their membership.
posted by jrishel at 11:41 AM on December 17, 2009

When I was in LA for 3 months I got a month to month membership with LA Fitness. I'm pretty sure they have a trial membership as well.

I remember checking with Golds Gym and Bally's and their short term options were horrible.
posted by hazyspring at 11:50 AM on December 17, 2009

THere are LA Fitness gyms all over. You can get 48 hours on a free pass, and then it's $20/day or $40-ish for a week. Don't quote me exactly on those prices, but it's close. My sister was just visiting for two weeks and we bought her a two week membership. They actually wanted to see her ID -- I guess they don't want to do it for locals.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:21 PM on December 17, 2009

Oh, and recently when I was vacationing elsewhere, I bought a 1-week pass at a Gold's Gym. So check those, too.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:21 PM on December 17, 2009

Okay, I really need to get all my thoughts together and post once, not three times...but I just re-read your question and I think maybe the issue when you called 24-Hour Fitness is that perhaps you didn't make clear that you're an out-of-towner. They have no interest in selling any kind of short-term membership if you're local, and probably their knee-jerk response is to just SELL SELL SELL! But once you make clear that you're just visiting, it might change things.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:23 PM on December 17, 2009