Looking for a gym in Montréal.

January 25, 2007 7:22 AM

Hi, this is my first question... here goes: I live in Montreal (but am not a native of the city), I'm looking for a gym that has 3 month or "pay-as-you-go" memberships (as I may be moving July 1st). I don't drive, so it pretty much needs to be near a métro station; on that note I work & live on the Orange line (work=Cremazie / home=Cote-Vertu). I'm kind of lazy, but I do enjoy going to a gym... i.e. if it's not too much out of my way, I'll go regularly. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
posted by Laura in Canada to Grab Bag (8 answers total)

There are YMCA's all over the city

http://www.ymcamontreal.qc.ca/

Go there for more information. I've been going to the YMCA for years and think that they offer fairly good service at a good price. I go the the downtown one (Peel metro), and the Westmount one (Vendome metro).
posted by Napierzaza at 8:08 AM on January 25, 2007

Response by poster: The Y.M.C.A. only has annual memberships though, & even at that it's pretty expensive (I know I didn't mention cost in my original question, but it works out to $560+ per year -before taxes- at the Y) & if I move somewhere that is not conveniently located to a Y, I can't cancel my membership.
posted by Laura in Canada at 8:34 AM on January 25, 2007

I went to this gym (french link) for years. It located in an engineering school near the Bonaventure métro station. Very clean, nice equipment and cheap : 94$ for 4 months.
posted by racingjs at 8:36 AM on January 25, 2007

This one is on your way, near a metro station, and membership is reasonable. They also give out freebies when you join (training or something). I used to be a member when I lived nearby. Lots of machines, clean, and not crowded.
posted by Blue Buddha at 9:20 AM on January 25, 2007

I think the YMCA may be a cheaper and more flexible option than you suggest. My wife went to the Y in Mile End until we left Montreal in September 2006; she paid for a year but when she left they refunded her for the unused months. According to their membership brochures (available here), the membership fees are "based on an annual contract and may be paid monthly" -- it would probably be worth asking them about precisely what they do if you leave before a year is up. The Y in Saint Laurent (here) may well be very close to you. Also, it's quite a bit cheaper than you quote; it's 35 dollars a month for the basic adult membership.
posted by louigi at 9:55 AM on January 25, 2007

Archie Gym is right near Cote Vertu metro.

Two popular gym chains in Montreal are Energie Cardio and Nautilus Plus, both offer 3 month memberships, with Nautilus being a bit more expensive.
posted by Null Pointer and the Exceptions at 9:55 AM on January 25, 2007

Back in my time as a student in Montreal, I believe that the McGill University sports centre offered monthly or seasonal memberships to the paying public, with discounts if you were an alumni.

Click on "memberships" on this site for pricing info:
posted by modernnomad at 10:01 AM on January 25, 2007

The CEPSUM at U of M is fantastic.
I think it has everything you'd want, but I only ever used it for climbing (back in the day when it had the only climbing wall in the city) and occasionally swimming/hot tubbing. It's right on a Metro stop - U de M or Edouard Montpetit I think - and has (had?) a very reasonable membership fee.
posted by Flashman at 10:12 AM on January 25, 2007