11k+ Nationwide Gyms & Showers

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Greetings!

I just learned of a new (to me) service that gives access to gyms & showers across the USA, from many different chains, and privately owned ones as well. It says they give you access 11k+ gyms across the USA for only $25.00/month, with no long term contracts.

It’s a program by AAA called “Active & Fit”.

https://www.activeandfitdirect.com/search

I’m not into gyms, and I prefer to have my own toilet & shower, but I think this could be a better alternative to a single chains membership for some nomads.

Another possibly worthwhile link is:

Cheers!

“Everything should be made as simple as possible." ~ Einstein


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I’m a new user so am not allowed to provide links. Use a search engine.

If you can get onto a Medicare supplementary or advantage health insurance plan, you may also want to look at

SilverSneakers

Silver&Fit

Active&Fit (as you mentioned; it is also available to non-medicare people for $25, or through other orgs; you can’t joint without one of those. You can only belong to one gym at a time through it, but can switch.)

It’s sometimes cheaper to get an insurance plan, or an organization, than to join a gym that the plan or org gives you free or cheap access to.

I maintain a list of “Gyms under $20/month” chains on another site, which I reproduce here. This list may be out of date and incomplete.

Crunch Fitness Starting at $9.95/month

Fit4Less $4.99/2 weeks; Only in Canada

Fitness Revolution; in Maryland, Virginia, DC; Starting at $20/month

Planet Fitness starting at $10/month+$39/year; many, many locations, but limitations on using other locations (e.g. $20/month plan allows 10 such visits/month)

RetroFitness Starting at $19.99/month

Snap Fitness Starting at $4.99/2 weeks

XSportFitness Starting at $9.95/month

YMCA. (Like you said above.) Not cheap - but discounted memberships available at some clubs for low income people, or with some health insurance plans or in other orgs as mentioned above; many have pools.

YouFit Starting at $10/month

Other cheap gyms: Try community centers (see above), community pools, other local fitness clubs

Many of these have showers.

This website has a section labelled “Project Vanlife: Showering on the road”

Did I leave any major chains out?

Hope that helps.

BTW, I don’t live on the road, but I like outdoor activities.

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The only one I have tried is Planet fitness. It is open all the time! But the limitation on out-of-area visits is unfortunate.

BTW I left out the expensive chains, like Gold’s Gym, LA Fitness, etc. Try “Fitness chains” and “gym chains” at a search engine.

I forgot YWCA, because I’m not eligible.

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It turns out there are a few more insurance company supported gym programs. I’m trying to expand my list. So far I’ve also got:

(Tivity) Whole Health
(Tivity) Prime
AARP programs
(United Healthcare) Renew Active

There also other programs that you join to attend multiple gyms:
ClassPass
One Pass
Peer Fit

I don’t know much about any of these. Do your own research. You will have to figure out whether they have enough gyms, and whether you are tied to one gym, or can attend many as you move.

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Unfortunately, it seems that more of them are closing, not because of COVID but in general. I guess because of long-standing, poor economy and social changes.

This is the #1 nomad recommended as I see it. Seems to be the cheapest, the most locations and open 24/7.

Welcome, Mitch!

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A better solution to showering while on the road is the rinsekit! My partner and i got one and its been such a game changer. We live in our van and having the convenience to shower anywhere has changed everything. 10/10 recommend!

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The principle problem with Planet Fitness is that you can only visit away from your home club 10 times / month - even if you sign up for the most expensive (“Black Card” $20/month + $39/year) plan - which you need to visit more than one club.

Planet Fitness’s national website says you can allows you to switch home clubs online, but “You have to have been a member at one location for at least ninety days, you must have a monthly (not annual) membership”, a pretty big limitation for true “nomads”.

Perhaps you could trick them into letting you have multiple memberships, with different home clubs, if you give different home addresses, and have multiple checking accounts (they require you to provide one), in order to the 10 visit/month limit. But if you do that, you might be in the same price range as the more expensive clubs.

BTW, some of the other gym chains I listed are cheaper (as little as $5/month), but don’t have nearly as many locations.

Some of the more expensive gyms (which I didn’t list, because they have enough money to be favorably listed by the major search engines, so I won’t bother) allow an unlimited # of non-home-club visits.

In most other respects, Planet Fitness is great. The affiliates I tried (just 3) were kept very clean, and their gym equipment was well maintained. I would have stayed with Planet Fitness, because of the price - but I wanted a club with a swimming pool and hot tub. Some of the more expensive chains have them, at some locations.

You officially aren’t allowed to bring your own equipment. I’m a bit small, and find it easier to use some of their machines with a seat or back cushion. The individual clubs I tried let me get away with that, but it’s against official policy. I would also prefer to bring my own exercise pad, for stretching, for safety, especially in post-Covid times.

Some Planet Fitness clubs have poor privacy (no curtains) in the shower stalls. They can get very busy in the evening and on weekends. Mornings and late at night not so much.

They have free classes (unless that has changed post-Covid), but they are all strength training classes. They should have stretch (e.g., Yoga) & aerobics classes too. But at that price, it is hard to beat.

They have an on-site trainer (unless that has changed too) that you can sign up for a small group session with - and if you sign up during the least busy hours, you might be the only customer. The trainer can show you the basics of using the equipment, including aerobics and stretch equipment. But the trainers often aren’t as qualified as at the more expensive clubs, and they often don’t know much other than strength training.

As with any facility, you should be careful when and where you park.

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I wish there I could find a form fitting sturdy bag that one could soak in as a minimal water usage bathtub, that you can stand up in. Even at home, if you only have a shower, and no tub, that would be very nice. Ideally you should be able to tie ropes or straps around it, or it should be surrounded by something stretchy, so you maybe only need a gallon or less of warm water.

Anyone know of such a thing?

I did find a bunch of folding and inflatable tubs that you can kneel in online - but they take more water that what I imagine, and various reviews say they often leak, and spill water all over the place.

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Welcome, @tacomabro52:

How do you use it and where did you get it?

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Greetings & Welcome!

While mine’s a homebrew, I definitely agree that nothing beats having your own toilet & shower.

Cheers!

“Everything should be made as simple as possible." ~ Einstein


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At some locations and/or some weather conditions, having your own shower isn’t all that practical.

In any event, I found an online review of Active&Fit Direct by a dis-satisfied customer. Have any of you used it, and what were the results?

BTW, If joining a program to use fitness center showers, it is important to check with the fitness center itself that they still accept that program’s passes, and not just believe what the program says online, and to check that they don’t charge an extra fee.

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Update: While I’m still not a vanlifer, I thought I would mention recent experience.

I’ve switched from UnitedHealthCare to CareFirst BlueCrossBlueSheild Medicare Advantage plans (mostly available to U.S. residents over age 65), because they were cheaper, and covered my medications at lower cost. (One of the biggest advantages of Medicare Advantage plans is that you can switch during certain periods every year, according to your needs and plan costs, without penalty, and without issues pertaining to pre-existing conditions). That means switching from the Renew Active gym network to the Silver Sneakers gym network.

According to their websites Renew Active has slightly more fitness locations. But in my area Silver Sneakers has more. But the big pluses are

  1. With Silver Sneakers I can go to any gym that takes it, and switch as often as I like without having to drop membership at prior gyms. I currently belong to two through it, and visited both yesterday. (Silver Sneakers pays them by the visit, not monthly.) It wasn’t clear I could change gyms with Renew Active. I think there was a way. But the people at Renew Active’s phone support weren’t sure. And very likely it involved paperwork.
  2. Renew Active membership was limited to facilities in my state. Silver Sneakers is a Nationwide membership. That would be a big advantage to true nomads.
  3. Of course they both also have online exercise classes that you can use anywhere. For that matter, you can find plenty of free exercise classes on websites like Youtube. If you “capture” the classes to video files, you can edit out the ads. But if you are looking for a facility with showers or bathrooms or don’t have room for your own exercise equipment, or you want to meet people you exercise with in person, or you want a pool or Jacuzzi, a physical gym is a plus.
  4. By the way, I like the pool & Jacuzzi at LA Fitness locations near me, because they have few enough lanes that the swim teams mostly ignore them. At the bigger pool facilities, swim teams rent out all or most of the lanes most of the time. But like most gyms, each location is a separate affiliate business, and maintenance quality varies location to location. Closest to me, Planet Fitness (which, alas, has no pool or Jacuzi :() maintains its equipment better. They’ve also finally added stretch classes. And their personal trainer is free to use, though you have to book in advance.

Joining a gym through an insurance plan has an enormous benefit: the gym can’t keep trying to charge you for membership after you quit. Some gyms & fitness clubs do. My worst experience was with a local YMCA, that kept charging for several months. They were very dishonest about what I had to do to quit. (Note: that only applies to that particular YMCA. As with most gyms, each facility is managed separately.) I had to cancel my credit card to get out of it.

Also, when you join through insurance plans that pay all the costs, there are no gym initiation fees, and no annual enrollment fees.

But most gyms charge extra for some things even if you join through insurance. E.g., LA Fitness & Planet fitness both charge for food and other goodies. LA Fitness charges extra for personal trainers - and at least at my location, the trainer I tried had only taken an 8 hour certification course. Planet Fitness charges extra to use their Sauna and tanning booths. (And they try to convince you to pay for a Black Card membership, one of whose benefits is that you can use other Planet Fitness locations 10 times/month - but with Silver Sneakers, I can probably join those locations too, so there is no need.)

Unfortunately, for those of you too young to be on medicare, Medicare Advantage plans aren’t available. But some other insurance plans have something somewhat similar.