New Intern Tips: Picking a Fitness Center in Prague
Here in Prague there are two questions that I receive all the time:
Today, I'm going to answer the second question. In Prague there are three kinds of gyms - gyms that are okay, gyms that are better, and gyms that are best.
Best
The best fitness center in Prague - especially if you live in Andel - is Holmes Place on the third floor of Novy Smichov shopping center. It is very posh and it is literally just across the street from the flat. Here you will find all the amenities, classes, and snootiness that you could possibly want in a fitness center. Plus, if you choose this gym you will never have the excuse that it is too far away. Of course you have to pay for the best - 24000 CZK per year (as of 2005).
Better
If the best is a little too pricey for your internship salary (it's certainly too pricey for mine!) then you might want to consider a couple of alternatives:
Both of these gyms are good modern fitness facilities with a full complement of fitness equipment and classes. For most people, Factory Pro will be the better choice out of these two fitness centers as it is both closer and (for most people) cheaper. Factory Pro and World Class have very different pricing structures which make comparisons difficult. At Factory Pro you do not purchase a membership - instead you purchase points that are put on a swipe card. Everytime you go to Factory Pro you swipe your card and points are deducted. Certain services (e.g. sauna) cost extra points. By contrast, World Class offers a simple one year membership plan that cost 15000 CZK (as of 2005) - and includes extra services like the sauna. If you choose World Class, watch for the fall special in September when you can receive an extra month for free. So what does all this mean?
If you are only in Prague for only a few months: choose Factory Pro.
If you plan to go to the gym only two or three times per week: choose Factory Pro.
If, however, you will be in Prague for a full year and you plan to use the gym very frequently (5 or 6 times per week): choose World Class.
Another gym that arguably fits into the "better" category is BBC Fitness. I do not recommend this gym, however, as all of their locations are simply too far away from Andel. If you purchase a membership for this gym you simply won't use it.
Okay
Finally, there is one last category of gyms to consider - gyms that are simply okay. If you are looking for a fitness center that just has the basics (free weights, treadmills, etc.) and doesn't cost much then I recommend Delroy's Gym in Andel. At Delroy's you can purchase a 20 entry pre-paid card for 1400 CZK. You can also buy 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month passes. Delroy's is located just around the corner at Zborovská 4, Praha 5.
For more information on Prague fitness centers check out the gym section and the forums of Expats.cz.
- Where are you really from? and,
- Which fitness center should I join?
Today, I'm going to answer the second question. In Prague there are three kinds of gyms - gyms that are okay, gyms that are better, and gyms that are best.
Best
The best fitness center in Prague - especially if you live in Andel - is Holmes Place on the third floor of Novy Smichov shopping center. It is very posh and it is literally just across the street from the flat. Here you will find all the amenities, classes, and snootiness that you could possibly want in a fitness center. Plus, if you choose this gym you will never have the excuse that it is too far away. Of course you have to pay for the best - 24000 CZK per year (as of 2005).
Better
If the best is a little too pricey for your internship salary (it's certainly too pricey for mine!) then you might want to consider a couple of alternatives:
- Factory Pro at Smichovske Nadrazi (Nadrazni 32, Praha 5), and
- World Class at Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske Namesti 22, Praha 1)
Both of these gyms are good modern fitness facilities with a full complement of fitness equipment and classes. For most people, Factory Pro will be the better choice out of these two fitness centers as it is both closer and (for most people) cheaper. Factory Pro and World Class have very different pricing structures which make comparisons difficult. At Factory Pro you do not purchase a membership - instead you purchase points that are put on a swipe card. Everytime you go to Factory Pro you swipe your card and points are deducted. Certain services (e.g. sauna) cost extra points. By contrast, World Class offers a simple one year membership plan that cost 15000 CZK (as of 2005) - and includes extra services like the sauna. If you choose World Class, watch for the fall special in September when you can receive an extra month for free. So what does all this mean?
If you are only in Prague for only a few months: choose Factory Pro.
If you plan to go to the gym only two or three times per week: choose Factory Pro.
If, however, you will be in Prague for a full year and you plan to use the gym very frequently (5 or 6 times per week): choose World Class.
Another gym that arguably fits into the "better" category is BBC Fitness. I do not recommend this gym, however, as all of their locations are simply too far away from Andel. If you purchase a membership for this gym you simply won't use it.
Okay
Finally, there is one last category of gyms to consider - gyms that are simply okay. If you are looking for a fitness center that just has the basics (free weights, treadmills, etc.) and doesn't cost much then I recommend Delroy's Gym in Andel. At Delroy's you can purchase a 20 entry pre-paid card for 1400 CZK. You can also buy 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month passes. Delroy's is located just around the corner at Zborovská 4, Praha 5.
For more information on Prague fitness centers check out the gym section and the forums of Expats.cz.
posted by Erik at 14:48
6 Comments:
I also heard (from Erik) that you can quite possibly run into a few celebrities in World Class since it's in the centre and Prague is a popular place for film makers... Daniel Craig for example, who's in town for the new Bond movie, well, unless you are a member of the boycotting club.
Thanks for the excellent tips, Erik. Now, where are you REALLY from?
Well, it's pretty obvious no one would ever ask me where the fitness centre is, but I totally feel your pain on the "Where are you REALLY from?" question.
Prosim, ask me my ethnic origin, not where I'm REALLY from. Otherwise I might tell you something that's just as stupid as asking someone where they are REALLY from.
Oh, and I also love when people look at me and ask me if I have some Indian background like they are futsking geniuses for figuring that one out. I have brown skin, it's not that hard to guess! Can you tell this annoys me? I'll stop ranting now.
I sometimes get "OK, Pick One." instead of the usual "where are you really from"... My favourite answer is "the airport."
About the gym: you're advice is brilliant Erik-- BUT, as the only other card-carrying gym member in the flat, I happen to think you left out the best deal of all for us high class -- low cost-- realistic about how often we'll go to the gym-goers: Holmes Place has a "Winter Membership" or 24-entry card for 9400 czk (as of 2006), which is cheaper than your "better" choices, but limits how often you can go to the gym. It comes with all kinds of free aerobics classes, a free personal trainer session (they always walk around trying to help you and practice their english anyway), free jacuzzi, free wet sauna, free dry sauna, free shampoo/body lotion products, free lockers (but not free locks), free hairdryers, free towels, that body-plate Madonna's always going on about, balance balls, 4 wide screen TVs, 15% discount at emporio wi-fi (non-smoking!)cafe, and 15% off any of their beauty/massage treatments...do you need me to go on?? I say once the sun comes out you can spend the extra days running outside.
Hey Andelers,
It's March 16, 10pm here in Canada - I don't know how to contact you other than leave a random comment on this blog site of yours. My name is Wilton and I was a former 'Andel Playa' back in 2003 (we started the 'wall of shame'; if the pictures are still up). Anyways, I have a buddy and his female friend (both Canadian) coming into Prague and I was wondering if some of you could show them a good time over this upcoming weekend? No need for a place to stay - they've booked a hostel, but I'm sure they'd welcome come expat company to party it up with. Please let me know asap if you'd be willing to go out for a night on the town with them? you can email me back at wiltonw@hotmail.com. Many thanks. Wilton
Hey Michela,
No question, Holmes Place has by far the best amenities of any fitness center in Prague. But is it really cheaper than the "better" choices?
Let's do the math. =)
Holmes Place (24-entry pass):
9400 CZK / 24 visits = 392 CZK / visit
Factory Pro:
110 CZK / visit
World Class (6 visits / week):
(15000 CZK / year) x (1 year / 52 weeks) x (1 week / 6 visits) = 48 CZK / visit
World Class (2 visits / week):
(15000 CZK / year) x (1 year / 52 weeks) x (1 week / 2 visits) = 144 CZK / visit
So what does this tell us? Holmes Place is still by far the most expensive fitness center per visit (392 CZK per visit). If you're only an occasional user, Factory Pro (110 CZK per visit) is cheaper than World Class (144 CZK per visit. But World Class (as of 2005) is the cheaper gym if you go more often (only 48 CZK per visit).
In putting together the numbers for these calculations I visited the Factory Pro website and I discovered some important new information: Factory Pro is now (finally!) offering 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month unlimited memberships. The 12-month membership is only 9990 CZK. This means that as of 2006, Factory Pro is now also the better value for more frequent users (32 CZK per visit). Hehe, I wish they'd offered this option in 2005 - though the lack of recumbent bicycles there (available at both World Class and Holmes Place) might have still swayed me. =)
Hey Erik,
You have WAY too much time on your hands;) Obviously, I meant "in toto", if you're going to get a membership-- not per visit. Sigh, don't you know yet that I'm always right?? Anyway, as Claire says, Holmes Place is a girl thing.
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