Physical

One of the top items on my to-​do list for January was to sign up for a gym. I first looked around the Wan Chai area and decided to check out California and Physical. Since Pure was really close to my office, I also gave it a go.
After a couple of workout trials at both Pure and California, I wasn’t still convinced with any of them… I thought Pure was too expensive (although very convenient as they provide you with everything you need to exercise, you are just required to bring your training shoes) and California wasn’t such a great value for money either.
By chance I found out that Physical had a branch in Wan Chai, 3 minutes walking from my place. I have to say I had been discouraged to sign up for Physical; I was told their gyms are way too crowded with personal trainers trying to sell you their services which, for someone who just knows what she wants to do at the gym in a time efficient way, is not very appealing. As the other options were falling apart, I decided to find out whether their PT annoyance tag was deserved.
I was lucky to talk to the manager who offered me a pretty good deal compared to the other two gyms and invited me to try the gym sometime. I did, and joined. Why? Because Physical just had all I needed: their facilities are great. The gym is split across 6 levels: entrance; fitness area (a ton of treadmills!); machine-​strength training area; weights training area and changing rooms. It also features a ‘chill out area’ with newspapers and magazines, and a couple of PCs, and steam room and sauna. Now, compared to other cities, the value for money for Hong Kong gyms is just great.
I do have to say something about their staff though. It is true the place is run by way too many people and you may feel stalked by PTs sometimes, but if you make clear from the beginning that you are not interested, it should be okay. I would recommend you go there at the off-​peak times (weekends, in the late afternoon or evening) if you can. It’s almost empty. Expect to pay no more than 5,000 HKD for a full year membership, with 60 coupons for extra classes.