I go to a local gym. It's cheap because I locked in membership dues a long time ago. The local facility started nice but over time it has aged quickly. The machines are diverse and okay. But the showers, dry and steam saunas, jacuzzi and pool are rather disgusting. There's considerable mold / mildew in the saunas. The jacuzzi and pool water are definitely not clear and are foamy disgusting.

I'm willing to pay more for clean facilities. However, I've looked at every local facility within a 20 minute drive (further than that is not convenient for a regular basis) has the same reports of disgusting facilities, even at substantial cost increases.

There is one facility that sounds okay but it's very expensive - $400/mo I think. And I hear it's oversubscribed - too many members during peak hours (not sure about off peak). Even at this price though, it sounds like there are considerable numbers of members who a rude, discourteous, ill-mannered. No thanks, even if I could afford it.

So, I think I'm basically SOL, no way to improve my gym quality level, even if I spent considerably more. Sigh.

Do you guys have this problem? If not, what's the price entry point to have nice, clean facilities with well mannered clientele?

I miss Japan and even Korea - if you pay reasonable amounts, you get excellent facilities.

This is a great question, will be following this. I don't know the answer but I was a gym rat for many years, and I have experience in both types of facilities. If I were to go back I'd be asking the exact same question.

We are Y members. Costs the Family $85 a month and we can use any of the 4 locations. Usually like $125 for a family but I get a work discount.

The pools, hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, and locker rooms are always very clean.
They just bought a local smaller gym group that had 2 locations.
Granted these two locations are just gyms with no aquatic or spa facilities it will be nice to have the gym a lot closer to home.

I'm starting to wonder about home based sauna alternatives.

Strength: can probably do at home. Biceps - dumbbells. Triceps - stretch bands. Chest - pushups. Shoulder/Upper Back - stretch bands. Legs - walk / bike. Abs - situps.

"Jacuzzi": hot soak in tub via new BW water heater.

Pool: no solution for cold soak other than bathtub with cool water.

Sauna: no home solution the moment. Supposed to be healthy but if low efficacy / benefit, perhaps I can just stop.

The gym allows for convenience for all of the above. I can get maybe 60% via home. So, would probably assess the more expensive gym memberships against the other 40% I would be missing.

Just depends on whether a locker room and the wet options are a must have. If not, Snap Fitness -a national franchise option - works well for us and it's accessible 24hrs. As for a home sauna option, we have a Clearlight infrared sauna, it's a great alternative.

I am WAY less motivated at the house!
We have some really nice equipment here at the house water rower, Sole treadmill, studio bike, and lots of Rogue equipment.
For some reason I don’t push myself as much at home.

Costco sells saunas from $9K to $1,700 depending on size and amenities. You could get a jacuzzi tub installed in your bathroom, or even one of those Kohler Walk in Baths with jacuzzi option.

Free weights and equipment, find a used equipment shop and buy there, you'll find it's much less expensive.

I avoid public showers and pools/sauna's whenever possible. (for many of the reasons the OP mentioned in his post)

$20 a month for CFX Titness but no sauna or pool. They keep it pretty clean and I am happy being a member especially within 3 miles from home and among a LOT of good places to shop. I will be 75 in a few months and rely heavy on machines and they have a very nice variety and multiples of the popular ones. Nice clientele too, the manager does not tolerate major fools and jerks or under 18 that don't behave well either. As usual though too many don't pick up after themselves so you have to watch where you walking - dumblells, plates, EZ curl bars, kettle bells, clamps, etc laying around on the floor.

I am running into the same problem on this side of Durham.

After having a fall out with planet fitness regarding late penalty payments, etc. I left after being a member for 10-15 years. The few gyms that are even sort of close are outrageously priced, and with me still out of work, I cannot justify the expense. Now if we lived closer to chapel hill, or the other side of Durham, there are a ton of possibilities.

As a last resort I go to the rec center.
It is 20 a month but the machines are old, limited etc.. To be honest, I think I am doing more harm than good.

I wish I was even the slightest bit motivated to work out at the house but going to the rec center does refresh my mind (sometimes)

I know we looked at getting a portable infrared sauna for the house, but we have other bills that need addressed.

One of the things I miss about Richmond, VA is all the gyms: Planet fitness, crunch, snap, anytime, golds, ufit, etc.

(But that came later.. The first dozen years I was there, almost everything was in Chesterfield. Even growing up in Cols, OH, and into the late 90's, I don't remember to many gyms on the West Side.)

One of the benefits of my Aetna Medicare plan is a membership to Anytime Fitness gyms. There is one 2 minutes from my house and there is rarely more than 6 people there. The membership is usable anywhere in the country where there is one so that helps when we travel.

To stop membership and go completely the home route, my biggest gap is the dry sauna. A very superficial check suggests that the 10 year TCO is about $15-30K (depending on various factors like usage rate, utility rates, etc).

I would also drop swimming but could do hot / cold soaks in the tub. Strength I could do at home with some motivation.

So if membership costs more than $1500 per year, and definitely if more than $3000 per year, I should look at a home solution more closely. This is basically most of the local gyms except for the disgusting current membership.

As a first world country, not sure why keeping a gym clean and maintained is so difficult (at least in the local region). We are still a first world country, right?

I go to a very close Anytime Fitness and it's as clean as an operating room. The owner is the cleaning crew and he's usually there in the mornings, getting in his own workout and then cleaning like a maniac. No complaints at all about the cleanliness there. Now, the gym where I do my Krav Maga classes could be cleaned up. But the ceilings are probably 20' or higher, so it's a lot more work to get those cobwebs.

I'm not a germaphobe by any stretch, but even I wouldn't set foot inside a gym sauna or shower. Ick.

Would a complaint to your local health department do anything?

$400 a month! I'm sure there are quite a few 'ladies' dressed appropriately and on the look out.

I'm concerned about mixed locker rooms/shower. I do not want to shower with women and children.

If you compete/used to compete in boxing or a strength sport, you might be able to find a private gym. They tend to be far cleaner/but you may be expected to help clean. (Not sure. I had to when I was new, but I was also young.).

Later we had cleaners but they are always much cleaner than any public gym. (Being hygienic is expected in both sports, at least long long ago.)

I belonged to two different gyms in the past. After we moved I checked out the local gym, way overcrowded with very little parking. I'm not really a germaphobe but I'm not into public pools or sitting/laying in someone else's sweat. The gyms I belonged to in the past weren't the cleanest and in all fairness with a crowd it's hard for an employee to keep things wiped down. For some reason it's a lot to expect of someone to clean their sweat off a bench. I set up my garage gym, it's fairly compact with freeweights, a rack and cables. I think i'm in for around $3500 so far and can use it 6 mornings a week with no parking and no waiting.

I pay $120.00 a month at a local CrossFit gym. The normal price is $140.00, but I got in on the ground floor with a Founders Membership so it was cheaper. It has the usual barbells, free weights, kettle bells, med balls, assault bikes and Concept 2 rowers. No sauna or hot tub. 1 bathroom, no shower, but does have a changing room. The rig and most everything was brand new with 2 new Rogue Bikes when he opened 3.5 years ago. I’ve been doing CrossFit for about 9 years….i’m 71 now. Nice thing about CrossFit there’s always a way to modify or scale a workout.