An Exercise in Caution : Finding Your Way Through the Health Club Jungle in Five Easy Steps

Here, in the land of a million workouts, vowing to join a gym is the easy part. Finding the perfect fitness palace is something else again and can be as fatiguing as a long walk on a short treadmill.

The sheer quantity of clubs is one reason. Industry spokesmen estimate that Southern California has 1,700 facilities offering everything from free towels to free parking in addition to fitness equipment.

While there are a lot of clubs, a rash of closures in recent years and an abundance of hype have heightened shoppers’ anxieties. It isn’t easy to know what to make of 88-cent trial workouts, two-for-one memberships and last-chance-to-get-fit ads.

So what should you look for in a health club?

Definitely more than just who hangs out at the juice bar.

Here are some tips.

1. Be Fussy

Los Angeles seems to offer something for everyone.

If working up a sweat with Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, Magic Johnson or Princess Stephanie of Monaco would help raise your heartbeat, Sports Club/LA, touted as the Taj Mahal of fitness facilities when it opened last year, may be just the ticket, although an expensive one.

With 18 exercise classes a day plus basketball, tennis, squash, weight training and banks of treadmills, exercise bikes and other cardiovascular equipment, it seems no fitness route lies unexplored at the mammoth West Los Angeles facility.

If no-frills weight training is more your bag, you may prefer a place like Flex-It Gym in Westminster, where full-color posters of body-building champions adorn the walls and the clinking of weights can drown out the background music. “You go to some gyms and everyone has on perfume,” said Luther Ivery, a U.S. Secret Service agent who wore tattered gray sweats during a recent workout there. “People come here to train. You don’t see a lot of fashion.”

But if your job or social life keep you on the road, your best bet might be membership in a chain like Nautilus Aerobics Plus, Holiday Spa or Sports Connection. Each has multiple locations and reciprocal agreements with other clubs in its chain.

2. Know What You Want

Despite the variety, there are some common denominators, an informal Times poll of 15 area facilities shows.

EQUIPMENT: At most gyms, weight-training machines and exercise bikes are standard equipment. All had some weight-training equipment such as Nautilus, Paramount or Universal machines for upper- and lower-body toning and strengthening, and 13 had exercise bikes. Some also featured rowers, climbers (Versa Climber or Stairmaster) and treadmills.

AEROBICS: Except at body-building gyms, aerobic exercise classes are another staple. Larger clubs tend to offer more classes and more specialized offerings such as maternity, low-impact, senior citizen and “fat-burner” classes that combine low- and high-impact work.

HOURS: Hours of operation vary widely. Chains seem to keep longer hours than smaller, independent clubs. On weekdays, for example, the Nautilus Aerobics Plus in downtown Los Angeles is open until midnight, while the Jane Fonda Workout in Beverly Hills closes by 10 p.m.

INSTRUCTORS: At the clubs polled, most exercise instructors and some weight-room instructors are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, although the California Civil Code does not require it. In addition, many aerobics instructors are certified by such organizations as the Aerobics and Fitness Assn. of America or the International Dance-Exercise Assn.

At a few clubs, instructors must have degrees in exercise physiology or physical education and/or meet strict continuing education requirements as conditions of employment.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Membership ceilings are rare. Only four of the 15 clubs claim to limit membership. But officials at other facilities say they watch usage patterns closely and add instructors or equipment when crowding occurs.

Child care during workouts is also rare. Only two of the 15 clubs offered it, and both charged an extra fee.

Amenities run the gamut, from free towels and free parking to steam rooms and whirlpools, massage, juice bars, parties, health seminars and referrals to specialists such as nutritionists and chiropractors. Some facilities sell nutritional supplements, exercise gear and protein drinks. And at Sports Club/LA, members can drop off their car for washing and waxing while they work out.

COST: Not surprisingly, fees vary tremendously. Among the 15 clubs polled that charge by the month, Nautilus Aerobics Plus is least expensive with an enrollment fee of $49 and a monthly charge of $14. At the other end of the spectrum is Sports Club/LA, which charges $125 a month for executive membership plus an initiation fee of $1,650.

Some facilities charge on a per-workout basis and offer discounts for a series. At the Jane Fonda Workout, for example, each class costs $8, but the charge for one month of unlimited aerobics classes is $90. At Studio Elance in Los Angeles, each class is $25, but the charge for 15 classes taken within three months is $270.

CONTRACTS: Many clubs no longer require long-term contracts, and industry experts say the trend is to a monthly-dues arrangement permitting members to cancel at any time.

Applicants may be asked to sign waivers attesting to their good physical health and relieving the facility of liability in case of injury, accident or death.

3. Know Your Rights

In the last few years, about a dozen Los Angeles-area health clubs have gone out of business, often leaving former members angry and unable to collect refunds.

“Probably the greatest number of closures occurred in 1985 and 1986,” said Tim Bissell, chief investigator for the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs. “I’d say the shakedown is over.”

New and proposed local and state legislation may soon offer increased protection to consumers. Effective July 1, all health clubs in Santa Monica must post a $75,000 bond (or 5% of the previous fiscal year’s gross, whichever is greater), said Jeffrey Holtzman, the city’s consumer affairs attorney.

“If a health club closes its doors and does not provide refunds to consumers within 30 days of closure, the bond goes into effect,” he said. “We are the first city in the nation, as far as I know, to enact a local ordinance requiring health clubs to post bonds for refunds.”

(Exemptions from the ordinance are granted to nonprofit facilities, pay-as-you-go clubs charging monthly fees and an initiation fee not greater than the monthly charge and in certain other instances.)

Sue L. Frauens, Los Angeles deputy city attorney who supervises the office’s Consumer Protection Section, is in the process of drafting a similar ordinance and expects to present it to the City Council soon.

Two bills now pending in the state Legislature are also designed to protect consumers from health club fraud. One, SB 58, introduced in late 1986 by Sen. Joseph B. Montoya (D-El Monte), would require health clubs to establish a trust account to refund consumers in case of closures. Another, AB 938, introduced in 1987 by Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley), would require health clubs that sell pre-opening memberships to set up escrow accounts and require all clubs to provide a more complete disclosure of membership offerings, according to spokeswoman Jamie Khan.

The California Civil Code also protects health club members in a number of ways, said Michael Raymer, an analyst in the public inquiry unit of the state attorney general’s office.

No health club contracts can require financing or payments over a period more than two years from the contract date, he said. Clubs can have a three-year contract, but the term of financing can’t be more than two years.

If a health club member becomes disabled, relief from payment is also mandated, he said. “And if you move away (more than 25 miles), and can’t use the spa or transfer membership, you can get out of the contract.” A cancellation fee may be charged in that case, he added.

Once a contract is signed, a consumer has three days to reconsider and cancel the agreement, he added. Selling memberships before a club opens is legal, Raymer added, but services must begin within six months from the date the contract is effective.

4. Check Out the Facility

Knowing about fees, contracts and rights isn’t enough. Look before you leap into membership, fitness specialists caution.

“Observe the place for awhile,” suggested Raymer of the state attorney general’s office, “and talk to the (members). Do they look happy?”

Visit the facility at the same time you plan to work out to get an accurate idea of usage, said Kathie Davis, executive director of the International Dance-Exercise Assn.

Observe the classes you’re interested in, or better yet, participate, others suggested. Get trial workouts on weight-training or cardiovascular equipment.

Davis suggests keeping an eye open for more than decor. Does the aerobics instructor teach rather than perform? Are alternative exercises recommended for students with back or knee problems?

In the weight room, check to see if instructors are available to answer questions about equipment. And pay attention to the environment, suggested Tere Filer, spokeswoman for the Aerobics and Fitness Assn. of America, being sure that temperature and humidity are well-controlled.

An emphasis on club cleanliness is another good sign, added Robert Wiswell, associate professor and chairman of the department of physical education and exercise sciences at USC.

Distance From Home, Work

Log the distance the facility is from work or home. “Three to five miles seems to be the optimal distance for maximal adherence to a program,” Filer said.

“The cheapest place isn’t always the best,” Raymer said. “It may be that they’re discounting because they’re desperate for members.

“In general,” he added, “gyms associated with a chain are probably less likely to fail than independent (clubs),” Raymer said. “If a gym has been around for three or four years, it’s probably going to make it, although there’s certainly no guarantee.”

Once you’ve decided to join, don’t be shy about reading the contract, Raymer advised.

Frauens of the city attorney’s office suggests consumers ask, among other things: “What happens if there is a change in ownership? May I sell my contract? Is it transferable?”

Before your first workout, expect the club to get medical clearance by asking you to complete a health history. That evaluation can help instructors decide which exercise programs are appropriate and reduce the risk of injury.

5. Learn How to Complain

Even the best of clubs have shortcomings.

Officials at city and state levels say complaints about health clubs are dwindling, but still coming in.

Overcrowding is one of the most common complaints, Raymer said. But there are others. “One consumer said a contract was grabbed out of her hand when she said she wanted her lawyer to look at it,” Frauens said.

Take a complaint first to an instructor or club management, experts suggested. Or drop a note in the suggestion box, which some clubs display prominently.

If those measures fail, a formal complaint can be lodged with a number of agencies.

Consumers can call or write the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs, (213) 974-1452, 500 W. Temple St., Room B96, Los Angeles, Calif., 90012. With a written complaint, photocopy and send all documents relating to the complaint, advised Shirley Goldinger, director. “We will investigate complaints individually,” she said.

Consumers can also telephone the state Attorney General Office public inquiry unit (800) 952-5225. Those who call will be mailed a complaint form, Raymer said. Those who write (P.O. Box 944255, Sacramento, Calif. 94244-2550) should include their name, address, telephone, nature of the complaint and a photocopy of the contract, if any.