Other than running (and spinning about 7 years ago), I generally have a hard time dedicating myself to a workout regimen. Over the years, I realized it’s mostly because I get bored easily and have a desire to try new things. While a gym membership can provide varied group fitness class schedules, I find it difficult to line up the time a class is provided with when I can actually attend. Enter, ClassPass.
(Photo courtesy of ClassPass)
For $79-$99 per month (price varies by city), you can reserve a spot in boutique fitness classes around your city you’ve been dying to try but can’t really afford individual memberships to. There are thousands of classes available to ClassPass members, including cycling, pilates, yoga, strength training, barre, martial arts and more!
I bought my first month of ClassPass on January 27 (and it renews each month on the same date). I’ve taken 13 different classes so far, and have 2 more scheduled for this week already. That’s 15 more group fitness or crosstraining classes than I took last month. That’s huge for me! I love the variety of studios that are part of the ClassPass network, and the website and complementary app make it easy to reserve classes on-the-go.
Pros:
- Ease of class reservation (via the website or the app)
- Amazing group fitness class variety
- Option to add your classes to a mobile calendar (iCalendar, Google, etc.); if you schedule your workouts the way you schedule meetings, it’s much harder to cancel on yourself
- Generous class cancellation policy (up to 12 hours in advance with no charge)
Cons:
- You can only take three classes at each studio per month, and then you have to wait until the next month to take three more. If you are WAY into group fitness class variety, then this won’t be an issue. I got hooked on The Rush Indoor Cycling Studio (read my review here) at the end of January and am now counting down the days until my month renews and I can go back.
- It’s a bit pricey, but when compared with full gym memberships it nets out; so many people pay for gym memberships they don’t use. I’m using this one!
- It’s not in every city yet, but seems to be in most major metros. Check here and scroll down to the maps section to see if your city is on the list!
activeharmony 
Agree–it is the best invention yet!!
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Many private fitness clubs are closing now, Everyone talks about joining Class Pass instead, I feel bad for the fitness clubs, they try so hard
Membership is a very important part of a fitness club, they need paying regular members to exist, some exercisers go to the club more often than others, and they need the money from all regular payers
I dont like that every private club gives you a “pressured talk to join” now when you show up with a Class Pass, they guilt you
One trainer said that unless my local fitness club gets 4 members for everyone they lose due to Class Pass that they will be closing and this is happening too fast
I hope my neighborhood fitness club survives as we have good trainers who work hard already for low commissions
http://mobile.nytimes.com/comments/2015/03/05/magazine/classpass-and-the-joy-and-guilt-of-the-digital-middleman-economy.html
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Hi Winnie. Thanks so much for your comment! I can definitely see where you are coming from, and understand the small fitness club revenue model (which is why I haven’t cancelled my regular gym membership – though I rarely use it).
From a ClassPass user perspective, I have never been given a hard sell or felt pressured to join the fitness facilities where I take classes. My experience has been quite the opposite: I go in, workout like everyone else, talk to people, and go home. I haven’t once felt unwelcome or like I needed to join a particular spot to feel like a regular.
Granted, we live in San Diego where there are hundreds of fitness clubs/facilities and no shortage of people who pay to be members.
But for someone like me who gets tired of the same workouts week after week, it’s been amazing. I can’t afford a membership to every club I would like to be a part of, but ClassPass has enabled me to sample many different options, and I have even paid for extra classes at the ones I love the most – which is additional revenue that club wouldn’t have received from me otherwise.
I do hope your neighborhood fitness facility hangs in there; you are a wonderful ambassador for them!
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