Hey Everyone,
So I have been very lucky and got a lovely flat so now I have to sort everything else out. First on my list is a gym. I will be living near the centre of the city and working in Petit Lancy. I have noticed a Silhouette gym on my way home from work, what are these like? I cannot find any costs online so I am presuming you have to go in to make an appointment, is anyone aware of the rough costs and is there another gym you would recommend?
I will run outside of the gym so really I am looking for a good selection of weights, some basic classes (spinning, yoga, etc) and hopefully a steam room.
Thanks in advance
Silhouette Gyms are overpriced (as are most gyms in Switzerland, but that's for another thread), and the one at Petit Lancy is particularly bad. Maybe it's been improved since I went once a few years ago, but I was left unimpressed. The infrastructure was just raggedy.
A good gym in the Lancy area (Grand Lancy, a bit down the road) is this one: http://www.onefitness.ch/
I used to go when I was younger, they have a good selection of weights and a sauna. Looking at the pictures on their site, they seem to have improved a great deal. The only downsides is that it's a little small and I'm not sure if they have classes (maybe that's changed). In any case, you'll get much better prices and a very helpful staff.
And the Grand Lancy area is much nicer to go for a run than Petit Lancy.
I found it quite problematic in Geneva. Theoretically there's a lot of Silhouette gyms, but the equipment, facilities, opening hours and load varies. It's also rather expensive (though they've got discounts for certain companies). Good thing is that you can go to any Silhouette gym you want.
Other one, also expensive is the Harmony. I found it really crowded. The location (Balexert) is quite good.
There are some local gyms (e.g. Lancy, Meyrin, etc.) - that don't belong to any network. They are cheaper, but you'll be limited to that particular gym.
If you don't mind driving a bit, then there is also the VitamParc in France.
Does anyone have any other recommendations?
Company discounts help.
If money's not as issue, a good one is the Plaza ( http://www.plazasport.com/ ) at Villereuse (a few tram stops down from Rive). My brother tried out a bunch of gyms before settling on this one, and says it's the the best. He got a corporate discount (can be negotiated down to around 1500 CHF per year) I went once and can vouch that their facilities are second to none. And they've got a bunch of classes.