Ok, I think we've all had issues finding a good gym here in Suisse. I long for the days when I was in NYC and I was only steps from the best gyms and yoga studios at any given moment (equinox, crunch, om yoga, bikram yoga nyc, jivamukti yoga). Going to the gym here is like stepping (no pun intended) back into the 1980's. The classes currently being offered include: step, "body pump", and "abs-thighs-buns". I'd be better off using my Jane Fonda Aerobics VCR tape at home (if we hadn't sold it at a garage sale about 25 years ago).
Today I sent my second letter this year to my current gym, Silhouette, to resign my membership. You see, last year, I resigned (or thought I did) but my resignation was "not accepted" because my registered letter did not arrive in time to cancel my membership properly. Don't even get me started, but apparently you can't resign from a gym here even if you've moved out of the country, become deathly ill or have been conscripted into the army. ugh. Anyway, I had to pay all year for a membership I didn't use. The gym is dirty, smelly, hot, and the unimaginative classes they offer are always too crowded. I literally was kicked repeatedly by the woman in front of me during my last class I took there over six months ago. That was the straw that broke the camel's back.
My simple ideas for a great gym:
Super clean changing rooms & showers
Fresh, inventive classes (just check out the fun they're having at Crunch!)
Talented teachers
Yoga classes
Pre-natal yoga classes
Yummy smelling shower gel dispensers
Relaxing environment (i.e. nice finishes: tile, wood, good lighting) in changing rooms
Free or inexpensive towel loan
Lockers that work and are clean
A website that is easy to navigate, with class / teacher listings
Nice people at reception
And if I'm pushing it, a juice / coffee bar and a creche!
If anyone has any interest in opening up a New York style gym with me, let me know! I'm game but have no experience, just passion and in-depth knowledge of what works (and of course, I can design the heck out of a gym). I've even found a great location for one.
There is one amazing gym here I was lucky enough to try out for a free week - L'usine Opera. It is everything I could ask for except it's in central geneva which is a pain for me during the week (oh, and it costs upwards of 4000 chf / year). It's beautifully designed, clean and has fabulous teachers/classes. Oh how I wish I could afford it.
After months of searching/trying classes, I finally found a great yoga studio in Nyon, called Temple du Yoga. Yogiraj Alain is a proper yogi, and his classes are the closest thing to NYC I've found. Bravo! You'll see me there. Om.
