What To Expect From a Planet Fitness Facility

Despite the lack of amenities that more upscale gyms and health clubs offer, the Planet Fitness facilities themselves are generally clean and well-maintained.

Because this is a relatively new chain, most of the equipment will be new or only a few years old. If you are looking for things like towel service or little perks in the locker room, like private lockers, this isn’t the gym for you. Some locations have even removed the omnipresent bathroom scale in the locker rooms, ostensibly to discourage people from not only judging each other — but apparently even judging themselves.

Most locations also offer tanning beds for those of you who want a little fake and bake with your workout. Customers can pay for use of the tanning beds by session, or if they upgrade to the Planet Fitness Black Card, they get free, unlimited tanning including in their monthly membership. This seems to be a particularly popular membership perk among high-school girls, who appear to be joining Planet Fitness in droves (at least at my location) more for the cheap tanning, than to stay in shape.

The chain also recently added coin-operated “massage-chairs” like you find in the mall to many of their locations. Again, with the Planet Fitness Black Card upgrade you get free use of the massage chairs to help you work out those kinks that you acquired from your Judgment Free workout. It also helps with digesting the free pizza and bagels they serve you once a month.

Be forewarned also that if you have an aversion to the color combination of purple and yellow, you’ll pass on Planet Fitness purely on the aesthetics. The chain has ensured that the colors permeate the entire gym, from the custom paint jobs on their resistance machines to the walls, carpet and floors. I personally don’t have a problem with it, but some people may find it kind of garish and distracting.