Is it Worth the Splurge?

by Brandi Savitt - September 27th, 2012

Paying Big Bucks to Exercise

As a pretty faithful exerciser, over the last four years I have splurged on private training sessions at my gym. Most Tuesday mornings, at 6:15AM, I drag myself out of bed, walk to the gym, and get my butt kicked by my trainer. And I love it.

To manage my cash flow, I typically buy my sessions in 4 packs, and when I travel for work (which I do frequently), I just tell my trainer in advance, she fills my Tuesday spot, and I am never charged. Although it's been quite an investment over time, paying for personalized workouts has been totally worth it for me - that is until…

Changing of the Rules

Last week I received an email from my trainer informing me that the gym had changed their personal training deals. They no longer offer my 4 session pack - so I'll have to buy either 8, 12 or 24 session packages at a time from now on. And while I'd get about an $8 discount per session, if I go for the the 24 sessions ( a $192 savings), that also means that I'd have to layout $1,848 all at once to get that discount - say what…?!

A Luxury Turned Even More Elite

Not only do I think that eliminating the 4 pack is a bold move for beginners who are just looking to learn a few moves from a trainer, but it also - at minimum - doubles the the upfront cash required for any member to purchase training sessions. Not cool!

The Alternative "Option"

As an alternative, the gym decided to offer a new package of 4 personal training sessions per month - for a 6 month commitment - at $276 per month. This offer

is actually the best the deal out of the bunch. It works out to $16 less per session than buying a regular 8 pack. But of course there's a catch. You have to use ALL 4 sessions each month - no rollovers to the next month allowed! So, if I travel, I'll have to double up one week or be willing to eat it.

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