Planet Fitness is a popular gym that’s affordable and emphasizes a no-judgment zone.
It boasts several workout machines and a few extra amenities for Black Card holders.
As gyms try to offer more ways for their members to exercise, many are including pools in their buildings.
Here’s what you need to know about Planet Fitness and whether they have a pool or not.
Does Planet Fitness Have A Pool? (Everything To Know)
No, Planet Fitness does not have a pool.
The cost of the pool would increase Planet Fitness’s membership rate.
Since Planet Fitness advertises itself as an affordable gym, it would lose many of its customers.
There’s also a risk of giving certain members a way to judge others.
Members may be wary of wearing swimming suits while they work out.
They may feel like they are opening themselves to teasing and judgment.
Since Planet Fitness works hard to make their gym a judgment-free zone, then the pool may come into conflict with that mission.
Why Doesn’t Planet Fitness Have A Pool?
Many gyms either have a pool or are looking to invest in a pool in the future.
It may seem odd that Planet Fitness doesn’t capitalize on what a pool has to offer its members.
However, there are many reasons that keep Planet Fitness from investing in a pool in their gyms.
Here are a few of those reasons.
1. Cost Of Maintenance
A brand-new pool looks great, but it doesn’t stay that way for long.
Pool maintenance is key to keeping the pool safe to use and looking great.
The problem with pool maintenance is that it’s expensive, especially when it’s a public pool.
Workers need to monitor the pH levels of the pool constantly.
If the pH changes drastically, then it can have an impact on the pool’s materials as well as those who swim in it.
If Planet Fitness wants to avoid any kind of health liability, then they’d need to monitor the pH levels of the pool and buy expensive chemicals to keep it neutral.
Another major part of pool maintenance is cleaning.
The walls, stairs, filters, and floors of the pool would need to be cleaned daily.
Sometimes, if a lot of people use the pool, then it will need even more cleaning.
The unfortunate truth is that people often urinate in the pool.
To keep the pool healthy for others to use, Planet Fitness would need to invest in heavy-duty chemicals to keep the water sanitary.
As people come in covered in sweat, that also changes the cleanliness of the water.
No one wants to swim in water that looks or smells bad.
Along with cleaning, pools need to have their pipes, filters, and liner replaced over time.
Like all machinery, these items will start to deteriorate after use.
Filters, especially, need to be changed often.
Replacing pipes and the pool liner can be a costly venture.
All these maintenance costs add up.
The only way that Planet Fitness could afford them would be to raise membership fees.
That may alienate some of their members.
It’s cheaper and more profitable for Planet Fitness to not offer pool services.
2. Extra Staff
Most of the staff at Planet Fitness are gym trainers, janitorial staff, and receptionists.
The gym trainers are knowledgeable about the machines that Planet Fitness has in their gyms.
They don’t always have knowledge about various water sports and exercises.
To make up for that, Planet Fitness would need to hire more staff.
Not every gym can afford that many staff members.
They may need to decrease their gym trainers or janitorial staff which can impact the quality of the other services they provide.
Some may believe that hosting certain water exercise courses may offset some of the expenses, but that’s only if gym members have an interest in joining them.
Those who live in colder parts of the country may not want to participate in pool classes during the winter.
However, Planet Fitness would still need to hold onto their aquatic exercise specialist to keep them for the summer season.
They would need more than just water exercise specialists as well.
They would need safety staff.
Lifeguards ensure that those in the pool are safe when a class isn’t in session.
Classes could also be a problem for gym members.
Those who don’t want to be part of the classes but still want to use the pool to exercise may find frustration when the pool isn’t available.
Planet Fitness would run the risk of frustrating its members and losing out on money due to the increase in staff members.
3. Liability Problems
Planet Fitness already has a few insurance policies in place to cover liability issues.
They often cover equipment-related injuries or building-related injuries.
That cost is already factored into their budget.
If Planet Fitness were to include a pool, then they’d need to expand their liability coverage.
That would mean a higher cost of insurance.
Not all budgets can support that increase.
Pools can be dangerous.
People slip on the stairs, the deck, and even in the wash areas all the time.
It’s possible that someone may try to sue Planet Fitness if they faced a serious injury.
Liability insurance would be needed to keep that particular gym in business.
Drowning is also a serious risk.
After working out, a gym member may decide to go swimming to cool off or further work out.
The problem is that they don’t realize how much of a workout swimming provides.
They may overexert themselves and pass out.
If they pass out, then they might drown if no one is there to rescue them.
They may also become too weak to swim because they’re exhausted.
Another danger is dehydration.
People often think that because they’re swimming in the water, they won’t become dehydrated.
That isn’t the case.
The very act of swimming tires your body out and uses up water that’s in your body.
When you become dehydrated, you may also become overheated.
There’s a chance that you may pass out and drown as a result.
Planet Fitness may not want to deal with the liability issues and dangers that a pool offers.
4. Not Enough Space
Perhaps the main reason that Planet Fitness doesn’t have a pool is that they don’t have the space.
Many Planet Fitness gyms are in shopping centers.
They’re bunched in with other businesses on either side of them.
Growth is impossible.
A Planet Fitness gym would need to move to a larger location to support a pool.
Not every gym can afford such a move.
There’s also always a risk of losing their members if they do move.
Many gym members choose Planet Fitness because it’s in a convenient location.
They’re often in areas that are close to suburbs.
They’re next to grocery stores and restaurants to make stopping by the gym even more convenient.
Moving to an area that allows them to have a large enough space to be able to build a pool may require them to leave the city center.
They may need to be in a more rural setting instead.
That distance may make them lose members.
Existing Planet Fitness locations don’t have the space for a pool.
The buildings they’re in don’t support the existence of a pool either.
Planet Fitness can’t support a pool due to a lack of space.
What Amenities Does Planet Fitness Provide?
While Planet Fitness may not have a pool, the gym does provide several other amenities that are beneficial.
Here are some of the amenities you can enjoy at your local Planet Fitness.
1. Saunas
A limited number of Planet Fitness gyms across the country have saunas.
Not every gym does, however, so if you’re interested in using the sauna at Planet Fitness, then you need to check with the specific gym in your area.
You may need to buy a membership with a Planet Fitness gym that’s in a more developed area.
The reason that not every Planet Fitness has a sauna is that each gym has a different owner.
While it’s a chain, each specific gym has its own local regulations and amenities.
Some owners may not want to deal with the added cost of a sauna.
Others may not have room for them.
Those that do have a sauna either have one that’s steam-based or infrared.
Steam-based saunas have a reputation for being relaxing.
It uses hot steam to fill an enclosed area.
Gym members are able to sit down in the sauna and let the steam do its work.
The heat can help muscle recovery which is important after a strenuous workout.
Scientists also find that using steam-based saunas can help with vascular diseases.
These are diseases that target your arteries and blood cells.
They’re often responsible for high blood pressure problems.
Steam can help promote blood circulation which prevents high blood pressure, strokes, and other neurocognitive diseases.
Infrared saunas can also be beneficial for your health.
They’re different from steam-based saunas in that the steam is replaced by infrared light.
Similar to a steam-based sauna, you also walk into an enclosed area.
It’s still warm since infrared light generates heat.
However, most of the benefits come from the light itself.
Many hospitals use infrared light to keep babies warm during the day and night.
That’s because the wavelengths that make up infrared light are gentle.
They can penetrate the skin safely and relax and support the muscles and bones in your body.
Infrared saunas can help detoxify your body.
If you’re carrying some sort of respiratory disease, infrared light may help clear it up.
It also helps your muscles relax and recover.
One of the best aspects of an infrared sauna is that it boosts your metabolism and helps you burn calories.
Since you’re hot, your body burns calories to help you cool off.
As a result, it jumpstarts your metabolism.
Finally, infrared saunas can support your immune system.
Using either type of sauna is a great way to reinforce and recover after your workout on the gym equipment from Planet Fitness.
2. Hydromassage
Hydromassage services are only available to those who have a Black Card membership with Planet Fitness.
It’s well worth the extra expense.
Hydromassage is similar to a standard massage experience with beds and chairs.
However, instead of receiving a massage from a person, you’re receiving a massage from water.
You enter the massage part of Planet Fitness and strip down to a towel.
You can also wear your clothes, but your massage won’t be as effective.
Then you sit down on the chair or lie down on the bed.
There’s a touchscreen that enables you to input a few settings for your massage.
One of them is duration.
It will give you a few different time settings for how long you want your massage to be.
Another setting is the location of the massage.
You can choose your entire back or have the water focus on certain areas of your body.
A particularly difficult workout that focused on your lower back, for example, may benefit from a massage that’s focused solely on your lower back.
A final option is how strong you want the massage to be.
If you prefer a gentle massage, then you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for.
If you prefer a strong massage, then that option is available, too.
One last detail that you can input is to connect the touchscreen to WiFi.
It enables you to watch TV or listen to music while you’re receiving your massage.
Once your massage starts, you’ll feel warm water pushing through the fabric and against your body.
It’s almost like being in a hot tub without submerging yourself in water.
Hydromassages offer many benefits for your body.
One of the most important is that it helps reduce muscle stiffness and soreness.
This is important after working out.
When you allow your muscles to relax, you’ll experience less stiffness and soreness later.
It can also decrease the pain that you feel as a result.
Another benefit is that it helps your blood circulation.
The warm water applies pressure to your body and helps your blood move through your body.
This can help reduce high blood pressure and may even help you feel less fatigued.
Finally, the hydromassage relaxes you.
If you’re feeling stressed or sore, then the massage can rejuvenate you.
One final aspect of the hydromassage is that, since you’re a Black Card member, you can also grant access to the massage to a guest.
The Black Card enables you to bring a guest with you to the restricted parts of Planet Fitness.
3. Tanning Beds
Another Black Card amenity is tanning beds.
Like the sauna, not every Planet Fitness is going to have tanning beds.
It depends on the building and owner whether the gym will offer the amenity or not.
An even smaller number of Planet Fitness gyms also provide spray tan booths.
Planet Fitness doesn’t have staff on hand to supervise you, so you need to comply with their rules.
One of their rules is to understand and follow their timed settings.
Each use of the tanning bed will be timed.
When your time is over, then you need to give up the tanning bed to someone else.
The same goes for a spray tan.
Receiving a tan from a bed or booth has a few benefits.
It can give you a dose of Vitamin D which is good for muscle recovery, relaxation, and supports your bones.
Some also believe that tanning beds can help reduce the chances of developing skin cancer.
That’s because it tans your skin which makes it more difficult for UV rays to penetrate it.
That said, you can also develop skin cancer if you use tanning beds too much.
Tanning beds can also help you lose weight since the heat from the bed forces you to sweat.
Conclusion
Planet Fitness does not have a pool in any of its gyms.
The cost of building, maintaining, and staffing a pool is too high for their budget to support and remain an affordable gym for its members.
Planet Fitness does provide other amenities that its members can enjoy.
Some of those amenities require gym members to be a Black Card member.
Consider the amenities above to determine if it’s worth increasing the price of your gym membership at Planet Fitness.
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