Don’t Strain Your Wallet: Finding the Right Gym in Shanghai

Don’t Strain Your Wallet: Finding the Right Gym in Shanghai
By Cynthia Lopez , eChinacities.com

Summer is here! That means it’s time to start working out to get that swimsuit body. Finding the perfect gym that’s in the right location, a reasonable price and not too crowded can be time consuming. And when looking for the right gym, it’s important to keep in mind that membership prices can vary by location even if they’re part of the same company, so in this article the prices ranges are to give you an idea of what you can expect to pay at different branches. Another thing to watch out for when checking out gyms is to avoid giving out your number as you might end up getting a ton of sales calls. Here’s an extensive list of popular fitness centers in Shanghai. A busy-ness rating has also been included for each gym (specifically for the gym mentioned in the address); 1 means it’s never busy and 10 means it’s very busy.

Don’t Strain Your Wallet: Finding the Right Gym in Shanghai
Photo: W_Minshull

Expensive

1) Kerry SportsView In Map
The most expensive gym on this list is Kerry Sports. This gym is by far one of the most luxurious gyms in Shanghai and it’s open 24 hours. This fitness centre includes a swimming pool, exercise equipment, a kid’s zone and group classes (such as yoga, pilates, spinning, aerobics and dance). On the roof there are basketball and tennis courts and even a running track. The price of an individual membership is 21,000 RMB, quite pricy, huh? Well, the more people you sign up with, the better the deal. For a family for 3 people the total price a year is 38,000 RMB.

Busyness rating: 6

Where: Kerry Hotel Pudong, 1388 Huamu Lu, near Fangdian Lu, Pudong, Shanghai
地址: 上海市浦东新区花木路1388号, 近芳甸路
Tel: 021 6169 8888
Opening hours: Daily, 24 hours
Price range: 21,000-38,000/year
Website: www.kerry-sports.com/
Getting there: Take subway line 7 to Huamu Road station

2) One WellnessView In Map
The One Wellness centre is another luxurious fitness center in Loft 98. Some of the services include pilates, yoga, martial arts, group cycling, tai chi classes, personal training services and much more. The gym offers free Wi-Fi to its members as well as massage and acupuncture services. There is also a gourmet café at the fitness centre, where you can find countless health-conscious food options.

Busyness rating: 7

Where: 2/F, Building C, 98 Yanping Lu, near Xinzha Lu, Shanghai
地址: 上海市静安区延平路98号C栋2楼, 近新闸路
Tel: 021 6267 1550
Opening hours: Mon-Thu, 6:00-23:00; Fri, 6:00-22:00; Sat-Sun, 7:00-22:00
Price range: 6,000 RMB
Website: http://www.onewellness.com.cn/
Getting there: Take subway line 2 or 7 to Jing’an Temple station

3) Tera Wellness ClubView In Map
Tera Wellness Club is a very popular gym here. There are approximately 100 locations in China and half of those are in Shanghai. They have branches in 16 different cities in China, including Shenzhen and Hangzhou. A membership at one of the branches will allow you to work out at almost all of their other branches. The level of busyness of Tera Wellness Clubs varies from location to location, but if you have no problem with spending almost 7,000 RMB, then check out the newest Tera Wellness location in Xujiahui. Most locations have an indoor swimming pool and sauna rooms.

Busyness rating (Oriental Manhattan location only): 3

Where: (Inside the Oriental Manhattan Compound) 168 Hongqiao Lu, near Wending Lu, Xuhui District, Shanghai
地址: 上海市徐汇区虹桥路168号, 近文定路
Tel: 400 920 1012
Opening hours: Daily, 8:00-22:00
Price range: 3,000-6,888 RMB
Website: http://en.1012china.com/
Getting there: Take subway line 1, 9 or 11 to Xujiahui station

Mid-range

1) Will’s GymView In Map
Another famous fitness centre with lots of locations in China is Will’s Gym. They have roughly 35 branches in China (in cities like Beijing and Harbin) and nearly 30 of those are in Shanghai. All locations have tons of gym equipment, yoga, aerobics, spinning classes, and some locations also have swimming pools. Make sure to check out their website for a complete list of gym locations.

Busyness rating: 7

Where: 555 Guibei Lu, near Maotai Lu, Changning District, Shanghai
地址: 长宁区古北路555号, 近茅台路
Tel: 021 6241 9639
Opening hours: Daily, 7:00-22:30
Price range: 3,500-4,000 RMB
Website: www.willsgym.com
Getting there: Take subway line 2 to Zhongshan Park station

2) California FitnessView In Map
California Fitness is from Hong Kong and you’ll probably get the biggest bang for your buck here. However, it’s also one of the busiest gyms in town. California Fitness has branches in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, as well as locations in Hong Kong and Singapore. The club amenities include world-class gym equipment, group classes, personal trainers, spacious locker rooms and sauna rooms.

Busyness rating: 9

Where: 5/F, Shanghai Plaza (Opposite Shanghai Times Square), 138 Huaihai Zhonglu, near Madang Lu, Luwan District, Shanghai
地址: 上海市 黄浦区淮海中路138号无限度广场5楼(时代广场对面)
Tel: 4008 100 988
Opening hours: Mon-Fri, 6:00-00:00; Sat-Sun, 8:00-22:00
Price range: 4,000 RMB/year
Website: www.californiafitness.com
Getting there: Take subway line 1 to Huangpi Nan Road station

3) PhysicalView In Map
Physical is a well-equipped gym that has 5 locations in Shanghai, 5 in Hangzhou and 1 in Chengdu. There are also around 19 branches in Hong Kong and 1 opening soon in Macau. The gym is very well staffed with personal trainers and they offer aerobics, yoga and boxing classes. For a complete list of what each gym offers as well as locations check out their website. Also, go to their website to sign up for a free 7-day pass. 

Busyness rating: 7

Location:  4-6/F, 1111 Zhaojiabang Lu, near Hengshan Lu, Shanghai
地址: 上海市徐汇区肇嘉浜路1111号4-6楼, 近衡山路
Tel: 021 6426 8282
Opening hours: Mon-Fri, 6:30-23:00; Sat-Sun, 7:00-22:00
Price range: 3,000-3,500 RMB/year
Website: http://www.physicalchina.com/fitness/en/index.php
Getting there: Take subway line 1, 9 or 11 to Xujiahui station

Cheaper Options

1) Star GymView In Map
Star Gym has approximately 16 locations in Shanghai. Their gyms are well equipped with cardio machines as well as weight equipment. Some of the activities you can partake in are yoga, spinning and kick boxing. The Jing’an branch has an indoor pool that’s shared with Shanghai International Gymnastics Centre. There’s also a spa available at this location.

Busyness rating: 6

Where: 4/F, 428 Jiangning Lu, near Kangding Lu, Shanghai 
地址: 上海市江宁路428号4楼, 近康定路
Tel: 021 6267 4524
Opening hours: Daily, 7:00-22:00
Price range: 2,000-2,500 RMB/year
Website: http://www.stargym.com.cn/htm/homepage/index.htm
Getting there: Take subway line 7 to Changping Road station

2) Jingan Community CentreView In Map
Jingan Community Centre is a cheap place to work out. The gym is sort of tiny, with only two treadmills and some other gym equipment like a cross trainer and some free weights as well as weight machines. They also offer yoga classes but they’re only in Chinese. The classes are held every Wednesday evening at 6:30; the cost of 10 sessions is 100RMB. The gym costs 10RMB/hour.

Busyness rating: 4

Location:  1855 Xinzha Lu, near Yanping Lu, Shanghai
地址: 上海市静安区新闸路1855号,近延平路
Tel: 021 5213 8215
Opening hours: Daily, 8:45- 20:15
Price range: 10-100 RMB (price varies by activity)
Getting there: Take subway line 2 or 7 to Jing’an Temple station

3) Shanghai Stadium Sports Centre View In Map
Shanghai Stadium Sports Centre gives you great value and offers a wide variety of facilities. You can use the tennis courts which will cost you about 30-100 RMB/hour. There are also some football pitches; the seven-a-side one will cost about 500-700RMB/hour and the five-a-side one is about 400-700RMB/hour. The sports centre has a swimming pool and that’s roughly 30RMB/hour. If you’re not afraid of heights then make sure to try the rock-climbing wall. You can rent shoes and a harness for 10RMB and get a ticket valid for the day at 50 RMB.

Busyness rating: 5

Where:  1111 Caoxi Bei Lu, near Lingling Lu, Xuhui District, Shanghai
地址: 上海市徐汇区漕溪北路1111号, 近零陵路
Tel: 021 6426 5177
Opening hours: Daily, 9:00-22:00
Price range: 30-700 RMB (price varies by activity)
Website: http://www.rockclimb.cn/
Getting there: Take subway line 1 or 4 to Shanghai Indoor Stadium station

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Keywords: Gym in Shanghai

2 Comments

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MJMagaruh

The Jing'an Community Center is a really nice building with a dance room (1st floor) and a library (3rd floor), the workout room is located on the 3rd floor. You need to purchase a ¥100 card first, then you can workout (includes playing billiards) for ¥10/hr. They also have 2 ping-pong tables, you can play for ¥15/hr. The workout room is quite small with one rack of light dumbbells and 2-3 machines. I was told this is the cheapest fitness facility in Shanghai.

Feb 11, 2017 17:54 Report Abuse

LeilaWei

268 middle xizang rd raffles city 7th flr Physical GYM to find Leila Wei 15800724002

Sep 12, 2016 00:46 Report Abuse