I had a gym membership for 4 years.  On Tuesday, I quit.

I liked my gym.  I liked the staff, I liked the vibe.  It’s not fancy.  It doesn’t have a pool or a spa treatment room or day care or any of that.  I don’t need that kind of gym.  I want a place to get sweaty & lift some weights.  I want to show up & do my thing.

It’s in a narrow city building, 3 stories tall.  My favorite machines were on the first floor, right in the front windows.  A lot of machines have TVs on them, but not these.  I’d put on some music, and look out the window.  It’s in an excellent location for people watching.  But a few months ago, they renovated.  The machines I loved were moved up to the second floor, and the first floor space was turned into a personal training area.

And the second floor?  It’s real gross now.  The extra machines are crammed in there, and it’s congested.  I can’t look out the window when I use the machines I like.  But the worst part: the ventilation can’t handle the humidity from the sweaty people working out.  I can’t imagine what it will be like in the dead of winter, when everyone is working out inside.  It will be a giant armpit.

But the first floor?  It looks great.  If you’re someone looking to join a gym, you’d be impressed.  There’s new equipment, and the renovated area is real sexy.  (I actually don’t know if I’m allowed to use that area or not.  So I don’t.)

On Tuesday, I was on the third floor, doing crunches in an odd little side room.  The mat I was using was all picked apart, and there was a cracked outlet cover on the wall.  And I started looking around & realized how run down the whole place is.  There’s broken machines with notes on them.  The parts are on order!  The TVs don’t all work, and they don’t get all the channels they’re supposed to get.  Some of them don’t get sound.  The walls are scuffed, and, yeah, I know it’s a gym, but they haven’t repainted in the 4 years I’ve been going.

With all that money they spent on the first floor, they could have replaced the nasty mats, fixed all the broken machines & broken TVs, and still had money left over.  I get that personal trainers bring in money, and I don’t begrudge them that.  But I really don’t think that new mats & proper ventilation are too much to ask for.

The gym became a business more interested in looking good for new clients than maintaining a relationship with old ones.  I’m sad to go, but it’s was costing me way too much money to be treated like I’m second class.