Gym Skim
Looking for a kick-ass gym? Sheena Liang puts the big boys to the test.
California Fitness
Credited with bringing fitness to the masses, California Fitness is notorious for the hard sell. But with more than 55,000 members in Hong Kong, it clearly works. A real “meet market,” there are six branches around town, from Wan Chai to Mongkok. Market domination is obviously the name of the game with new gyms cropping up almost as frequently as Starbucks outlets.
The workout: Tons of machines, tons of classes and tons of people. It gets hectic at lunchtimes, when weight benches are precious commodities. But many a good workout has been had here. There’s not much in the way of extra assistance, but personal training is not pricey and is worth your while. Also outfitted with a multipurpose room and a spinning studio.
We like: Kickfit and the Jackie Chan-choreographed JC Boxercise classes for shedding winter fat.
We don’t like: The machines are too close, the music variable and the TVs are few and far between – not that this matters much because they rarely show anything you want to watch.
Locker rooms: Basic. It’s a bit of a trek to the fifth floor for the ladies, and there’s usually a battle for the showers during rush hours.
Extras: MIX juice bar in the lobby. The gym in Tsim Sha Tsui sells JC apparel and accessories.
