Watch out YMCA: There’s a new gym in town
Planet Fitness, located in the Pine Lake Village area, opened its doors to the Sammamish community on April 16. The gym facility offers equipment that ranges from functional stations, cardio machines, and strength equipment, alongside a recovery area and other amenities for an additional cost.
The Sammamish location is the latest one to open for the nationwide fitness center chain. Planet Fitness has a total of 2,732 locations across 52 states and territories. This is the 19th location to open in the Seattle-Tacoma area.
Mindy Marquart, Planet Fitness’s regional director for the Pacific Northwest, said the Sammamish location “really opens up opportunities for people of all ability levels and socioeconomic backgrounds to really have a relationship with fitness and experience a healthy lifestyle”.
Planet Fitness offers a “Classic” membership that includes unlimited access to one location, as well as Planet Fitness app workouts, free wifi, and other perks, at the cost of $15 a month and an annual fee of $49.
A higher-level “Black Card” membership upgrades access to any Planet Fitness location, with additional guest privileges such as, hydromassage, tanning, and a dedicated recovery area. The Black Card membership costs $24.99 a month, along with the annual fee.
The price difference between Planet Fitness and other athletic facilities in Sammamish, such as the YMCA, has been noticeable, with a typical YMCA individual membership starting at $91 per month and a family membership starting at $154.
Zofia Lukasik, 16, a previous user of the YMCA and a current member of Planet Fitness, said the pricing played a role in her choosing Planet Fitness as
“It’s way cheaper than other gyms around,” Lukasik said.
When asked about how the YMCA compares to Planet Fitness, Lukasik said that the YMCA is “way smaller and there’s not a lot of space, and I feel like Planet Fitness is just way more open.”
“I like the simple business format they have, it’s easy to come in, get in, get a workout, get out,” Benjamin Grogan, 43, said.
Despite this, Marquart does not see the YMCA as competition.
Besides exercise equipment, the Sammamish YMCA offers a wide variety of activities including swimming pools, a kids zone, and yoga classes.
“The YMCA is definitely more of a community center and a place of activity and other events, whereas Planet Fitness really is for your health and wellness, and fitness and recovery journeys,” Marquart said.
Planet Fitness is located at 3066 228th Ave SE in Sammamish, within the Pine Lake Shopping Center.
