(no subject)

[sarahcoyne.livejournal.com]

So, rumor has it the Bally's Gym in Porter Square has a POOL!?

Is anyone a member? Have you been swimming? Is the pool totally grody? How is the gym as a whole?

I would really join just to swim but I'd love some opinions.

Also, what's the membership rate?

Thanks,
Swimmy McDogPaddle

Comments

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I'm a member. They do have a pool. It's only for lap swimming, no splashing or frolicking (but you probably want it for laps anyway). Ask for a free tour and you can check it out.

Membership fees vary according to the plan you choose and how long you've been a member. It's one of the least expensive commercial gym options around, though.

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

I'm a member but I haven't been swimming there. It's a very small pool but I guess good enough for doing laps (small laps... ;-) The gym overall- is not too nasty. It used to be really nasty and I left but they rehabbed some of it so it;s a bit better. It's not a Boston Sports Club (no towels, no corporate warmth) but if you wrangle a deal it can be pretty cheap.

People I know who like swimming go to the Somerville High School - not sure when the open times are.

[midorionna.livejournal.com]

you could also try the nice pool at jfk elementary on elm street. they have public swimming in the evenings.

[fanw.livejournal.com]

I second the JFK School pool (http://www.somerville.k12.ma.us/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectiondetailid=6441). I did my triathlon training there and they have a nice big pool with people mostly doing laps. It costs $4 or $5 a time, but if that's in your price range it's really nice.

[cemeterygates.livejournal.com]

I am a member and have used the pool, it's pretty small but good for laps as long as you go on off-hours when it's not too crowded. It's not gross, however the board of health has shut it down an average of once a year in the time I've been there, so there must be some grossness you can't see. Either that or they don't properly maintain their chemical content, I've never investigated the specific reasons.

[cemeterygates.livejournal.com]

PS: about $40/month on the pay-as-you-go plan, less if you sign a year contract.

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

I refused to join there years ago, because the pool chemicals seemed a bit funky. My skin smelled really weird for a week after I went swimming there. Maybe I picked a bad week.

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

If you do join, don't get an annual membership. At least avoid the three-year lock-in. They do NOT let you out of the contract unless you move very, very far away.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

even then it's hard. my parents moved from st. louis to seattle and bally's wouldn't let them out of their contract because there was a bally's something like 20 miles from their house in seattle. Who's going to drive 20 miles each way to go the gym. My parents had to eat the cancellation fee, which i remember being pretty steep.

[lonelyholiday.livejournal.com]

I was going to mention this too. A friend who was a member of the Porter Bally's moved and she wanted to cancel the Bally's membership because there was a different gym two blocks from her new apartment. Bally's wouldn't let her cancel because there was a Bally's location somewhere within a 20-mile radius of that new apartment, like she was going to drive ANY distance when she could walk two blocks.

[elements.livejournal.com]

If you're a member of Healthworks you can use the pool at JFK elementary, so if you're considering multiple gyms you might want that info.

[arachne8x.livejournal.com]

Can we use it cost free? (Heatlhworks members that is)

[elements.livejournal.com]

I'll have to dig around my desk and find my membership packet, but I think it's a small charge, like maybe $4. I'm not sure if it varies depending on what kind of membership you have. I've never actually used it yet myself; I only recently re-joined Healthworks after many years away from it.

[lissie930.livejournal.com]

Anyone can use the JFK pool, as far as I know - it costs a bit more if you're not a Somerville resident, but it's open to the public! It's a nice pool, IME/O.

[hawkegirl.livejournal.com]

Yes, they have a pool. It's a nice gym (IMHO). Rates vary, as there are often "specials".

Just go, try it for a day, ask to be shown around, and what their current specials are.

Enjoy!

[denonymous.livejournal.com]

AWESOME icon. Made my morning. :)

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

I was a member there for a little over a year. The pool was closed (shut down as I later found) when I joined, it took 4 months to open, and then it was shut down again a few months later. It also smells odd, and not just in a public pool way.

I never had much temptation to use it.

The gym itself is OK.

[katiesaur.livejournal.com]

you should look into the discovery health body challenge... i don't know much about it, but it looks like you can get a free 8-week membership to Bally's with it...