How much does the gym's location matter to you?

[stephm0188]

I want to join a gym and my biggest must have (indoor track) makes the list of options a bit small. 

There's a boutique gym that is a bit expensive nearby, and it is the shortest drive. Five minutes, door to door. 

My other options are a lot more affordable, but further from my house. 15+ minutes in areas I don't tend to frequent ever.  The cost savings would be nice, but I'm a bit concerned that I'd never go if I felt like it was a hassle to get there.

[cinco]

It is very important to me. I probably wouldn't bother joining one that was 15 minutes away, but I also have a decent home gym and like to run outside. I feel like I can be pretty picky about my gym b/c it isn't a necessity for me.

[itsme]

I have a regular gym that I could walk/run to. It's probably 1/2 a mile away. I joined it for a little while but I didn't care for it. There's two CF gyms closer to the one I currently go to (each less than a 5 min drive) but I don't plan on ever trying those out because I am happy where I am. The CF gym I go to takes about 15 minutes to get to because of the lights I hit. I really like where I go so distance isn't a factor for me. In your case I'd check them both out and get a feel for them both and decided after that.

[breezy8407]

Very important right now since I work out over lunch and the gym is across the street essentially.

[ebeth]

The cost savings will never be worth it if you don't go. I'd go to the more expensive more convenient option.

[juliabug]

The accessibility of the child care was my biggest must have. I moved to a gym slightly farther away so that I could drop my kids off anytime.

That being said, if it doesn't break your budget, I would probably go for the closest one. Unless the farther away gym has other amenities that the closer one doesn't.

[mrshandy]

It's important to me. I didn't join a gym when we moved into our house since there was no gym convenient. I finally joined one when they opened one that was 5 minutes away as opposed to 15-20.

[ktzmoh]

Assuming both are clean and well maintained and have all the things you are looking for, I would pay a premium to have it 5 minutes away. The extra 20+ minutes of driving every time you go to the gym is 20+ minutes you could be working out. My time is so tight, those 20 minutes would be worth the cost.

[Susie]

Super important.

I bet if you figure out the cost per time you go, the expensive/close one will come out to fewer dollars per workout than the cheaper/further one because you will go more --> therefore the more expensive one is actually the better value.

[gt7301b]

Super important, my gym has locations 5 mins from both my home and office.

[secretlyevil]

Location is uber important. If it's not convenient, forgot it.

[jordylee]

location is so, so important. My CF gym is 2 blocks away. If I couldn't walk there, I probably wouldn't go. Driving to work out just doesn't make sense to me (a luxury of living in a big city, I know)

[MrsE]

The gym's location is of top importance. It may go unused if it's not convenient and you find excuses.

[mollyrunner]

Very, very important! Being close opens up lots of flexibility.

[irene adler]

Within a 15 minute driving radius, classes I like are more important than location.

There are gyms that are closer and/or more convenient to me, but if I don't enjoy the classes they offer, I'm willing to drive to another branch farther away

[wambam]

I bought a house 1.5 miles from my gym. I'll let you take that as you will

[osulori]

Location is definitely crucial for me too but cost plays a part too.  How much of a price difference is there?

[stephm0188]

The price difference between the cheapest, furthest option and the most expensive but closest option is $500 a year.

[awick14]

Classes I like and having access to a pool influence my decision. We have a YMCA that does tons of classes in and out of the water and I love it.