Last week was my week of sport. Besides daily biking activities which here is more a mean of transport, not really sport, I also visited two sport/fitness clubs. After checking out both of them and having talks with membership coordinators from both clubs, I think that I have a quite good overview of Dutch sport clubs.
So let me sum up what have I found so far.
In the Netherlands it is common for sport clubs to give out free day passes or "gratis dagpas" for possible customers. During the day they not only have a chance to try all facilities in the club, but also get a guided tour around it and a chat with the membership coordinator, who tells how much does it cost to join the club and what are the membership options.
Most of the clubs have membership only for 12 months, some of them also for six months, but that's more expensive. And yes, it means that you can't join only for one month, one week or one day - it is simply not possible. Once you join the club, you are stuck with it for a year. So make your choice carefully! Off-peak passes which do not include weekday evenings are normally cheaper than normal all-inclusive passes, and there are also discounts if you join as a couple. That also explains why the clubs are so eager to advertise free day passes to make sure that the customers will be satisfied once they join.
After a hot discussion on my Facebook profile with Dutch and non Dutch people I learnt that it is common to have mixed sauna in sport clubs, which also proved to be true in both clubs I visited. However, I still do not know if Dutch people go naked, with a swimming suit or with a towel? The first sauna seemed to be towel friendly, while the second one looked like swimming suit friendly, which definitely is not so good because you are supposed to go to sauna naked.
Unfortunately there are not so many fitness clubs in Amsterdam which have also swimming pool. I love swimming and I do not care about the fitness so much as about swimming, going to sauna, swimming again, going to another sauna, then trying jacuzzi etc.
In the next weeks I hope to discover some swimming pools (unfortunately no free day passes), so wait for another blogpost later on!
And a small advice - Sports World Amsterdam is a good choice if you want to try different classes (e.g., I tried yoga class), but Sportcentrum Amstelpark is the best choice if you are both into fitness and swimming. They have a great swimming pool and three different saunas.
So let me sum up what have I found so far.
In the Netherlands it is common for sport clubs to give out free day passes or "gratis dagpas" for possible customers. During the day they not only have a chance to try all facilities in the club, but also get a guided tour around it and a chat with the membership coordinator, who tells how much does it cost to join the club and what are the membership options.
Most of the clubs have membership only for 12 months, some of them also for six months, but that's more expensive. And yes, it means that you can't join only for one month, one week or one day - it is simply not possible. Once you join the club, you are stuck with it for a year. So make your choice carefully! Off-peak passes which do not include weekday evenings are normally cheaper than normal all-inclusive passes, and there are also discounts if you join as a couple. That also explains why the clubs are so eager to advertise free day passes to make sure that the customers will be satisfied once they join.
After a hot discussion on my Facebook profile with Dutch and non Dutch people I learnt that it is common to have mixed sauna in sport clubs, which also proved to be true in both clubs I visited. However, I still do not know if Dutch people go naked, with a swimming suit or with a towel? The first sauna seemed to be towel friendly, while the second one looked like swimming suit friendly, which definitely is not so good because you are supposed to go to sauna naked.
Unfortunately there are not so many fitness clubs in Amsterdam which have also swimming pool. I love swimming and I do not care about the fitness so much as about swimming, going to sauna, swimming again, going to another sauna, then trying jacuzzi etc.
In the next weeks I hope to discover some swimming pools (unfortunately no free day passes), so wait for another blogpost later on!
And a small advice - Sports World Amsterdam is a good choice if you want to try different classes (e.g., I tried yoga class), but Sportcentrum Amstelpark is the best choice if you are both into fitness and swimming. They have a great swimming pool and three different saunas.
Nav komentāru:
Ierakstīt komentāru