A Magnolia business is undergoing a big change. Pl?base Fitness is now a gym. The former personal training studio located at 4300 36th Ave (at the corner of Government Way and 36th Ave W) is now a fully-functional gym.
Members can now come in and workout on their own, participate in group fitness classes and get assistance from a professional trainer. The charge for membership is $85 per month and that includes a professional trainer in the gym at all times to assist members with their workouts. Owners Steven and Monica Stanfield say there is no extra cost for this service and members will get better workouts resulting in more progress in their fitness. They say this is something very different than other gyms that offer personal training at $50 – 80 per hour in addition to monthly dues.
You can get more information about the gym here.
There are those who do not need a personal trainer, so why pay for that as part of membership fee. There is nothing illuminating about what they are doing. There are other “gyms” that offer more for less.
If you’re one of the few of us that can manage an exercise plan on a routine basis without a personal trainer that actually achieves key goals, you’re lucky. For all the people that aren’t like us, that’s not a bad deal price wise for a good trainer. And a good trainer will work you out but good…
As the owner of this gym I have to say…
Yes there are people who do not need a personal trainer. And there are also many people who like the assistance of a professional for many reasons (safety, creativity, positive reinforcement, accountability, and faster results). Only 15% of the population even goes to the gym and a large part is due to feeling intimidated or embarrassed because they don’t know what to do when they get there. We feel that creating a gym environment that supports people who want assistance at no additional cost is a positive thing.
There are also many gyms that offer less and charge more, and personal training is built in primarily as a commissioned sales position. I have been in the industry long enough to know how many gyms use personal training to make their profit aside from memberships. It?s no wonder the personal training industry has a 90% turnover rate. What we are doing may not be ?illuminating? for someone who doesn?t want a personal trainer helping them, but for those who want to go to the gym and want the benefits of working with a professional without having to pay extra, it could be illuminating.
What you’re doing is great. What you’re hearing on this comment stream is that there is a lot of frustration here in Magnolia over no longer having a local gym that is affordable and provides the basics. It is not your responsibility to fill this niche, but it seemed many hoped you might. Thanks for what you are indeed doing.
“There are other “gyms” that offer more for less.”
That may be but cost, service, enjoyment factor, environment and benefit are different variables for different people. I’ve done it all: trainers, Mieko’s, work gyms, home gyms, mega gyms. Plabase works for me: it’s efficient, friendly, convenient.
way too expensive and a big waste of money. Good luck to them
$85 a month plus tax I am sure!!! WOW!!!!!!!
Actually it’s just $85/ month… tax included. I checked into this.
Tax is included and there are no joining fees or long-term contracts!
Wow, why so much negativity here? If you don’t like it, don’t go there. But to encourage others not to go seems out of place. Have you ever priced what it costs for assistance from a personal trainer? For those that need this service, this is a literal bargain. More power to them, and I wish much success.
A lot of us have been gym rats for decades; maxing our aerobic capacity to the point of injury and pushing weights past our aging joints’ capacity. We repeat patterns of exercise that are decades old. You all know who you are. . .
Due to injury, worsening flexibility and balance and chronic malfunction of my joints I went looking for something different. I had heard about Plabase and nodded politely, thinking it sounded pretty goofy. Two weeks ago I reluctantly went to a stretching class at Plabase. Fifteen minutes into the class I realized that this was totally unlike anything other exercise program that I had experienced. This is an hour class; first 30 minutes is aerobic/strength and the second 30 minutes is stretching. All of you are nodding and thinking “so?” I was lobbing a 6 lb medicine ball over my shoulder, across the room with all my strength; over and over. I balanced on one foot, holding one end of a strap with a partner, and we tried to unbalance each other. I cannot honestly remember the last time I worked out so hard, with so much of my body, laughed and had so much fun. Thirty minutes was plenty! I was happy to stretch for the remaining 30 minutes; and these were targeted stretches just for me and my body not “the whole class will now do this” routine.
I challenge any of you, young or old, to take Plabase up on the free week (check their FaceBook page) and not come away impressed. That free week gives you a training session, open gym (lots of hours), and classes: Stretching and Strength. The thing is when you go to the open gym, it is like another supervised training session. And I am not talking about trainers who sit you at machines, change the weights, and count. The owners are incredibly interactive in your workout! Think back to the playground; Plabase is like a playground for grownups!
Again, if you think this is just another personal trainer environment and not worth your time, I challenge you to try the free week and prove me wrong!
My question is….. How many people can the gym hold? If there is 20 people working out and one personal trainer how is that beneficial if you want some one on one time with the trainer with that many people there?
My question is….. How many people can the gym hold? If there is 20 people working out and one personal trainer how is that beneficial if you want some one on one time with the trainer with that many people there?
Plabase is a smaller gym. We limit our member capacity to the hundreds (as opposed the most of the big box gyms that have memberships into the thousands!). This insures consistent quality control and member satisfaction. For gym hours we limit the number of people on the floor at one time to 8 people. Again, small gym? big impact! You really feel like a member of an exclusive, fun, dynamic fitness community.
But if you are only open Saturdays until 3pm, and closed Sundays, then most members are going to be in there Saturday mornings. (Mieko’s used to be crazy busy Saturday mornings; that time fits most people’s schedule.) It would suck to be paying $85/month, as a member, and arrive at the gym only to be turned away because 8 other folks got there first.
Could be a great place for all the magnolia moms that don’t work, but the hours are appealing at all for the general public that actually have jobs. Rather go to Denali or LA Fitness were there isn’t time restrictions.
Sadly, I agree. I’m sure the owners mean well, but how could the ordinary working person attend? The “open gym hours” only include ONE evening per week, and that’s only from 6-7pm. It’s only open Saturday until 3pm, and closed all day Sunday.
And the “unlimited classes” don’t mean much when there are only 7 hours of class per week, and only ONE hour at all on the weekend.
There are no cardio machines. None. I guess I could jump rope for an hour there, but might as well do that at home.
Aaaaaand… there’s no childcare. Even Mieko’s had easy childcare.
I’m providing this feedback in the genuine hope that the owners will see it and adjust their scheduling to fir the ordinary working person, like me. (P.s.: a gym for working people needs to be open all weekend, when most people go to the gym; have a childcare option; and have more than just the two kinds of classes, strength and stretch. Most of us need & want serious cardio classes and machines.)
Wow it?s so great that we are still getting comments after this long. Thank you very much for your honest feedback.
We know we have our limitations as a smaller gym; we also don?t have a swimming pool, sauna or steam room because we don?t need them to give an effective, challenging and enjoyable fitness experience. Our limitations don’t in any way hinder the quality of people’s experience; in fact it enhances it because we focus on the quality of the fitness programs we offer. Most of our members have children, work and still manage to fit us into their lives. As we expand our facilities we will also have a playground for kids to play in too.
No we do not have any cardio machines, but that doesn?t mean we don?t do cardio here. In our opinion a machine that costs thousands of dollars is a waste of money, space and materials that breaks down, needs repairing and eventually goes into a landfill. It doesn?t take so many moving parts in order to get our parts moving. You are better off jumping rope since it burns more calories in less time and improves balance better than a machine. Machines in general can cause more harm than good anyway. I can honestly say that I have never had a client come and tell me how much they love a machine because it has been so good at getting them into shape. However, I have worked with many people who have experienced repetitive use injuries from treadmills, rotator cuff and back injuries from fixed-axis machines (ie. Leg press, Smith machine). Our bodies are not meant to sit down and move one muscle at a time or repeat the same exact limited movement over and over again. I can guarantee a better cardio, strength, flexibility, stamina, agility, power, speed, and overall fitness experience than any cardio machine can. Unfortunately this goes against the standard business model of most gyms.
This is one of the fundamental differences in our gym. Instead of machines, we offer actual people to engage with and help with your fitness. How much community and engagement is there standing on a treadmill watching a TV? How much interaction do you get when you sit at the bench press machine? Plabase is a place to connect with yourself and others. And there is no time wasted wondering what to do. It?s very simple here. You come in, stretch, warm up, grab one of our many pre-designed workout programs and get going. The trainer on the floor is there to help answer questions, correct form, play games and make sure you get the most out of every minute you are in the gym.
As for our classes? Don?t knock it till you try it! Our classes are great for cardio, agility, balance, strength, speed and a great time! We guarantee you will laugh and sweat. We also have a new class ?SWEAT? starting in April at 12pm on Mon, Wed and Fri. This is an intense interval ?cardio? class!
Our hours are also expanding beginning in April. You can look at the new schedule on our website: http://www.plabase.com
In conclusion. Come check us out! We offer a FREE week trial pass that includes a 1-hour private session, classes and gym access. See if you like it. If you do great, if not then we hope you find what you are looking for.
No offense, but you don’t have what I need – including childcare (essential!). And I can’t attend your noon weekday classes because I work, just like most people.
Mieko’s wasn’t perfect, but it was open all weekend, every evening until late, had childcare, had lots of different kinds of classes/machines/equipment so every client could get what THEY wanted and not just a limited section that the gym owner thought they should do. And I could always work out there – again, with your limit of 8 people in your gym at a time, your clients are going to be pretty stuck on Saturday mornings when they want to work out and your gym’s already full. (Every gym I’ve every attended is at its most crowded on saturday mornings!)
If I wanted to pay $85/month, honestly, there are many gyms downtown that offer many many more exercises opprtunities and far more open hours than you do, plus childcare, for that price. (I have previously belonged to Olympic Athletic Club and Seattle Athletic Club – awesome gyms.)
Just my feedback.
I am a recent member of Plabase and I can say with out a doubt this is a small gym with a big impact . . . and it comes at a stellar price! I go to the stretch classes and I feel amazing when I leave. I receive a great workout, a great stretch out and I get to interact with the owners who are extremely knowledgeable in all matters of health and fitness. I also enjoy interacting with the other members. These classes are fun, energizing, nourishing and indeed “illuminating”! Try it out and decide for yourself.
I love this place – the training has paid off with increased agility and balance. And it’s just plain fun. Where else can you laugh like a kid when you’re getting a serious workout. If you haven’t been to Plabase, get in there. You’ll be glad you did!
All the signage has been removed from the front of this place. I’m wondering if they went out of business.
The business is changing owners. The current owners had a family emergency that required moving out of state immediately.