Gyms In Sukhumvit, Bangkok

Hi all! I arrived here from Chiang Mai on an overnight bus at 5:30am (I just love trying to function at this time) and along with several others, eagerly awaited the opening of the metro as dawn started to break. After a 3 hour nap at my accommodation, I set off on my mission – find affordable gyms in Bangkok.(Thank you, Live it Up for letting me check in at 6:15am!) My aim was ideally to find gyms in Sukhumvit, where I was staying. However I have since branched out to gyms in other areas of Bangkok – each time I visit I like to explore a new part

Locations – Gyms in Sukhumvit, Gyms in Phaya Thai & Gyms in Ekkamai

First of all there are LOADS of gyms in the Sukhumvit area, all within a few minutes walk of Sukhumvit MRT/ Asok BTS station. Some of these extend to Khlong Toei, around 1km away. I also checked out some gyms in Phaya Thai and Ekkamai, so this post will focus on gyms in these areas and we’ll see which are most the most budget-friendly and have the best facilities.

Note that Phaya Thai is 7-8km northwest of Sukhumvit/Asok. The nearest BTS station is Saphan Khwai.

Ekkamai itself is around 3.5km east of Sukhumvit, and gyms I visited are 1km further, 4 BTS stops from Sukhumvit/Asok.

You can find full reviews of the gyms I used by clicking on individual links, or see brief descriptions, comparisons and a summary below.

Accommodation

Accommodation I have stayed in around Sukhumvit includes Live it Up, BADU Sukhumvit and Monkey Nap, all of which I can recommend. Live it Up was brilliantly located with super-comfy beds and a good social vibe in its common areas. BADU Sukhumvit was a beautiful upmarket hostel which served a delicious Asian buffet breakfast, whilst nearby Monkey was more laid back with huge common areas suitable for working or relaxing.

When I stayed near Ekkamai, I chose to stay at Local Time Bangkok, an awesome hostel where you can cook yourself eggs (unlimited) for breakfast, which is included – yay, protein! I slept really well here too. Both the gyms and the accommodation are closer to Phra Khanong station, 1km east of Ekkamai.

You can compare prices on accommodation here:

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Gyms in Bangkok I’ve Used (click links)

1. Jetts Fitness FYI Center (Khlong Toei, Sukhumvit / Khlong Toei) – 3 day free pass!

Jetts Fitness FYI Center is one metro stop south of Sukhumvit, or walk along Benjakitti Park to get there if it’s not too hot. This is a quality global chain which never disappoints. This large facility delivers all round on cardio equipment, weights and in this case a generous amount of floor space too. You’ll find a good range of gym toys and boxing equipment, along with dumbell free weights up to 35kg and barbells up to 45kg. Everything was modern, tidy and in excellent condition. I’ve found Jetts is a solid gym option wherever you are in the world.

2. Anytime Fitness Bangkok (K Village) (Sukhumvit / Khlong Toei) – 3 day free pass!

Anytime Fitness Bangkok (K Village) is another quality global gym chain. You’ll find this place around 1km east of Jetts above, though it’s less accessible by metro – over 1km away from nearby MRT stations. The club is also on par with any western chain in terms of quality of facilities, and seemed nearly as big as Jetts. Dumbbells here go up to a generous 50kg and barbells up to 55kg and I spotted a class timetable with over 20 classes a week! You’ll find plenty of floorspace too, although I must admit I prefer the overall layout of Jetts.

3. DD Fitness Bangkok (Phaya Thai) – 1 day free pass or 500 baht per session.

DD Fitness Bangkok is located near Ari BTS station. Having never heard of it before, I was pleasantly surprised at the lovely gym facilities, along with a similar number of studio classes as Anytime Fitness. Whilst it had a few minor eccentricities, it ticked all the boxes – weights up to 50kg, a decent cardio section, aircon and a dedicated functional training area. It was comparable in size to both the above clubs too. Well worth a visit!

 

4. YellowStar Fitness (Phaya Thai) – 350 baht per session.

Yellow Star Fitness is over 1km north of DD Fitness, near Saphan Kwai BTS station. It has the cheapest casual rate of the gyms in Bangkok which I used, although it’s far from budget-friendly. Worse, the gym is much smaller than all of the above. It offers a handful of free weights, two treadmills and a few resistance machines, whilst the upstairs area was more substantial – a whole floor dedicated to functional training. If this is your preferred workout style, I can recommend this gym. Otherwise, pick another.

5. The Movement Playground (Ekkamai) – 550 baht per hour.

The Movement Playground is a gym with a difference – it’s literally a playground with a workout theme! You take parkour classes amongst other here, as well as use more mainstream gym equipment. The focus at this gym in Ekkamai is entirely on functional training though, so you’ll do well if you want floor space, gym toys and a basic selection of free weights up to 60lbs, but you won’t find machines here. By that I mean no cardio machines or resistance stuff, but there is a squat rack, rig etc.

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Gyms in Bangkok I’ve Visited (only)

Gyms in Sukhumvit

5. Tony’s Fitness 
6. Sino-Thai Tower Fitness 
7. Hit It! 
8. Gym 20 Thailand 
9. F45 Training Asok

Gym in Ekkamai

10. Fitness 24 Seven

Cost

The first thing to note is the very high casual rate of the gyms in the Sukhumvit and Ekkamai areas – this is the main reason I didn’t use them all. As it’s a very touristy area, gyms evidently hike the prices up accordingly. So if you’re on a budget, I’d advise you to use the metro or Grab to use a club elsewhere.

Let’s look at these gyms in more detail…

A note on ID…

Occasionally, I find gyms ask for my passport in Thailand and Asia generally, so make sure you take it along with you. It only happens a small proportion of the time, but typically it’s the larger clubs when it does.

5. Tony’s Fitness

Soi Sukhumvit 19, Sukhumvit, Bangkok
Facebook (currently not up to date)

I went to enquire about rates and was presented with a chart by staff who spoke v little English. The chart covers clubs in various regions of the country, see group D in the image above for Bangkok.

Note that Sukhumvit Pattaya is nothing to do with Sukhumvit Bangkok, this section is talking about their Pattaya gyms.

The good news is, if you’re here for a while, the gym is pretty cheap. But the bad news is they do not offer a daily rate at all – or even a weekly one. It’s simply 1099 baht per month. Cheap? Yes, if you’re actually using a gym in Bangkok for a month, or even a couple of weeks. Not very helpful if you only want a day pass though, and they wouldn’t budge on this.

So it’s time to move on….

6. Sino-Thai Tower Fitness

100 Pi Sayam Samakhom Alley, Sukhumvit, Bangkok
Facebook
Opening Times: Mon – Fri – 11:30 – 21:00. Closed Sat and Sun.
Cost: 95 baht per session.
Or buy in bulk to get a discount; 5 sessions for 450, 10 sessions for 850, etc.

Ah, that’s more like it! And the gym is located on the 17^th floor of… Sino-Thai Tower, funnily enough. Take the lift or have an extended warm-up. You can’t miss the tower from the street and once you’re on the 17^th floor, it’s clearly signposted at the end of a corridor.

My understanding from the limited English spoken by staff is that the gym is targeted at the office staff working in this huge building. They would have been happy for me to use it though.

Huge Discounts on Day Trips and Longer Trips around Bangkok and Thailand!

7. Hit It!

According to Google as I write this, it’s one block south of Tony’s Fitness.

However I couldn’t see any evidence of it existing and noticed that the last reviews of it were a couple of years ago. I concluded it must have shut. That or the lack of sleep on the bus has got the better of me.

Then I found them on Facebook – the location here is different from the Google location at the time of writing, so the FB one may well be correct – I didn’t venture this far East, but if so, it’s a 20 minute walk away between Phrom Phong and Thong Lo BTS stations.

So, now where?

 

8. Gym 20 Thailand

Website
Opening Times: Mon – Fri: 9:00 – 21:00, Sat and Sun: 9:00 – 19:00.
Cost: I was told 1000 baht per day. Yes, per day, eek!
However the website says prices start from 699 per day. Guess I wasn’t at the height of my negotiating ability after my night on the bus.

And if you’re really struggling to spend your cash in Bangkok, you can buy 12 sessions for 9900.

So, what it is all about and why so expensive?
Well, this gym in Bangkok is pretty small, so it’s not the facilities that warrant the premium price. Apparently it’s the clothing. The staff member I spoke to was wearing what looked to be a wetsuit (it’s not) and told me that the price includes wearing one of these.

So what is it? Well, I wasn’t entirely sure but he certainly thought it had some merits. So, I did a bit of research; the suits incorporates Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) – basically exercising with electricity. Some of the benefits claimed on 4U Fitness’ website are that this helps to build muscle, burn fat and reduce cellulite.

Can I just train without one? Unfortunately not here, he told me.

Unconvinced that I wanted to pay 1000 baht for the privilege of wearing what looks to be a hot and sweaty suit, I left.

But in terms of the gym itself, the facilities looked brand new and in pristine condition.

Facilities

You’ll find dumbbells up to 50lbs (including lightweight ones), a Smith machine, squat rack and a whole load of functional equipment. This includes kettlebells, medicine balls, an abs roller, power bags, step boards, TRX, pull-up bars, boxing gloves, pads, foam rollers and battle ropes.

There are plenty of adjustable benches and benches for hip extensions. Also, you’ll find a treadmill and a crosstrainer.

9. F45 Training Asok

3rd Floor, Exchange Tower, Sukhumvit Rd, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei
Website
Opening Times: Mon – Fri: 7:00 – 20:30, Sat: 9:00 – 13:00, Sun: 10:00 – 13:00
Cost: 700 baht per class

Location and Entry

Take the escalator up to the 3rd floor and you’ll immediately be faced with a gym. However, it’s not F45! This one is called Absolute You, which I learnt from reception is nothing to do with you F45. Enter there and turn left, noticing a large yoga studio as you do. If you’re into yoga, you might want to stop here!

Otherwise, continue down to the end where you’ll see F45 clearly marked (see image) and their class timetable on display on screen.

Note, this is a class-only gym. 

There are 6 classes per day most weekdays and 2-3 per day on weekends (see image above)

Facilities

This modern and attractive studio is fairly large and is full of functional equipment and weights. The friendly staff explained to me that the classes are HIIT style.

The facility is only for use in the classes, it’s not a regular gym.

10. Fitness 24 Seven

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1106 Sukhumvit Rd, Phra Khanong, 10110

Website   Facebook

Opening Hours: They claim 24/7 but the website states Mon – Fri: 6:00 – 22:00, Sat – Sun: 8:00 – 22:00
Perhaps these are staffed hours?
Cost: 499 baht a day

Fitness 24 Seven is located very close to Phra Khanong metro station on the main road. Just head up the escalator. I visited this Ekkamai gym only briefly and can certainly vouch for the aircon- it was working beautifully when I stepped in on a weekday afternoon! This appeared to be a top facility with very new equipment, clean and well looked after. Naturally this comes at a price in Bangkok!

Summary of Gyms in Bangkok

Gyms in Sukhumvit

If you’re looking at gyms in Bangkok, the Sukhumvit area is very expensive if you are on a budget. In fact, Sino-Thai Tower Fitness was the only one I found with a budget-friendly rate. For short stays in Bangkok, I recommend you use the free passes available at Anytime Fitness Bangkok (K Village) and Jetts Fitness FYI Center. These are for three consecutive days each, so will cover you for your first week in Bangkok. Beyond that, Sino Thai Tower has a reasonable casual rate. All of these are located in or around Sukhumvit and Khlong Toei.

For longer stays in Bangkok, Tony’s Fitness may well become an option – one month is currently the shortest time period they offer.

Both Gym 20 Thailand and F45 Training Asok are high-end facilities, with Gym 20 offering a workout in an Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) suit for 1000 baht a go, and F45 Training Asok being a class-only facility, charging 700 baht per visit.

Gyms in Phaya Thai

In Phaya Thai, DD Fitness Bangkok offers a one day free trial. Beyond this, neither DD Fitness nor YellowStar Fitness offered a budget friendly rate; these were 500 baht and 350 rate per day, respectively.

Gyms In Ekkamai

Like rest of Bangkok, gyms in Ekkamai charge around 500 baht per person per entry if you’re buying at the casual rate. The two gyms I visited were very different, despite the price similarity. For a more standard gym, check out Fitness 24 Seven or pay a similar rate at The Movement Playground for a more unique experience at a parkour gym.

Or – Keep Fit For Free!

If you’re a runner, check out Benjakitti Park nearby! It’s a great outdoor park with a free running track around an attractive lake. See here for details.

Thanks for reading my page on Gyms on Bangkok, which I hope you’ve found useful. If so, and you’re feeling generous, I love coffee and it would make my day if you’d fuel my motivation to write, train and travel. Please buy me a coffee here!

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