McKenzie’s Fitness Studio, Quito
Reina Victoria, Quito 170135
Opening hours: Mon – Fri – 0600-2200, Sat: 0800 – 1230, Sun: 0900 – 1230
*Unusually for Ecuador, this gym is one of very few that opens on a Sunday – bonus!
Cost: Usually $7, but having read online that the cost can vary, I engaged my best Spanish and we settled on $5.
McKenzie’s Gym / McKenzie’s Fitness Studio: A Gym with a Difference!
McKenzie’s Gym was certainly an experience. Apart from being the first gym in South America that I’ve found which provides toilet paper (hurrah!), it is also the first gym I’ve encountered anywhere where one of the gym team poses as a waiter! He was carrying a large tray of chopped fruit on cocktail sticks, going around offering it to all the customers – awesome! I arrived at 630am and within minutes he had started his rounds. Chopped apple, banana, papaya and pineapple featured, and after I took one, he picked up two more and gave them to me. Fifteen minutes after his first round, he repeated the process, after which he left the tray available for all (and perhaps continued his rounds later). Great start to the day.
Location and Entry
McKenzie’s Gym is located in the La Colon area of Quito and was very close to my accommodation, Casa Urbana, which I highly recommend.
Beware, the gym entrance is located on the street to the left of the aerobics studio – don’t try to enter through the door to the right of it like I did – wrong building!
Facilities
Although I wasn’t given a towel upon entry, I was offered one halfway through my workout. No water is provided, but there are lockers – take your own padlock. Staff were extremely friendly and willing to help, at least one of whom spoke good English. He seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the gym and its facilities when he showed me around, and rightly so.
Everything is extremely clean, from the floor to the changing rooms and the changing rooms were in fact so popular I couldn’t even wash my hands after my workout – a class had just finished and everyone was surrounding the sinks, using the hairdryers etc!
Weights
There are a good range of dumbbells (up to 100lbs) and adjustable barbells and discs. Some of the weights equipment was a slightly dated (struggled to get the pin in without fiddling around), but nevertheless there was a good range of it and all of it was functional.
Cardio
There were numerous modern-looking treadmills and crosstrainers, as well as a couple of bikes (and a studio full of them) and a rowing machine.
Functional Equipment
There is a small functional training area within the gym, although I couldn’t see any mats – only rollers and knee rests. But when the studio is not in use, you’re welcome to go in and use it, along with the numerous mats, step boards, Swiss balls, boxing gloves and bag etc – an excellent range.
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Summary
Overall, McKenzie’s Fitness Studio is excellent, just slightly lacking in dumbbell weights in the lower end of the range. $7 is however a little pricy, with other gyms that I visited in the area charging $4 and $6 respectively. Don’t pay more than $5!
See here my post on Energy Xtreme Gym Fitness Center, costing $4, and Other Gyms in Quito for a $6 option.
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