Nok Noy Gym and Fitness, Pakse
No. 38 Road, almost opposite Louk Saiy Bar Beer Garden.
Opening hours: 500-830am and 230-830pm.
Cost: 15 000 kip per visit.
Location and Entry
First, beware – neither the location nor opening hours were accurate on Google when I went.
At the time of writing, Google states there are two gyms called Nok Noy, with this one being further out of town, almost directly south of the other one. However, I couldn’t find the more northerly one (supposedly on the street between No. 13 S Road and No. 38 Road) at all when I went to the location. The guy didn’t speak enough English for me to establish if they’d relocated or what was going on.
Nok Noy Gym Pakse is a fair walk out of town (around 40 minutes) and if it’s as hot as it normally is in Laos, I’d recommend hiring a bike to get there so you’re not wilting upon arrival. Miss Noy Motorbikes in the town centre rent bicycles for 15 000 kip per day (as well as motorbikes) and they open at 7am.
Cost: 15 000 kip per visit. The guy picked the notes out of his till to communicate this when I arrived and asked the price. No idea if they offer monthly or weekly rates, it was beyond his English (and my Lao) and I wasn’t staying there long enough to need to know.
The opening hours printed on the door seemed to be correct: 500-830am and 230-830pm. I assume this operates 7 days a week, but I only attended on Monday and a Friday and as I was elsewhere in between.
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Facilities
The facilities were very good – around 8+ treadmills and a couple of crosstrainers and bikes for cardio. Like most Asian gyms, it lacked any rowing machines. The weights equipment was also extensive – a full set of dumbbell free-weights going up to 25kg. Although there were no fixed-weight barbells, there were several adjustable ones and numerous discs. The machines and weights were all in reasonable condition – neither old nor new but functional. The gym lacked much atmosphere, but five minutes before closing times, on both my visits, they did actually turn on some music which was pretty good! Could have done with this earlier, guys!
Apart from the dungeon-like appearance of the gym, the main drawback was its lack of cooling (and location). I could see only two fans in the whole place and there was no evidence of aircon at all. There were plenty of gaps in the walls at the top where fresh air could get in at least.
You’ll find four very clean toilets here – bonus!
Functional Equipment
I found a significant floor space area with a roller, Swiss balls and other equipment, along with gloves, pads and boxing bags for those inclined.
I trained in the morning both times, and by 840am, everyone else had left, so I followed, though he wasn’t making any great attempt to evict me. Laid back Laos….
Summary
All in all, Nok Noy Gym Pakse is a decent well-equipped gym. Visit early to beat the heat. If you go and hire a bike at 7am, you’ll be there by 7:20 (takes a few minutes to sort out the bike), giving you around 1 hour 20 minutes of workout in a fairly comfortable temperature before you embark on your day.
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