O2 Gym Chiang Mai

138/17 Kampangdin Rd, Thesaban Nakhon Chiang Mai, Amphoe Mueang, Chiang Mai

Facebook Page – Please note this is the FB page for the other O2 Gym in Chiang Mai.

Opening Hours: 8:00 – 23:00, 7 days a week

Cost: 60 baht per day or 900 per month.

Location

First things first, beware there is more than one O2 Gym in Chiang Mai. This one is located outside of the square that makes up the Old Town, and it’s about 500m East of the southeast corner of the square, towards the river. It’s well-signposted from the road and has a large obvious entrance – unmissable. And that’s not something I say lightly! 🙂

Facilities

At a glance, O2 Gym, Chiang Mai appears to be a bargain – it’s the cheapest I’ve found in Chiang Mai so far, the gym is at least as big as Harris Fitness Center and Gold Hillside Gym and the equipment is of a comparable standard to Gold Hillside.

So what’s the catch? Well, what hit me as I entered the main (weights) gym was the absence of aircon. I’d arrived on a Friday lunchtime and it struck me that the gym temperature was hotter than outdoors! BUT, venture into the cardio room and it’s another story – just as well too – thankfully the cardio room is fully air-conditioned. I fear people would be drowning in their own sweat if it wasn’t.

There are lockers in the changing rooms – you’ll need to take your own padlock for these. Like the other gyms in Chiang Mai, I didn’t see any free water available.

The toilets and showers looked reasonable and of a similar standard to Gold Hillside Gym – nothing special but clean and nice enough. Harris Fitness Center wins on the changing rooms!

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Weights

So, back to the weights room. This is a large square room, containing all manner of resistance machines, including those loadable with discs. The machines age ranges from middle-aged to, well, aged! There’s even an old Planet Fitness branded leg extension machine here – did that fly over from the US?!

There are numerous adjustable benches, both free-standing and with barbells for bench-pressing. You’ll find 2 squat racks as multi-stations with pull up bars, as well as a Smith machine, all of which looks a bit old.

There are free-weight dumbbells up to 115lbs, although no fixed-weight barbells – this seems to be standard in Chiang Mai. But like the other gyms I’ve visited here, there are several adjustable barbells. The weights are stacked fairly tidily although probably not quite to the meticulous standards of the other two gyms I’ve been to here, but all in all it’s great value for money in terms of equipment.

There are several pull-up bars of varying heights, some cable crossovers, an assisted chin-ups machine and a few inclined abs benches. These are where the equipment starts to show its age though – the abs benches were decidedly wobbly! But all in all, equipment was all usable and in good condition for its age – a bit like me then!

The weights gym’s main (and only) downfall is the lack of aircon, although the numerous fans make it bearable.

Cardio

Contrary to the weights room, the cardio room is fully air-conditioned and a very comfortable temperature for working out. The equipment looks modern and most equipment overlooks the street / outside the front of the building. You’ll find numerous treadmills, modern bikes and crosstrainers, along with one single stairclimber. Typically for Thailand, no rowers – I’ve yet to find one in Chiang Mai.

There were also several old-looking spinning bikes, but these were located in the warm weights gym, not in the cardio room. Probably due to lack of space in the cardio room.

Functional Equipment

There is plenty of floor space in the weights room here, and around 3 large, good-quality mats next to it. There’s not much in the way of gym toys and the ones that are here look more like things the gym has acquired, as opposed to invested in. I found 2 kettlebells of 4kg and 24kg weight respectively, and a 3kg medicine ball. There are a few Swiss balls though, and of course you can use the regular dumbbells.

Summary

O2 Gym Chiang Mai is a superb budget gym and the cheapest I have found in Chiang Mai so far. It’s also the only unairconditioned gym I’ve found, which accounts for the price difference. If you want to use it predominantly for cardio, you’re onto a winner – the cardio room is fully airconned and the equipment is modern. Equally, if you’re on a budget and don’t mind working out in a rather warm weights room, go for it – train early for cooler temperatures.

Want an Overview of Gyms in Chiang Mai?

I went to several different gyms here and I’ve summarised, compared and recommended my favourites for each budget level. Check out Gyms in Chiang Mai.

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