I’ve been trying to get back into a good health & fitness routine and have been debating about joining a gym. I’ve been a member of gyms in the past and enjoyed it, but it’s been awhile.
Not too long ago I was invited to check out Life Time Athletic in Bloomfield Hills on a blogger event. Never having been there I was naturally excited to check it out. I see it all the time driving around and was excited to see what the inside looked like.
My first thought when I walked in was “this isn’t a gym, this looks more like a hotel, a very nice hotel at that.” When you walk in, the main desk is right there, but off to the right is their own café. The Life Café offers some delicious options and they provide a ton of options for you to make it a healthy meal too. We were fortunate enough to check out their menu firsthand, and it was delicious. Off to the left is the Life Spa, which appears huge and very well maintained – it didn’t disappoint!
I remember thinking to myself, if this is the entrance, imagine how awesome the work out facilities are going to be!
The Bloomfield Hills club is a 3 level masterpiece. Heading upstairs on floor 2 you are shocked at how huge it is. The classes are held on floor 2, which includes a huge yoga room, which can be used for hot yoga, in addition to 2 huge class rooms which can be used for Zumba, yoga, bar, dance and pretty much everything else you can think of. Then you find the spin class which is beautiful and has over 50 bikes lined up in there like a little army. There are so many opportunities to participate in classes that are offered at Life Time Athletic.
110 total classes are offered per week, which is incredible – and included in your membership costs. There are many members who partake in the classes, so if there is a popular class, they offer it back to back to do their absolute best to accommodate everybody – and with 110 classes per week, there are plenty of options for everyone to choose from.
In addition, on the 2nd floor is a modern, fun and huge childcare center. They are able to accommodate young babies in their own separate room, all the way up to 10 year olds. Your children will not be bored here. There are jungle gyms, music classes, iPads, access to a gymnastics room and much, much more. Creating an atmosphere where you are comfortable dropping your child off for your workout is a major priority for Life Time Athletic – and I hear they throw one heck of a birthday party.
Finally getting up to the 3rd floor is where some of the craziness starts. There are an incredible number of cardio machines, treadmills, elliptical, bikes and more. They have new and very modern workout machines spread out across the entire floor.
This is also the home of the certified trainers. I know first-hand they are knowledgeable, outgoing, and not afraid to push you to make you better. They had an opportunity to kick the collective behinds of all the bloggers involved in this event with a couple of workout sessions.
The trainers are always out and about, if they are not working with one specific client, they are moving around making sure everyone knows what they are doing and that the machines are being used properly. There are also many group classes which allow you to use a team format to improve yourself and provide some accountability. The individual and group classes are a premium service, but the staff at Life Time Athletic makes the services well worth it.
I can go on and on about everything in the club, it is huge, it is epic and it is very impressive. I haven’t even mentioned the pool or the beautiful sauna, hot tub, steam room.
This truly feels like you are in a fine hotel. The best way to describe the overall feel of Life Time Athletic is that it is high end. It is very similar to belonging to a Country Club for golf. There is so much available at Life Time, and they really go out of their way to get to know their members. I was impressed with the staff’s interaction with the members in the club, it seems like the managers know and have conversations with all the members. It is truly great to see the level of personal interaction.
I know there are options out there which are less expensive and Life Time Athletic is not for everyone, but if you want to work out somewhere that provides all the resources to improve your physical health, which will positively impact you in every phase of your life. It is truly a healthy way of life organization.
You can look at it this way . . .
- You can go to the Country Club and golf 18 holes or go to the public course
- Go to the Tennis Club, or go to the park and play tennis on the city courts
- Go to the swim club or go to the city pool
LASTLY
- Go to Life Time Athletic or go to the local gym that may treat their clients like a herd of cattle
Like I said, Life Time Athletic may not be for everyone, but you won’t know until you go and check it out for yourself. Get there and see it in person, there are clubs everywhere, the service is something that is consistent in every club, the offerings may vary, but your will get a great experience at each club.
It is free to check it out, go there, ask for a pass and experience Life Time Athletic for yourself, you will be impressed!
In addition to all the great services offered for their members, there are tons of things you can do at the club while you are still considering your options. Non-members have access to a number of options, look for a post on all of these options in the next couple of days.
How does Life Time Athletic compare to your gym?
