Several dudes email me every month asking where are the best gyms in Bangkok. For a country in South East Asia, most weightlifting gyms in Bangkok cost way too much in my opinion. After living in Thailand for 3 years, half the places listed in this article cost more than gyms in England, and I'm not quite sure why that is.
But anyway, here's a breakdown of all the gyms in Bangkok located near the Sukhumvit BTS line, how much they cost and where they are located and what they offer.
Tony's Fitness
Sadly there is little information about Tony's Fitness gym in Bangkok. Located on Sukhumvit 19, Tony's Fitness is the cheapest gym in Lower Sukhumvit that also offers the best value for money.
Tony's Fitness membership prices start at 900 baht a month or 2,900 baht for the whole year. Yes year!
The gym has no air-con or any of the fancy things you would expect from a posh gym, but does have a squat rack, bench and heavy enough weights to get you swole.
The place is open 24 hours so great for night owls.
- Best for :People who want to lift heavy weights at a gym that has everything on a budget.
Racquet Club
The Racquet Club is located on Sukhumvit 49 (between Thong Lo and Phrom Phong BTS). They have a fairly large gym, rock climbing wall, two pools, squash, tennis and badminton courts. They offer a number of daily classes like yoga and body fit which are all in Thai but you can do them as they are easy to follow.
Their monthly memberships start at 4,000 baht, and unless you have money to burn, every deal they do asides from the yearly membership (21,400 baht) is rather expensive.
The gym is in good condition although a bit dated, but there are some hot girls that go there to make up for it.
This is the gym I use (have a year membership #baller) I have very few complaints. The Racquet Club is the best gym in Bangkok if you're into your racket sports IMO, membership prices include the free use of everything.
All membership fees must be paid up front.If you have a family member they get 50% off if they join with you.
- Best for :People who play racket sports often
We Fitness Society
I'm not sure what to think of this Bangkok gym.
We Fitness Society has some weird ass branding that reminds me of Planet Fitness. I've only ever been to the branch in Ekkamai (near the BTS) which has two floors, a MMA cage, tons of weights, machines and plenty of hot girls. They have a number of classes and have branches all over Bangkok.
We Fitness Society membership price is 20,000 baht for the year which you must pay in one go. Only if you have a Thai credit card can you opt for monthly payments.
You can find out more about this Bangkok gym by clicking here.
- Best for :Location. We Fitness is directly attached to Ekkamai BTS, all equipment is new and several branches.
Virgin Active
A few of my boys go to Virgin Active in Phrom Phong and say it's awesome. They have a fully kitted out gym, thermal pools, squash and tennis courts and everything else you would expect from a big fancy Bangkok gym (even an ice bath and sleep pods).
Last time I checked they run just over 200 classes per week including yoga and bodybuilding programs (whatever the hell that is).
To join Virgin Active Bangkok will cost you 3,000 baht for member activation and 645 baht per week thereafter. If you went for the whole year that would cost 33,540 baht but that includes the use of any Virgin Active gym in the world.
No thanks Virgin.
To find out more about Virgin Active Bangkok click here.
- Best for :Short-time travelers who often come and go. Although the 3,000 baht membership fee is annoying.
Fitness First Bangkok
Fitness First Bangkok is another big name known all over the world. They are located on Sukhumvit 39 near Phrom Phong BTS, and offer a bunch of daily classes from hot yoga to spin classes.
They have a fully equipped gym with sauna and steam room, an outdoor saltwater pool, sun terrace and offer all their paying members free fruit and drinks (tea and coffee).
They don't have any racket courts.
Fitness First Bangkok prices start at 2,200 baht per month which can be reduced to 2,000 baht per month if you pay by a Thai credit card.
This membership price will allow you to use every Fitness First in Bangkok while cheaper packages ( I think 1,700 baht per month) only allow you to use the gym you singed up for.
For more information on Fitness First Bangkok click here.
True Fitness
True Fitness Bangkok is located in the Exchange Tower in Asoke. What I like about True Fitness is they offer a 7 day free trial rather than locking you up into a long ass deal.
They have a massive gym floor, spinning bikes room and a separate area for classes. Unlike the Racquet Club and Virgin Active, they don't have any racket courts.
True Fitness Bangkok membership price is around 2,800 per month which I think is rather expensive. This plan lets you visit any three of the True Fitness branches in Bangkok.
You can find out more by clicking here
- Best for: Location. True Fitness is close to Askok BTS and Sukhumvit MRT.
The Aspire Club
I almost didn't list the Aspire Club Bangkok because they focus quite a lot on doing crossfit, but I'm trying not to be a hater this year. Located right next to Asoke BTS, The Aspire Club do a lot of stuff that I really have no idea about.
From what I hear they have a good community and my friend who goes there says the workouts are really intense. Aspire Club Bangkok has a number of pricing plans from a daily pass (600 baht) to a monthly pass (2,900) along with other special boot camp passes and crossfit only memberships.
You can find out more about the Aspire Club Asoke by clicking here.
No idea what crossfit is? Watch this video:
- Best for : People into crossfit or joining a gym with a nice community feel.
The Lab
The Lab is quite similar to Aspire Club in that they offer pro grammes to get you fit. Once again I don't know too much about the Lab Bangkok or their prices as they are a new Bangkok gym.
To find out more you can visit The Lab website by clicking here.
Best for :Crossfit?
Training Ground Bangkok
Training Ground Bangkok is a huge warehouse style gym that does everything from cossfit to boot camps. The only lessons they do outside crossfit is yoga.
Training Ground Bangkok membership prices vary on what you want to do. You see the breakdown here:
To know more about Training Ground BKK visit their website by clicking here.
- Best for :For getting fit and crossfit.
Right opposite Major Ekkamai there is a school playground. If you walk inside and scout around you will find the cheapest gym in Bangkok on the Sukhumvit line. Like Tony' Fitness, there is no air-con and it gets pretty hot inside.
The weights are really old, most of the machines don't work but they do have an Olympic barbell and enough free weights to stick 100kg on it. They have a squat rack but unless you're 4'9 you won't be able to use it.
This is a small Bangkok gym and only really an option if you're broke and can't afford any other options. Quite a few of the machines are not safe and the benches look like they are about to fall apart any second.
Membership here is 200 baht a year and you pay 25 baht every time you want to use it. It's a little hard to find so please read the comments in this article I posted here to find it.
Thai-Japan Youth Center
The Thai-Japan Youth Center was built as some sort of initiative between the two countries to provide the poor people of Bangkok a place to get fit. Membership prices start at 40 baht a year and that's it. This gym has everything.
A huge gym, swimming pools, indoor football, badminton courts, squash, Muay Thai ring - like I said it has everything. The closest BTS is Sanan Pao and then you will need to get a taxi or motorcycle to get there. It's really a shame this is not in Sukhumvit as all the other gyms would have to lower their prices as this rips them to pieces.
You can find out more about the Thai-Japan Bangkok Youth Center by clicking here.
- Best for :Best gym in Bangkok, although not in the best location for expats.
Summary
If you're looking to lift weights and get swole in a nice Bangkok gym, you will need to pay a premium. For most gyms in Sukhumvit, unless you opt for a yearly membership I feel the rates are pretty expensive given how cheap everything else is in Thailand.
Every Bangkok gym I listed in this article (except the last one) is located on Sukhumvit not to far from the BTS. I know there are a few in Silom but I rarely visit so I left them out. For the serious lifters who are looking for steroids in Bangkok, I've been told Nana is your best option, stay safe.
Where do you guys go to get your pump? Have I missed any Bangkok gyms out that I should add to the list?
