Table of Contents
The straight answer to that is yes, Planet Fitness has saunas, but it’s rare as most of their gyms don’t have it for obvious reasons. No rule or regulation prohibits the use of saunas at Planet Fitness. So it is wrong for anyone to say they don’t have it because that is what has been implied.
On the other hand, when someone says they don’t have it but goes ahead to explain most Planet Fitness gyms don’t have saunas except for a few locations that, to me, are self-contradictory.
Indeed there are very few Planet Fitness gyms that not only have saunas but steam rooms and they haven’t broken any regulations by having them. This is quite unlike the unavailability of free barbells for use in conventional deadlifts that are not allowed under Planet Fitness regulations.
The chances are quite high that the Planet Fitness gym in your location doesn’t have a sauna but that doesn’t mean every one of them, everywhere else, doesn’t. In providing further answers to the question of whether Planet Fitness has saunas, we will look at the benefits of saunas, why there are no saunas in most Planet Fitness locations while some do, plus a few other points.
9 proven Health Benefits of Saunas.
You may wonder what makes saunas so important that people use them as a criterion in deciding to join a gym or fitness club. Here are a few health benefits you may get from using saunas.
1. Detoxification: It’s a fact that sweating, as you experience while using a sauna, helps to clear toxic heavy metals from your body that could otherwise lead to a wide range of serious health problems or diseases as discussed in a Journal of Toxicology and Industrial Health supported by a separate research.
2. Relieves fibromyalgia: Patients suffering from this condition have seen good relief from their condition with the use of saunas as discussed in the book of Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.
3. Improvement of cardiovascular health: A study contained in the American Journal of Cardiology has shown Saunas to be effective in countering the effects of various cardiovascular diseases like congestive heart failure, ventral septal defects in kids, ventricular arrhythmias, peripheral arterial disease, etc.
4. Autoimmune and Rheumatological diseases: In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, patients with diseases such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic sclerosis, aortitis syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis all saw improvements in their condition with repeated use of saunas.
5. Depression: According to a Journal of Behavioral Medicine, people with depression have been shown to benefit from using Saunas in as little as 4 weeks. There were improvements in various factors inherent in depressed states such as loss of appetite.
6. Chronic Pain: A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine has proven the efficacy of sauna in the reduction of the intensity of chronic tension headaches simply by using a sauna for 6 weeks. Another research published in the Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics has shown people with chronic pain disorders were able to return to work 2 years after sauna intervention.
7. Improved tissue oxygenation in athletes: Research published in a scholarly Journal, Medicina Sportiva, has proved saunas reduce the oxygen-hemoglobin affinity in athletes which increases the release of oxygen to body tissues.
Do keep in touch by signing up for our newsletter:
8. Could increase life span: The combination of all the numerous health benefits of a sauna can be expected to help extend the lifespan of any individual according to the Journal of Experimental Gerontology.
9. Counters sarcopenia: The use of Saunas has been shown to reduce the loss of muscle mass in older adults according to the Journal of Experimental Gerontology.
More on the usefulness of saunas that make them so popular has been covered in a separate article you may want to know.
Why doesn’t Planet Fitness have Saunas? 4 reasons.
With all the listed health benefits of saunas, you may wonder why a vast majority of Planet Fitness Centers don’t prioritize installing them.
1. Cost of installation: Saunas can be pretty expensive to install especially the commercial-grade saunas for gyms. A whole lot of fitness clubs do have it nonetheless but the costs are borne by their members who may not see the need for it in the first instance.
2. The US social policy: In the US, unisex saunas are not permitted. This will double the cost of providing saunas in a gym as two installations have to be made to cater to both sexes.
3. Cost of maintenance: The level of maintenance needed for saunas is another factor that will drive up costs. Most Planet Fitness gyms normally have one maintenance staff for each shift who may not be able to cope with the frequency of maintenance needed for these saunas. Saunas will require the employment of additional maintenance staff leading to more overhead or operating costs.
4. Availability of space: Saunas are known to take up considerable space in a club. A Planet Fitness club that may want to install it could back down if they don’t have the space for it. This is in addition to the fact two have to be installed for both sexes.
5. Planet Fitness business plan: Planet Fitness is focused on delivering gym services at quite affordable costs. This is precisely one thing that has made them so popular and successful. It’s what makes them unique, enabling them to stand out from the pack.
The moment they embark on projects or services they can’t sustain without raising their full membership costs they will lose that uniqueness and any advantage it offers. This may result in the loss of members with a corresponding impact on revenue.
Why do saunas exist in some locations?
Saunas can be found in some planet fitness gyms for three reasons all based on the fundamental point they are not prohibited.
1. Gym ownership and Planet Fitness policy: Though saunas are not available in the vast majority of Planet Fitness gyms no policy bans their installation. The gyms are individually owned and the owners are at liberty to choose whether to install a sauna or not.
2. Location and clientele financial status: Saunas are bound to drive up the overall cost of Planet Fitness’s monthly gym membership fees. However, a gym that’s located in areas with wealthy individuals who are less bothered about costs and more focused on services may install saunas to meet their client’s expectations.
3. Competitiveness: Planet Fitness gyms with adequate space for saunas may install them if it means staying competitive in an area where other gyms have them.
What options does Planet Fitness offer?
Whereas Planet Fitness’ primary membership benefits are for people who are only interested in gym tools for their workouts, it takes a black card holder to expect all the perks beyond the use of these tools.
The black card is what will qualify you to use a sauna in locations where it’s available and where it isn’t, there are other perks you may enjoy beyond workouts. One piece of equipment at Planet Fitness that is comparable to a sauna is the total body enhancement machine otherwise called the Beauty Angel machine. Do try it out for its numerous health benefits.
Image credit: Flickr
Other services you may enjoy are the hydro-massagers and tanning beds. They may not substitute for a sauna but will give you good value on the extra fees you pay for being a black card member.
Gyms with Saunas.
For someone who dearly wants to use a sauna and has the space for it, some versions could be installed at home for domestic use. Be that as it may, if using it in a gym is the only option and your local Planet Fitness gym doesn’t have it installed, you could access it if you have any one of the following gyms around you.
- YMCA,
- Equinox,
- Lifetime fitness,
- 24-hour fitness,
- World’s gym,
- La fitness,
- Gold’s Gym, etc.
