Lifetime Fitness vs LA Fitness

What's the delta re: family membership?  Our family has a Y m'ship and we pay ~74/month (family of 4 and not taking into account discount I get as cycling instructor); I believe LTF family m'ship is ~129.  I'm guessing LAF/LTF family m'ship delta is similar and perhaps smaller.

As our Y is literally 1/2 mile from LTF, A LOT of people made the jump.  From what I've heard, LAF on Windward has lost a lot of people to LTF as well.  Most everybody I speak to, especially my tri buds, say they like it very much.  At the same time, and this coming from neighbors, my tri buds and other former Y members with whom I've spoken, LTF definitely takes an aggressive approach w/regards to marketing additional services, etc. - undoubtedly due to the fact that LTF is a public company and needs to keep shareholders happy.

steventrihard - 2007-02-14 8:53 AM Ok..my communication skills obviously suck. just to review the purpose of the thread: Question: Assuming the LTF approach is to "go where the money is", does that mean thats where the market is. Other comments offline went something like "they derive revenue from more places that just enrollment feels and membership dues". Yes, however over 70 % is derived from that, and the others "in service" facilities being Cafe, studio, spa treatment, etc...(does that mean only affluent areas engage in cafes, studios, and spa treatments???). Point being its assumed they "go where the money is" to only recieve a $20.00 monthly premium on top of LAF. My guess is they didnt research the market enough, and felt where the money is = the lowest risk exposure. I would almost guarantee they'd shut down LA Fitness in the Sandy Plains area if they opened one remotely close to LAF. It is more than worth the 20.00 a month to have all the amenities that the one off Winward has. (and believe it or not us "poor" people in Woodstock CAN indeed afford the additional 20.00 a month). This thread is not to knock LTF, rather to point out theres a HUGE fitness market outside of the so-called "affluent" areas of Atlanta. Once they dig deeper, my guess is thats exatly what they will determine (even without the "parking lot" test)

Your communications skills don't suck - perhaps those of us who responded did so with bias one way or another and therefore did not "read" your post as intended.  With this in mind and taking into account your post above, my understanding is LTF goes where there's an established market (ala Lowe's vs Home Depot) and attempts to offer a better overall product for a minimal premium above what people are paying elsewhere.

This is smart business and if done correctly mitigates barriers to entry that otherwise might exist in trying to open new markets.

And to clarify, I'm really not biased for/against LTF, in fact if I weren't tied to the Y via a particular board membership as well as paying outrageously low monthly dues for our family of 4 (due to status as staff via cycle instructor), our family would probably make the jump too.  LTF is very family oriented and many of our friends as well as all of my non-BT tri friends are over there.

I go to the same LA Fitness and trying to find a swimming lane at times can be impossible ... so I know what you mean.

There is a Masters swim at Dynamo (corner of Abbotts Bridge and Jones Bridge) but I believe it starts in the middle of the night (~5:15 am?).

As to the difference between LAF and LT?  To me it seems like Lifetime is a bit nicee and a place to hang out.  LA Fitness is more like a place to go workout.

That said, I don't see why LAF doesn't have a similar approach in offering specialized classes such a Masters swim, HR base spin class or metabolic testing as LT ...

My opionion is that, you can't really compare mercedez Benz against Hyundai and get them same package that you expect. I have been going the gym for 15 years and joined to mostly all the gym around Atlanta area because I have moved to a different places around. To me, whatever is close by and convenient and descent where I can do my workout, that's where I actually join. It's not about the money, its where you are happy and get the service you want and conviently in you daily lives. So, really now way to compare LA fitness and Lifetime fitness. Lifetime may charge more because of amenities and all that.  But, you get what you pay for. It's all depends on individual.

Hmmm... a 2.5 y.o. thread resurrection?!

Welcome to BT, Agnes.  It's a great resource and community.  Interesting first post .

I tend to agree with Agnes that you join for convenience.  I also agree that comparing Life Time to LA Fitness or Gold's is comparing apples to oranges.  Each has a totally different approach, corporate philosophy, club environment, member retention plan and level of customer care. 

Is one better than the other?  As someone who has been employed by various gyms, I can say that from an industry standard point of view, yes, one is far superior.  However, on the member side, I would say that mileage may vary... and it may vary greatly.

That said, if you're just looking for a pool and a treadmill, why on earth would you pay more to have towel service, a rock wall, and other amenities you won't use?  Do you mind having to wait a little while for a piece of cardio equipment or having the length of your cardio workout limited to 20-30 minutes to reduce wait time for others?  Is "one stop shop" important to you in a fitness facility?  If not, doesn't seem like Life Time is a good fit. 

I personally am not sure that I would join Life Time if I didn't participate in group fitness classes (cycle, core conditioning, hot yoga, strike and functional integrated training) or if I didn't have kids.  The kids' programming is terrific and, IMHO, is way underused by most members. 

As I've stated many times before, I believe that the only way to determine what gym is right for you is to actually try it out for a week, to go at the times you anticipate going, to see how crowded it is, really check out the cleanliness of the locker rooms, the traffic patterns going to and from the club... to take stock of what it is you want out of a gym and then join the one that is most closely aligned with your needs. 

When I visit other fitness facilities I have a list of safety/security questions I ask/observations I make that I believe are very telling.  I'd be happy to share them if anyone is in the market for a new gym and interested.  Just shoot me a PM.

To me, Life Time offers an "experience" (run/cycle/swim clubs, DJ by the pool, overnight rock wall, parents night out, Daddy/Daughter dance, Spooktacular, endurance rides, group fitness jams with DJs, etc.) and amenities that fit into my family's way of life, whereas other gyms simply offer a place to work out.  Nothing wrong with either one, it's just different.  Apples to oranges.