Finding a Monthly Gym Membership in Paris: Gymlib

Wherever I go, I try to spend at least one or two months there for reasons financial and cultural. Not only does it reduce travel expenses, but it allows you to really get to know a place. Another benefit to this slow travel pace is that you’re around long enough to join a gym for a month or two.

Usually finding a gym that offers a monthly gym membership is no problem, but in France it turns out to be surprisingly difficult. Most gyms offer only yearly memberships, or at the least a month-by-month membership for which you must pay a minimum of two months. Ending these month-to-month contracts involves a somewhat complicated process of sending certified letters to the gym’s headquarters (the French love their paperwork), and many people complain that they still end up getting billed every month after doing so.

So when I arrived in Paris, finding a monthly gym membership seemed like it was going to be either impossible, expensive, or a pain in the ass. That was until I discovered Gymlib.

Short-term Gym Memberships in Paris, France

Gymlib is, simply put, awesome. They’re not paying me to say that, by the way. It’s just true.

It works like this:

• Search for your location in France (with an option to choose a specific form of fitness, like yoga, pilates, etc.)
• The site provides a map of gyms and fitness studios nearby
• Find a gym that offers what you need
• Pay for a daily, monthly, or tri-monthly package
• Get a confirmation code in your email
• Show this confirmation at the gym

That’s it. You’re all set.

Another great feature is that users provide gym reviews, which can be extremely helpful as (from my experience) gym quality in Paris can vary greatly.

Bottom line—Gymlib is an essential resource for any fitness enthusiast who happens to be visiting France.

It only operates in France, but I very much hope their model catches on and they either expand to more countries, or similar services pop up around the globe.

PS: If you do know of similar services in other countries, I’d love to hear about them.