Health Clubs
Given the beach culture and al fresco lifestyle on offer in the UAE, high demand for fitness training and health advice is fairly unsurprising. Many visitors also choose Dubai and its lack of obvious sightseeing tours in order to achieve some quality personal time on the beach, in the gym and stretched out in the spa.

Health clubs are big business here, and the variety (and quality) of instruction is broad: annual memberships can stretch from Dhs3,000 to the unfeasibly extortionate.

It’s not as easy to pop from one side of the city to the other as it used to be, and while Jumeirah’s beach clubs still boast excellent facilities, the following listings reflect a new breed of inner-city fitness club winning over time-sensitive Dubaians.

The Aviation Club
Tel +971 4 282 4122
Taxi Directions Off Sharjah Road, Garhoud
Open 6am-11pm daily
Price Annual membership only: Dhs5,000 men, Dhs3,750 women (plus Dhs2,500 first-year only joining fee); discounts available for couples and corporate memberships
www.aviationclubonline.com
From Time Out Dubai City Guide Home to Dubai’s prestigious tennis tournament and one of the few clubs to establish itself on Deira’s side of the Creek, The Aviation Club is an incredibly popular option. An extensive upgrade was completed mid-2005 to ensure it remains at the forefront of the fitness scene, including the construction of separate spas for ladies and gents, and additional group exercise studios.

The impressive list of club facilities counts six floodlit tennis courts, a swimming pool with 25m lap lanes, two squash courts, a dedicated spinning studio, a sauna, a steam room, plunge pools and a nine-hole par-three golf course in addition to the fully equipped gym.

The club’s aerobics studio continue to be the biggest and busiest in Dubai, hosting several fat-busting classes a day.

The Big Apple
Tel +971 4 319 8661
Taxi Directions Emirates Towers Boulevard mall, Sheikh Zayed Road
Open 6am-10pm daily
Price Gym Dhs30 per day. Classes Dhs25
www.jumeirahinternational.com
From Time Out Dubai City Guide Tucked away in the lower levels of the Emirates Towers, The Big Apple is a highly-polished chrome and steel affair, the epitome of modern urban fitness centres. It lacks swimming, sauna or steam room facilities, but is armed to the teeth with Nautilus, Startrak, Stairmaster and Concept II equipment.

Aerobic classes cover everything from BodyPump to spinning. Membership packages are available for less than Dhs3,000 per year; considering the swanky location, the deals represent excellent value.

Club Olympus
Tel +971 4 209 6802
Taxi Directions Hyatt Regency Hotel, Deira Corniche
Open 7am-11pm daily (incl. swimming pool)
Price free to hotel guests. Non-guests (ID required) Dhs50 per day Sat-Wed; Dhs60 Thur, Fri
www.dubai.regency.hyatt.com
From Time Out Dubai City Guide Friendly, professional staff attract a varied clientele to this city centre club. Classes range from salsa to karate, while also on offer is a Nautilus gym and running track, which circles the two floodlit tennis courts. A pair of squash courts, an outdoor swimming pool, spa, sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and splash pool complete the line-up of facilities; the outside deck is particularly popular in the cooler winter months.

Dimension Health & Fitness Club
Tel +971 4 407 6704
Taxi Directions Metropolitan Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road, Interchange 2
Open 6am-midnight daily
Price Facilities Dhs40 per day. Classes Dhs20-Dhs30.
From Time Out Dubai City Guide The Metropolitan is one of the older complexes in Dubai, but Dimension packs a well-equipped gym with an assortment of free weights and Nautilus equipment. Its 25m outdoor swimming pool is one of its main Attractions, although there is also a Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna.

The studio offers various classes, including fencing and kickboxing. The Dimension Club is something of a one-stop shop, offering Indian and Chinese-style massage to those too tired to pump another iron.

Fitness Planet
Tel +971 4 398 9030
Taxi Directions Al Hana Centre, Dhiyafah Street, Satwa
Open Mixed gym 6am-11pm Sat-Thur; 4-10pm Fri. Women’s gym 7am-9pm Sat-Thur
Price (non-members) Facilities Dhs30 per day
www.bgroupme.com
From Time Out Dubai City Guide The emphasis at this busy gym is on free weights and resistance machines, so expect to see some serious bodybuilders and weightlifters. For women who might find the main mixed gym a bit intimidating, there’s a separate women’s area, Fitness Planet Hers, on the mezzanine level. Facilities include a Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. Membership packages start at three months.

Lifestyle Health Club
Tel +971 4 603 8825
Taxi Directions Sofitel City Centre Hotel, Port Saeed
Open 6.30am-11pm Sat-Thur; 8am-8pm Fri
Price Facilities Dhs50 per day. Aerobics classes Dhs30
www.accorhotels.com
From Time Out Dubai City Guide This hotel-based club stretches over three floors: the reception, two squash courts, sauna and steam room are on one level; the gym and aerobics studio on the next; and an outdoor swimming pool and floodlit tennis court are on the roof. The gym is packed with resistance and cardiovascular machines; different aerobic classes are held each day in the studio. Residents can pick up a green card (Dhs3000) for full access for a year, or purchase a yellow card (Dhs2300) for use of the gym and pool.

Nautilus Academy
Tel +971 4 397 4117
Taxi Directions Al Mussalla Towers, Kahlid Bin Al Waleed Road (Bank Street), Bur Dubai
Open 6am-11pm daily
Price Dhs900 membership per month. Classes Dhs30
From Time Out Dubai City Guide One of Dubai’s best-equipped gyms, fielding all manner of Nautilus machines (as you might expect) and cardiovascular equipment, this fitness club falls right in the heart of the city. Increasingly popular, Nautilus no longer sells day passes as a rule but will sometimes makes an exception on quiet days to short-term visitors. Separate studios exist for spinning classes and aerobics, as well as two squash courts. There is also a small outdoor pool, a steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi and café.

Nautilus Fitness Centre
Tel +971 4 331 4055
Taxi Directions Crowne Plaza Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road
Open 6am-10pm Sat-Wed; 8.30am-8.30pm Thur, Fri
Price Facilities Dhs50 per day; Dhs400 monthly membership. Classes Dhs15 members; Dhs25 non-members
From Time Out Dubai City Guide The focus at this centre is on Nautilus fitness training techniques, but there are also free weights and an array of cardiovascular machines. The long list of aerobic classes stretches from powerpump to Tae-Bo and yoga, and even belly-dancing for those who want something a bit more exotic. Other facilities include a squash court, table tennis, sauna, steam room and outdoor swimming pool.

Pharaoh's Club
Tel +971 4 324 0000
Taxi Directions Wafi Pyramids at Wafi City mall, off Oud Metha Road
Open 7am-10pm Sat-Thur; 9am-9pm Fri
Price Dhs1,000 monthly membership; Dhs5,500 annual membership (discounts for couples apply); swimming pool (members and guests only) Dhs60
www.waficity.com
From Time Out Dubai City Guide Still one of the most prestigious clubs in Dubai, Pharaohs offers members luxurious surroundings and an impressive array of facilities. There are well-equipped gyms for men and women, the latter benefiting from exclusive use of the main gym on Wednesdays and Sundays, in the mornings until 1pm.

Steam rooms, plunge pools and Jacuzzis are provided as well as a large swimming pool and a separate pool in which, with a flick of a switch, you can attempt to swim against the tide. The club also boasts a climbing wall, three floodlit tennis courts, two squash courts and a comprehensive range of fitness classes. Best of all, members qualify for a 25 per cent discount on treatments at adjoining Cleopatra’s Spa.

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