Fitness Centers in Istanbul – Top 3

If you will be staying for longer than a few days in the city and are wondering about where you can register for a month or more to practice fitness and sports below is your practical guide for that. To most of these places you may also enter on a daily basis; but it may cost you lots… -like around 75 to 100 TRY for each entrance.

1. MSC -Mayadrom Sports Center: Used to be the number one among sports clubs -once upon a time… As the sector grew, MSC lost a lot from the base of its clients. It used to be and is still known as the most posh club with blond girls and muscular males doing less of sports and more of gawking and chatting. There is nonetheless a loyal base of clients that continue to remain with the club to do sports for the sake of sports only. Has 2 clubs in the city -both in residential areas and within living complexes, therefore cater to residents more than the business people.

The club has lost some of its clientele to the growing competition in the last couple of years and is thus offering better deals at reasonable rates and discounts to the new comers. They have also recently outsourced their spa area to Su Spa, which also operates two other spa centers on the Princes’ Islands. Su Spa offers a variety of skin, massage and toning therapies -very ideal for the ladies. One of their remarkable services is the Ultra-tone vehicle, which supposedly Hollywood stars are a fan of. Their services also include: hand and nail treatments, manicure, pedicure, medical and relaxation massages, special baths and more.

The club regularly organizes sports events, races and games under the sponsorhip of famous brands. For instance, the seven weeks long “Fit for Summer” marathon was organized under the sponsorhip of Nivea. Other events include basketball games and swimming races. Though mark that the pool is quite small.

2. Mars Athletic Club: 2 leading males who were amongst the loyal clientele of MSC (Mayadrom Sports Center -see above) decided one day to open their own fitness center. They made deals with the leading trainers of the MSC club and other famous fitness centers in the city and initiated the project. Both themselves, their close friends and the traines with whom they’d dealt with left their fitness centers and self-trained themselves and others for the interim period of about half year. Now, these guys are operating 3 clubs in Istanbul and one other in Ankara -total of 4.

Mars Atlethic Club in Kanyon Mall

With 3 clubs in the city, a general membership that costs over $3000 a year will ensure your entry to all these clubs. Such a general membership gets you also into the so-called Gentlemen’s Club, the Bebeköy branch in Etiler/Bebek, which is the entity’s prestige club. That is the only branch that requires an initiation fee of around a thousand dollars… The Kanyon branch in Levent (which is in the vicinity of the commercial and financial hub of the city) is the white-collar segment that attracts many business people that arrive after work. G-Mall has a cozy atmosphere and is meant to draw the elitist residents of Nişantaşı. The prestige club Bebeköy opened a year ago. With the opening of this branch, Kanyon and G-Mall lost a lot from their initial allure. The quality has downgraded immensely and lots of trainers (including those who had lef their job for the sake of this project and who were thus there from the very beginning) left the club for better opportunities abroad or in other clubs -due to the shift of management attention to the new club and lack of management competence that thus arised in the older clubs.

Nonetheless, the brand remains a popular one and continues to attract people. It is also observable how the management tries to understand the problems that arise in the older clubs and they try to deal with those. There is in each club an “Ear” system -where you write down what you are not favorable of (a trainer, a class, timing of a class etc.) and the trainers write down what they hear you discuss with your friends. So, watch out as you speak… People are listening you…Even if they are not always coming back with the right solutions or any solution.

Members get certain discounts at certain stores and restaurants, among which are Moreish, NuPera, InterSport, NumNum… Be ware that at the nightclub (NuPera) the discount is for the member only. So, you are unlikely to be able to buy a round of drinks to your friends -even if you will to… Which may irritate you lots as it is indeed misdirecting clients through advertisement.

The trainers regularly organize championships, games and events to hold the club together. There is a noticeable bond between the early and regular members. There is a dietician and some medical assistance inside the club as well.

The management of pilates is outsourced to Michael King and Marvin Muirhead. They are not seen around a lot; but there is a team of pilates instructors with different physical backgrounds (swimmers, aerobics trainers, dancers and yoga trainers) that have been instructed by the two.

There is an optimum level of customer relationship management; but observation dictates that not all customers understand quite well this glimmering touch of marketing and understanding well. Many customers seem to take granted that these smiling and courteous people are also likely or supposed to clean up after the customers. In other words, during the rush hour idiotic people will leave behind their dirty towels or waistcloth behind in the showers -just to drive you nuts…

3. Hillside: A classic among the competition. Hillside despite its downgrading quality over the years continues to grow older with a loyal clientele. The side benefits of the club to its life-long members are immense. Such that these clients do not deem leaving the club for another. There are also 3 branches of Hillside. One in Etiler, one in Istinye Park and one on the Asian side in Palladium Shopping Mall. Hillside members also get discounts at Hillside hotels and a number of restaurants.

Hillside also has a grandiose swimming pool in its Etiler branch that is perfect for summer uses. The SuAda swimming pool is also available for the use of Hillsiders. Mark that this pool which gets immensely popular and crowded on weekends, costs around 100 TRY for non-members. The astonishing happy hour parties are always heard of and spoken about. The SuAda Club is located in the middle of the Bosphorus and as such, swimming, partying, dining, or just chilling, each of these activities all have the allure of Bopshorus embedded in them. As such it is indeed a privilege.

I have touched a bit on the spa center in MSC, but in reality all of these clubs have a Spa embedded inside. In most cases the Spa services are outsourced to a different entity and it is thus possible to find a branch of these Spas at several good hotels around Turkey. For instance Hillside’s Spa is the Sanda Spa and is also set up at Hillside hotels in Antalya and Fethiye. Similarly, NuSpa is located both in Mars Atletic Club and Hotel Select Maris in Marmara. Apart from Sun Spa, treatments at Spa Centers are almost always limited skin treaments and massage therapies.

Finally, these are the three big brands that have been in competition of attracting customers (lately from each other). Most of them share similar privileges and make similar offers. The differentiating point is in the trainers, offer of training classes and side benefits. You make you pick.

[Images my own]