Where the wild things go for sculpture
Where the wild things go for sculpture
By Veronica Soediro and Alistair Hammond
JAKARTA (JP): When the urge to exercise hits, there are always plenty of excuses to lie down and wait for it to pass. Such as the heat and the dust, or the rain and the mud, and the bumper-to-bumper traffic, and the people everywhere... But to stop our mortal shells acquiring that engaging Sumo look, or morphing into the old guy in "Si Doel", some action is required. As V.I. Lenin, faced with a similar worry, once put it: What is to be done ?
Joining a gym will impose some discipline. Most of the fitness centers we reviewed run around four aerobics classes a day, including various types such as step, high and low impact and total body conditioning. It is worth noting that if you work for a large company, most of the centers offer discounted corporate memberships.
In general, you get what you pay for in a fitness center and Jakarta is no exception.
Starting in the middle price-range of the market is Manggala Wanabakti Fitness and Sports Center, which is next to the Ministry of Forestry building on Jl. Jendral Gatot Subroto. The equipment is not as good as some other gyms but it has the basic free weights and pin-weighted machines. It has a good, spacious aerobics room with a decent stereo, but getting a good instructor is a matter of luck. Although the trainers here are generally charming, the reception staff seem slow and unfriendly.
This fitness center holds much bottom-hugging lycra. The chief attraction of Manggala Wanabakti is its affordable price - US$100 for membership, and between $25 and $35 monthly. And if you are into it, its highly social atmosphere. This point was emphasised by a member, Robert, a thirty-year-old entrepreneur, "As well as the strategic location, the price is very affordable, even cheap. I don't have a lot of time to spend on exercising, and the machines are quite good. It might be a struggle to find an instructor during peak hours, but if you know how to use the machines already, there should be no problem."
The downside is a long wait for bikes, steppers and treadmills in peak periods. Although the staff are tertiary-qualified, gym floor supervision is poor. However, it is quite easy to find loyal patrons.
Similar in price, a fitness center worth having a look at is the one in the Ambhara Hotel, across the road from the sparkly new Seibu department store in Blok M. One major advantage is the Ambhara's central location, which makes it easy to get to.
The clientele is mainly made up of young upwardly-mobile types, many of whom work in advertising or marketing - there's an agency and a cooking "luvvies" hang-out, the Zanzibar, just around the corner. Around 40 percent are Westerners.
Although this place has become a little too small for its membership, it stands head and shoulders above the rest in the atmosphere stakes. Friendly, qualified staff who don't lounge about sullenly or hog the machines, and a subtle blend of privacy and clubbiness make the Ambhara a good choice: on balance maybe the best all-round. Anne, who joined the gym when it was opened, says her first consideration was that it was within minutes from her home. "But I've grown to like it, especially the friendly atmosphere. I've encouraged some of my friends to join the Ambhara too."
Compared to some other centers, the initiation fee of U$200 is affordable. The monthly fees are also reasonable, particularly if you join in a group of up to five people. When the Ambhara is spruced up, extended and equipped with more machines that go "ping", our guess is that the Ambhara will become the place to sweat. Joining fees might go up when that happens later this year.
Clark Hatch
One name dominates the Jakartan gym scene: Clark Hatch. An American who started a chain of fitness centers throughout the Pacific rim 30 years ago, Hatch has six centers in Jakarta, mostly in large hotels. There are also another five Clark Hatch- managed centers in Jakarta alone.
Middling to expensive, Clark Hatch branches are fairly standardized in facilities and service and also offer a reciprocal rights membership system, so you can butterfly from gym to gym.
The latest gym to open here is the Clark Hatch at the Radisson. This center bears testimony to the escalating cost of floor space in Jakarta. The gym is a miracle of miniturization. To explain how 60 people fit into a gym the size of a squash court, as the management claims, would fluster an ergonomist on a share of the profits. One member, Sinta, was philosophical. "Forget peak hour. I'm too old to fight over anything," she laughed. The manager, Ms Tuti Soetiksno, is aware of the overcrowding during peak hours and said "We've tried to encourage the members to come during lunchtime whenever they can, because the gym is virtually empty at that time." The best thing about this gym is the excellent equipment.
The Jakarta Hilton International is home to another branch of Clark Hatch, again a small gym/aerobics room, filled with hydraulic equipment and the usual cardiovascular equipment. Half of this center's patrons are from the hotel and the other half are regular members.
Towards the upper end of the market is the Executive Health Club in the Hilton complex. This club is managed by the Clark Hatch company but is not a branch proper. Size-wise, this gym resembles a Western gym. The center has been in operation for 20 years and was extended eight years ago, but unfortunately the center's decor shows its age.
The room holding the weights and cardiovascular equipment is about the size of 2-3 squash courts, and the gym is professionally run and well-supervised. Some of the upholstery on the equipment is cracked but the machines themselves look okay. Two unfortunately-placed poles in the middle of the aerobics room detract from its ample size.
Membership of the Hilton Executive Club is out of the range of the average exerciser, which keeps numbers down. The club caters for expatriate and local executives who can afford to pay more to avoid queuing for equipment. New members must be referred to by an existing member and there can be no casual visitors to the center. Forty-year-old businessman Aditya said, "It doesn't get too crowded and the staff are always ready to help me. The kind of service I expect for the kind of money I pay. Although improvements here and there could be made."
Fitness director of the Hilton Executive Club Mike Gargano said that a few Clark Hatch instructors were tertiary-qualified.
In a similar market to the Hilton Executive Club but slightly dearer is the Mercantile Athletic Club on the top floor of the World Trade Center. Patrons here are generally mid to upper-level executives, 50 percent of whom are foreigners. Steven McMillan from the club explained the Membership by Invitation system, whereby members refer associates or friends to the club. An expat who joined the club recently was satisfied. "I suppose it's alright. I was recommended this gym, I heard it is one of the best in Jakarta."
The facilities of this club are excellent and the center is well-run and supervised. The gym also has a brilliant night view of Jakarta. The only points against are that the gym is very crowded during peak hour, the aerobics room is small and the 20- metre pool is a bit too short for laps.
The holy grail
Forget pin-up staff or Italian marble floors. Unless you hold a degree in exercise physiology, there are some basic "must haves" in a fitness center. Psychologically and financially, choosing a gym can be a serious investment.
Psychologically, choosing well is important because if you quit you may blame yourself. You'll feel you yourself have failed, rather than seeing the gym as lacking. Thus you'll be less likely to try again. Also choosing right the first time is important financially, because in Jakarta upfront initiation fees alone can be more than U$1,100 and in some gyms such fees are not refundable.
When you join a fitness center you should be offered a health and fitness appraisal including screening for injuries, submaximal fitness test, bodyfat skinfolds, circumference measurements, strength, blood pressure and lung function testing. But this is
From this list the instructor should choose the tests which are appropriate for your level of fitness, and where you want to be.
The center should also offer a tailor-made fitness program which you should be talked through at least once. Diet evaluation and nutritional advice should also be available, if you can't work out what's good for you.
Clients should be reappraised and a new program written for them every two to three months, adjusting the goal-posts as your oiled body bubbles, snakes and puckers it's way ahead.
A final point is always try before you buy. Work out when you'd usually be doing so. Walking through a gym during off-peak and battling the after-work crowds for equipment are completely different experiences. So there you have it. May the force be with you.