This is the chain of cheap unstaffed gyms (machines only) that are popping up all over.
There’s one coming near me (5 minutes walk) next month, and while I can find a thread from 6 months ago saying basically “Give it a go”, but has anyone?
I’m particularly concerned about one of the images off their site where there’s a guy in a suit including outside shoes on a recumbent bike machine, so how actually is the hygiene of the place?
15 comments
I also have one near the nearest station. I haven’t tried and am also curious. Leaving a comment here to check others comment later 🙌🏼
Like you said they are cheap and unmanned, so you get what you pay for. You do not need to change into gym clothes there to work out and you can wear shoes from outside. There is one by me but I went for Anytime Fitness instead, however from the outside it looks clean in there but very cramped.
As an aside, I love the name. Describes why most people go to the gym, to zap away all the choco they ate.
I thought it was a chocolate store until I looked inside..
There’s one near me. It’s at street level, so I can see everything inside through the windows. I was thinking about signing up, but they have too few machines and looks too small. Also, I don’t want people to be able to see me from the street while I work out.
Wow they even have a self use hair removal machine lol.
Having just replayed a bunch of *Metroid* games, my brain read this as Chozo cap…
Why it is called Chocozap anyways? Chocolate? Chocobo?
It’s cheaper than the private gym but it’s quite cramped. I’m not sure about the hygiene but if you’re allowed to use your outside shoes there might be some dirt on the gym machine, more so during rainy days.
I use Chocozap! I started about a month ago and I like it a lot as a very casual gym. It’s definitely a no frills gym (no bathroom, no music playing on loudspeakers, no water fountain, lockers are just open shelves, no staff, no free weights) but it provides everything I need with 24hour access. Super cheap and the one I go to is usually pretty empty.
I’d say about 50% at my location (Yokohama) wear proper gym attire and change shoes.
The cleanliness is good imo. Each person has to wipe down the machines before and after use. I think I’ve actually seen a staff member come by to do a scrubdown of all the machines then leave, so it IS checked regularly (unless it was just a person who really likes cleaning I guess????).
The one annoying thing is that on rainy days, the treadmills and bike pedals may be wet from those wearing outdoor shoes.
Been using it for around a year now.
really like it for the price and the flexibility. Great for beginners
small con for it means gyms can get packed at peak houts so you’d have to figure out what those times and days are for the gym you use from experience.
con 2 is that recently a chest machine ‘broke’. Only the seat part but it’s been over a week without it being fixed. Only one machine for each
con 3 – like most gyms they tend to blast the heater doing the winter or if it’s even a tad cold
bigger Con is that if you’re decently muscular you’ll max out machines after a few months. only One that I have not would be back
overall for the convenience and price, I’d say it’s well worth it. Especially when other gyms are 2x or 3x the price
No, but I hear it’s delicious.
My experience is that it is dependent on the day and cleaner. I feel from the days I go that the floor between machines isn’t cleaned as frequently and can get quite dirty. Also since they don’t clean everyday there can be quite a big dry sweat buildup around machines that is off-putting.
Only a few machines. Focus is on casual fitness so more bikes and treadmills. As others have mentioned, you get what you pay for.
Yeah, it’s pretty good. Once in a while the floor around the treadmills is questionable, but other than that it’s clean. Staff do come in for maintenance, and normally everyone wipes the machines both before and after use.
If anyone wants a referral code, just ask me!
I’ve been using it for a while now in a really urban area. Most things are great and I enjoy the really low monthly price. Also if one is busy there is another one 7 minutes down the street. Actually, I’m surrounded by 4 and they are all easy to get to by bike. I can check the app beforehand to see which one is empty.
Here are my cons though.
Only machines, no free weights at all.
The machines get broken often in my area and sometimes it takes two weeks to fix. That means no shoulder workout for you unless you live central like me and go to another store.
No staff means people don’t take care as much about hygiene. I’ve seen people not wipe down the machines like they are supposed to and there’s just a gross pile of sweat for the next person to clean.
Multiple times where the front beeper didn’t work and I just couldn’t enter. Ended up a group of people all trying to get in crammed at front entrance until we gave up.
I’d love a referral code, if anyone has one! About to sign up for next month.