Best Gym in Kilkenny?

ComerCat

Well Lads. I was a member of the Watershed but my membership ran out last month. Didnt renew cos I like to go swimming but I find theres always water safety or something else on that takes over the place, also do a bit of gym work. Can anyone recommend the best gym in KK> Responses greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Sky King

I am in the newpark. It's 550 for the year now (though I don't know if that's just a special offer or what).

Gym is decent, pool and sauna / steam room etc is CLASS.

stratowide

Your best bet is probably kilkenny active,they have a fine big pool that is never too full..The gym itself is the best in town bar none.
I think it's membership is 550 a year.Think the signing on fee is gone too.

Asphyxia

I was going to start going to the Watershed myself as I want to get back into swimming. What's the best swimming pool in there?

Jinxi

If swimming is your main focus then springhill is the cheapest at the mo. Gym is small, but if you go at off peak times you should be fine.
All gyms give free trail runs so go around and give thema a go.
Also, most gyms are crying out for membership right now. I had a family member who was rang by a gym last week offereing her deals after she did a free trial there. Was offering her loads of extras etc. Its worth doing the research

JohnMc1

Pocketfizz wrote: »

I was going to start going to the Watershed myself as I want to get back into swimming. What's the best swimming pool in there?

Look somewhere else then. Don't get me wrong the Watershed has a nice pool but its usually filled with kids that are bused in through out the day. And some of those chaperons give you dirty looks if you try and get a swim while they're tying up the pool all day.

danlen

Just to bump this thread guys, where would be the best gym in Kilkenny for weightlifting?? Ideally one with squat/power racks, olympic bars, and padded flooring.

JohnMc1

danlen wrote: »

Just to bump this thread guys, where would be the best gym in Kilkenny for weightlifting?? Ideally one with squat/power racks, olympic bars, and padded flooring.

I do Bodybuilding on Tues & Thurs at The Training Rooms (right behind McGuinness' pub and in the same building John and Andrew have their constituency meetings) with James Fennelly if that's something you might be interested in.

cocoshovel

I'll throw in a question I have been meaning to ask here too.

I was wondering what the best Sauna and Steam room facilities in KK are.I was a member of the watershed last year but I found their pool area to just be absolutely filthy and packed most of the time. I just want to relax in a nice clean environment. Or am I asking for too much and being too posh?

Dymo

I've been in the watershed a couple of times and while I find the gym fine, I hate the pool set up, communal changing rooms and the place always full of kids. I prefer a changing room where I can actually get changed in peace.

JohnMc1

Dymo wrote: »

I've been in the watershed a couple of times and while I find the gym fine, I hate the pool set up, communal changing rooms and the place always full of kids. I prefer a changing room where I can actually get changed in peace.

Agreed. I like the Watershed but its always packed with kids. I would love to go for a swim but they are always taking up all the pools and the chaperons give you dirty for having the audacity to try and swim while the children are there. My membership expires at the end of the month so I might end up joining the Hotel Kilkenny or the Ormonde or somewhere else.

catbear

I in the Ormonde for a pool only membership and I love it. I was in the Springhill before but I much prefer the length of the Ormond pool.

JohnMc1

catbear wrote: »

I in the Ormonde for a pool only membership and I love it. I was in the Springhill before but I much prefer the length of the Ormond pool.

Is the pool only membership expensive? I would be interested in that since I do my weight training at the training rooms.

catbear

There are a few options price wise, I just needed a swim around lunchtime so I took the restricted hours option for €150 for six months, it's less over twelve months. You can't use it before 10am and after 5pm including weekends.

JohnMc1

catbear wrote: »

There are a few options price wise, I just needed a swim around lunchtime so I took the restricted hours option for €150 for six months, it's less over twelve months. You can't use it before 10am and after 5pm including weekends.

Thanks catbear.

countryliving

i am in the watershed but i am fed up as pool is always packed with kids or lesssons or water safety and it is SO annoying. i love the 25 metre pool but it is just too packed.
also, having to pay extra for classes i paid 510 euro membership - its a joke.

JohnMc1

countryliving wrote: »

i am in the watershed but i am fed up as pool is always packed with kids or lesssons or water safety and it is SO annoying. i love the 25 metre pool but it is just too packed.
also, having to pay extra for classes i paid 510 euro membership - its a joke.

Agreed. I might be cancelling my membership at the end of the year for that very reason. I'm a paying customer I should be able to use the pool whenever I feel like it. I shouldn't have to wait until 9-10pm to use it or I shouldn't have to deal with school chaperons looking at me like I'm some kind of pedophile because I had the audacity to want to use the pool while they were bringing the children in. The schools should bog off and build their own damn pools if that's their mentality.

cocoshovel

I also find myself a bit paranoid when swimming in the same pool as 1000 kids. I get the feeling like I'm probably swimming in loads of píss.

Captain Havoc

Was just up player soccer in Scanlon Park there and the Watershed has a special offer, buy 2 memberships and get a third free. You don't have to be family or anything (I asked) so if three of ye want to team up and split the cost.

catbear

I've changed my mind about the Ormonde for swimming. It was good up to about two months ago but they had a big membership drive and now I find it really frustrating to get a swim.

It's no longer a swimming pool but a walking pool. Loads of people just walking up and down the pool and if you try to swim around them they give you the dirty look.

I'll be looking around and this time i'll pay more just to swim. Anyone in the Newpark?

Sky King

I am. It's lovely and you can always get a swim in the evenings, though sometimes you might have to wait a bit for some space. Typical obnoxious screaming kids on weekends but early in the morning and the evening tend to be grand

The pool is a bit on the small side is the only thing - it's a good bit shorter than the watershed.

Sauna is constantly full of oul lads talking sh!te about GAA club games and players though. But if you like GAA you're elected.

catbear

Sky King wrote: »

Sauna is constantly full of oul lads talking sh!te about GAA club games and players though. But if you like GAA you're elected.

Don't follow GAA but there's no getting away from that around here; it is annoying having to explain again and again to the same old lads that you've no interest.
I might try the Springhill again, I left there because of same boring farts ****ting on about hurlies and property.
If there was gym that said "No ****e Talk Allowed", I may be interested.

catbear

Sliderman, as long as you don't talk shiiiite about GAA, "bleedin furriers takin our jobs" etc... then everything is cool. Some of the old guys will stand in the middle of the pool in a group oblivious to people trying to swim because they're too busy talking GAA.

fabbydabby

The Watershed is a lot cheaper than a peep show, if that's your thing.

I haven't been back since I was subjected to the unsavory spectacle of a peon getting a rub n tug off his missus in the jacuzzi. I'll take GAA talk over that any day.

catbear

It's all very dispiriting. Ah well, pretending to be a foreigner usually stops them dead in their spittled splutterings about bogball and "did ye hear Joe Duffy?".

I think I'll avoid the watershed, it sounds like there's just too many variables to contemplate. If only the GAA would open their own paddle pool then that might free up the other pools for actually swimming.

PhilipMarlowe

I'm a member in the Newpark and although I don't use it much, it's grand. I can't say about peak times but there always seems to be 2 lanes roped off for "serious swimming".
I wasn't a fan of the watershed because of all the 'obstacles' in the pool. I'm not a strong swimmer so don't want to be in the way in the dedicated lanes but would like to have a something of a swim though and just found that too many people were standing around in the pool of the watershed and were in the way. Also, you'd have more of the pool sectioned off for classes etc. so it was all a bit tight.

The pool at the Newpark is a few metres shorter than @ Hotel Kilkenny and has a deep end whereas the Hotel Kilkenny one is a constant depth.
The outdoor hot tub-type-pool at the Newpark is really nice and sets it apart IMO.
I wouldn't be listening to or making ****e talk because I culture an anti-social aura...

catbear

You're selling Newpark to me, however I completely forgot about Hotel Kilkenny.
I love outdoor hottubs ever since I was in one overlooking the lakes of Killarney in a snow shower, BLISS!

Sorry for ranting on about GAA fans but I was questioned a couple of times in the ormonde by old windbags demanding to know why I, as a Kilkennite, am not interested in hurling. I go to exercise, not to be interrogated. Then again the GAA structure did set out to segregate communities though sport so forced culture is still seen by some older members as acceptable.

kob29

Kilkenny Active at Hotel KK has by far the nicest pool, gym fairly good too. Pool is never overcrowded, even during swimming lessons between 4-6 its fine, theres a swimming lane railed off.

Benny Cake

Hard to beat Hotel KK for all round facilities... Pools is lovely & has sauna, steam room & jacuzzi...
All classes are included in your membership (with the exception of yoga I think...)