Does Gold's Gym have childcare?

The challenges of parenthood are endless—I know you parents out there are busy balancing family, work, and personal commitments. What does that often leave out? Finding time for fitness.

Well, fellow parents: here's my advice for the ultimate game changer: A gym with childcare. It's truly a win-win for the entire family—I get a chance to break a sweat for an hour-ish, and my little one gets to mingle and play. 

You got it. Gold's Gym absolutely has childcare, and about a third of their locations. This classic gym chain understands parents!

Of the 169 Gold's Gym locations in the country, 49 of them offer up childcare. 

Info is a bit light. Here's how Gold's Gym explains it on their website:

Let us take care of the kids while you take care of your fitness. Our Gold's Gym Kids Club rooms are a safe, fun environment where your kids will engage in fun, age-appropriate activities as well as supervised play and crafts.

While we dig in to get more info, here's what we know from their Santa Barbara and Anaheim locations:

• 2-hour Kids' club watch time during your workout
• There are age appropriate activities, and supervised play and crafts

Here's where it gets weird—different locations report different age ranges:

• Website says kids can be as young as 9 months, and as old as 12 years old
• The Middletown, New York location is reporting kids 6 weeks to 12 years. That's extremely young, so we're a bit unsure about it.
• The Richland, Washington location is reporting 1 year to 11 years old. 

Why are they different? Are best guess is that because Gold's Gym locations are franchised: meaning there are different operators of the name across the country. They probably are setting different standards for their amenities, like childcare.

Also seeing some different pricing structures here, between different Gold's locations:

• Richland, Washington Gold's has drop-in's for $10 per child, and unlimited at $30 per month per child. Pretty in-line and standard with other gyms we've seen, and overall solid value!
• Montrose, Colorado Gold's is showing $25 per month unlimited, so just a bit cheaper than the above. 

Again, this isn't uncommon to see pricing variances, and we suspect its up to individual franchisee owners to set these prices. 

What's most important to know about childcare with Gold's, is that they do offer this service. You'll need to finalize the cost with the exact gym of your choice though, of course. (Scroll to the bottom to see the exact, up-to-date-list). 

• Safe! Daycare facilities require certain health & safety standards, usually mandated by the county or city. This often means at least CPR certification, along with other safety protocols.
• Convenient! On-site babysitting facilities means parents can reliably get their exercise done without fear or worry of their kids wellbeing. It becomes an actual one-stop for the day to make sure you don't miss a workout.
• Flexible: We like when the childcare hours are clear and easily found. This makes planning our workout both flexible and reliable. Parents, you know how it is to juggle schedules—especially around nap time!
• Great Interaction: Many babysitting/daycare services at gyms focus on engaging playtime activities—giving your kids a stimulating environment where they may play games and with other kids.
• Peace of Mind: Happy kid = clear mind = great workout. All is intertwined. Knowing that your child is entertained and well-supervised gives you great peace of mind. Your mind is then clear to help give your body a great workout!

It's great to see the classic gym chain open their services and amenities up. While having the reputation as a bodybuilder's paradise, Gold's does understand that parents need additional services outside huge, heavy weights.

While they could still be clearer on overall kids offerings—rules, FAQ's, activities, toys and pricing—we're happy to see them included in our list. 

Finally, they have 49 locations offering up childcare which is decent amount. Keep Gold's in mind, parents!