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I got you sneak peek pictures for the new health club and spa Al Hamra Thermae that is currently in soft opening phase. I posted perspective photos a few months ago but even in real it looks luxurious and indeed one of the finest health clubs in Kuwait with the spacious training areas and fancy decorations. Health Clubs are getting better and better by the day in Kuwait with numerous offers and new training techniques, so it’s not just free weights area and benches anymore since many are now offering new ideas and techniques for fitness seekers and I was curious if Al Hamra Thermae brings new creative training concepts or if it’s merely one good looking health club and spa.

So to answer all my questions I had a long chitchat with the owner and have asked umpteen questions. First of all, Thermae means hot or warm springs and the health club is located on the top level of Al Hamra Luxury Center right above Grand Cinemas but don’t freak out because members won’t enter the through the mall because there’s a special entrance and elevator that is only accessed via the membership card, so no one can ever get in without a prior appointment which I think gives members more privacy. The gym was designed to have indoor and outdoor training areas, outdoor there is a rooftop walkway overlooking Kuwait city skyline.

There will be two different sections located on two different floors for men and women. Speaking of facilities it has the following;

Men’s Gym

Men’s Grooming Area

Ladies Swimming Pool

Different Countries Theme Spas

Sky Garden

Sky Lounge

Sky Restaurant

VIP Cinema

Cigar Lounge

This is good but what got me interested is that there are first time things in Kuwait such as the anti-gravity treadmill machines in which users will feel like they are running in the air, guess it feels good. Also have you ever heard of a salt and mud rooms? They say these rooms are for body scrubbing and skin care.

Another interesting thing is that the training machines are connected to the Internet and were made exclusively for Al Hamra Thermae, WiFi is also available across the gym. They said there are special aerobics and bootcamp sessions plus yoga classes. I admit seeing how Al Hamra Thermae looks tempt me to give it a try but as a bodybuilder my main concern is the free weight area but I couldn’t see it yet because the men section is not yet open plus I want to check out the swimming pool and spa section so I’ll make sure to have another visit later.

Now “unto” the part that many of you are awaiting, pricing right? They said the annual subscription costs KD1,000 (plus one month free) and that includes a personal trainer throughout the year plus free nutrition consultations from popular local nutritionist Ghanima Alrayyes (AKA gcalories). So by doing simple math, Al Hamra Thermae costs around KD76 per month (KD1000 for 13 months) but I think the management is targeting the yearly membership, I admit I’ve fallen in love with this health club but I’d love it even more if they introduce special offers.

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I managed to get you a sneak peek visit to Fitness First health club which will supposedly open in about a week at 360 Mall – Level 3, this is their first branch in Kuwait and they said they will later open two other branches in Salmiya and Sulaibikhat. Little introduction; Fitness First is the largest privately owned health club group in the world with over 540 branches around the world, but does it really worth the popularity? That is the question.

My first question to them was of course “Why do you always open inside malls instead of having separate building?”, they said it’s their philosophy to open health clubs within malls because they have facilities such as large parking area, food court, cinema, recreational, shopping…etc. so their members can enjoy working out and enjoy shopping or dining or say go to cinema later, “we also target office workers in the mall” they added.I noted they had two separate clubs for men and women with common reception area with total area of about 2,200 sq. m. I started with the women club which was spacious on the inside with cardio area with treadmills, free weights area, stretch area, group exercise area, mind and body, freestyle area. I noted there were new multi-purpose training machines that I haven’t seen in other clubs, changing room was large with many lockers and there were steam, sauna and showers.

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As for the men club it was more like a gym rather than fitness club, it was smaller than the women side with a strength section, cardio area with treadmills, free weights area with dumbbells and benches, showers and lockers room, sauna and steam rooms. They also have a small lounge area with free WiFi Internet connections and computers.

The men gym looked nice but don’t expect a big gym with large free weights and numerous training and weight-resistance machines like the other gyms. Their machines are from brand Life Fitness and they had around 58 treadmills in total (both clubs). I asked about their prices but they said they can only provide me with the prices for the first 200 members that will subscribe, as follows;

6 months; KD311

12 months; KD 388

18 months; KD467

The normal rates will be announced when they are officially opened. Fitness First does look nice and neat but some things were missing like a swimming pool , therapy and massage treatment but personally I rarely use such facilities anyway.

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I’m glad that I managed to keep up with my workout for several months now and drop my weight from 97KG to around 86KG and maintain the result, but of course my target is not only to lose weight but to get back in shape by losing fat and gaining muscle mass to get the toned body look. However, the biggest challenge that I’m facing now is that on some days I feel little drowsy when I arrive to the gym, also feel tired when I do intensive workout for say 50-60 minutes. I usually start with a warm up then do weight resistance exercises and finish with cardio or sometimes swimming at the pool.

So I’m now considering to add supplements to my regimen, the ones that I used before are shown above but I’ve checked online (supplements in Kuwait too expensive) for bodybuilding, vitamin shoppe, and amazon websites and there are many new supplements that I know nothing about, what I’m basically looking for are the best supplements that help with raising energy level, boost natural testosterone and growth hormones, improve muscle anabolism, whey protein and multi-vitamin. I’d would be thankful if you could share your experience about supplements so we could all benefit, also if you know good shops or trusted websites that sell them for good prices.

Note: I wanted to add that ordering supplements online has also become tough in Kuwait because of customs and Ministry of Health new regulations, package has to be sent to test labs before it can be retrieved.

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I was asked by Ten Spa & Salon to pass by them to try their treatments and rate their overall experience, it’s been really long since I had any massage sessions or body treatments and lately I’m starting to feel stressed out so this invitation came at the right time. So I went over to Sanabil Tower (Al Babtain) in Sharq, they are located on 2nd mezzanine.

Inside they had a small reception area with dimmed lighting, they served me ginger tea and gave me a brief description for their treatments and facilities. They basically have 4 treatment rooms, a barber, and pedicure & manicure area. I picked their menu and saw that they have a variety of massages and treatments; some for relaxing and re-energizing and others for deep tissue.

They also have whole packages that include massage, facials, reflexology, body wrap…etc. in one go based on customer desire. Their treatment room was small but fully equipped; a shower, toilet, comfy bed, and set of organic oils that they use for the massage. Also their massage therapist was experienced.

I gotta say the massage coupled with dimmed lighting and slow music playing was relaxing, the 60 minutes felt like 6 minutes. I did not try the barber so I can’t give my feedback on that, as for the pricing their treatments sessions cost KD25 for the 60 mins and KD30 for 90 mins. Ten Spa & Salon does offer a relaxing massage treatment on-the-go experience for those who work and live around Kuwait City, but the spa itself is small so do not expect a fancy sauna or steam room.

Address: Sanabil Tower, Mezzanine Two, Sharq

Phone: 22924040

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A few months ago I posted about the famous health club Fitness First opening in Kuwait [link] at the under construction Al Salam Mall in Salmiya, the management (who also manage Landmark) have contacted me to tell me that they are opening another branch at 360 Mall at Level 4 in mid December 2012. They said they have a booth at 360 Mall and people have chance to join their raffle draw and win one year free membership and also get the chance to get pre sale rate.

Health Clubs market in Kuwait is really becoming very competitive with numerous new popular gyms opening, hopefully this will be in consumer’s favor.

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