Gyms in Austin

Most Austin membership gyms fall under the Texas Health Spa Act, whose definition reaches any business selling memberships for exercise instruction or use of exercise facilities. Left out are tax-exempt nonprofits, member-owned private clubs, dance-only or aerobics-only studios, rehab providers or school programs. A covered gym may not operate or sell memberships without a certificate of registration from the Secretary of State, at $100 a year, and each location needs its own.

• Search the gym on the Secretary of State's online health spa search, which also shows whether it has posted security.
• Or check the SOS PDF list of registered locations, updated every Wednesday.
• Look for the certificate posted at the front desk; the registration number must also appear in your contract.

Security is the money held for members if a gym closes: $20,000 to $50,000 per location, rising with prepaid memberships, as a surety bond or certificate of deposit. Month-to-month gyms with no contracts or prepayment over 31 days, no financing, automatic drafts or initiation fees can be exempt. Established gyms can also be exempt if they swear every three years to assets over $50,000 per location, five years under substantially the same ownership and no closure complaints. A contract signed with an unregistered gym, or on willfully false information, is void.

Austin prices vary by gym, so compare written offers. Nationally, the average monthly membership was $28.58 in 2021, according to Statista as cited by Forbes Health, with prices from about $10 to $300. Fixr's January 2025 figures put a basic membership at $15 to $40 a month and gyms with more advanced equipment at $50 to $100. Our Texas gyms guide compares membership types.

Gym contract limits in Texas

• A contract may not run longer than three years, and financed contracts may not require payments for more than five years.
• The contract must state, in conspicuous 10-point type, your three-day cancellation right and your rights if the gym closes or moves more than 10 miles.
• A cancellation notice in that window goes by certified mail to the gym's home office with proof of payment, and the refund is due within 30 days.
• Gyms may not advertise that they are "bonded by the state" or misrepresent staff qualifications or likely results.

A member who dies or becomes totally and permanently disabled, or the member's estate, can cancel and get unearned payments back.

A Texas gym must post notice inside and outside every entrance at least 30 days before it closes or relocates, unless fire, flood or another act of God forces the closure. If it closes without offering facilities within 10 miles, moves more than 10 miles or fails to provide advertised services, you can cancel for a partial refund. Claims against posted security go to the Secretary of State, with your contract and proof of payment, within 90 days of the closure notice appearing on the SOS site.

Weather matters here too. FEMA ranks Travis County in the top 10 percent of flood-damage-prone communities, and if a gym is unusable for 30 days or more because of something beyond the owner's control, such as a natural disaster, it must extend affected contracts by the same time.

The Secretary of State registers gyms but doesn't regulate their business practices. For a dispute over sales or billing, call the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at (800) 621-0508; breaking the Health Spa Act counts as a deceptive trade practice. The Austin hub lists other local services, and gyms in Round Rock are listed for comparison.