Gyms in Cypress

Presale offers carry the Health Spa Act's escrow and refund rules. Before you pay a founding-member rate, ask the sales rep three questions: is the gym registered with the Secretary of State for this location, where is the escrow account held, and what date does the gym expect to open. Keep the contract and your receipt; you'll need both if the opening slips.

Most membership gyms count as health spas, because the Act covers any business selling memberships that give instruction in, or use of facilities for, an exercise program. It doesn't cover tax-exempt nonprofits, member-owned private clubs, studios that only teach dance or aerobics, rehab providers, state-licensed activities, school programs or government hospitals and clinics, so ask which kind of place you're joining.

A covered gym may not operate or sell memberships without a health spa certificate of registration for each location. Registration costs $100 and lasts one year. The certificate must hang where members can see it, and the registration number must appear in your contract.

The Secretary of State's online health spa search shows whether a gym is registered and whether it has posted security; a PDF list of registered locations is updated every Wednesday. Security runs from $20,000 for a location with up to $20,000 in prepaid memberships to $50,000 for one with more than $45,000, posted as a surety bond or certificate of deposit and held for members who lose money if the gym closes.

Exempt Cypress gyms

A gym can skip security if it never requires contracts or prepayment over 31 days, financing, automatic bank drafts or initiation fees. An established gym can also be exempt if it swears every three years to assets over $50,000 per location, five years under substantially the same ownership and no closure complaints. Either way, Texas gyms may not advertise that they're bonded by the state.

You have until midnight of the third business day after the contract date to cancel for a full refund, by written notice sent certified mail. Your contract must state that right, and your rights if the gym closes or moves more than 10 miles, in conspicuous 10-point type. No contract may run longer than three years, and financed ones can't require payments for more than five.

• If the gym 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.
• If you die or become totally and permanently disabled, you or your estate can cancel and recover unearned payments.
• If the gym is unusable for 30 days or more for reasons beyond the owner's control, such as a natural disaster, it must extend your contract by the same time. Harris County's hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30.

A contract is void if the seller wasn't registered when you signed, or if you relied on willfully false or misleading information. A Health Spa Act violation counts as a deceptive trade practice, and you can't waive the Act's protections.

The national average was $28.58 a month in 2021, according to Statista as cited by Forbes Health, with memberships from about $10 to $300. Fixr's national figures from January 2025 put basic gyms at $15 to $40 a month and better-equipped ones at $50 to $100. Cypress gyms set their own prices, so ask each gym for the monthly rate, any initiation fee and the cancellation terms in writing.

If a gym closes or relocates, it generally must post notice inside and outside each entrance at least 30 days ahead and tell the Secretary of State; that advance notice isn't required after a fire, flood or act of God. Members then claim against its security by mailing the contract and proof of payment to the Secretary of State within 90 days of the closure notice appearing on the SOS website. For a dispute over how a Cypress gym does business, call the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at (800) 621-0508, since the Secretary of State handles only registration and security.

For the full Texas rules, see the Texas gyms guide. Compare gyms in Katy and gyms in The Woodlands, or return to the Cypress guide.