Gyms in Friendswood

The Texas Health Spa Act covers most membership gyms: any business selling memberships for instruction in, or use of, an exercise program. Each location needs a certificate of registration from the Secretary of State, posted conspicuously, and the registration number must appear in your contract. Registration costs $100 and lasts a year.

The SOS online search shows whether a gym is registered and whether it has posted security, and a PDF list of registered locations is updated every Wednesday. Unless exempt, a gym posts $20,000 to $50,000 of security per location for members who lose money if it closes. Studios that only teach dance or aerobics, member-owned clubs and tax-exempt nonprofits fall outside the Act.

A Friendswood member who changes their mind has until midnight of the third business day after the contract date to cancel for a full refund, with notice sent by certified mail. The contract has to spell that right out in 10-point type. Contracts may not run longer than three years, and financed ones can't require payments for more than five.

When a storm closes a Friendswood gym

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 members' contracts by the same time. If it closes without offering another facility within 10 miles, or moves more than 10 miles, you can cancel for a partial refund. A gym must post notice at each entrance at least 30 days before it closes or relocates (not required after a fire, flood or act of God), and members of a closed gym can claim against its security within 90 days of the SOS closure notice.

Fixr's national figures put a basic membership at $15 to $40 a month and gyms with more advanced equipment at $50 to $100 (January 2025). Ask whether a low monthly rate depends on an initiation fee or a bank draft, since those features affect whether the gym must post security. A gym that never requires contracts or prepayment over 31 days, financing, automatic drafts or initiation fees can be exempt from posting it.

Texas gyms may not advertise that they are "bonded by the state", or misrepresent staff qualifications, facilities or likely fitness results. If a sales pitch promises a set weight loss, treat it as a reason to read the contract twice.

For a dispute over sales practices, call the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at (800) 621-0508; the SOS only handles registration. Our Texas gyms guide has the full Health Spa Act checklist, and the Friendswood local guide covers the rest of town. You can also compare gyms in Pearland.