Gyms in Round Rock

Texas law treats any business selling memberships for instruction in, or use of facilities for, an exercise program as a health spa. Tax-exempt nonprofits, member-owned private clubs, studios that only teach dance or aerobics, rehab providers and school programs are among the exclusions. A covered gym may not operate or sell memberships without a certificate of registration from the Secretary of State, and each location needs its own. The registration costs $100 and lasts one year.

Two ways to check: the Secretary of State's online health spa search, and a PDF list of registered locations updated every Wednesday that also shows whether security is posted. The certificate must be displayed at the gym, and your contract must include the registration number. A contract is void if the seller was not registered when you signed.

The three-day cancellation window

For a full refund, your written cancellation notice, with proof of payment, must go by certified mail to the gym's home office no later than midnight of the third business day after the contract date. The contract must state that right in conspicuous 10-point type. Keep the certified-mail receipt; the refund is due within 30 days of the gym receiving your notice.

Contract length and later cancellation

A Texas gym contract may not run longer than three years, and financed contracts may not require payments for more than five. You can cancel for a partial refund if the gym closes without offering a facility within 10 miles, moves more than 10 miles away, or fails to provide advertised services. A member who dies or becomes totally and permanently disabled, or the estate, can cancel and get unearned payments back. If the gym is unusable for 30 days or more because of something beyond the owner's control, such as a natural disaster, it must extend your contract by the same time.

Unless exempt, a gym must post security of $20,000 to $50,000 per location with the Secretary of State, rising with prepaid memberships, as a surety bond or certificate of deposit. Month-to-month gyms that never take contracts or prepayment over 31 days, financing, automatic bank drafts or initiation fees can be exempt. A gym that is closing or moving must post notice at each entrance at least 30 days ahead, unless fire, flood or another act of God forces the closure. After a closure, members can claim against the security by mailing their contract and proof of payment to the Secretary of State within 90 days of the closure notice appearing on its site.

A new gym may sell founding memberships before the doors open. Those prepayments must be held in an FDIC-insured escrow account until 30 days after opening, unless an exemption applies. If the gym doesn't open within 180 days of first selling memberships, or doesn't stay open 30 days, prepaying members are generally entitled to a full refund.

Statista, as cited by Forbes Health, put the average US gym membership at $28.58 a month in 2021, with prices from about $10 to $300. Fixr puts basic gyms at $15 to $40 a month and gyms with more advanced equipment at $50 to $100 (national, January 2025). Ask Round Rock gyms about initiation and annual fees, since they bear on both price and the security exemption.

Gyms may not claim to be "bonded by the state", or misrepresent staff qualifications or likely results. The Secretary of State registers gyms but does not regulate their practices; the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division takes complaints at (800) 621-0508, and a Health Spa Act violation counts as a deceptive trade practice. The Texas gyms guide has more, the Round Rock hub covers local services, and Georgetown gyms are a short drive north.