Gyms in Wimberley

Under the Texas Health Spa Act, a health spa is any business that sells memberships for instruction in, or use of facilities for, an exercise program. That covers most membership gyms. It leaves out tax-exempt nonprofits, member-owned private clubs, studios that teach only dance or aerobics, rehab providers and school programs.

A covered gym needs a Secretary of State registration for each location before it sells a membership. The certificate costs $100, lasts one year and must be posted where members can see it. To check, use the SOS online health spa search, or the PDF list of registered locations the office updates every Wednesday, which also shows whether security is posted.

• Length. A Texas membership contract can't run longer than three years, and a financed one can't require payments for more than five.
• Three-day exit. A full refund is yours if your written cancellation, with proof of payment, goes by certified mail to the gym's home office before midnight on the third business day after signing. The contract must spell this out in conspicuous 10-point type.
• Death or disability. A member who becomes totally and permanently disabled, or the estate of a member who dies, can cancel and recover unearned payments.
• Closures. If the gym is unusable for 30 days or more for reasons beyond the owner's control, it must extend affected contracts by the same time.

You can also cancel for a refund of unearned payments if the gym closes without offering facilities within 10 miles, moves more than 10 miles or fails to provide advertised services. The gym must post notice at each entrance at least 30 days before it closes or relocates; that notice isn't required after a fire, flood or act of God.

Joining a Wimberley gym before it opens

A gym selling memberships before its doors open must hold the prepayments in an FDIC-insured escrow account until 30 days after opening, unless it's exempt. If it doesn't open within 180 days of its first sale, or doesn't stay open 30 days, prepaying members are generally owed a full refund.

Wimberley gyms set their own prices, so compare written offers. Nationally, Fixr puts basic gyms at $15 to $40 a month and gyms with more advanced equipment at $50 to $100 (January 2025). Ask for the total cost of the contract, initiation fee included, before you sign.

The Secretary of State registers gyms but doesn't regulate how they do business. Sales and billing disputes go to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at (800) 621-0508, and a Health Spa Act violation counts as a deceptive trade practice. A gym also may not advertise that it is "bonded by the state".

The Texas gym guide covers security deposits and closure claims in full, Dripping Springs gyms are next door, and the order of the list is explained in our terms of service. More about the town is on the Wimberley page.