hey tero,

there are some free weight ugly smelly gyms in town, but you have to look for them, and so far i haven't. there's a silhouette near you which is actually a good compromise because it's split into two rooms - one full of loud music, grunting, smelly men and free weights, and the other quite modern with lots of cardio machines and a glass window allowing you to see outside - it's quite nice actually but yeah, there are some distractions so i would stick to the weights room considering your "problem" :P silhouette doesn't come cheap, a year will cost you around 1000 and the monthly rate will be around 100 or more depending on how long a contract you get. here is their website.

i hear the wilson silhoutte is even worse in terms of smell and oldness but i haven't been myself - here is the website - http://www.silhouette.ch/

the one next to you is opposite the big foreign bus stop near the lake. the address is Rue Thalberg 4

the smelly ugly gyms prob cost less - the advantages of chains is that you can access all of their facilities around town / in the country with one pass usually... good luck

ps - i think university of geneva has a cheap gym, but i don't know the details - try looking at their forums - i think their gym is in the jonction area but i'm not sure

Gleb: Thanks for the tips. I checked the Silhouette website and I will try to find out if the University of Geneva offers something. If I find a place for a smelly place for grunting, I will post the details to this forum later for everybody 

American Fitness. It's not in a great location, it's over in Acacias, but the 11 bus stops within a block of it, and the 15, 17 trams are about a 10 minute walk. It's the official gym of the Servette hockey club.
It has the bonus of being right next to the Vernet swimming pool. I have heard rumors of there being a weight room that one can use in conjunction with the pool, but I have never, ever found it.

American Fitness had the bonus of being the least expensive and least crowded of any gym I have visited in Geneva, and has decent evening hours.

http://www.american-fitness.ch/index.html

Good luck!

 Hi Tero,

The Silhouette offers a really tiny swimming pool in Wilson and spinning classes in Les Alpes, both clubs provide Yoga classes and are close to the station... both clubs also have separate rooms for grunting smelly guys and good looking athletic women :o)

As for running tracks, there is a small one in Eaux-Vives (above the parc des Eaux-Vives), one in Onex (stade des Evaux) and one in Meyrin...

hope this helps...

Isa

Thanks Isa,

I guess Silhouette is my place since so many of you are recommending it. I also tried to Google map the stadiums you mentioned, but I wasn't sure did I find them. Are all the ones you mentioned outdoor running tracks? And are they all like 400m (or at least 350m) tracks? Google map finds them, but most stadiums look like sport complex buildings. 

I can indeed confirm that Silhuette close to Wilson is small and sometimes smelly. I would guess exactly the place you're looking for. To make it clear, I live in the immidiate proximity and not taking part to its excersices though knowing something about it.

Ja sit tällä kotimaisella. Tervetuloa kaupunkiin! IT-alalta, konsultointia, käsienheiluttelua, KTM?-) Kun muuttokiireet helpottaa ja jos tuopillinen olutta maistuisi, niin IT-alan DI-duunari odottaa yhteydenottoasi tositarkoituksella. ;)

Just to clarify bad body odours are a plus because it usually guarantees an intensive workout atmosphere. In my experience upscale fitness clubs do not have this same ambience. But if I can eat the cake and keep it at the same time by getting a fresh gym with proper free weight setting I'm more than happy.

To Pepso in Finnish: Kiitoksia. Ollaan yhteyksissä kun ehdin asettumaan kaupunkiin. Varmaan menee tuohon elokuun puoleen väliin. Oluen passaan, mutta DI-duunarin tositarkoitus kiinnostaa aina:)   Joo, ja kauppaa olen lukenut mutta KTM en ole. 

Hi Tero,

All the running tracks I mentioned are outdoor, 2 of them are 400m (les Evaux in Onex and le Bout-du-Monde in Vessy). Those are nice because you can run along rivers (the Rhône for the first and the Arve for the second). The Bout-du-Monde provides changing rooms and lockers but I'm not sure about les Evaux.

The one in Meyrin (Champs-Fréchets) is only 300m and the one in Eaux-Vives is probably shorter than that !