re: Visiting a different gym as guest

I mean, they are obviously letting you use it free as a way of advertising their gym. The best way to see how you like a gym is actually using it. Of course there is going to be pressure to join. But if you really want to go workout, be prepared on the front end that it is a sales pitch. I've done it before when I was out of town and the hotel gym left a lot to be desired. I was a member at Gold's at the time, and went to another chain that we didn't have in Birmingham at the time. Told the guy I saw the free trial period (I think it was a 3-day pass) and wanted a place to get a workout in while I was on the road. He was cool about it, and didn't pressure me too much since he knew they didn't have one here. He said he wouldn't turn people away but that it was a one time thing so I wasn't going to be able to come back the next week when I was going to be back down there.