Kosher Gym to be sold to a national fitness company
This letter was sent to us by a reader who says it was sent to him by the Kosher Gym.

Please read this entire letter - we don't want any misconceptions or false rumors.

For many years Kosher Gym has been controlled by the same shareholders, and our goal has always been to meet the health and fitness needs of the community.

We, the shareholders of the gym, are in negotiations to sell our shares of Kosher Gym to a national fitness group that focuses on gender specific clubs.

Regardless of who owns the gym, the gym will remain separate for men and women with full time hours for both genders.

This sale will effect our members in someways, hopefully for the best as follows:

Club Hours:
The club will be open 7 days a week (including Shabbos): You'll be able to workout as close to Shabbos as permitted and come as early as permitted after Shabbos. The gym will always be open for you!

Improved Management:
Having a team of skilled managers and a large customer care center, as well as more resources the group will be able to better manage and improve the club.

There will be a transition period that will be starting within the next few month. Please remember anything that you see that "doesn't seem kosher" isn't, and is not being done by the current shareholders.

This will include a change in the graphics used in ads, postcards, billboards and other media sources that may not meet the modesty constraints of our faith..

Staff may not be as modestly dressed as you have been used to and the music and programming may not be on an acceptable standard.

To those of you who do keep the Laws of our faith properly, we apologize in advance and recommend that you bring you bring your own entertainment, or just don't look.

We want to clarify so there are no misunderstandings:

The gym will now be like any other gym, including Bally's, NYSC, Empire, etc. The only difference will be is the club will remain a Separate club for Men and Women.

Your memberships will stay active and not change as you will continue to be a member of Kosher Gym. The only difference will be who the shareholders are.

Should you have any concerns, please send an email to info@kgfit.com we will do our best to reply to all emails within 4 days.

Most importantly we hope that you will keep in mind that the group which is acquiring the gym is run by non-Jews, who have little or no experience in working with Jews. Please behave in a way that is fitting of a Kiddush Hashem and not G-d forbid a Chillul HaShem.

The Shareholders

Frequently Asked Questions - Accurate Answers
Is the name of the club going to change?
Yes, the name on the building and in the media will be changed to reflect company that is acquiring the club. This will be done once the building is completed, the façade is redone and everything in the club meets that standards of the company. Until then the gym will operate under the KG Fitness name.

Is my membership price going to go up?
No. The contract that you signed is binding between you and the club, regardless of who owns the shares of the club or who the management is. If you are being billed monthly your monthly dues will not increase for as long as you remain a member. That is guaranteed.

Can I cancel my membership?
That depends. If your initial term period that is specified in your contract is over, you may cancel with 30 days written notice as specified in your contract. If you are still within your initial term you may still submit a cancellation letter and it will take affect when your initial term expires.

Changing the management or shareholders of the club does not release you from your obligations of your contract and likewise protects your investment you have already paid and further guarantees the performance of the agreement you signed for the future.

What if I am unhappy with the new management?
For starters, the management should improve dramatically, so wait and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Barring any significant change to the club, you have no right under the contract you signed to cancel your membership.There are specific remedies specified in your contract and satisfaction is not one of them.

In choosing a company that would acquire the gym, the main criteria was finding a match that would not change the club’s primary feature – separate workout areas for men and women.

While the new management will not necessarily be sensitive to specific Jewish needs, they are a professional group and will manage the gym in a professional and proper fashion.

I heard they are going to have TV’s:
We have always had TV playing the news, yet it has been edited to remove some of the inappropriate material. The new company will obviously not be doing that.

However, they will be upgrading all of the equipment (in the mens gym) with individual screens, so each member will be able to decide individually if they want to watch or not, just like on an airplane.

No TV will be played until the individual screens are installed.

Are they going to play non-Jewish Music?
No. The company' s other clubs all have a "music free environment". What that means is that music is piped in, in a very low background fashion, like in the supermarkets. Nevertheless, the background music that is used is instrumental music only, without words.

Advertising:
This is probably going to be the biggest change. You will shortly start seeing billboards around town, newspaper ads or postcards that may contain images that are prohibited to look at. As bad as this is, it does not affect your membership, or your experience at the gym.

If you do not wish to receive promotions from the club that may contain media that is prohibited to look at, simply notify the customer care center that you do not wish to receive any promotional mail.

What is going to happen with the pool?
This issue is not yet decided and will be clarified within the next few months. If you have purchased the pre-pool special and the decision is not to build a pool, you will be promptly refunded.

What about the hours?
The club hours will remain the same. The club will however, add hours on Friday and Saturday hours as well. It’s a possibility that the club will be open 24/7, as some of their other clubs are already open 24/7.

it's still; a separate facility. they can arsgue that

do you think the court will recognize those as deal breakers for the patrons ? i don't think so.

Can I cancel my membership?
That depends. If your initial term period that is specified in your contract is over, you may cancel with 30 days written notice as specified in your contract. If you are still within your initial term you may still submit a cancellation letter and it will take affect when your initial term expires.

i'm with Brianna. it's very unfair to the members who davka want a kosher gym, with no tvs, closed for shabbos, tzniusly dressed trainers, etc.