University of Houston Campus Recreation

The facility is wonderful. Plenty of workout equipment, equipment for most sports, private rooms, workout classes, training, and much more. Everything is well maintained and clean. My only complaints are that it is sometimes really crowded, they have too many regulations, and that that have limited hours (especially during holiday times).

Over all it’s a nice facility but overwhelmingly small for the amount of occupants/​students. It’s a university with more than 40,000 students. You’d think the recreation center would be just as big. Unfortunately, it’s not and its hard to get a good workout in without having to wait for people to stop using the desired equipment.

Memberships to this gym are not available to the general public, except for alumni, faculty, and staff. If you don’t fit into one of these categories, you’d have to pay 10 dollars for a day guest pass.
This facility is has a lot of features with a rock climbing wall (more on that in the last 2 paragraphs), indoor pool that goes to a 17 feet depth, outdoor leisure pool, multiple indoor basketball/​soccer/​racquetball courts, off-​regulation length indoor track (4 and a half laps = one mile), and a martial arts (all walls are padded) room.
This facility is usually very packed after 2pm, and parking is a pain in the rear end, so if you’re an early bird, try to exercise here before students and commuters start being active on campus– generally before 9am.
I really like using indoor rock climbing as a form of exercise, so I’m devoting 2 entire paragraphs just for the rock wall:
The wall is 50 feet tall! If you’ve ever done indoor rock climbing at other places before, be aware that the difficulty levels here tend to vary from what you may be used to. A 5.9 here was way harder for me to accomplish here than at, say, Texas Rock Gym. Also, the paths are not always easy to figure out, since the individual hand/​footholds aren’t sorted by colors of difficulty. Instead, each hold has a piece of colored tape that is next to it, and you have to look for specific tapes to figure out a path. Sometimes the tape has fallen off, so it’s not too clear which holds to grab.
The rock wall is only open 2pm to 8pm on weekdays and 2pm to 6pm on weekends. If you can go with someone who is belay certified, it’ll drastically reduce the amount of time you’d have to wait for some to belay you. Otherwise, there’s usually a crowd on the weekdays and you probably would need to wait a little bit for a staff member to be your belayer.

Amazing facility! Full gym, inside (olympic sized) and outside (leisure) pools, inside and outside tracks, multiple courts for a wide variety of activities from basketball and volleyball to ping pong and racquetball, fun group exercise classes, a rock wall, and the best part is that it’s FREE for UH students!

One of the best Recreational Center in the nation! Top notch facility. It has Olympic size swimming pool. This place has over 10 full size basketball courts, indoor rock climbing, indoor track and an indoor soccer field! It also has several dance studios and also an MMA boxing room! How amazing is that! The workers are amazing and the atmosphere is full of young college age students! All the equipment are brand new and the facility is very clean and maintain throughout the day! I love working out here! You guys need to check this place out! I’m here 6 days a week!

They really have updated their facilities over the years. It is beautiful now! Before I would only come to play basketball and work out, now they have rockwalls, nice pools, and all kinds of other fun activities to do. Sad to say I still associate with people who attend school here, as in age difference, not their pick of university. UH has come a long ways.

For it to be on campus, it’s understandable that it will be packed at times. The best times to come is during the morning and a portion of the afternoon time until 2pm. That’s when most people are done with classes. Other than that, management and service are exceptional.

This is my favorite Gym in town for current Cougars!
It helps that you’re somehow affiliated with the University of Houston because it’s all about location.
Best publicly available Olympic sized swimming pool in the city. Dive pool/​platforms. Rock Wall. Racquet Ball. Ping Pong. Badminton. Squash. Volleyball. Indoor Soccer. Indoor Track. Steam Room. Basket Ball. Outdoor wade pool and slide.
Through their Outdoor Adventures, UHers have access to hiking, biking, surfing, paddle boarding, paddling, and trips. Rental equipment is available.
Fitness classes range from Karate & Kendo to Zuumba & Paddleboard Yoga.
They’ve just acquired a bunch of new equipment including a lot of cross fit style weights, TRX Suspension, cable machines, etc. There’s some of my favorite machines like the Jacob’s Ladder, Stairs, Lateral X Elliptical, and a green machine called «The Curve» that runs on the power of you.
It’s included as part of your Student Service Fees, or under $ 30 a month for faculty and staff. And, there are day lockers that work!
It does get busy. Equipment is down at times for repair. And I’m sad to say that I don’t think the Jacuzzi is coming back.
My Tip: Visit the great outdoor Recreation Pool and go down their built in Slide.

As gyms go it isnt a bad environment. The lobby is chill and now has new comfy chairs. The locker rooms are always clean when I use them. The equipment is usually nice but lately a lot is ripped and has yet to be repaired. It is included in tuition so why not go.

For it being an on campus recreational center, it satisfies every need. Looking to play a sport? Soccer, basketball swimming, racquet ball and a bunch of other things. Cardio? Tons of machines and an indoor track to run on. Weights? Plenty of free weights and machines.
This gym does get packed which is the only down fall, but you can do plenty of activities here.

Not gonna lie, i’m going to be sad when I graduate. Very clean, good eye candy, improved lockers, olympic sized pool, new equipment, and rock climbing.

got my work out in and my homework done… all in the same building! no LIE!

State of the Art facilities; a little music would be cool. Awesome hours as well.

I no longer trust myself with gym memberships. With past memberships from three separate gyms under my belt, the relationship has been… flimsy, to say the least. So to combat my commitment issues, I presented myself with an ultimatum: you work in the area and the Rec offers decent rates, so guess what, Maigen? You’re not allowed to go home without working out first. Surprise!
As a UH alum, I’m proud to say the Rec is one of the many things our beloved university has going for us; it is *truly* a state of the art facility. Two floors, a handful of courts (basketball, volleyball, racquetball, even some ping-​pong tables in the back), cardio machines, weight machines, rock-​climbing wall, indoor lap pool, outdoor leisure pool, indoor track, a Smoothie King, AND still enough room to throw in some study tables and sofas… if you’re a student and you are NOT taking advantage of this ish, I’m virtually slapping you upside your head right now.
As for the actual utilities, the Rec has just about everything you need. Aside from the occasional out-​of-​order machine, equipment is pretty much kept clean (they have sanitary wipes everywhere!) and maintained. All the private rooms are stocked with mats, balls, and dumbbells, so you don’t have to fight over precious resources when doing your own personal work-​out. Since they DO NOT allow bags/​backpacks upstairs in the weight/​cardio area, you are encouraged to use small lockers (for free) scattered throughout the vicinity; unfortunately, 95% of them are always taken and the other 10% are broken. Tough luck. I heard there’s also some type of Locker/​Towel program you can pay for and take advantage of, so ask at the front desk if you’re interested. So, real quick, something about me: I absolutely love group fitness classes; I’m the type of person who works out better when feeding off positive energy, and fortunately for me, the Rec offers enough classes to keep me happy as a clam. You can find the full list on their website, but I attend the following religiously:
* Tabata & Core: a high-​intensity interval training and core-​focused work out. I’m telling you right now, this class will kick your ass that day, the next day, and probably a few more days after that, but it’s so worth it. Jordan knows his class will kill you, but he’s a great motivator and he knows how to keep everyone’s energy up. I suffered a severe calf-​muscle cramp the first time I attended, but I’m still going back because I know this work-​out is working wonders for my body.
* Kickboxing: I love taking classes with Van! He’s soft-​spoken and sweet, but his gentle coaxing will encourage you to keep at it even when you feel depleted. This class is an awesome work out for your legs, rear deltoids, lat, and upper arms.
* Yogalates: Once again, Van leads this class. Yoga + pilates = match made in heaven. This class is relaxing but challenging at the same time: you stretch, you contort, you use your own body as resistance, you meditate. I love it because it’s as good for my body as it is for my psyche; I feel spiritually cleansed at the end of it.
The Rec is «free» (as in, it’s already paid-​in-​full through your tuition, so you don’t have to worry about monthly payments) to current UH students and offers competitive rates for Faculty/​Staff ($ 27/​month), but it’s pretty pricey for alum ($ 60−80/month). You can also purchase a 1-​day guest pass for $ 7, and since the facility will *ONLY* let you in if you have a CougarCard (yup, no PeopleSoft numbers or IDs accepted), it’s obvious they’ve really cracked down on security.
Oh, and parking is a royal, infuriating, frustrating pain in the ass. Good luck. You’re gonna need it. That, and a TON of patience.

As a student, I pay for it… so I might as well use it. If you were not a student, I don’t see why you would join since you would also have to pay for parking. That being said, it’s a rather nice facility. Most of the equipment is clean and working, but for some reason a solid 20% or more of the lockers seem to have issues.
Going in the morning and summer seem to work out nicely… though it gets crowded in Aug/​Sep and January… when new students come to campus and when people make New Years resolutions about weight loss. Thankfully both these groups thin out after a few weeks.

I only go here to work out (cardio and weight training). Machines are clean and well maintained. Only problem is the TV syncing system to the cardio machines. Some of them are really fuzzy, and some don’t even have it! But some have a personal TV screen so I guess that makes up for it. Staff is also very friendly.
I’ve been to the pool a few times, mainly because they only open during spring and summer or something, at least the outdoor ones.
There’s also a rock climbing wall but I’m too scared that I’ll embarrass myself somehow.
You’ll need your school ID to get swiped in. If you don’t have it, don’t worry! Having an ID picture (driver’s license) and your people soft number will do.