UTHSC-H Recreation Center

Great Med Center area gym for anyone affiliated with the Texas Medical Center. Included in the price of admission are traditional gym amenities such as a large free weight area, several squat racks, weight machines, pull-​up area, ellipticals, rowing machines, treadmills, and bikes. Some nice additional features include an outdoor heated Olympic-​sized swimming pool (open year round), racquet ball court, 3 outdoor basketball courts, two tennis courts, one group exercise classroom, large shower/​locker area, and a private parking lot.
For a Texas Medical Center student (BCM), I pay $ 23/​month which is a real deal in my opinion. The gym has great hours (530a-​10p) on weekdays so I can workout almost whenever I please. Parking is a breeze and staff is very friendly. In addition to what comes with your membership, you can opt to pay for things like personal training, group exercise classes ($ 5/​class or $ 15/​month) and leagues/​tournaments (flag football, softball, racquetball, soccer, basketball, ping-​pong, sand volleyball, kickball). Virtually empty during the morning and daytime but gets crowded later on in the evening. No complaints about cleanliness.
If you’re a self-​motivated person in terms of exercise and affiliated with the Texas Medical Center in some way, this is a convenient gym that I think has high value. Reasons to look elsewhere: you want to work exclusively with a personal trainer (there’s only 2 on staff here, 1 at any given time), you really only do group exercise classes (limited choices), or you want to do spin classes (none here).

Free for UT students. If you work anywhere in TMC «/​UT afflicted institutes, you are most likely to get discounted membership. It has Olympic size pool, too.

I have been going here to exercise for the past 4 years and love it. If you are a UT or MD Anderson student or employee it is well worth the cost, which is cheaper than most gyms in the area. It also is one of the few gyms that actually have an area to do proper olympic lifting, which I’m sad is a rarity. Great facility

Alright, I have been a member of this gym for the past 3 years now, and I think I can give a pretty accurate review of this facility and it’s amenities.
Pros:
1. Super cheap rates for non-​students. (You won’t find a lower membership fee anywhere else.)
2. Very clean. I have yet to see a day in which anything looked unkempt.
3. Good quality equipment. Most cardio machines have their own television, stationary bikes with simulated courses that are actually fun, Spin bikes, and up-​to-​date weight machines.
4. Fun and well-​maintained activity areas. Swimming pool is heated in the winter, in-​door racquetball court, full-​sized tennis courts and basketball courts, running trail, softball fields, and soccer fields.
5. Usually not crowded during peak hours. (anytime before 4:30 — 5:00 pm)
Cons:
1. Staff. They can be hit or miss. I have gotten to know 1 or 2 of them over the past couple of years, all are polite, but few will even acknowledge you when you come or go. Many times, I have said «hello» or «goodbye» and not even received a glacé up from their facebook page. (I realize we are there to workout and this sounds petty, but the quality of my workouts depend on how comfortable I am at the gym, and getting a cold shoulder sets a poor tone.
2. Limited number of machines and equipment. Like I had said earlier, the equipment is very good and is usually in working order, but during evening hours, it can be frustrating trying to follow a workout while having to wait for specific equipment to become free. If you only have time to go in the evenings, be prepared to modify your workout on the fly if you plan on doing weight training.
3. Bright Lighting. Ok, so this is going to sound really stupid, and will probably actually be a positive for most people. This is based strictly on my preference and in no way impacted the score I gave this gym. Being a former personal trainer/​body builder/​power lifter, I can get pretty serious in my workouts and having too well of a lighted workout area can really distract me. Therefore, for me, it’s a con.
4. Some Patrons. There are a lot of inconsiderate guys that workout there. Almost every night there are a few guys that feel the need to attract attention to themselves by dropping weights when it is posted not to. One guy was dropping 65 lb. dumbbells from an incline press right next to my pregnant wife. I asked him to stop, and he just scoffed. Dropping dumbbells is a very easy way to break them and hurt others nearby. Not only this, but almost every time I have gone, there has been a person who feels that deodorant is not necessary after a long day of school or work. It has been enough to make me almost gag.
5. Hours of operation. 5:30 am– 10:00 pm on Monday-​Friday, and 10:00 am-8:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. I really, really wish they would stay open until midnight or open at 4 or 5 am. Seeing as that the people who work there are students, I understand why these hours are in place, but extended hours would easily give this place 5 stars in my mind.
All-​in-​all, you won’t find a better deal around and it is definitely worth the fee (if you even have one). Just try to workout before 5:00 pm if at all possible.

5:30 am workouts are so nice and quiet! Lunch time isn’t busy either. Great view of the pool from the cardio area. Lap pool is amazing, but can lay out by the pool if you’d like. Staff is very friendly.
Bathrooms are always clean. If you shower, I highly suggest shower shoes. Bring your own shampoo, conditioner and body wash. They do have a hand soap dispenser in each shower stall. You can purchase a locker for rent weekly/​monthly or bring your own lock to use daily.
Weight room is good. They have everything you need in a weight room. Even have jump ropes, stretch bands, floor mats, medicine balls, bosu ball, etc.
Also have 2 ping long tables, a racquet ball court and outdoor basketball and tennis courts.

I LOVE THIS PLACE.
If I could give it 100 stars I would. This is a hidden gem of a gym.
I have been coming here for the past 6 summers. Mostly to use the huge and amazing pool to swim laps. But I can give you as many reasons as the number of fingers on my hands as to why this is the best place to work out:
1. Let’s start with the pool, it is almost resort like, its outdoors but not treated with the putrid chlorine smell most public pools use. As a long-​time swimmer, this is great for the hair and skin, and swimming experience. The water is almost always maintained very well in terms of temperature and cleanliness.
2. People do not come here to play around. Most people here are either medical students or professionals working around the medical center. So you can bet your life that if anything happens to you, you will be in good hands physically.
3. Did i mention that the pool itself has 8 lanes or more? There is plenty of space to do your work out, whether it is in the pool or in the gym indoors.
4. There are chairs to lay on and soak up sun if you aren’t a swimmer, and ¼ of the whole pool is the «deep end» where you can practice diving or deep sea swimming.
5. The gym has a great selection of equipments and weights, really all you need. there is also a leisure area with a 2 pool tables and ping pong tables if you don’t feel like working-​out.
6. Treadmills galore. Cardio machines galore. Magazines galore if bored. Personal TVs installed on each machine.
7. More bigger TVs for people not on the cardio machines.
8. A squash court/​inddoor volleyball room. Yoga room and numerous free training sessions.
9. Nice big shower and lockerrooms.
10. Nice outdoor tennis courts and basketball courts.
That’s not all folks, the front desk is also usually super nice.
Highly recommend.

Although the Rec Center can get busy sometimes, it’s never too packed to get in a decent workout. It’s a pretty good facility with a lot of different machines & free weights. Sometimes you have to wait for people doing pullups or something in the squat rack (?!) but at least there’s a rack. The benches are horrible for someone as little as I am (not adjustable) but I bench out of a rack if I’m going heavy. No chains/​bands, but there are some boxes of different heights and bumper plates.
It’s a little weird to see ping pong tables right next to the machines, but whatever floats your boat. It is nice to have a pool to swim laps and locker rooms/​showers if I have to go back to work.

This is an excellent exercise facility. They have all the equipment you need to get a complete workout.
Free weights are plentiful so there’s no waiting around for Muscle Max to finish w that set of 40’s. They have a good amount of cardio and other resistance training equipment.
Very clean and well maintained. Most of the people that work out here are medical professionals or affiliated with UTHC.
Huge heated pool that can be used year round for lap swimming and outdoor basketball and tennis courts make this place one of the best places to work out in the med center area.
Only negative here is the hours (closes at 10pm on weekdays and 8pm on weekends) and they’re also closed on holidays which can be annoying to those super serious workout fanatics like myself.

I probably should go to UTH’s gym more often that I actually do, but I guess I’d just rather work out outside than in the gym. That being said, this place has everything you could ever want in a gym for the epic price of 15 – 20 bucks a month depending on your affiliation with UT Houston/​TMC. It might seem like the equipment is pretty crammed together, but surprisingly, I’ve never found it overwhelmingly busy at the rec center. Although I probably come at odd hours.
I kind of wish that they’d open longer hours though. 10pm is a little early for my blood and with my undergrad gym closing at 12am it was kind of a change for the worse when the hours got cut shorter.

With about ten lanes for lap swimming, which equates to shorter wait times, this has to be the best pool in Houston to get some serious exercise done. Although the pool water tastes salty at times, the gym does a good job of maintaining the cleanliness.
Free weights and other weight machines are also available, even at the busiest hour after the work rush. I also enjoy running on the many treadmills here, especially while watching Food Network on the personal TV screens; nothing like gourmet cuisine to motivate me! I’ve only stored my personal belongings in the locker room, so I can’t speak for the cleanliness of the showers. However from what I’ve seen, the upkeep looks pretty shipshape.
Being a school-​associated gym though, be aware that they may close for holidays, especially during the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. You can always check their calendar online though to plan ahead.

Was excited to have an inexpensive gym in the med center, however inexpensive does not have to mean unprofessional and unreliable staff.
Had to leave Houston for an extended period of time and called to inquire about suspending my membership (called on July 8^th — keep this in mind). Spoke with a business manager who was very friendly, i believe her name was Fallon or Farrah. She explained that canceling my membership would be much cheaper than suspending it. I asked if this would be effective immediately, to which she responded «yes it will, you will not be charged again».
I was charged 2 days later.
When I called back, Fallon said «oh, the cut off is the 23^rd of the month, I didn’t realize it was past the 23^rd of June». Remember, it was July 8^th.
I asked if I would have my account credited and she promised someone would get back to me with either bad news or good news. Before she hung up, she threw in a quick «its unlikely that we will be able to do anything». Click.
Never heard back.
Also, the weight room «personal trainer», will give you bad looks while he puts weights back on the rack, even if you were not responsible for the mess that somebody else left.
There is also some shady inappropriate things going down in the mens locker room. FYI guys — keep your towels on.
And one other thing to the staff, your house keeping staff hides in the Gatorade alcove and talks on the phone during the entire duration of my morning workout.
#monitoryourstaff — very unprofessional

Farrah’s review is extensive and fantastic about the good parts of this gym. Let uncle Daniel tell you what’s wrong with it — it is slightly cheaper than a membership at 24 yet the hours are atrocious. Since the hours here are so cabined, as opposed to daddy’s insomnia-​fueled 3am workout at a 24 hour facility, guess what — everyone else is going to show up when they are open as well and then lines start forming and that is madness to wait for a machine.
It is not totally a bad deal since they have some things that a typical 24 hour gym does not (tennis courts, volleyball etc.) but the big drawback is the hours considering the few (emphasis on few) extra dollars it takes to get a 24 membership that someone with my schedule/​responsibilities would get a lot more use out of at 3am rather than just going «oh UTHSCHRC is closed since it is 2:30am» and that is a mouthful.

If you are a UTH student and live in the med center or you have run out of things to study you need to go here! I’m pretty happy that membership is free for students as I cancelled my 24-​Hour Fitness a few months ago. Front desk people are really friendly and helpful and will set your account up in 5 mins or less. Just scan your badge and you’re in. I went around noon on a weekday and it was pretty dead. Probably less than 10 people using cardio equipment and a handful of guys in the weight room. I love how the machines each have a tv screen so you’re not forced to watch TMZ or Fox News on the wall mounted TVs. Also there are stands on the machines so you can put a study guide on and do double duty.
Haven’t seen any creepy people yet…
There’s enough cardio equipment but the machines are packed in the room. If you highly value personal space, you might want to see the facility first.

Been coming here since last fall and have really enjoyed its facilities. Clean locker room, lots of cardio machines with enough even during peak hours (5:30−7pm are usually pretty busy), and weight room is well kept with all the essentials. The employees at the front desk are also really friendly :) Keep their phone number in your phone so you can call ahead and ask about special holiday hours and pool closures.
Tips: there’s a 15% discount on a 3-​month membership in January and May so if you’re a TMC student (not UTH student) it’s only $ 57/​three months, a great deal! If you’re paying for a membership for the next month, you can pay it during the last week of the previous month and get that whole week free.
One thing that was disappointing was that their December 2012 closures lasted a pretty long time (Dec 19-​January 2). I had to renew my membership in December and paid $ 27 for only 19 days. The guy behind the counter was really apologetic about it and tried to finagle a way where I could get a discount but it didn’t work.

The Rec Center is a great facility if you have access to it. As a student, you will have a mandatory fee that goes toward this membership. Whether you use it or not, you are charged. But that also means that you can use it only during your semesters, aka summer doesn’t count, unless you have full-​time status.
The facility itself is great: you have a quite varied free weights area, machine operated weights, a dance/​aerobics room, the elliptical/​stair-​master/​bicycle areas with lots and lots of machines, an Olympic size swimming pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, and a running trail –kinda.
I say kinda for the running trail because it’s not really physically part of the Rec Center. Yes, you have to walk 3 minutes to get to it, but it’s to the side and you can use that for free. Similarly for the volleyball and soccer fields. As long as there’s not an actual team who payed the Rec to play… you can use those fields.
The facility is great, well-​maintained, with lots of options. The one downside is that occasionally it will be super busy and you will havve a 30 min max set on the elliptical. But that happens so rarely, it’s not really an issue.

I have been a member here for over a year and a half now. It’s as good as it gets. The membership prices are reasonable. It has all the weight equipment I need. Staff is easygoing. Membership is exclusive to Med Center affiliates and their guests which is a plus!

It’s a great place at a great price (see website). It’s clean and the machines get renovated every few years. Last time I was there was Fall 2008. I was impressed with the number of weight machines they had and shear number of cardio equipment. When I went last weekend again as a guest, I was blown away by the individual screens w/​headphones and cable TV on each cardio machine eg bikes or ellipticals. It’s a big deal because at traditional gyms, the multitude of machines makes the environment very noisy so that you can’t hear your own music. I was also impressed with 4 different sets of 5 – 6 ellipticals. Also, working out an hour on those machines felt pretty fun while watching TLC’s documentary of the British royal weddings: D. There’s also a pingpong table near the weights as a nice contrast the serious weight lifters. I Just joined membership today which took about 10mins – great rate for students. You get an photo ID card that you swipe to come in. I’m also looking forward to the group fitness classes.

I’ve been going here since 2005 and it’s VERY clean, usually not crowded, they have a ton of equipment and are always updating it.
Took off a star because they close at 10pm (open at 530a, I believe) and you have to pay for the group fitness classes instead of them being included in your membership fees.
SUPER CLEAN.

Yet another reason why Longhorns are the best lookin’ around. We’ve got great gyms.
«Membership to the UT Health Science Center Rec Center is open to all current UT students, faculty/​staff and families and affiliates, including Texas Medical Center institutions and UT Alumni.» –website
I took an afternoon break from work to do a few laps with a fellow girlfriend. She had a guest pass and kindly let me use it to get some cardio back into my daily routine (knee injury has been killing me). Sunny day that it was, I took advantage of it and swam a few laps in the Olympic-​size heated swimming pool, then laid out for a bit to catch the last of the «summer» sun. As a few hotties in swimming caps, goggles — ya know, the whole Michael Phelps getup — worked a few lanes, we kinda stuck out like sore thumbs in our glammed out bikinis. But it was NBD. This rec center didn’t completely have a gym feel. I mean, how many gyms have rows of chairs to lay out on?
Other facilities Available:
Free Weight Equipment
Resistance Equipment
Cardiovascular Equipment
Group Fitness
Tennis Courts
Outdoor Basketball Courts
Racquetball Court
Super Clean Locker Rooms
Athletic Field,
Leisure Game Area (pool tables)
Sand Volleyball Courts
Jogging Trail
Vending Machines
They aren’t open 24 hours, and it’s located out of my way in the Med Center, however, this gym was close to empty in the middle of the day, it was super clean, and I loved the layout. I so wanted to use all the machines, but I’ll just wait for next time.