amilton gyms are reporting that business is booming this month with locals intent on making good on their New Year?s Resolutions to get into shape. There is no data on how many locals made that resolution, but according to a recent study by the US-based Cambridge Consumer Credit Index thirty percent of Americans said losing weight and exercising more was their top New Year?s resolution for 2005. That number was up from just 27 percent in January 2004.

Unlike past years, Hamilton gym are not offering special incentives this month to get those who have resolved to get fit through their doors. The number of gyms is larger than ever however with the smallest and newest facility Contours, now offering a women?s only gym. While the space at Cedar Parkade Centre offers no extras such as a towel service or sauna, the prices are substantially less than anywhere else in Hamilton. It also the only gym that does not require clients to pay an initiation fee.

Owner Allan Crockwell said that the ?basic gym? is ideal for his clients.

?I?m not competing against any other gym so I didn?t feel we need to [offer such extras. We do have shower facilities but for the most part people seem to be quite happy with the services that are offered,? he said adding that Contours came about as a secondary business to The Posture and Pain Clinic.

?I was very fortunate with this location and the fact that I was moving here anyway [because The Posture and Pain Clinic had to vacate its former space in the Imperial Building. It worked out great for me. I had to move and I ended up with extra space,? he said. ?I do have a niche and I don?t have a large overhead because I already have an existing business in here which is the clinic.?

Scott Stallard, owner of The Olympic Club, said that low overhead ? he owns the building ? as well as knocking out the extras such as towel service has also helped him keep his rates on the low end as well.

?We don?t generally try to compete with spas, there are enough spas in Bermuda already,? he said. ?The way we compete is we offer our services at the least price we can even if we are breaking even, our aim is to continue operating of as long as possible. We own our own building so that makes a difference for us, we don?t have things like rent going up all the time so we don?t have to pass on certain things to customers and by cutting out things like towel service which we find kind of unnecessary it has kept our price down and at the end of the day it is a game of numbers.?

Ron Magnum, who owns Magnum Power Force Gym, with his wife Karen, also forgoes the extras such as a sauna or towel service.

?We want to keep things simple,? he said. ?It is a beautiful gym, perfect location because you have parking out here. Others have problems with parking so it is a matter of convenience.?

On the other end of the spectrum, The Athletic Club, two floors below Contours, charges individuals the highest initiation fee on the island as well as the highest monthly dues.

Operations manager Joanne Bielby said however that the price includes full use of the facility and all of its amenities. Members are also not required to sign up for a full year contract.

?We are a wellness facility, not a gym so we pride ourselves on wellness and that is why we don?t have a gym only or class only rate,? she said.

General manager for Total Fitness Misty Looby describes her facility in much the same way and also sells access to the gym and its classes at a single price. Its prices and those of Magnum Power Force Gym fall in the middle of the pack.

?Total Fitness is a wellness centre, it has physiotherapy, acupuncture, the aspects of beauty, some spa treatments, it has a deli, and as the icing on the cake we also have a gym,? she said. While several gyms offer discounts for married couples, and most offer discounts for seniors and students, single adults will need to get a handful of their co-workers up for exercise if they want to see cheaper rates. Although gyms start discounts with as few as four co-workers signing up, Total Fitness has the best all round corporate deal going if you can convince 20 associates to embrace exercise for the next year.