Wellness Center membership costs comparable to Anytime Fitness fees

Students wanting to work off the freshman 15 in between classes have two very distinct options within walking distance of campus.

The Wellness Center and Anytime Fitness both offer workout facilities for comparable prices.

The Wellness Center doesn’t charge an entry fee for USD students; however, USD faculty and staff still pay full price.

The cost for a single adult is $35 plus tax, $65 plus tax for a couple, $75 plus tax for a family and $10 plus tax for a dependent. A pool membership is $20.83 per month.

Steve Mayer, the director of the Wellness Center, said membership varies between 750-800 active non-student members each week. He also explained why faculty and staff don’t receive a discount:

“When the Wellness Center was built, it was strictly built with student funds so it was decided that students would be the only ones to use it for little to no cost,” Mayer said.

Options for guests vary, an individual day pass is $7 and a day pass for a family is $20. The other option is getting a punch pass, which is 10 entries for $56.

Wellness Center patrons can also rent lockers by the year. It’s $75 for a half locker and $100 for a full locker.

Prices at Anytime Fitness are very similar. Associate manager Steph Warnke said prices start at $42 a month for an individual membership but go down once discounts are applied.

Warnke said there are some upfront costs when you first get your membership. It costs $51.99 for the 24-hour access key fob and a yearly club enhancement fee of $32.10 that is charged to members on April 5.

USD students and faculty receive a $5 monthly discount. There is also a $2 discount if the bill is paid with a checking or savings account, making the price for a USD student or staff member between $35 and $37 a month.

There are other discounts available as well, Warnke said.

“A few businesses in town get discounts for their employees and we also offer a military discount,” she said.