The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

It doesn’t matter what time of the year it
is, there’s always a nagging reason to hit the gym. The end of Ramadan, the day
after Christmas day, the New Year and the creeping start of summer all herald
sweeping proclamations of getting into shape, losing a few pounds and fitting
into your old Speedos.

It’s a lucky omen then that you can’t turn
around in Cairo without finding a big neon sign signalling the existence of a
gym. Located on Tehran Street off Mosaddak Street in Dokki, Coliseum has had its soft opening, and despite a few rough edges, it
looks very promising.

The gym room is fairly small;
you can comfortably survey the whole area in detail from any spot. Though the
brightly lit interior is that of a sleek modern fitness centre, the Technogym
machinery is bulky and looks dated. One treadmill, for example, looked worn out;
yet it worked fine, and for any sophistication that it lacked, the on-site
trainer compensated in advice and guidance. Though treadmills are the most
numerous machines, basic machinery is also present, including exercise bikes
and stair climbers. In one corner of the area is the free weights section,
which looks brand spanking new.

The
treadmills face the garden of the gym, which, like much of the rest of the gym,
was still under construction at the time of our visit. The grass area will become a kid’s corner as
well as a juice and nutrition bar, and is dominated by a small swimming pool. Though
the pool is not fully functional yet, we were told that it is in working
order, but for some tweaking to systems that will heat it. If you’re looking to
swim laps, you will be sorely disappointed; it’s the size of a giant hot tub.

The changing rooms are slick and clean,
though they have a strange lack of ventilation, and so after getting your sweat
on, it feels a bit stuffy. The sauna and spa areas are somewhat cramped, but
their small size is in keeping with the size of the rest of the gym.

Upstairs holds the massage room, as well as
a small hall for classes, which is airy and bright, despite having that new
wood-and-glue smell to it. The classes schedule has yet to be made.

A one-year membership to Coliseum costs 3600LE. With
this, comes fifteen free day-use passes, six sessions with a personal trainer,
four sessions with the resident nutritionist and four sessions of a fitness
assessment to gauge your progress, as well as one free massage session. Six-month
memberships are available for 2520LE; a three-month haul will cost you 1440LE
and one-month access costs 600LE. The perks of the one-year membership apply to
the other packages as well, but on a smaller scale. Day use is also available
for 100LE. 

Everywhere we went, there was some kind of
construction work taking place, and it was a bit disconcerting that the gym
staff outnumbered this reviewer by five-to-one. What we must keep in mind is
that this is still a gym in the making, and for what this reviewer experienced,
Coliseum has all the ingredients to become a favourite for Cairo residents.