FitStation, Vientiane Laos Gym Review

FitStation in Vientiane, Laos, surprised me in a good way.

From the outside, you wouldn’t expect much, but once you get inside, this gym opens up across two levels with a lot more equipment than I expected.

We visited on a Saturday morning around 9am and had the entire place to ourselves for the first hour.

It might not be the flashiest gym in Vientiane, but there’s plenty here for a good workout.

First Impressions

Getting into FitStation is a little different. You pay for your day pass at a small booth at street level before heading upstairs to the gym.

Once inside, I was pleasantly surprised by the space.

Everything was clean, well maintained and nicely laid out, with plenty of room between machines.

We had the whole gym to ourselves for the first hour, which is always a nice way to start a workout.

The Space & Equipment

FitStation is spread across two floors.

Upstairs is where you’ll find most of the strength equipment, including resistance machines, cables and free weights.

Downstairs has the cardio equipment, stretching area, squat racks, deadlift platform and bathrooms.

What I really liked was the amount of space between machines.

Some gyms try to squeeze in as much equipment as possible, leaving you barely enough room to move around.

Everything was laid out well, and there was plenty of room to train without getting in anyone else’s way.

The air-conditioning was also excellent.

There were pedestal fans, wall-mounted fans and AC units throughout, keeping the gym comfortable even in the Laos heat. Always appreciated!

Equipment

For a gym that doesn’t look particularly impressive from the outside, FitStation has a really good range of equipment.

There are two Smith machines, two cable stations, squat racks, a deadlift platform and plenty of benches and free weights.

Dumbbells go up to 40 kg, which might be limiting for some heavier lifters, but certainly wasn’t an issue for me.

There’s also a good selection of plate-loaded and pin-loaded machines for chest, back, shoulders and legs, including leg presses, hack squat, leg extensions, curls and hip abductor machines.

You’ll also find TRX ropes, exercise balls and a dedicated stretching area.

The equipment was in good condition, and I found the movement on the machines smooth and natural.

The biomechanics were excellent, which makes such a difference when you’re trying to get a good muscle connection.

One small frustration was the lack of lighter incremental weight plates.

There weren’t any 1.25 kg or 2.5 kg plates available, so making smaller increases on the plate-loaded machines wasn’t always possible. Not a dealbreaker, but worth mentioning.

What It Felt Like to Train Here

We trained at around 9am on a Saturday, and for the first hour, it was just us.

The gym felt comfortable, the equipment worked well and there was enough variety that we could get through our training without any issues.

Staff mentioned that weekday evenings between 5pm and 8pm are generally busier, so if you prefer a quieter gym, mornings might be a better option.

Bathrooms & Facilities

FitStation has everything you need without being particularly fancy.

There are lockers, toilets and hot-water showers.

Towel service was available when we visited, but I’d still recommend bringing your own towel and toiletries.

There’s also a water refill station upstairs, although I usually prefer bringing my own bottled water.

Wi-Fi wasn’t available.

The gym was clean and well maintained, which is always a big plus for me.

Pricing

A day pass was 100,000 kip when we visited. 

Payment was cash only.

There was an ATM a couple of blocks away if you needed to withdraw money.

For the equipment, space and facilities, I thought the price was reasonable.

Pros

• Good range of strength equipment
• Machines felt smooth and natural to train on
• Plenty of space between equipment
• Excellent air-conditioning and fans
• Dumbbells up to 40 kg
• Squat racks and deadlift platform
• Clean and well maintained
• Hot-water showers and lockers
• Quiet during our Saturday morning visit

Cons

• No lighter incremental weight plates
• Dumbbells only go up to 40 kg
• Limited variety of cardio equipment
• No group classes
• Cash-only payment when visited

FitStation Scorecard Rating

Just for the record… 5 stars don’t come lightly!

My Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed training at FitStation.

It’s not the biggest or fanciest gym in Vientiane, but it has a good range of equipment, plenty of space and excellent air-conditioning.

Most importantly, the machines felt good to train on.

We visited two commercial gyms during our stay in Vientiane, FitStation and Fitness World and FitStation was definitely my favourite.

Fitness World might look more impressive, but I preferred the equipment and overall workout experience here.

On a more recent visit to Vientiane we stayed at Crowne Plaza Vientiane, which had one of the best hotel gyms I’ve trained in. If you’re staying there, you might not need to venture out to find somewhere to work out!

You can check out my reviews of Fitness World and the Crowne Plaza Vientiane hotel gym to see how they compare.

FitStation is a little further out of the city centre, but we used Loca to get around, and the drive was only about six minutes from where we were staying.

Stay strong, stay travelling, and keep the adventure alive 🏋️‍♀️✈️🌏

Message me if you have any questions or want to know more!

Travel, move, repeat.

Mi-Ree 🧡