Waverly Oaks Athletic Club

The Deal: $30 for 20 visits to Waverly Oaks Athletic Club, to be used by June 6.

Some people would say, "Wow. You can visit the gym 20 times in one month, so that's not much of a deal." Well, my friend, if you can say that with a straight face, you go to the gym far more frequently than I do. I also suspect that you don't really live in Boston, since I've yet to find a gym with a pool for $30/month or less - and this place does have a lovely lap pool, which I have been thoroughly enjoying. So, what I've really gotten here is not one month's worth of gym visits for $30, but four months, which would usually cost me at least $20/month (for a gym I wouldn't enjoy as much). The best thing about this deal is that, unlike the Meta Body Pass, you don't have to make reservations in advance. You can go whenever you want. The worst thing about this deal is that, unlike the Meta Body Pass, you don't have to make reservations in advance. You can go whenever you want. Which, for some of us, is probably not as often as it should be. It's not as easy as I'd like it to be to convince myself to go - then again, I was able to make this deal last quite awhile, so I didn't have to sign up for a regular gym contract.

Waverly Oaks is actually one of this nicer gyms that I've been to in recent years. They have guest passes and promotions, so it may be worth checking out, even without the Groupon. They also offer corporate rebates, student discounts, couples discounts, and you may be able to get a discount from your health insurance company. They have three tiers of membership - I like the pool, and I love that they give you towels when you forget one, and have hair dryers, deodorant, and hair spray in the locker room (not to mention the super awesome thingy that swirls your swimsuit around and makes it 100% dry so you can leave it in the car for a couple of days). But I don't necessarily need a women's-only workout area, racketball courts, or my own private locker, so Gold membership doesn't have to be for everyone. They do require long-term contracts, so I appreciate this opportunity to check them out in advance.

The facility is great. In addition to the lap pool and locker room, there's a sauna, and a hot tub, and a steam room. Pick your poison. There are quite a few showers - I've never had trouble getting one. The ground floor has plenty of weight machines and free weights (also a boxing room, which is cool). Head up a level, and there are racketball courts, treadmills, exercise bikes, and rooms for the workout classes. There's also a bunch of stuff I haven't gotten around to exploring yet - there are apparently pool tables somewhere. I still have a few more days on this one. I probably won't make it all 20 times, but at least I was able to explore the gym, and I do feel better and stronger for the workouts that I did get (and I got to feel less guilty about eating things like homemade beignet).

Cost: $30
Estimated Value (per Groupon): $300
Estimated Savings: $270
Total Estimated Deal Savings: $870