Situated at the base of purple mountain and a landmark at the east side of Xuanwu Lake with its distinctive dome structure, Sun Palace (太阳公园) was the largest indoor water park in Nanjing when it opened 2003.
When I was little, this was the perfect place to escape Nanjing’s sweltering heat in summer. I remember floating on the man-made “river” inside, watching the August sunrays shining through the glass dome above me. I could not help but feel nostalgic when it went out of business in 2010 and mould started to creep over its exterior. Rumor had it that the former-day palace would be demolished altogether as it had become a sore to the eye.
Then in 2014 heavy construction began which promised to turn Sun Palace into a brand new entertainment complex with restaurants, theatre, shopping mall and ocean themed fitness center iGYM. After two years of waiting, it is ready to face the public again around the middle of April.
Since iGYM is the first facility to open and offers free tryouts, I went inside the restored Sun Palace for the first time after 8 years.
Founded in Shandong in 2004, iGYM now has 33 branches across the country. Each has its unique decoration and in Nanjing’s case, this is a 3,000 sqm. ocean themed fitness centre with dazzling neon lights and dolphin shaped balloons.
It features an indoor 25m by 15m swimming pool at 28 degrees all year around. Now in its last stage of furnishing, the pool will be open to the public by 10 April.
As for the fitness equipment, iGYM Nanjing boasts 22 imported LifeFitness treadmills, each supposedly worth over ¥260,000 and 8 elliptical machines. Personal trainers are very helpful as they stick around and ready to offer you body building tips and advice.
Rui Songqing, a former soldier in the special forces and internationally credited personal trainer, ran a fitness exam on me with the latest technology of body composition analysis and designed my personal training schedule.
Apart from their highly qualified instructors, iGYM also offers fitness programs that includes 10 of the LesMills’ trademarked aerobic classes covering spin, kickboxing, yoga, pilates, etc.
Overall iGYM provides a first-class professional training atmosphere and much personal attention from the staff. As I was tempted by the chance to swim again in Sun Palace and ready to register for a membership, a grandpa who seemed like a bodybuilder looked around the fancy surroundings and laughed, “I’m not paying ¥3,880 yuan a year when I can run alongside the beautiful Xuanwu Lake, or swim in Baima park, everyday for free!” Well, now I feel a bit embarrassed.
iGYM is located at 3F, Sun Palace. 3 Yangguang Lu, Taiping Men 南京市太平门阳光路3号3楼 Tel: 66880008
