My fitness club here is very modern:  Modern machines, offers full program including Pilates, yoga and pump classes (which are ideal for practicing counting to 8 backwards and using words such as up & down, faster and legs. 
On a closer look however, there are some distinctive features from other fitness centres I have seen around the globe:  Besides gym, I found it is also a busy social hub where people come just to chat, have a cofee or tea, meet friends, discuss (flirt?) hours with the staff and read e-mails (there are a couple of computers at the entrance).  Women mostly come in couple (three even four) and there are also lots of maried couples, who all will only run on machines next to each other and do no-stop chatting (marching rather than running).  I also thought they offered Spanish karaoke classes when I heard signing coming from the back, until I found the swimming pool and the aqua aerobic classes, where lots of lady's of a certain age where exercising body and voice to Shakira's "Waka Waka".  And: There are no scales in the chancing rooms (al least in men's), but instead there are two iron boards!

Word of the day:  deska do prasowania = iron board