The Physique Club, as the Hotel Cambodiana gym is called, offers great value for money with good quality equipment and facilities, all for a reasonable monthly fee. If you live in the Riverside area of town, the Physique Club is the only Western-standard gym above Sihanouk Boulevard in Phnom Penh.

Laze at the Cambodiana Hotel pool while gazing at the Mekong.

The gym is small but well equipped, clean and air-conditioned. For those who remember the days when the Physique Club refused to turn the air-conditioning below 28°C/82°F (or even turn it on at all), those days are long gone. They’ve redesigned the entrance so members now enter through the locker rooms, which means that the outside doors stay closed and the gym remains mercifully cool.

The gym has mirrors covering half the wall space and the other half is floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the Mekong. This creates the feeling of working out in a very wide open space, lots of natural light and avoids the claustrophobic feeling you can sometimes get when exercising in a smaller gym.

Contemplate weighty matters at Phnom Penh’s Physique Club.

The modest floor space is utilized well. They have a surprisingly wide range of weight-lifting equipment and what they have is of decent quality. A full set of dumbbells from 1kg to 40kg, Olympic bars and plates, benches, Smith machine, resistance machines, stability balls and even a punch-bag with gloves are all available and all in good condition.

Lack of floor space does mean that resistance machines are limited and there are a couple that you may be disappointed not to see there, such as biceps and tricep or chest fly. If this is a concern, look out for Chan who works at the gym. He is Cambodian-American, speaks fluent English and got certified for personal training in the US. He is always happy to offer advice and also offers personal training at a competitive rate.

Cardio-wise, there are a few machines and they will do the job although most of them are a bit tired. The treadmills are fine for a long steady run but not much good for high intensity interval sprinting and the cross trainers look as though they have seen better days.

Get your punch on at the Cambodia Hotel gym.

The spa facilities are also of a good standard. In the changing rooms there is a sauna, steam room, showers and even comfortable couches to relax on and read the paper. Free chilled water and WiFi are also available as well as free use of lockers and towels.

In addition to use of the gym and spa facilities, members can take advantage of the swimming pool which is clean and well-maintained or relax on one of the sun-loungers with a cool drink from the bar. There are also tennis courts available to book, and the hotel can supply rackets and balls. The gym is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and they offer various classes, including aerobics and Khmer dancing in the evenings.

Membership rates are quite reasonable, especially for those who aren’t willing to commit to the year-long contract at The Place that you need to secure a decent rate from them. One-day passes are $10, a week costs $30, a month is $56, three months is $159, six months is $310 and a year is $600. Tennis lessons are a very reasonable $8 per hour. Various cheaper rates are offered for couples, early bird and night owl membership.

Physique Club, Hotel Cambodiana

313 Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh
T: 023 218 189
hotelcambodiana.com.kh