WHAT singles this club out from the rest is the very personal attention that the staff gives to its guests. There is no doubt that personal training gives huge amounts of benefits to an exercise regime. In almost all the clubs that I have visited around the world, personal training is an added service, which only comes on request, and has a price tag associated with it. I have discussed personal training with a number of fellow fitness enthusiasts and found that there are three categories of people when it comes to this topic. There are those who swear by it, sharing the knowledge that if you want to achieve top results, then a trainer helps you push through the imaginary barriers. Then there are others who are more erratic about when they can get to the gymnasium. These fitness enthusiasts find that they find a schedule that suits their daily time schedule and that, therefore, its not convenient to book a trainer. And last is a group of people who think it's a good service, but would rather not spend the money, and also believe they can do a good enough workout on their own.
The Grand Health Club has stepped outside the norm and not only provides personal training free of charge, but also understands the fears or reservations of health club guests to ask for help. My host was Yavor, an energetic and personable instructor who asked key questions and tailored my visit to what I wanted to achieve and experience.
Yavor was one of The Grand's first employees. He was part of the team that selected the equipment and helped with the design of the health facilities before the hotel opened in May last year.
This private style club is not for everyone, and the three-person team know this. They cater for the guests of the hotel or for the discerning part-time exerciser or for people who need to undergo rehabilitation from an injury. The two instructors are qualified physiotherapists who tailor a programme using the key components of the fitness and health facilities to meet your goals or rehab requirements.
The exclusive feel of the club starts with the warm welcome at the reception, where I was guided to the changing room, which was not dissimilar to a private bathroom, that is furnished in marble and glass. The sparkling clean room has four lockers, each with wooden coat hangers, a separate lower compartment for shoes, with complimentary shoehorn, and an upper compartment to rest personal effects.
The vanity stand is equipped with liquid hand soap, below a large supply of hand and bath towels and, uniquely, bath mats readily available to use. Nothing worse than standing in water while putting your socks on!
One of the great pleasures in life is a decent shower with lots of pressure. Turn this one on at full blast for a hydro massaging shower; you will struggle to stand your ground, especially after a hard work out.
The fitness centre has three cardiovascular alternatives; a treadmill, stepper and bike. Another nice touch is the complimentary pulse reader, these are provided to all the guests to strap to their chest to help maximise training goals. Three carefully selected weight machines are available; a smith machine- very safe for bench press, shoulder press and squats, a multi-hip, and a Technogym specialist all in one machine that covers just about everything else. There are always a few other traditional exercises that a specialist machine can't cater for, so there is a pyramid of dumbbells from 10kg and down. With one of the instructor's help, this basic range of equipment will provide a comprehensive workout for the beginner or casual fitness enthusiast.
After a good workout, it was time to relax. I bypassed the three-person Jacuzzi and the four-person steam room and went for the sauna. For many, the idea of a sauna and sweating out the body's toxins is a great concept, but the reality is that most people start complaining about unbearably hot days let alone choosing to sit in a room at 80 plus degrees. The Grand offers an infrared sauna alternative for those who want to sweat it out but don't want to experience the high temperatures. Yavor tells me that once their guests use the infrared they seldom go back to the traditional method. I can see why. I spent a comfortable half an hour in the alternative sauna, sweated profusely, and achieved the same result without feeling like a baked dinner.
Remebering that The Grand's instructors and massage therapists are trained physiotherapists, it's no surprise that rehab-style massage is a speciality, among the aromatherapy, hot stone and relaxing massages. Yavor gives a good strong massage, and for those who need it, vacuum therapy. This is a Chinese style therapy that brings the blood to the surface to increase circulation and speed up the recovery of injured muscles.
A range of beauty therapies are also available along with a vertical solarium to brush up the tan.

Grand Hotel Sofia health centre
SINGLE VISITS
Fitness                     6.00 Leva
Sauna                    10.00 Leva
Solarium /per min./  1.00 Lev
Steam Bath            10.00 Leva
Infra Red Cabin       8.00 Leva
Jacuzzi                     8.00 Leva

MASSAGES
Relaxing Massage               36.00 Leva
Relaxing Partial Massage    20.00 Leva
Healing Massage                 36.00 Leva
Healing Partial Massage      20.00 Leva
Anti-cellulite Massage         25.00 Leva/ 30 min
Aromatherapy 1 hour         45.00 Leva
Aromatherapy 30 min         30.00 Leva

MEMBERSHIP CARDS
Fitness - 1 month                               72.00 Leva
Fitness - 8 visits                                 42.00 Leva
Fitness - 12 visits                               62.00 Leva
Fitness plus Sauna - 8 visits             100.00 Leva
Fitness plus Sauna - 12 visits           142.00 Leva
Fitness, Sauna, Jacuzzi - 8 visits      144.00 Leva
Fitness, Sauna, Jacuzzi - 12 visits    210.00 Leva

Authors note: Part of the mystery and challenge of coming to a new place is finding where all the good things are, especially when you are a non-native speaking foreigner. I'd like to thank the clubs I reviewed for their hospitality, and if anyone has recommendations for future reviews in a series on health in Sofia, please feel free to send me an email at: hughafraser@hotmail.com