Anyone who’s never been to LA Fitness before can request a free 3-day guest pass through the club’s website, and some situations qualify for a 7-day version instead.
Current members can also bring a friend under VIP guest privileges.
And there are Three different LA passes, with different sets of rules, and a couple of catches. Here’s what each one gets you, what it costs, and what to expect when you show up at the club.
Three Types of LA Fitness Passes
Understanding which pass applies to your situation matters because the rules diverge from there.
| Pass Type | Duration | Cost | Who Can Get It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public 3-day pass | 3 consecutive days | Free | First-time visitors, non-members |
| 7-day pass | 7 consecutive days | Free | Via corporate partnership or specific promo link |
| VIP guest pass | Single visit | Free (with member) | Anyone brought by a current LA Fitness member |
Most people search for a free trial and end up with the public 3-day pass because that’s what lafitness.com offers on its main sign-up form.
LA Seven-day passes come from corporate partnerships (employer benefit programs, City Sports Club employee agreements, and similar), or from specific member referral promotions run at certain times of year.
VIP guest access is a completely separate mechanic that only kicks in when a paying member brings someone with them.
LA Fitness 3-day Guest Pass Requirements
Getting the standard free trial takes about five minutes on the LA Fitness website, but activating it at the club adds a step most people don’t expect.
How to request it:
- Go to lafitness.com/pages/freepass.aspx
- Enter your name, email, and zip code
- Select the specific club you plan to visit (the pass is locked to that one location)
- Submit the form
- Check your email for the pass, which arrives within minutes
How to activate it at the club:
- Visit the selected LA Fitness within 30 days of receiving the email
- Bring valid government-issued photo ID showing your date of birth
- Sign the liability waiver at the front desk
- Complete a fitness analysis and orientation with a membership counselor before your first workout
- Start using the club, with the pass counting as 3 consecutive days from that first visit
Two people can share the same 3-day pass under the “you and a friend” clause in the official terms, as long as both complete the ID and waiver process.
What to Expect Before Your First Workout
Every free pass user has to sit through a fitness analysis and orientation with a membership counselor before their first workout.
It’s required, and it doubles as a sales pitch, and skipping it isn’t an option, and most first-time visitors have no idea it’s coming.
What happens in the orientation:
- The counselor asks about your fitness goals and history
- You get a tour of the club and its main areas
- A brief physical assessment might happen (body composition, movement screen, or similar) depending on the counselor
- Membership options get presented with pricing
- Personal training packages may also be pitched
Selling memberships is part of the counselor’s job description, and that doesn’t make the pass useless, but it does mean the “free 3-day trial” experience opens with a moderately aggressive sales conversation.
If you decline that politely, it is fine, it won’t affect your right to use the pass afterward.
Arriving during off-peak hours (weekday mid-mornings work best) tends to mean fewer counselors on shift and often a shorter, less involved orientation.
Rules that Catch First-Time Users
Multiple restrictions apply to every LA Fitness guest pass, and they’re strict enough that some visitors get turned away at the desk:
- One free pass per person every six months: LA Fitness tracks who has used a pass. So, requesting another pass within 6 months of your last one won’t work, either through the website or in-club.
- Non-members only for the trial passes: Anyone who was previously an LA Fitness member (even years ago) or previously used a guest pass at any LA Fitness or City Sports Club location cannot use a free trial. Both trial passes are for first-time visitors only, defined as people with no record in the system.
- Cannot use consecutive passes: Getting a 3-day pass at one club, then a 7-day pass through a corporate link, then another pass at a different location does not work. System-wide flagging catches consecutive pass usage across all LA Fitness and City Sports Club properties.
- Age minimum is 16, or 13 to 15 with a parent or legal guardian: Guests under 18 need the parent or guardian to sign the waiver on their behalf, and Guests under 13 are not eligible for guest access.
- Days run consecutively, not spread out: A pass valid for 3 days starting Monday covers Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, so skipping Tuesday does not push day 3 to Thursday.
- Photo ID with birth date is mandatory: Passports, driver’s licenses, and state IDs all work, digital ID copies don’t always work depending on the club.
That consecutive-days rule catches people who plan to try the club sporadically over a few weeks.
Anyone requesting a trial should activate it only during a stretch when they can use all 3 (or 7) consecutive days.
What the Guest Pass Includes and Doesn’t Include
Standard access covers most of what a member gets, with some specific exclusions.
Guest pass access typically includes:
- Cardio floor (treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, rowers, step machines)
- Full free weight area and machine floor
- Standard group fitness classes when space is available
- Locker rooms and basic amenities
- Pool at most clubs (subject to swim school scheduling)
- Basketball court at most clubs
- Sauna and whirlpool at most clubs
Typically not included:
- Kids Klub childcare (members-only at nearly every club)
- Signature Club premium areas (restricted to Signature-tier members)
- Personal training sessions (separate payment required)
- Specialty classes like Pilates by LA Fitness (extra fee even for members)
- Some equipment or areas at premium clubs during peak hours
Amenities and class availability vary by location, so you can make a call the specific club and ask a particular amenity you wants to use guest pass for.
Pools sometimes have swim school windows that limit lap access, and specialty studios can be reserved for classes throughout your trial period.
Peak Hours and Other Club-Specific Restrictions
Not every LA Fitness runs the same guest policy, a few restrictions that appear at some but not all clubs:
- No guests after 7 p.m. at some urban and high-traffic locations
- Weekend morning guest limits at very busy clubs, especially for Saturday classes
- Pool restrictions during swim school hours at clubs that host British Swim School programs
- Signature Club guest denial even with a valid pass, since Signature access requires the higher membership tier
Calling ahead to your specific club before the first visit avoids showing up to a locked door or a “no guests right now” policy.
The main LA Fitness customer service line is (949) 255-7200, but for club-specific rules, you can call the club directly to get a faster and more accurate answer.
VIP Guest Pass: Bringing a Friend as a Member
VIP guest privileges are what current members use to bring someone with them for a workout, and the mechanics differ from the trial pass.
How VIP guest access works:
- Member and guest arrive together at the club
- Member checks in normally with their membership scan
- Guest presents valid photo ID at the front desk
- Guest signs a liability waiver
- Guest completes any club-specific check-in (some locations require a brief info form)
- Guest works out with the member present at the club throughout
Members must stay present the entire time, so guests cannot be dropped off to work out solo.
Most clubs allow one guest per member per visit, though some Multi-Club and premium memberships include multiple guest privileges.
And Signature Club members often have the most flexible guest access.
VIP guest passes are generally free at most clubs when the member is present.
Some locations charge a small fee ($10 to $20) for guests during peak evening or weekend La hours, so it’s worth verifying with the club before assuming free entry every time.
Repeat guest limits
Bringing the same friend to LA Fitness multiple times will hit a limit, specifics vary by club and by the member’s tier, but the general pattern looks like this:
- First visit: free with member present
- Second visit within 30 days: usually still free
- Third or later visit within 30 days: club may charge a day pass fee ($15 to $25 typical) or push the guest toward membership
Frequent guest visits by the same person are how LA Fitness identifies potential converts and starts the sales conversation.
Anyone serious about training regularly at LA Fitness ends up cheaper joining as a member than paying repeat guest fees.
LA Fitness guest pass in Canada
LA Fitness Canada operates a similar guest pass system, primarily out of Ontario locations.
Free 3-day trials are available through the same lafitness.com website (with Canadian club options in the location selector), and the rules match the US version closely.
A few Canada-specific differences:
- Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act 2002 gives new members a 10-day cooling-off period after signing. Anyone who uses a trial and joins on the spot can still cancel within 10 days for a full refund.
- Provincial ID requirements may differ from US requirements, but a Canadian driver’s license or provincial photo ID card works well.
- Some Canadian clubs run different peak hour restrictions based on local demand patterns.
US-based members visiting Canada can generally use their existing LA Fitness membership at Canadian LA Fitness clubs if their tier includes multi-club or nationwide access.
Common Reasons Guest Passes Get Rejected
Some scenarios where LA Fitness will refuse to honor a pass:
- Previous membership or guest visit in their system (the first-time visitor rule)
- Expired pass (more than 30 days from the email date)
- Missing or invalid ID
- Under age 16 without a parent or guardian
- Attempting to use the pass at a different club than the one selected during signup
- Attempting to use back-to-back passes at different LA Fitness or City Sports Club locations
Anyone who was an LA Fitness member years ago and wants to try the gym again should just join directly rather than trying to get another free pass.
LA Fitness flags previous membership history and rejects new pass requests from those accounts, so the workaround doesn’t exist.
Frequently asked questions
How does the LA Fitness guest pass work?
Request one at lafitness.com/pages/freepass.aspx, receive it by email, activate within 30 days at the selected club, complete a fitness analysis and orientation, then use the club for 3 consecutive days (or 7 if you got the extended version).
Bring photo ID and be ready for a membership sales pitch during the orientation.
Is the LA Fitness guest pass unlimited?
No, both the public 3-day pass and the 7-day corporate pass are one-time-only offers, limited to first-time visitors and available once every six months per person.
Members bringing guests through VIP privileges have their own frequency limits that depend on membership tier.
How much does an LA Fitness guest pass cost?
Public 3-day trials are free for first-time visitors.
Day passes for repeat guests or non-first-time visitors typically run $15 to $25 depending on the club.
VIP guest passes are usually free when the member is present, though some clubs charge peak-hour fees.
Can I use the guest pass at any LA Fitness location?
No, both the 3-day and 7-day passes are locked to the specific club you selected when signing up, and using the pass at a different location results in denial at check-in.
Members with Multi-Club access can bring guests to any LA Fitness they visit, subject to the guest rules at each specific club.
What if I was an LA Fitness member before?
Previous members can’t use the free trial pass system, and previous guest pass users can’t either.
LA Fitness tracks this across all its clubs and City Sports Club locations.
Rejoining requires signing up as a returning member through the sales counter, which may involve a new initiation fee.
Do I need to sign anything as a guest?
Yes, every guest signs a liability waiver at the front desk before their first workout, regardless of whether they’re using a free trial or a VIP member-guest visit.
Guests under 18 need a parent or legal guardian to sign on their behalf.
Can I bring more than one guest as a member?
Standard memberships allow one guest per visit, and some Multi-Club and Signature memberships allow more, but this varies by contract and by club.
Extra guests during the same visit typically incur additional day pass fees of $15 to $25 per extra person.
Can guests use the pool and basketball court?
Yes at most standard LA Fitness clubs, subject to pool hours and any swim school reservations for that day.
Pool access is not guaranteed at Signature Clubs for guest pass users because Signature amenities are reserved for higher-tier members.
How long is the 7-day LA Fitness pass valid?
Once activated, a 7-day pass runs 7 consecutive days from the first check-in.
Activation must happen within 30 days of receipt, same first-time-visitor and once-per-6-months restrictions apply.
Seven-day versions are distributed through corporate partnerships or specific promotional campaigns rather than general public request.
Abraham is a fitness and consumer finance writer with a passion for helping people make smarter decisions before signing gym contracts. After spending years researching gym membership costs, hidden fees and cancellation policies across major gym chains, he created GymMembershipPricing to give people the honest information they need before signing up. Every guide on this site is independently researched and verified.
