You can freeze your LA Fitness membership and put it on hold without canceling. By doing so, you will be paying some amount, but not the full dues, and you’ll also lose gym access until you unfreeze the membership.
Here’s how it works, and you’re going to pay for that based on your billing type and a few more important things.
Freeze Fees by Membership Type
How much you pay and how long you can freeze depend on how your membership is billed.
If you’re a month-to-month member, you’ll get the most flexibility, while paid-in-full members have a fixed cap.
| Billing type | Freeze fee | Duration limit |
|---|---|---|
| Month to month | $10 per month | Indefinite |
| Bi-weekly | $5 per biweekly billing period | Indefinite |
| Paid in full | $35 flat fee | Up to 6 months |
As a month-to-month member, you can freeze for as long as you need with no cap, but you’re paying $10 per month instead of your regular dues.
But if you’re a paid-in-full member, you’ll pay a flat $35 to pause for up to six months, and the expiration date on your membership will extend by however long you froze it.
How Much You Can Save by Freezing Your LA Fitness Membership
Currently, if you’re paying $34.99 per month and you need three months off, staying active on full dues will cost you $104.97.
On the other hand, if you freeze at $10 per month, it’ll only cost $30; that means you’re saving $74.97, and your membership rate is locked in for when you return.
Note: If you had canceled instead and rejoined later, you would pay the initiation fee again plus whatever the current rate happens to be at that time.
How to Freeze Your LA Fitness Membership
Online (Fastest Method)
- Log in to your account at lafitness.com.
- Look for the “Freeze” link in the left-side menu of your member dashboard.
- Complete the form with your freeze start date and any required reason, then submit.
- You’ll receive a confirmation by email.
Keep that confirmation.
Through the App
- Open the LA Fitness app
- Go to Account Settings and look for Membership Options; you can cancel there.
Note: All clubs’ systems don’t support in-app freeze requests, so if you don’t see the option, consider using the website or going in person.
In Person
- Visit your home club’s front desk and ask to freeze your membership.
- Staff will walk you through the form and process the request on the spot.
That’s the most reliable method if you’ve had trouble with the online process or you want an immediate written confirmation.
Follow The 10-Day Rule
If your next billing date is within 10 days, the freeze won’t take effect until you pay the bill.
Therefore, you have to submit your freeze request more than 10 days before your billing date.
Freezing in the middle of a billing cycle won’t give you a refund for days already paid, and the hold will start from the next billing period forward.
What Happens During the Freeze
Once your freeze is active, you can’t access any LA Fitness gym or use any club facilities, classes, pools, or courts during the hold period, and guest privileges are also suspended.
But your membership rate will remain the same, and your monthly price is preserved and will resume when you unfreeze; plus, the home club assignment also stays the same.
However, the freeze won’t pause your contract term at most locations, so if you’re on a 12-month contract and freeze for two months, those two months still count toward your contract end date.
Freezing membership just replaces full dues with a little fee for some time.
How You Unfreeze LA Fitness Membership
When your freeze period ends, your membership will be reactivated automatically, so you don’t have to do anything.
Regular dues will also resume on the next billing date at your original rate.
If you want to come back before the freeze period ends, you can unfreeze early by logging into your account and using the same freeze link, or you can also visit the home club.
When you unfreeze mid-month, you’ll be charged a prorated amount of your regular dues for the remaining days of that billing period, as long as that prorated amount exceeds $10.
If it falls below $10, the flat freeze fee will be applied for that partial period.
So, you want to check your rate on the first statement after unfreezing to see if there are any billing errors during reactivation, etc.
Freeze vs. Cancel: Which is the Right Choice
Are you coming back to the gym? If so, then freezing makes sense when you’re stopping temporarily, like for travel, injury, a financial tight spot, or a season where the gym doesn’t fit your schedule.
Because you’re just paying $10 per month instead of $35, and you return to your existing rate without starting over.
Consider canceling your membership if you don’t expect to return within a year.
Because you’ll be paying $10 per month to freeze for 12 months, which will add up to $120 before you set foot in the gym again.
At that point, if you cancel and rejoin, it’ll be cheaper, and that too after including the initiation fee.
For the complete cancellation process, if you decide that’s the better path, see my Cancel LA Fitness Membership guide.
Medical Freezes and State-Level Exceptions
Some states give gym members additional rights beyond the standard freeze policy.
For example, California’s Health Studio Services Contract Law and New York’s General Business Law both include provisions that allow members to freeze or cancel for documented medical conditions without the usual fees or limitations.
If you’re dealing with a medical situation and your standard freeze terms feel inadequate, just ask your club about a medical hold.
Some gyms extend the freeze window, or they also waive the fee completely for documented health reasons.
Your state attorney general’s website can tell you what your state requires gyms to offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still go to the gym if I freeze my membership?
No, gym access is suspended for the entire freeze period, so you can’t use the equipment, attend classes, use the pool, or access any other club facility.
What happens when you unfreeze your LA Fitness account?
Your membership reactivates automatically at your original rate; you won’t pay a new initiation fee or follow any sign-up process.
If you unfreeze mid-month, you have to pay some money for the remaining days in that billing period, unless the prorated amount would be under $10, in which case the $10 freeze fee applies instead.
Check your first statement back to confirm the amount is correct.
Is freezing a gym membership better than canceling it?
For most members planning to return within a few months, yes, freezing will preserve your rate, and you won’t have to pay the initiation fee when you rejoin.
But canceling and rejoining is better if you take a longer break, like 1 year, because when you rejoin and pay the initial fee, it’ll still be cheaper over a longer period.
How long can I freeze my LA Fitness membership?
Month-to-month and bi-weekly members can freeze for an indefinite period with no stated upper limit.
But if you’re a paid-in-full member, you can do it for 6 months only.
If you need a longer hold as a paid-in-full member, consider contacting your club to discuss more.
Does freezing affect my annual fee?
The annual fee is a separate charge from monthly dues and isn’t suspended during a freeze.
If your annual fee date falls during a freeze period, it will still be charged.
I’m Abraham, a researcher and writer. I’ve been going to the gym since 2019, and I started GymMembershipPricing after struggling to find reliable information about gym memberships, pricing, fees, amenities, cancellation policies, hidden charges, and more. I research and verify this information to help others find a suitable gym, understand what to expect, avoid unexpected costs, and make informed decisions before joining.
