Utah regulates gyms, health clubs, and fitness centers under the Health Spa Services Protection Act. This law applies to most gym contracts and many personal training or fitness memberships tied to a Utah location.

At a basic level, the law expects gyms to be honest about what they are selling and to put your contract terms in writing, including how and when you can cancel.

• Review your contract and save a copy (paper, photo, or PDF).
• Look for any mention of a “cooling-off” period or grace period.
• Note how the gym says you “must” cancel (email, in person, mail, portal).
• Write down anything that was promised verbally but not written down.

Gyms may say “you cannot cancel,” but under Utah law that is rarely the whole story. Your rights depend on timing, what the contract says, and how the gym has behaved.

Common valid reasons to cancel a Utah gym contract include:

• Cooling-off cancellation: You cancel within the short period after signing when you can back out with minimal or no penalty.
• Misrepresentation: The gym promised equipment, classes, hours, or pricing that do not match reality.
• Relocation or closure: The gym permanently closes, moves far away, or removes key services you relied on.
• Health issues: A medical condition makes continued membership unreasonable (often supported by a doctor’s note).
• Unauthorized sign-up or charges: Someone else used your card, or the gym started billing without clear consent.

• Are you still within a short cooling-off period?
• Did the gym change hours, prices, or services after you joined?
• Do you have a medical reason you cannot safely use the facility?
• Are you being charged even though you never agreed or have already canceled?

Even if your gym lets you cancel at the front desk or over the phone, the safest approach is to cancel in writing. Written cancellation creates a paper trail that can be crucial if the gym keeps charging you.

A simple written cancellation notice should include:

• Your full name and contact information.
• Your membership or account number (if known).
• The date you are sending the cancellation.
• A clear statement such as: “I am canceling my gym membership effective immediately under Utah law and the terms of our contract.”
• A request for written confirmation and the date charges will stop.

• Use the method specified in the contract (portal, email, mail, or in person) if it is reasonable.
• Whenever possible, send an email so you have a time-stamped record.
• If mailing, use certified mail or get a delivery receipt.
• Screenshot or save copies of your message and any reply from the gym.

If the gym keeps charging your card after you cancel in writing, that is more than an annoyance it can raise legal issues. You do not have to sit and watch the charges pile up.

Typical options to halt ongoing billing include:

• Contacting your bank or card issuer to dispute charges and block future payments to that merchant.
• Notifying the gym in a follow-up email that ongoing billing is unauthorized and must stop immediately.
• Saving copies of bank statements that show charges after your written cancellation date.
• Filing a complaint with Utah’s consumer protection authorities if the gym refuses to cooperate.

• Mark the date you canceled in writing.
• List all charges that posted after that date.
• Dispute the charges with your bank or card issuer.
• Send the gym a short, firm email summarizing what you disputed and why.

Some gyms make cancellation feel like an obstacle course. They may insist you can only cancel in person during limited hours, require unnecessary meetings with staff, or say “your contract doesn’t allow cancellation at all.” These kinds of roadblocks can clash with your rights under Utah law.

If you have followed the contract’s reasonable procedures and canceled in writing, but the gym still resists, you can escalate.

• Gather all documents: contract, emails, letters, and bank statements.
• Send a final written notice summarizing when you canceled and that continued billing is unauthorized.
• File a complaint with Utah’s consumer protection authorities if the behavior appears unfair, deceptive, or abusive.
• For larger amounts or serious misrepresentation, consider speaking with a Utah consumer or contract attorney.

• Relying only on verbal cancellation at the front desk without any written proof.
• Throwing away your contract and not knowing what it actually says.
• Letting months of small charges slide because “it’s just a gym fee.”
• Agreeing to new “freeze” or “upgrade” options when you really want to cancel.
• Not checking whether the gym misrepresented what it would provide when you signed up.