William Lipovsky
There are many reasons why you might need to weigh yourself, and it may not be practical to invest in a personal scale for your home.
Perhaps you need to know your weight so you know if you weigh enough to donate plasma for money.
Whatever the reason, when you’re looking for a place with a scale you can use for free, several businesses offer this, and many likely have locations near you. We list these places below.
Keep in mind that these are general suggestions. There’s no way to know if an individual location has a scale available for public use — we recommend calling ahead or visiting your intended location to confirm that it has a scale.
What We Recommend
We recommend visiting your nearest pharmacy, superstore, or department store for the highest likelihood of finding a scale that you can use for free.
Pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens have scales for patient use that are often available to the public, and superstores (like Target and Walmart) and department stores (like Dillard’s and Macy’s) may have floor models of scales in the home goods section that customers can try for free.
Places like fitness centers also have scales that you can use in the privacy of a locker room, and you can visit multiple times per week, but you’ll need to pay for a membership at the fitness center to take advantage of the scales.
The List
The following locations have scales available to use for little to no cost.
Requirements for use aren’t typically strict, but we’ve listed some helpful tips for each place. We also have information on how best to track down the scales once you get there.
We’ve ordered the list starting with the places most likely to have accessible scales, as well as those that are most likely to be free.
1. Pharmacies
- Requirements for use: None; these are free, and you can use them whenever the store is open. Pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS, and even superstores with pharmacies — such as Walmart and Target — often have free blood pressure machines. The newer models of these machines have a seat that doubles as a scale.
- How to find: To locate your nearest pharmacy, do a quick Google search for “pharmacies near me.” Inside the store, the blood pressure machines are typically near the pharmacy counter.
2. Superstores
- Requirements for use: None; superstores that sell household scales often have floor models available for testing.
- How to find: Locate your nearest superstores (such as Target, Walmart, or Bed Bath and Beyond) and head for the home goods/bathroom section.
3. Department Stores
- Requirements for use: None; department stores that sell household scales often have floor models available for customers to test.
- How to find: Locate your nearest department stores (such as Dillard’s, JCPenney, Sears, or Macy’s) and head to the home goods or bathroom section.
4. Grocery Stores
- Requirements for use: The retro-style scales you’ll sometimes find at grocery stores often cost a quarter or two to use; however, some, like the ones at Publix grocery stores, are free.
- How to find: To locate a nearby grocery store, do a quick Google search for “grocery stores near me.” If a grocery store has a scale, it’s likely near the front entrance of the store.
5. Fitness Centers
- Requirements for use: To access all that a fitness center offers, including its scales, you’ll need to have a membership. However, you can ask for a tour and try out the scale while you’re checking out the locker room. It doesn’t hurt to stop in and ask if you can quickly weigh yourself.
- How to find: To locate a nearby gym, search for “fitness centers near me” on your favorite search engine. Inside a fitness center, you’ll likely find a scale in the bathroom/locker room.
6. Student Health Centers and Nurse’s Office
- Requirements for use: If you’re in grade school, middle school, high school, or college, the nurse’s office or student health center will likely have a scale. If you don’t have another reason to stop in, you can simply ask the nurse if you can weigh yourself.
- How to find: If you’re in grade school, middle school, or high school, head to the nurse’s office. If you’re in college, head to the nurse’s office or student health center.
7. Pet Stores
- Requirements for use: While the scales in pet stores are for weighing animals, there are no rules against weighing yourself on such a scale, as long as it’s in an area the public can access (and not in a restricted section, such as the grooming area or veterinary area).
- How to find: To locate your nearest pet store (such as Petco or PetSmart), do a quick Google search for “pet stores near me.”
8. Hotels
- Requirements for use: Many hotels have scales in the bathrooms of each individual room. While it’s not free to stay at a hotel, the scales in the bathrooms are free for customers to use. You can take advantage of this free amenity the next time you book a trip.
- How to find: If your hotel room has a scale, it’ll be in the bathroom inside your room. You can call your intended hotel before booking to confirm if it has scales.
9. Hospitals and Clinics
- Requirements for use: Hospitals and clinics will often weigh you as part of the intake process. While you’ll need to have an appointment or reason for your visit (which will likely result in you at least paying a copay), you can take note of your weight during your next check-up.
- How to find: To locate a nearby hospital or clinic, do a quick Google search for “medical clinics near me.”
10. Public Restrooms
- Requirements for use: Some public restrooms in malls, movie theaters, and gas stations have scales for public use. Truck stops are likely to be your best bet — they typically offer additional amenities like showers, laundry, and scales along with restrooms.
- How to find: Next time you’re in a public restroom, look for a scale near the entrance. Availability will vary widely by location.
Places Without Scales
If you’re still searching for a place to check your weight, it’s unlikely that you’ll find one at the following establishments:
- Bars
- Clothing stores
- Coffee shops
- Concert venues
- Hair salons
- Libraries
- Museums
- Nail salons
- Restaurants
