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Thanks for any feedback you may have
Looks nice!
Well, the building is nice and it sure is convenient. Reminds me of the downtown Bellevue location. Other than that the only real difference is the cardio equipment have tv's attached, the lockers have electronic locks and apparently there are towels available if needed.
Right off the bat I can tell you that the most negative aspect of this club is that it is going to be CROWDED. The workout floor is a little more crammed in than the north Seattle gym and judging by how many people there were on opening day it will be difficult to get a cardio machine. I found myself waiting for weight machines as well and this is only day 1. Although comparatively fancy, the locker room is too small for the size of the gym and you find yourself elbowing up to folks while changing, it's like this in the north Seattle location as well so I change at home.
These were just initial impressions, short on time, I will update on my next workout tomorrow. Cheers.
But please feel free- it will free up space at my 1st & 2nd choice gyms.
I do miss Denali Fitness though. The folks are very nice there and it is never crowded. I may switch if I am not satisfied with LA Fitness. I was also told that I have 3 days to end my membership after the club opens if not satisfied.
- pool is lap swim always, no classes etc
- no additional fees for court times, classes or swimming
- child care is $10 / month, you can leave the child for up to 2hrs while you workout.
- no squash courts
- towel service is included
- all cardio equipment has tv monitors
I'm really considering joining however I'd like to see how flexible they are on the up front and monthly fees. I was quoted about $200 to join at $49.99 / month. Seems a little steep. I encourage everyone to continue to post rates they are quoted. The whole thing feels a little shady ... the guy was VERY eager for my to sign up on the spot (obviously on commission) and he couldn't provide me a printed rate sheet.
Now the kicker will be if 3-4 months down the line when they come back to all us from Westlake and tell us we need to re-up and sign on to a new contract. I know for a fact that the 3 of us that went yesterday are all paying under $25 a month for dues.
You can tell a lot about a company by their management and this management sucks!
I'll check out some other gyms first. I can really only say I was interested because of the location.
The main workout area feels like an office building. Why not have put all the workout facilities looking over the shipyard and have natural light and views....instead of the daycare and few people that use the pool?
Feels like I was in Bellevue. At least it doesn't rain inside anymore. C-
Do a simple google search on costs and clubs to get some advice.
But we also found the size of the cardio/weight room overwhelming. And as mentioned above, we also found the sales staff a bit pushy. We felt like we were getting mixed messages about the services and their pricing.
We find OAC a better, more affordable alternative for a family. Plus LA Fitness had been a good influence on OAC; motivating them to upgrade some amenities of their own (please do the locker rooms and showers next!). We also like The Kids Korner program at OAC, which is well established, better managed and more thought through than childcare at LAF (you can’t just put kids and babies in front of a large screen TV!) . There are also more free classes and family swim options at OAC.
OAC is where we are staying for now.
My main goal is to find a gym with a good kids club. I toured OAC and their child care program is clearly excellent. Their staff seems good and genuinely interested in the kids. LA fitness provides a nice big sunny kids club but its clear the staff are just there to be present and are not real ly into watching/engaging the kids. The plan is to turn on the big TV. Too bad we can't transport the OAC staff, & philosophy over to the the shiny new facility of LA fitness. Price for kids club right now is $10 a month for up to 2 hrs care each day. closed from 12 to 4 each day but they say they might expand hours.
Comment #45 above from CJ has an interesting idea about joining the Shoreline LA fitness for $29.99 mo and that gives you access to Ballard. Two questions about this - is there a one time fee with the $29.99 mo at Shoreline? Will the promise that you can use the Ballard location really work and will you get all the same ammenities? I might be willing to try LA if I can get in at 29.99 with no down by signing at the Shoreline. Still have a bad feeling that I am compromising my values by joining such a plastic club and feel I should be supporting the good quality real Ballard/Seattlites of OAC!
I am going to check back here for more comments feedback before I decide - if the price at LA goes up it goes up - I just go with OAC if that happens - let me know what you all think!
All the whiners, please stay home... I love this club...!
I was told that I could freeze my account if I was leaving on a business trip or was going out of town when I signed up (I though that was great). I had to leave for a family emergency a couple months later and tried to freeze my account and guess what, it takes 20 days before the account actually get put on hold! I mean, what kind of BS is that. I have to pay for the month I'm gone before it freezes when I'm going to be back?
People generally consider me a nice, passive person, but I cannot keep my mouth shut on this monstrosity of a company. I am truly sorry to the people I recommended come to this "financial prison", I mean gym.