My Ballard - Latest Comments in LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

GJB — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:00:38 -0000

Way back when, I recall OAC was a bromine pool - I think most are these days.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

GJB — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:58:42 -0000

I signed up in Everett back in the 29.99 days. I wouldn't do this club for more than that. I didn't even know Ballard had opened until I drove past it last Sunday. Nobody was even around to scan my card, so I just walked in. I have a regional club pass, so they better not ever try to charge me for the Ballard club, or I'd quit in an instant. I have to admit having TVs on every cardio is sweet, and the digital locks on the lockers are very cool. But otherwise this is just another LA Fitness (I guess towels are free, whoopie, they should be free at all their locations.) If you're going for the 30-dollar range, I recommend LA Fitness over the scum bags at Ballys or 24 HR. Since I live in Bellevue and don't want to spend $250 a month at the Pro Club, LA is my only choice. If I lived in Ballard, I would probably lean toward OAC, although I haven't been there in ages. I don't remember OAC being very cheap though, maybe it has come down.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

ilior — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:17:15 -0000

I wrote to LA Fitness membership services to cancel my Flexi club membership. When I didn't hear anything from them and the Direct Debit continued to come out of my account, I contacted membership services who told me that membership can only be cancelled by phoning membership services.acnee

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

richardarendt — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:19:44 -0000

Beautiful Pool!!! Poorly maintained. The sides of the pool are oily, they need to be scrubbed regularly. Also, there is no, I repeat no reason, for the cloudy water. It should be crystal clear. Finally, it is a Bromine Pool....why, I have no idea. Might be the only one in town. I understand Chlorine is toxic too, but I have never had problems with chlorine. If you want to do it properly, use UV light backed with small amounts of chlorine, I have been swimming there two months, and have to stop. I am having horrible rashes breaking out, every time I swim there. This is only recently, so something is different. You need to send the water out to be professionally anaylized. I talked to the manager of the club, and all I get is the feeling that they are doing everything perfectly, and it is MY fault if I am having rashes.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

fitnessguru — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:35:23 -0000

what a joke, just like any new La fitness club that opens... nice at first then turns into shit... overrated.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Abused Customer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:44:04 -0000

This place is a scam. First off, has anyone tried to cancel their membership? They set everything up to milk every last penny they can from you, it's a ridiculous process. With the other facilities that are around, I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO EVEN MY WORST ENEMY! The people there seem friendly until you actually start to use the "amenities" (if you can even call it that) you were promised when signing up. They tell you that you can bring any person up to twice a year for free to workout; what they don't tell you is, if your looking to workout with that person, you will have to wait an hour while they interrogate him/her. The guy actually told me, "Why don't you go workout while I take care of him?" As if I was going to leave him there to be harassed by this idiot.

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.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Craydad — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:04:01 -0000

I joined on 8/30/09 just for the pool. I loved going to this gym for the first 2 weeks. But in the one month that I have been a member, the pool has been CLOSED for 10 days. Yesterday they said that it would be open today, and sure enough it is CLOSED. The pool is great, but if you want to rely on pool availability I suggest joining Olympic Athletic Club. I was deciding between the 2 gyms and was swayed by the 25 yard lanes and the skylights, but those don't do me any good if I can't swim in it. We'll see if they open it tomorrow. So far for $57/month this is a total rip off.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

TJ — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:26:57 -0000

I see lots of quotes on the cost of 24 HrF but none on OAC. Can anyone quote their lowest monthly/yearly rate please? I'm interested in knowing how the amounts compare. Thanks!

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

JC — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:02:23 -0000

Negotiate. You CAN get a better deal than whatever they quote you.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Dan — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:09:35 -0000

Wow... I am an exercise physiologist and am familiar with most of the clubs around town..., and this is the best one I've seen, hnds down.. the pool is spectacular, there's alot of light in the weight rooms, and I love having the TV's on the cardio.. It's great not to have to bring a towel, and the lockers are just too kewl... no lock needed..!
All the whiners, please stay home... I love this club...!

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Erin — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:18:18 -0000

I am so torn trying to decide about joining LA Fitness in Ballard versus joining Olympic Ath Clb. Its really a shame that they have such a pushy sales team - just gives me a really bad feeling like promises will be made but not kept. It also really seems unecessary as the club is beautiful and really sells itself. This is Seattle/Ballard where I think they could be a really great club if they were upfront and REAL wtih good customer service over tricks to get you to sign up right then. I am interested in any other scoop on pricing. In the last week I was quoted $249 one time fee $49.99 mo OR $149 one time fee $54.99 mo. I was also told you could split the $249 one time fee with four others but later found out that if they are not in your household and using same credit card for all fees each month it won't work. I know some people got in for $30 to $39 a month with no down payment - but now the price has gone up. The WAY PUSHY sales team says the price might go up any day - they have no notice as to when corporate will raise the price so they really push hard to get you to sign up right then.

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!

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

kdub — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:02:16 -0000

One thing that is really important to me in Ballard (and sounds like a lot of people are on the same page) is that we need more things that families can do together. LAF just does not offer that. OAC, however, offers family swim, kids swim lessons, kids yoga, and kids can play b-ball and racquetball, as well as hang in the wonderful Kids Korner. the daycare at OAC is run by wonderful people, who clearly are attentive to kids, as well as experienced. I got the complete opposite vibe from LAF when I toured there. Another thing I've found really frustrating about LAF is the swimming. There are no policies about the pool--no rules for lane sharing, and to keep track of who's waiting for a lane. It just screams potential chaos to me, and although it's a bit longer than OAC's pool, it is only 3 lanes wide, and not to mention, it isn't open nearly as late in the day as OAC. 24 hour access is a plus, and OAC takes the cake. OAC is also substantially less expensive, and makes memberships affordable for families, single parents and couples. Even a single membership is nearly 15 bucks cheaper each month. And its not run by meat heads, and their Front Desk staff is wonderful and takes the time to learn names, behaviors and makes members feel like they are more than just paying customers.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

CJ — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 21:00:56 -0000

If you are planning on getting a new membership to LA Fitness, save yourself some money and join at the LA Fitness in Shoreline (135th & Aurora). You can still use the Ballard location, but joining in Shoreline is soooo much cheaper. Just joined last night and am only paying $29.99/month as opposed to $54.99/month which is the current rate in Ballard. Your card will still work at the new gym...just save yourself some cash, and don't go through the crap at the Ballard location.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Magda — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:14:28 -0000

We also checked out the club last week. The facility and amenities were nice and new. High ceilings and good ventilation felt good, rubber covered weights were nice, pool with large windows overlooking the canal looked great, and the courts were nice, and the locker rooms were above the local standard in Ballard.

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.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Rebecca — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:20:56 -0000

I went in last night with a friend to check out the club. The rates were much higher than I could ever have imagined and they tried to compare themselves to the Seattle Athletic Club and WAC. I asked what I would be getting from them that I'm not getting from 24 Hour Fitness. All they could say was Towel Service. Well for a 6x what I pay on a monthly basis at 24 Hour Fitness, I could not see the value. My friend said that if they could lower the price to $39.95 a month then she would sign up immediately. They would not go below $55 a month and said that in the new few days it would raise to $76 a month. Then they tried to guilt us by saying that joining their club would help us with our weight-loss goals but couldn't tell us exactly how it would. I'm not sure what they are thinking in this economy. I just wasn't impressed and yes I felt like I was at a used car lot.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Michael T — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:59:15 -0000

Membership fees are always negotiable and you should get the sign up fee waived and not pay more then $30 a month at most.

Do a simple google search on costs and clubs to get some advice.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:21:54 -0000

I've been a member at Westlake since 2000. As crappy as the facility was...it had character. This place is stale and terribly layed out. the basketball court is SUCH a dissapointment. The sideline...IS THE WALL and there's a sharp edged corner to run into by the drinking fountain. Matter of days till a serious injury happens!!!? So sad to see. Zero reason not to have built it larger. There is plenty of room around it to have made it 6 feet wider even??

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-

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

SeattleSteph — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:23:20 -0000

I belong to the North Seattle one and worked out in Ballard for the first time last night. It's great! I think the lockerroom is roomy and I am loving all the extras like lotion, qtips and towels. The TVs on the cardio equipment is great and you can plug in your iPod too. The only thing missing from this gym is a cardio theatre. The Mukilteo, Redmond and Lake Forest Park Gold's have one. It's where they have a dark movie room with a big screen and you can do your cardio in there. Otherwise, I like this gym and I will split my time between here and North Seattle. The staff was friendly too.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Carol — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:58:37 -0000

And the picture make it look better than it really is. Wide angle lense perhaps?

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Carol — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:56:55 -0000

The manager I spoke with today... Looked like he was high. I didn't sign up, because he would not go any lower than 55/month, when I know people paying 30. The locks in the locker room is pretty awesome. It was crowded. The class was good. The raquetball courts looked awesome... But it's not 60 bucks awesome. If the sales guy was kind, I would maybe do it... But... I don't care that much about the signature club and towel service...

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Michelle — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:37:28 -0000

Jim Gossler is one of the most unimpressive managers I have met in a looooong time. His demeanor was condescending, he's immediately defensive, and he's insincere.He's a stereotype of a "meat head" and "car salesman" in the most negative way possible. He's the general manager.
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.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Dave — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:38:42 -0000

Its nice the Ballard club is finally open. I joined in early Dec. and was told it would open before Christmas, then it was moved to mid January, then to the 1st of Feb. I was told I would be contacted when it opened, never was and now driving by I see its open. I have been working out at several of the clubs in the area and they are nice. Mostly kids that work there and was not impressed with the management I spoke with. I don't think it requires more that a 6th grade education to be hired as management, but I can't wait to workout!

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Paul — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:01:05 -0000

I joined LAF in 2007 ..I was lucky the Everett club was promoting opening and offered lifetime all club membership for 29.99 a month...I live near Martha lake...so the Mill Creek club is closer...so I use that club more...I also was invited to my sister-in law's wedding in San Diego...My Mill Creek club posted a Message on my account and I was able to use their facilities...to be honest getting a All Club membership is well worth the price od admission

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Long Timer — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:07:58 -0000

I see they have 'towel service', now if I could just get a little customer service I might think more of the place. I signed up in Dec with a 'deferred membership' but got billed in Jan anyway. I guess the folks at LA Fitness are too busy trying to sell new memberships to provide service to those who have already signed up. My membership at Olympic goes until July. I think I'll cancel LA Fitness and stick with Olympic. At Olympic people act like they care, the same certainly can't be said for LA Fitness.

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Danielle — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:57:44 -0000

Oh, by "cued up" I mean he was already in the system as a member! He didn't have to explain anything!