04/14/09

Low Standards @ Equinox Fitness

by Exemployee

With the economy in jeopardy, Equinox has decided to hire "anyone" from all industries, in order to capture new members. In this effort they are firing best staff daily for any reasons. Employees have "at-will" agreements which means they can fire staff for the color of their hair. There is a revovving door of staff everyday, especially in the Long Island NY area. The clubs there are striving to stay alive. The comapny hasn't a clue how to properly manage their locations in the suburbs. several new employees are from different industries & low standard, especially, when the member is paying for the "best." Think again folks & go elsewhere. equinox is a marketing tool, that hires inxperienced/no-name people to run their clubs. For years there are comments throughout US, about the nasty/inexperienced staff they have. It is not quality organization, & members are getting hurt in their clubs; of which, Corp. does not care about. Word has it that the Long Island clubs will be closing & the company will be chapter 11 soon, so be careful, anyone joining/seeking employment. I am an ex-mgr. of 4 yrs...

• Pros: clean
• Cons: CEO/Management, mis managed..

07/30/08

Unfair practice on terminating contract

by ColtsGal

The club itself is nicer than most gyms I've been to. Love the classes and equipment. Staff is ok. I had injured my back about half way into my one year membership and stopped going. I never bothered to put a freeze to my account and paid for the monthly fee. When my one year term is up, I decided not to renew and hand delivered a cancellation of membership so that I won't get billed the month to month. Manager contacts me to acknowledge receipt of cancellation while trying to convince me to stay on. I turned them down. The next month I get a letter from collections department stating I owe the monthly due. I called to resolve this and they said that they will follow up with the manager. The following month, I get another letter from collections department stating that I now owe 2 months worth of dues. Again, I contact them and they said manager must have forgot to terminate my account and they will go ahead and fix this. Here we are 6 months later and they forwarded me to collection agency for the 2 months due. WTF??? I expected more from this place and now I will do everything that I can to make sure everyone knows how unscrupulous and greedy this gym is.

• Pros: Classes
• Cons: Manager is a j3rk.

Upscale, Zen-inspired gym catering to the fit professional.

by Contributor

The Scene
With its ultra-clean, minimalist décor and its topnotch staff, Equinox raises the bar for chain health clubs. At consistently spacious facilities, the design team continually maximizes natural light and highlights organic architectural quirks. Equipment from industry standards like Cybex and Hammerstrength are paired with high-end machinery--including one specifically designed for the company by Life Fitness. Even the piped-in music (which varies from room to room) has been thoughtfully programmed. Locker rooms are uniformly spotless.

The Workout
The in-house personal-training program--which approaches strength, balance and coordination in a cyclical pattern--is so highly regarded that some independent gyms recognize it in lieu of more established national certifications. Indeed, instructors in the top tier must have academic articles published in their area of expertise. Classes are offered round the clock and range from Spinning and yoga to more unique hybrids incorporating boxing and ballet. Many studios boast sprung floors.

07/24/07

Its just a gym, guys. Not time share...although some of the sales guys belong in time share.

by ckhavari

These guys need to learn about sales. Just call them up and ask them for monthly membership prices over the phone. I DARE YOU. Try it. They can't talk about prices because it is a sales disaster...These people rely on foot traffic NOT phone sales (obviously), to sell memberships. "its just a gym, guys. Not time share"

No two people pay the same price.

I got bounced around to three different people that didn't know pricing information FOR THE GYM THAT THEY WORK AT! Rediculous.

Just a taste of whats to come if you join this gym. (for the record, no one was rude to me. they just played stupid) I guess word of mouth doesn't matter to these guys)

By the way, guys. If you do a google search for 'equinox membership prices' there are plenty of dissatisfied people that will let you know. So, good job keeping it a secret.

Also, I want to give my money to people that deserve it, not to people who want to practice their sales "skills."

Just joined an equally nice gym in the same area. They laughed when I told them about EqUinOx. What a joke.

• Pros: none
• Cons: Save your money

03/26/07

Pretentious, Poor Customer Service, Overpriced

by kaw68

I joined this club when I moved to Pasadena and lived in the Paseo apartments. Pros: cleaner than other clubs (although not exactly luxurious); some good classes (that unfortunately weren't at convenient times for me). Cons: staff is rude and pretentious; equipment is not great; some classes and instructors are bad; trainers seem mostly incompetent; they screw up billing and are slow to fix it; hours are inconvenient. Overall, I did not feel it was worth the $110 monthly (especially compared to the $30 I now pay at a club with better equipment, classes, hours, etc.). Staff at Equinox (even the front desk people) tend to have an attitude...especially don't need that for the price.

• Pros: cleanliness
• Cons: price, rude staff, old equipment

01/03/07

Best in Pasadena

by chdstein

I moved into the area in 2003 and Equinox is still the best Pasadena has to offer. This place is always spotless as staff are constantly scrubbing floors and cleaning around the clock. Probably one of the few gyms you'd feel comfortable walking around in barefoot. Towel service and locker room amenties (lotion, shavers, mouthwash, cotton swabs, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner) are all welcome ammenities. I've belonged to nicer much larger clubs, but the big box discount chains in the area have absolutely nothing on this club.

• Pros: Locker room amenities, free parking (2hrs), sqeaky clean, top notch equipment and instructors
• Cons: small, no swimming

08/11/06

I love this particular Equinox!

by gymfan

I love my Equinox in Pasadena! Im sorry for the experience one of the reviewers had at this Equinox, and I have to say that as a member who is able to access all the Equinox gyms in L.A., his truths dont seem accurate at all.

The trainers at this one happen to be the friendliest out of all the clubs Ive been to (i.e. West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and the one on Wilshire Blvd). They even have this really nice guy who seems to know everybody I think hes the training director who also happens to be in amazing shape. I've seen him work out and teach some of the classes, and it's very inspiring to watch him at work. The staff at the welcome desk are just friendly as can be, and I know this because I visit at various times of the day. As far as the facility goes, I wouldnt say it is low-quality, I just know that it was the first one built in California, and that it was meant to be of that size, as was explained to me by one of the sales people.

I much prefer this gyms lay-out over all the other Equinox clubs. Lastly, Im sure that the billing issue he noted is valid for him. Having had his experience, he deserves to be let out. Im having quite the opposite experience, Im happy to say, so theres no need to worry about paying my monthly dues theyre worth it! I can't think of a better gym in the area that is as upscale, friendly, and professional as this one.

07/18/06

Pretty but pretentious--and greedy

by uscgrad97

True that it's a good-looking place (esp nice locker rooms). Here are the other truths: stuck-up trainers, poor customer service from all staff, low-quality facilities (such as no pool and very small) compared to other Equinox clubs. The worst complaint I have is that they are making it extremely difficult now that my year-long membership contract has expired. They keep debiting money from my bank account even though my contract is over and I have told them I no longer wish to be a member! I know this is illegal and really reinforces the idea I had all along that they are totally money-hungry.

05/22/05

Having a great experience so far!

by expertreviewer

I read the earlier review on billing issues, but decided to check the gym out anyway because I was in the area and was seriously looking for the best facility in Pasadena. I appreciated the non-intimidating tour, and the genuineness of the staff that worked there. It seemed like everyone made it a point to make me feel welcome. Because I was serious about making my gym membership work this time, I ended up sitting down with their training supervisor, who gave me overall tips that would help me get started, while also recommending that I take myself seriously enough to train. 6 weeks later, I can tell you that the investment is well worth it. I am training 3 days a week and am improving on so many aspects other than just how my body looks. So far, everything is working out wonderfully!

• Pros: Expert staff, Friendliness, Super clean
• Cons: Price, if $-consciou