Bally: 2 Week Free Guest Pass in Philly (Walnut St)
Written: Aug 05 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lots of machines, decent classes, pretty clean, 2 weeks free
Cons: Staff inconsistencies, expensive, tricky salespeople/trainers
The Bottom Line: It's an OK gym with inflated prices and tricky plans. Be wary when you give them your credit card number and ALWAYS read the fine print.
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| Anniemal's Full Review: Bally Total Fitness |
I just finished my two week free trial of Bally Total Fitness downtown (14th and Walnut St). After watching the flashy, totally extreme commercials for Bally on TV, I was surprised to see how it wasn't upbeat at all. Granted, this is the first time I've been in a commercial gym; the school gym that I HAVE to pay for only consists of two workout rooms. With the amount of marketing and advertising Bally does, you'd figure it'd be a bit better. Oh well. I decided to get off my lazy butt and work out, and with a 2 week free trial guest pass.
Obtaining the 2 week free trial
1. www.ballytotalfitness.com, the "FREE PASS" on the left menu.
2. Fill in information, including when you would like to start your workout.
3. A trainer will contact you within a few days to ask you some questions.
4. You schedule a meeting and tour with the trainer on the day your workout starts. You can bring your things if you want to work out right away.
When I arrived the day of my appointment, I was told the trainer I talked to was not in. Instead, they had another trainer take me around the three-floor gym. He then told me all about the plans and asked what my fitness goals were. I didn't bother listening to the plans since I heard horror stories about Bally's slippery billing. He then signed my printed guest pass so I could work out right away. I came in again the next day, but the lady told me that my pass was not in the guest box. It was there the day before! I told her it was signed and was an online printed pass. Apparently, I'm supposed to have a written pass because printed passes didn't count. She let me go anyway and told me to tell someone to get me a "real" guest pass next time I came in.
Facilities
Bally has three floors. Locker rooms are located in the basement of the building. The ground floor is where the receptionist is along with trainer offices. To the left are the elliptical machines and stationary bikes facing one of two TVs mounted on the walls. There are about 20 elliptical machines and 10 bikes in that area. To the right, there are 10 treadmills and some bikes. Proceeding to the second floor, there is a general exercise room to the right where aerobics classes are held. There are exercise balls and mats in this mirrored room. On the left, there are a few treadmills and a couple bikes with around 8 step machines. There is also a separate room with bikes for the Spinning class. The third floor has all the weight machines including free weights. All the machines are relatively new and recent. There's a machine for practically every muscle. Overall, the facility is quite adequate. It's a bit smaller than I imagined, but it is pretty clean.
The operating hours are pretty good. They are from Monday to Thursday (5AM-11PM), Friday (5AM-10PM), Saturday (8AM-8PM), and on Sunday (8AM-7PM).
Classes
I took advantage of the classes taught. Most of weekday Hi/Low classes were during the noontime. It was a pretty good work out. The teachers are all motivating. They also have Yoga, Mat Pilates, and Dance. There is also a popular Spinning class which is an interactive bike-riding experience. I don't like riding bikes, so I didn't take the class. I think there is an extra fee for certain classes, but I just walked into each with no problems.
Service
I can safely say that the service at this Bally was quite inconsistent. To be let into the gym, I had to show my ID so that they could find my pass in the box. Depending on the person at the desk, they either checked and waved me away. I can probably get in again even with my expired pass. The staff and trainers seemed pretty bored the whole time I was there. I mean, do something... look buff!
Environment
This Bally was not particularly social. People mostly kept to themselves.
The Best Part
It was free! The trainers are always trying to push for a bigger, longer plan so be wary. I'm going back to school in a few weeks, and I told him straight up that I was not going to buy any plan. Overall, it was an OK experience at Bally. From the super upbeat commercials, Bally falls short. Try it out for two weeks, and start looking for a better gym!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
Anniemal
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Member: Annie
Location: home
Reviews written: 199
Trusted by: 70 members
About Me:
OINK! A college student trying to make sense of the world the funnest way possible!
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