It's all I need!
Written: Mar 11 '04
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: A well-cared-for, reputable, attractive, stimulating, helpful, courteous work-out environment.
Cons: Not cheap, must sign a year-long contract
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend Gold's. I think 39 years in the business with 650 gyms worldwide and 3,000,000 members speaks for itself. Also, you can't put a price on your health!
|
|
|
| gen-xer's Full Review: Gold's Gym |
Gold's is not a health club. It doesn't have bells & whistles like a pool, indoor track, racquetball, a day spa, etc. If that's what you're looking for, try Bally Total Fitness or Sport & Health Clubs (only in VA, MD, and Washington D.C.).
Gold's is, however, a fully functional and attractive "gym"! I can't speak for all other locations, but the Gold's I am a member of in Southern Maryland is quite nice! It has a large, roomy ground floor and a slightly smaller but roomy balcony/second floor that looks down onto the ground floor. NOTE: At various places around the gym are spray bottles of disinfectant and small stacks of towels for members to clean the equipment with after they use it. ANOTHER NOTE: Some Gold's Gyms supply free sweat towels for members to use while exercising. Others, like mine, charge for their use.
The ground floor contains a spacious, somewhat closed off "Abs section" with a wide variety of abdominal weight machines, sit-up and crunch benches, and other ab equipment. Next to that is a very large, separate room where different classes are held: Step Aerobics, Cardio Karate, Yoga, "Boot Camp," and Body Pump. The "classroom" has a nice wood floor with large mirrors covering 3 walls. On the other side of the classroom is another large area filled with various weight machines, benches, and a broad spectrum of free weights. In this section, all but one wall is lined with large mirrors for you to check your form in when you're lifting.
The balcony second floor is lined up front at the railing with a long row of treadmills. In 2 more rows behind them are other cardio machines such as Elliptical Trainers, Stairclimbers, bikes, and Free Runners. Several 25"? TVs hang down from the ceiling above and in front of the treadmills; members are able to flip cable channels on them via box receivers shelved in one wall near the cardio equipment, or watch the Gold's Gym Broadcasting Network (Gold's own version of VH1 or MTV). The TVs can be heard through supplied headphones that plug directly into a little box attached to each equipment monitor. The little box allows members to adjust the volume to their liking. Members can also listen to their own CDs via CD changers that are shelved with the TV receivers. At the center of the second floor is the small, totally enclosed Spinning classroom (Spinning is a class that involves the sole use of stationary bikes). Behind the Spinning classroom are more weight machines and a couple more TVs. At one end of the second floor are a couple offices for staff, a fitness evaluation room, a massage room, and a tanning room. At the other end of the floor are the men's and women's locker rooms (with a Gatorade vending machine out front). The locker rooms contain restroom stalls and sinks, two changing stalls, lockers and benches, showers with supplied combination shampoo/conditioner/body wash, a sauna, and a large counter with a vanity mirror and wall-mounted plug-in hairdryer.
(I forgot to add that there is also a TV in the abs section and a few in the machine/freeweight/bench section.)
Inside the entrance to Gold's is the front desk along with one wall of 4 or 5 cubicles of staff desks. There is also a nice smoothie bar with barstools (and another TV) along with a couple of tables and barstools to sit at. (FYI: The cost of the smoothies are a bit ridiculous--anywhere from $4.25 to $6-something--and they're all the same size, about the size of a McDonald's large drink...but they are good and are made of all natural ingredients.) The childcare room is also located there, as are a couple of refrigerated units stocked with bottled water and various sports drinks that you can buy.
All staff members wear the same Gold's Gym navy polo shirt, but the personal trainers wear a white T-shirt that says PERSONAL TRAINER on the back. All the staff and personal trainers are friendly, sociable, helpful, and ready to answer any questions you might have.
The nutshell services of Gold's are nutrition counseling, body composition, circuit training, personal training (at an additional cost to your membership fee), childcare, free weights, group classes, tanning, cardio equipment, massage, and sauna.
HOURS: Monday - Thursday, 5AM - 11PM; Friday, 5AM - 9PM; Saturday, 8AM - 8PM; and Sunday, 8AM - 6PM.
CHILDCARE HOURS: Monday - Friday, 9AM - 1PM and 4PM - 8PM; and Saturday, 8AM - 1PM.
First time guests are welcome to the gym with a complimentary one day pass.
You can also work out at Gold's--free of charge--while away on travel! Just get a travel pass from a staff member at your home Gold's Gym.
When I enrolled with Gold's, I had to sign a 12-month agreement and the membership price was $49.99 a month plus a one-time enrollment fee of $149. However, I was able to negotiate the enrollment fee down to $50. My Gold's also offered me the opportunity to cancel my membership within the first 3 months with no penalties whatsoever--they called it a "3-Month Usage Challenge." Gold's may sometimes offer a free trial membership or another type of good promotional offer. You can check their website at www.goldsgym.com, or call or visit your local Gold's Gym to find out.
WHEN SIGNING UP FOR MEMBERSHIP, I RECEIVED: a coupon good for 1 personal training session and evaluation (a $45 value); a gift certificate good for either a free tanning session or for 30% off any Gold's Gym Pro Shop item; and a coupon for a free 15-minute massage.
MY ONE-TIME PERSONAL TRAINING SESSION: A personal trainer gave me a tour of the gym and showed me how to use the equipment properly. He talked with me about my past fitness history, diet, and my current fitness goals. He weighed me and conducted a body fat count on me to show me what kind of shape I was in and what I needed to work toward. He also gave me a fitness test to evaluate my strength.
THIS IS A FULL ACCOUNT OF MY GOLD'S GYM EXPERIENCE TO DATE. IF YOU DECIDE TO JOIN, I HOPE YOURS IS THE SAME PLEASANT AND QUALITY SATISFACTION!
TO NEW MEMBERS AND TO NOVICE EXERCISERS CONTEMPLATING MEMBERSHIP: THERE'S NO NEED TO FEEL INTIMIDATED AT THE GYM! THERE ARE INEXPERIENCED, SEMI-EXPERIENCED, AND EXPERIENCED/PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS, BOTH MALE AND FEMALE. I SEE MEMBERS IN THEIR 20s ALL THE WAY UP TO THOSE IN THEIR 70s! THE BOTTOM LINE IS, WE'RE ALL IN THERE FOR THE SAME BASIC REASON NO MATTER WHO WE ARE! SO GO FOR IT!
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
gen-xer
|
|
Location: Wash D.C. area, USA
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.