Washington Sports Clubs

Located in the heart of Clarendon, this gym is perfect!
The staff, Instructors, Personal Trainers and the Leadership Team are awesome.
Clean, state of the art cardio equipment and weights available. They offer group exercise classes too. Everything you could need.

Understated gym in the heart of Clarendon. The Sunday morning Boot Camp is the best thing about it. It’s what keeps me in tiptop shape.

I just signed up with this gym and so happy I did. It’s not huge but it’s intimate and has a cool zen-​like feeling, as soon as you walk in. I was greeted with a very friendly attitude and that’s always nice. I did notice how incredibly clean the entire place was so that to me, is important. Also, there are cleaning wipes all over the place and I noticed everyone uses them to wipe down the equipment. Another bonus point — super clean & big towels which I used on my yoga mat, as well (necessary). But, above everything I noted here, the GM (Joey?) made my entire experience amazing — best client service I received in a long time. He explained every detail of the membership perks and answered all of my questions without pressuring me into signing up. He gave me a 3-​day pass and that helped me decide to ultimately sign up. He gave me tour of the gym, explained every class and equipment in detail and I really felt like I was taken care of, and wasn’t just another member. Great gym, great staff, happy working out here.

This review is not based on the actual facilities, but the customer service when I called TSI as well. I have been trying to cancel my membership for FOUR MONTHS they keep charging me and saying that I needed to pay an extra month (stated in contract) which is fine and I agreed to. But for whatever reason they KEEP CHARGING EVEN AFTER I HAVE MADE IT VERY CLEAR IM DONE AND THIS IS THE LAST MONTH. They say sorry, this will give you access to the club another month, blah blah blah. I can afford it, so I give up after being promised that this will be the last time I’m charged. Currently still furious, sent my confirmation email of cancelation to them with an email explaining and waiting for a reply. I have to wait too tomorrow (Monday) to call to talk to anyone but I just want to be done honestly the club was never worth this mess. Why won’t they let me quit?

Cheap gym, u get what you paid for. But be careful, it might be cheap paying 20 a month, but they charge you YEARLY fee (100 plus dollars). Once you figured it out it’s not worth it, then they will charge you 30 bucks for canceling your memberships even though it’s «no contract» i guess that’s how they got your money, draw you in with cheap monthly fee, and when you decided to leave, more free money for them, from you of coz. And yes, it’s a basement, which is good if you dont want any interruption while working out because nobody can reach you on the phone.

WSC was an adequate gym and had the added advantage of lots of convenient locations both near my home and office so I stayed with them for years. I did not pay for the «privilege» of a guaranteed rate so I watched my monthly dues go up a couple dollars every year without fail. It was annoying but what can I do? I finally did the math out of curiosity and realized WSC was giving itself a 3% raise every year. I don’t know anyone in DC getting an annual 3% COL raise. Anyway, I stuck with WSC even though they were slowly nickel and dime-​ing me with their fees and taking away free classes and I didn’t have any major complaints until I tried to cancel my membership. I’ve paid thousands of dollars membership dues over the years and am no longer under any contractual obligations and yet WSC doesn’t seem to want to let me go.
Here’s a tip, WSC: making me angry when I try to cancel my membership after 5 years is not going to make me want to stay with you, much less come back. I tried to cancel online but I had to wait for a real person to call me back to «finalize» my cancellation. Of course no one ever called me. I put in another request and finally someone called and emailed me a confirmation of my cancellation request. I had a $ 0 balance so I naively assumed that was it but no, I saw a weird charge on my credit card from WSC a couple weeks later. Turns out there is a $ 30 cancellation fee, which wouldn’t bother me except I’ve already met my contractual obligations. Seems like death is the only way to escape WSC and even then, you know they’ll come after your corpse for their fees.
Try to find another gym if you don’t want to be a WSC member for eternity.

Been going here for a long time. The upside to this place is that it is right next to the Clarendon Metro station. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable (ask for Damian), and since they changed their business model, you can get a membership here for a good price ($ 20 a month). The downsides are that there are no pools, basketball courts, or indoor tracks. But hey, it’s Clarendon, it’s not like there is a lot of space. There are a lot of classes available, like zumba and yoga. I do the boxing class; it’s pretty good. They also have personal trainers, but it’s pretty costly. This place is across the street from a Whole Foods, so you’ll often see a bunch of people in gym clothes buying dinner on weeknights.

completely frustrating experience with WSC billing. Receive phone call (from unidentified 866 phone #) saying there is a problem the credit card I have on file for automatic billing (the only way you can pay) and my account is past due since ⁸⁄₁. I said this is interesting because I have not received any notifications via email or in the mail — and I know there is money in my account. I further explain that I am not about to give a credit card # out over the phone. woman on other end has some lame excuse that this is because they are calling from the corporate office and that I can’t pay online because there is a problem with the website. Come ‘on WSC folks — spend a little money on an invoicing system, a website that works and associate the company name with the phone # your A/​R people are calling from.

What more is there to say? It is dreary for sure, but it gets the job done, sort of. Part of the problem is that there are more little private offices here than you would find at a law firm or small town bank. Staff seems to enjoy relaxing in the offices, fiddling with their smartphones, instead of mingling with the members, straightening out the free weights and tidying up the place. All but two or three of the offices should be demolished and converted into member space, such as a member lounge. What a poor design!
Of course there is little expectation that any redesign will occur. The CEO of the parent company bailed out of his sinking ship (or was ousted) last month and it’s rumored the company is up for sale. Granted it’s tough to compete with Planet Fitness so WSC may be fighting a losing battle. The lease at this location is up next year so we’ll enjoy it while we can.

I’ve been a member since January. The staff is super friendly and it’s never crowded, and Sam’s hip hop classes are great. BUT, it’s only once a week and she was promised a Thursday class too, and it was taken away! Why? Bring back the Thursday hip hop class!!!

My friends and I love Sam’s super popular Hip Hop Dance workout class on Tuesdays. It’s always a blast!
My complaint … it’s ONLY once a week. ;(
What happened to the Thursday class?
Come on people!

As other reviewers have mentioned this is really a no frills kind of gym, which is perfect for someone like me who just needs an occasional place away from home to supplement my other forms of exercise.
WSC has all the general amenities that you would find at other gyms, including TRX system, however, it just lacks in volume of equipment and physical size (which is not really a problem as I didn’t find this gym to be overly packed).
I do miss the sanitizing wipes that were always readily available at Gold’s (they have them here, but seem to sometimes be stocked and other times not). For $ 19.95/month (not including sign up/​cancellation fee etc etc), it’s not a bad deal.

I have never been to this location. This is why it is so shocking that they billed me $ 50 this month…
The previous WSC in West Springfield closed.
Somehow the WSC organization transferred my account to Clarendon without me knowing and began billing me.
I have tried calling multiple times and no answer at the desk.
I would love to speak to corporate.

I’m not a gym snob (or gym rat) by any means, so take this review for what it’s worth, but I really enjoy this WSC location. My favorite part is probably seeing John at the front desk every time I come in. He makes both a professional but also welcoming and approachable first impression. He always asks how I’m doing and will, in a good natured way, give me a hard time if he knows I haven’t been in a couple days. He also makes sure I don’t «settle» for the Express Line workout too often — admittedly I still do every once in a while to get some legs in, but John also confided that he hits the EL every now and again. Regardless, he is a good, though not overbearing, motivator. Andre is also very friendly at the front desk and together, the two of them create a very friendly environment upon entering.
The equipment is fine. I’m sure it could be upgraded, but for $ 20/​month*, I can’t complain. I don’t use the cardio, so my feedback is NA there. There’s usually ample benches and dumbbells to get in peak physical condition for the beach. While it’s usually not very crowded, it can sometimes be difficult to find space to shred abs — there are two dedicated mat areas, but they can fill up. When the studios aren’t in use, they make a good fallback option.
I haven’t done classes, although the staff has gently nudged me to do so. Their soundtracks are pretty killer, so maybe one of these days…
The towel system is kind of rookie. I didn’t know when I signed up that you actually pay for a $ 10 towel punch card if you want to use their towels. I used to pick them up for free but once I found this out, I didn’t want to take advantage so I’ve been bringing my own. Not a huge deal, but a pretty budget move to charge for towels. Plus, I don’t think they use fabric softener when they wash them, so they’re essentially sand paper when you first use them. Again, I doubt towels are a big money maker (or expense, for that matter), but seems like an odd (and semi-​inconvenient) way to try to squeeze a few extra dollars out of your members.
As others have said, locker rooms (at least the men’s) are just OK and appear to be stuck in the late 90s, early 00s at best. I rarely shower there, though I would if the showers were better — small stalls, low water pressure, shower heads that droop without really getting you sufficiently wet/​rinsed off, and pretty grimy curtains that make you feel like you need to start your whole shower over again if your elbow happens to unintentionally graze against it reaching for the shampoo dispenser. Actually — that’s a plus: free body wash, shampoo and conditioner! But again, that weird towel policy makes it unlikely that I’ll change my showering tendencies any time soon.
* disclaimer: my work pays me $ 20/​month as a fitness stipend, so I essentially get my WSC membership for free. For «free» — I really don’t have any complaints.

Please watch your credit card statements! There was a «miscommunication» when I switched from the GTown branch to this one and they were both charging me instead of the GTown one being cancelled. Once I figure this out, they would not help me over the phone, I had to go in to talk to the GM, which also took 3 trips. Even after he assured me everything would be fine, I just received my credit two weeks later which is about $ 100 lower than it should be. This is AWFUL customer service.
The gym itself is ok, basement level so no light. The dance teachers are good and I enjoy those classes. Not sure the hassle of this place with worth staying as a member.

I had some issues with the gym billing my credit card. After discussing with corporate and the GM, I was able to get the issues resolved.

**2.5 stars** This gym is fine. As others have mentioned, they are obviously interested in your money (but what gym isn’t??) — and i haven’t tried to cancel yet so that will be interesting. Front desk staff has always been very friendly and welcoming. Classes (esp spin) are quite good but usually jam packed. My only concern is that when we were signing up the membership advisor mentioned they would be adding wireless and fixing the several broken machines «next week.» This has yet to happen in our few months of membership, which is quite disappointing.

This place is okay.
It’s kind of a bare-​bones establishment with limited space in a basement. If you want quick in and out with easy access this is the place for you. If you want a more spa like gym this is not the place for you.
This location does have a sauna and steam room. The sauna is hot and the steam room is very steamy. This is a perk because I’ve been to a lot of gyms where the sauna is not hot enough for me. The steam room is also really hot and steamy which is another perk because I found gyms in the area that lack super steamy hot steam rooms. Yeah I know it kind of defeats the purpose of a sauna and steam room but it happens around here.
The cardio equipment is okay. For some reason I always end up getting on a piece of cardio equipment that is insanely squeaky. I won’t lie it really makes me feel like a whale.
This gym is also equipped with free weights and suspension system. There are classes spinning and some others I have not tried. There are a few trainers I’ve never met with any of them now. They all seem to be friendly.
The bathrooms are clean and stocked with shampoo conditioner and soap which is another perk. There’s always an endless supply of cleaned towels.
This gym never seems to get packed which is great if you like to be left alone way work out. If you go to the gym socialize you may wish to go to another.

I honestly don’t understand all the poor reviews. I go at lunchtime on weekdays. Staff is friendly. There are always more machines than people. The only time I’m ever annoyed is when these two fratbros are working out together and using four of the benches at what, to keep their water bottles on or whatever? But aside from them, no complaints. Nice mix of men and women, doesn’t feel cruise-​y or overly macho. I don’t do the classes, but I watch/​overhear a couple of them, and they seem to have a wide variety of ages/​skill levels participating.
Towel service is key for me – and they have that. The sauna/​steam room is never broken or dirty. I used my free personal fitness evaluation to have the trainer show me how to do some kettle bell stuff and a quick bodyweight workout thing. No concerns about cleanliness. The only time I saw an out-​of-​order sign, the next day it was gone.
I’ve never really gone to «fancy» gyms so it may just be that I don’t know what I’m missing? But I think it has enough equipment, and it’s the only place with towel service in Clarendon.

Lousy gym and equally lousy customer service.
I bought a one-​month LivingSocial deal here and my first (and only) visit was a bad one, so I never went back.
The front desk girl was friendly but seemed a bit clueless. I was made to wait for the manager, who had just sat down with another LivingSocial deal-​redeemer. I was on a time-​constraint so I was a bit irritated. The girl kindly allowed me to work out but said I’d have to meet with the manager post-​workout.
The equipment was old and broken. I had to switch ellipticals twice before settling on one that didn’t squeak, but the TV didn’t work properly. The gym is depressing and in a dark, basement setting.
I finished my workout and informed the staff member that I was ready to speak to the manager. Once again, I had to stand and wait for him while he carried on a pointless conversation with a customer who had just gotten married and blah blah blah. Rightfully so, I was annoyed at this point and in a hurry. The manager was rude and had ZERO customer service skills. He didn’t introduce himself to me or offer to give me a tour of the gym. He just asked if I was going to end up joining and I said, «Based off of this interaction, no» so he just put no effort into making me happy or making me a customer once my one-​month trial ended.