LA Fitness

Wish I could report good news but sad to say this gym is going backward. Reasons you can judge for yourself: 1. Open fewer hours on weekdays and weekends. Ridiculous stated reason: To match all the other LA Fitness gym hours. It’s a cost cutting decision. Why reduce hours at a time when they have more members than ever? When they grandfathered in members from the recently closed Fitness 19? At the peak time of year for gym use? When BP is building new housing across the street? 2. Unrepaired equipment. Always a couple of (low quality) treadmills and weight machines (BOTH leg press machines?) out of order. Takes forever to get them repaired. 3. Many quality instructors have left the gym so fewer classes on offer. 4. Gym is kept as clean as possible, but its showing wear and tear. Mens locker room needs all lockers emptied and carpet replaced– it smells. 5. They separated a part of the already crowded gym floor for personal training– space which goes unused most of the time and would be better used for other purposes. They should’ve repurposed one of the five racquetball courts instead.
So what’s to like? 1. Fair value. 2. Close to home. 3. Pool is clean and accessible. 4. The handful of customers and class instructors who make going to LA Fitness bearable.
Don’t believe the photos and ads. This is nothing more than a good corporate generic profit maximizing gym experience if that’s what you’re searching for…

I recently returned to LA in order to take the classes since I’ve lost all motivation to work out. Since returning to this LA Fitness in Brooklyn Park, I have noticed that they have not kept up with maintenance. The women’s locker room smells horrible. I’m afraid to touch anything because everything is dirty. The bathrooms are also disgusting and appear to be, maybe wiped with a paper towel, about once a week. I also decided this time to take them on their FREE personal training session. When I came in for the session, the front counter guy tells me that so and so (he said some Foreign name) has quit and moved to England today. Umm ok. Then I ask to reschedule with someone else. Then the guy says I can’t reschedule because they don’t have any personal trainers. Umm, I see 2 personal trainers right now working with other people. I want to call this guy out on his bullshit, but I read the reviews before signing back on with them and it’s the same tall tale they’ve told someone else. If you have the money, sign up with Lifetime. They are far superior in terms of service, equipment, and the classes they offer. LA Fitness is horrible.

The gym in and of itself isn’t bad. When I’m in town it’s my preferred place to work out. Not usually over-​crowded and most of the staff (especially front desk) is pretty friendly. Normally I wouldn’t go out of my way to post a review but I’m hoping that the GM sees this… I appreciate you guys trying to keep your gym clean but when your housekeeper walks around talking on his cell phone and mopping between people’s feet when they are in the middle of a set (not to mention during prime-​time hours), that is unacceptable. Not only is it a safety hazard but it’s extremely inconsiderate. I even attempted to politely ask him if he could wait until I was at least finished with my set and he just held up his finger to silence me because he was on the phone.
Thankfully I have come to this gym for the last couple of months and the majority of the time have had positive experiences so I will continue to work out here. Had this been my first visit, I would not be back thanks to the terrible customer experience and lack of etiquette by your housekeeper.

Do not go to this gym. The manager is rude and a liar. He will overcharge you and add things like racquetball courts for $ 5/​month without your permission.

BAD LOCATION! The locker rooms stink to high heaven (even the ladies’ locker room), and the maintenance on the equipment is hit and miss. Too many treadmills have belts that slip when running on them. On weekends, it’s a glorified amusement park with all the unattended kids running around.
The members will also tell you how bad the crime is here with car break ins. Even my car was broken into twice (smashed my window). And it is just an older Camry with NOTHING out in the open to even warrant breaking into it!

Maintenance is terrible. Morning crew does great job. Evening and weekend crews, if there even is one, is terrible. Management needs to take a serious look at maintenance.

Visited this gym via a guest pass during a longish stay visiting family in the area, so I can only be so critical as my pass was free. Staff are friendly and helpful. The manager I worked with to get the guest pass repeatedly stated that LA Fitness has all the «stuff» that LifeTime has and I questioned how that could be true since LA Fitness charges a fraction of the price per month compared to LifeTime’s monthly fee. He responded, «LA Fitness is the largest gym company in the world. We have a lot of members and can offer the same experience at a lower cost.» No dispute there as I know for a fact that LA Fitness has gyms in the UK.
Hmm. My first stop after speaking with the manager was the locker rooms. They are basic at best. Here’s where some of the cost-​cutting occurs, allowing LA Fitness to get to that super low monthly fee of $ 30.
*No hairdryers
*Bring your own padlock
*No towels (neither small workout towels or bath towels)
*No tissues (aka Kleenex)
*No curling irons
*No shampoo/​conditioner/​lotion
There is also a shortage of lockers. Having only visited at off-​peak times, I’ve even had issues finding a spot in the locker rooms where I can change into my clothing without bumping elbows with another member.
The long and short of the locker room situation is that you have to bring your entire bathroom with you if you wish to shower and get ready after working out. Oh, and the locker room (near the bathroom entrance) smells as though someone has left their sweating clothing in a locker for just short of a decade. It’s vile.
My second stop was the gym floor. First impressions were good — lots of equipment, not too many people, and a variety of fitness levels. Then I started using the weight machines and realized they have seen better days. The pleather on the seats of some machines has cracked and needs to be replaced. The stair steppers are rusty from peoples’ sweat resting on the metal over the course of years. The free weights section is too cramped and does not have enough free weight things such as benches. And most confusing of all, the cardio equipment is located in a balcony overlooking the gym floor.
Why would a gym put cardio equipment on an upper level? The cardio area is generally where most of the sweating and body-​heat-​generating occurs. Seems like an unwise decision on their part. Additionally, there is not enough cardio equipment to meet demand. A plaque on the wall states, «Max time limit of 20 minutes when people are waiting.» I understand the need to have people rotating on/​off the machines but I’d be really upset if, say, it was the dead of winter and I was training for a marathon or triathlon and couldn’t use the cardio equipment for more than 20 minutes at a time. Last, there are about six seated bicycles that have armrests. Aside from someone who is conducting rehabilitative care, these bicycles server no purpose. People may as well just sit on the couch at home and wait for a muscle to switch. LA Fitness should swap out all but, maybe, two of these for additional treadmills.
Gym classes seem to be abundant. Instructors are some of the worst I’ve encountered — this is definitely the weakest part of LA Fitness. So, if you think you are joining a gym for the classes, you’ll likely be disappointed.
A small «juice bar» exists near the entrance to the gym offering not only juices but lunch and dinner with items on the menu such as spaghetti and, for God’s sake, fettuccine alfredo! LOL. Not exactly a health-​conscious menu.
Overall, a basic gym which will allow you to get your workout in and your sweat on but not much more than that.

Pros:
Relatively ok classes when the right instructor is there.
Lots of various machines.
Pool and sauna.
Cons:
The locker rooms smell like something crawled up inside a butt, died, and then exploded in the locker room.
Sales people/​trainers can be pushy
Trainers are inconsistent and/​or keep leaving/​absent
Weight benches — there are only two of each and always taken. Also they are too close together so people are all crowded around them swinging weights around and it makes me nervous as heck.
The food served… is not for anyone looking to stay in shape. Chili dogs and pasta carbonara? Uh no

I’m not a fan of the box gyms, but will go here when needed. I prefer the private gyms like THE FIRM or working out outside.
Thumbs up:
–you get what you pay for (pricing is pretty fair here)
–convenient locations
–large space, basic equipment you need to workout
Thumbs down:
–alright instructors for classes (more experienceed, motivational ones needed and better music)
–classes offered aren’t challenging enough
–can be pushy sales people
–can’t keep good instructors (had a couple of good ones and they keep leaving)
–more classes please
-‘No track
Back when gotta pump some iron!

I joined the gym a few months ago and it is reasonably priced for membership and the gym is clean with really good equipment. I tend to come in after work which can get really busy but for the most part I am able to use the machines I need to

After being completely put off by being ogled by a lying, sleazy sales guy at Life Time Fitness in New Hope, I came here.
I am super glad I did! It appears to be a super clean facility with a ton of new equipment — all in working order. It was relatively uncrowded and the few people that were there were very diverse in fitness level, ethnicity, age and everything. It seemed like a gym for anyone who wants to really work out, not pose at their elitist «health club».
The best thing? With their free 3-​day intro, I was able to check out the facilities a number of times and try my work out on my terms without being hounded by a sales person looking at my crotch and butt.
Go eff yourselves Life Time. LA Fitness goes on the top of my list of places I may join once I decide.
Four stars until I actually do sign up as a member. I’d like to see the uptown location first though.

I recently came in with two membership holders and myself as a guest. Unbeknownst to us, you had to fill out a request for a guest pass 24hrs prior to becoming a guest. The attendant at the front called onto a Marcus, who again, told us the same policy; which I remarked «a bad policy.» He then went ahead and told me I would not be able to receive a guest pass because «he just wouldn’t honor it,» which I then stated, «bad customer service.»
With the very short interaction we had, I would have to assume he would not honor a guest pass to me because of my retort. Being a previous member of this gym, I did have a good experience. I was going to reactivate my membership the following day, but with the horrible customer service I received, I will be looking at other gyms. Marcus, that was poorly handled.

I just recently started going to this LA Fitness location since it is the closest location to my new home. Previously I had gone to the Edina and Hopkins locations.
In comparison to the other LA Fitness locations I have been to, the Brooklyn Park location is much smaller. One thing that I like better about my experience with personal trainers there is that they seem to care about you and your progress instead of just being interchangeable like they can be at other locations. Then again, I’ve only worked with one trainer at this location.
I’ve heard stories about cars getting broken into, so I always play it safe and don’t keep anything in plain sight — I either take it inside with me, keep it in my trunk or leave it at home. Haven’t had any problems.
As for how busy it is, for its size it actually is not too bad. I tend to work with a trainer around 6−7pm on a weeknight, and there are plenty of other people there but there’s always a spot to work out and there’s always equipment available. For those of you who expect everything to be available to you when you work out during peak hours, please realize that you’re going to have to be flexible sometimes. There are plenty of ways to work the same muscle groups. There are always cardio machines available as far as I know.
In comparison to other gyms I’ve visited (Lifetime and a couple out East), LA doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but it’s very nice compared to some of the super-​cheap options and my dues are not expensive at all — don’t forget to see if your health insurance will help pay your dues — mine does and it covers my dues.

I circulate to a few of the LA Fitness gyms depending on if I am meeting up with a friend or depending on the class schedule. So far this one is one of my least favorites, but it isn’t bad.
I mostly just do the classes, so this review is based on that. I am just not a fan of most of the instructors here. They are so hit and miss. I am really disappointed in the yoga classes. Zumba is great though.
What I like more about this location than the other ones I attend is that is is much cooler. They actually run the AC. I am not so sure the other gyms do — they are so hot! Especially the studios.

This La Fitness location is quite spacious and machines are usually free after 6−7pm. Around 3−5pm is when it becomes the busiest and the competition for machines begin. The staff are decent. If you don’t approach them they won’t approach you. The members are pretty nice as well and don’t mind sharing machines. The salesmen can be jerks sometimes when trying to sign up for a membership, so make sure to pay as less as possible. Lots of special promotions occur every couple days so look out for that.

I honestly hav e not had a bad class yet, however I tend to go at 5:45 and being a former instructor I know the prime time classes tend to go to the best instructors. The reason they did not get 5 stars is that I keep getting calls telling me I have missed an appointment with the personal trainer for an assessment and I never bookes one. Every Saturday after I leave the gym I have a similar message. I have talked to others that tell me the same thing.

Like most LA Fitness locations, it’s impressive to walk in and see all the new, well-​maintained machines, televisions and courts. That first impression dulls over time, but I still feel good when I walk in, and even better when I walk out.
This facility is as clean as can be expected. Their janitorial staff works throughout the day, so even during the winter months, the floors aren’t excessively dirty. Some days I can smell the polish they use on the water fountains. (Just to be safe, I do wipe my machines before AND after use because most patrons simply won’t do this themselves. Trufax.)
I really enjoy the classes. I’ve been to gyms that charge a ton of money in addition to dues just to go to classes. LA Fitness doesn’t do this, and the variety is great. Of course, I’d like to see even more variety (I can tell from the list on the general LA Fitness website that there are many more we COULD have).
The more eccentric choices are Belly Dancing and Latin Heat. Latin Heat is just an assortment of moves from Latin dancing. I’ve learned that I’m not coordinated enough to get anything out of the dance classes. They would better serve someone with more of a dance background. I prefer the Body Works + Abs, Boot Camp Conditioning, and Kickbox Cardio classes. The routines are easier to pick up and, failing perfection, you still get a great cardio workout.
The generic Yoga class has been hit and miss. Some instructors have known more than the basics and could offer assistance with moves. Other instructors seem to have just Googled «yoga + routine + halp» the night before they first agreed to teach it. Fast-​paced push-​ups and crunches are NOT yoga.
I highly recommend the Saturday morning Boot Camp Conditioning class. The instructor has great energy and a no-​nonsense attitude. The instructors themselves are hit and miss. I won’t single anyone out publicly, but I keep notes on the schedule so I remember not to go to certain classes. I’d prefer more consistent quality from class to class.
Also, there’s no denying the corporate slithering going on behind those brown bunkers they call desks. They want to sign you up, then sign you up for training, then sign up everyone you know, then sign them up for training. Nearly every day there’s a flurry of new promotional signs about an offer on its «LAST DAY». They don’t care how tacky it looks; they’re all up in your face like Uncle Sam, and they want their damn army of sweaty hogs! Gyms are typically vicious with their recruitment and retainment tactics; that just means we, the hogs, need to keep one eye in the trough, one eye on the fox.
The daycare looks nice. There’s a pool and a sauna.