Eastern Athletic

I am so disappointed that I saw the flyer in my apartment and I started the 133 dollars 3 months trial, actually it is 2 months trial for me according to their policy since that I started at the end of september, 2015. Now I want to cancel the membership and there is no way I can do it. they told me that I cannt cancel my membership for at least 1 yr since I already made the some kind of committement (wtf?). either I move out of brooklyn or I break my leg could be the reason that I cancel my membership. anybody can help me or give me some advice that how can I cancel the memership? I work so busy that basically I dont have time to go to gym now.

I’m a relatively new member here, and I haven’t really had any interactions to speak of with the management, so I can’t really comment on the various complaints about cancellation problems, fees, etc. I also live close enough that I only rarely use the locker rooms, but they seem in good enough shape to me. The pool looks great, I’m looking forward to trying it sometime.
For my money, though, the gym floor itself is outstanding. Even during peak evening/​weekend hours, there is more than enough space. Exceptionally clean (I can leave my coat in a random corner and it won’t pick up a speck of dust.) Cardio machines galore, with individual TVs. Dumbbells all the way up to 125 lbs, including ones in 2.5 increments up to 50 lbs (i.e. 40, 42.5, 45, 47.5…really useful for inching up on tougher exercises). The weights are all well taken care of. The weight machines are on the older side, but they all seem to work well – I’m not sure I’ve seen a single out-​of-​order sign on anything in a couple months of membership. Huge ballet room area for core work/​stretching. Free towel service with your membership.
The deficiencies are fairly minimal. It’s a bit annoying that there’s only one rickety elevator up to the 7^th floor, but I tend to start my warmup by taking the stairs. The hours and random closures due to the Jewish Sabbath and holidays (the gym is in a building with a synagogue) are indeed weird, but I caught on fairly quickly – plus I usually am not working out on Friday night/​Saturday morning anyway. However, the flooring in the gym is pretty substandard, so if you drop a weight it sounds like a cannon went off. I’m pretty careful about that, but sometimes you can’t help it – they would be well-​served by installing some rubberized flooring around the free weights (especially since the reception area is right underneath it).
In general, though, I’m really satisfied so far. Only slightly more money than a NYSC Passport membership, and you get access to the Brooklyn Heights EA (which is beautiful) as well. So far, so good.

Management doesn’t care whether members are happy or not. Rules and schedules seem to change without notice. Membership is too much money for such an attitude.

STAY AWAY WHATEVER YOU DO!!! Staff is OK, but club itself is dirty, and back-​office Management (Lenny SomethingorOther) is total slumlord style.

Based on reading the negative reviews this mirrored what I experienced when I first moved to Bklyn in 1986. Excellent location, but so poorly maintained. And so it goes…

When I was a young man, I would spend most of my days at the playground down the block. There, I would chill out max and relax all cool and shoot b-​ball outside of an abandoned school. Then, one day, the playground was paved over and turned into a parking lot. And that was the end of my basketball career.
Until I joined Eastern Athletic, that is. The gym, with its glorious half court basketball area, brought me back to the sport of my youth. I was determined to regain my form.
I trained and trained and trained on that court. And oh, how I trained. At first, it wasn’t pretty. But, after many repetitions, I began making shot after shot. My stroke restored, I felt like my young self again.
Then Eastern Athletic knocked down the court and put in a bunch of treadmills in its place.
Well, it was a good run.
Okay, now a review of what remains.
— The staff is top notch (reason why I’m giving five stars).
— The treadmills are fantastic. They have TVs. So, now I watch basketball while running, which is almost as good.
— Steam room, sauna, pool. Need I say more?
— Big windows, lots of natural light
— Ample weights
— Water fountain
— Etc.
Conclusion: Come to Eastern Athletic, a strong place to get strong.

Highway robbery. They cost $ 125/​Month yet they have half the amenities another gym would cost. I wanted the pool and it’s a block away from my house but I can pay $ 60 at the Y. I would have a pool, TV’s on the machine, classes, steam/​sauna.
Come on. Be realistic people. That’s why your gym had 4 people in it during my tour.
No thank you.

I belonged to this gym for two years. Like some of the others who have made complaints, I am highly disappointed in my experience with this gym. The reasons I continued to say like others is that it has a nice pool, it was very close to my apartment, some of the staff are really friendly and it feels like a community and not a warehouse.
Here are the reasons why I will not renew my membership and why I highly and strongly recommend that you search out other alternatives for a gym with a pool. and BTW, I rarely put a negative review up on Unilocal.but this has been a very upsetting experience for me.
1) They are totally overpriced. Like others have said, gyms like Crunch offer far better classes, better and new equipment (I know they have recently made some changes at EA, but I had to use weight machines that did not have the weights numbered and so on and so on. very old equipment that broke all the time). I have read on Unilocal that some members are paying far less than others. Why is this? This is not fair. If they have «discounted memberships» none of the ones that I saw were as cheap as some of the membership prices some people posted on Unilocal.
2) During the winter. prepare to bring leg warmers, a hat and a warm fleece jacket when you work out. The heater is always broken like many of the things at EA in Prospect Heights. And yep, that includes the elevator which is always breaking down and I have seen the elderly and people who are going to physical therapy (also owned by the same cheap bastard owner) walking up 6 or 7 flights of stairs. Also, can you imagine, but you can actually see your breath in the dance studio which they keep open for members to use. The top floor is freezing, in particular.
I actually saw a class teacher in full winter gear while teaching her class! WTF! Sorry for the French here, but this is totally wrong not only for members, but for the employees.
One day, I actually saw elderly members on recumbent bikes wearing winter hats, scarves and coats while working out! Insane and totally wrong and unacceptable. And I have seen staff completely bundled up and also complaining about the lack of heat.
When I made a complaint the person fixing it told me it would be taken care of. well, that took at least a week and then it broke down again!
Again, why pay so much money for this treatment. well, I did because of the pool and because it had a very casual neighborhood feel to it. But, no more!
3) Broken down equipment that is really old. I hear they have made some renovations and gotten some better machines. I hope they don’t break down as much.
4) Crappy spin bikes that don’t work properly. I don’t know if they have updated them, but no point in taking there spin classes.
5) Well this was the worst. I was totally naked in the women’s dressing room and a random man walked right past me and looked at me. I was so infuriated that I put a towel on and went out to the common area to find out what was going on. why was there a man walking through the women’s locker room. Well, I was told to calm down because it was a mistake. One of the employees was giving a tour of the gym to the man and forgot to tell him not to walk into the door that led into the women’s locker. Calm down? Well, then the manager appeared and I was livid. He listened to me and then asked me, «What do you want me to do about this?» Honestly, a good manager and a good business would have offered one or two months of free membership. but no this did not happen. They offered me nothing and I think this is really bad business.
6) When I renewed my membership the idiot at the front desk told me that I would save money if I did a full year instead of paying monthly and I would have the potential of freezing my membership at anytime. What she did not explain to me was that a full year was not a full year and this I still don’t understand. And she also forgot to explain that when you freeze your membership, they do not tag on the month or months you freeze to your membership contract. in other words, you have to pay for the time you freeze (is this insane?) and then you don’t get the month back… instead they give you the month off when you pay for another year’s membership. so, this way, they tie you in to getting another year with them which really isn’t a year. They basically robbed me.
7) I have come to the conclusion that the owner of both this gym and the physical therapy business One on One are owned by a total cheap bastard who does not care about his clients.
That’s it. I am out of there! I have had enough. Don’t join this gym. Yes, the pool is nice, the staff for the most part are nice. but in the end you wasted money and you are not treated well.

I’ll try not to advertise here in case more people come to join and make it crowded… Anyway, they have a very nice decent pool. When I used the pool for the first time, Kane gave me some very good tips. He’s a cheerful young man and passionate about what he has been doing here. Since I just joined the membership, he obviously gave me good impression and made me want to stay (they have this 7-​day fully refund policy if the new client is not satisfied within the first 7 days of the membership). I talked to other staff and the manager Lenny a bit. Seems like everyone tries to make their clients happy, and they care about the feedback. Compare to other gyms, this one is more community style, probably the best option for people living nearby.

I am so shocked that there are bad reviews of this place. This is by far the best gym I’ve belonged to for many reasons:
–a pool: it has one. (and I’ve rarely not been able to swim when I want to– sometimes you share a lane but there are slow and fast lanes so it’s not a problem). Signing up came with a free swim lesson, which was actually really really helpful.
–lockers!!! The lockers cost about $ 100, maybe $ 130 for a year. That is WAY less than at any other gym and it makes a huge difference for me — not having to carry my shoes and extra clothes throughout the day or not having to go home between work and the gym always makes me more likely to go.
–there’s an under-​30 price and there are special deals throughout the year. I paid $ 448 for 10 months of membership.
–never crowded. Ever. Only one time I couldn’t get on the machine I wanted, but it opened up quickly.
–gorgeous views of Brooklyn and Manhattan
–great Tuesday night yoga class with never more than 10 people, often about 5
–relaxed environment. No one is trying to out-​lift you or look über fashionable while sweating it out.
–nice steam room
The only negative is that it closes during part of Shabbat since it shares a building with a Reform synagogue. It’s closed from 6pm Friday to 1pm Saturday, plus some random Jewish holidays. You can always go to the other branches, and this didn’t cause a problem for me –just depends on when you like to work out. The elevator to the seventh floor also takes a while to come but… you’re going to the gym anyway, and there are stairs.
Great gym.

I’ve been a member of this gym for a while now. The reason I joined was because it had a basketball court and a swimming pool. For a while, those 2 things were good enough to keep me there despite their obvious flaws. But sadly, the owners have decided that removing the basketball court in favor of more equipment is the right decision. Now the flaws of the gym far outweigh their benefits.
1. Price — it’s considerably more expensive to the alternatives in the area, either Crunch or Slope Fitness.
2. Elevator — The building has an ancient elevator that’s constantly going down. The gym is on the 7^th and 8^th floor of the building. I know it’s kind of lame complaining about walking up and down 8 flights of stairs when the purpose of the gym is to work out… but it still sucks.
3. Schedule — because it’s part of a Jewish Temple, the hours are pretty strange for a non-​Jewish person. For example, it closes at 6pm on Friday. It’s closed for a lot of holidays that I don’t celebrate. The weekend hours are also limited.
And now, they’re removing one of their unique features… the basketball court. Not only does this stink for those looking to play basketball, they would be better served just replacing the old equipment they have rather than just adding space to a gym that doesn’t have enough members to use their existing equipment. Regardless, as soon as construction begins, I will be canceling my membership.

I have held off reviewing Eastern Athletic (Prospect Park location), I guess in the hope that my attitude might change a little, or I might suddenly see something in this gym that I didn’t see initially but oh my, I am so disappointed in this place!
I have fairly low expectations on gyms, I don’t need anything super fancy… my last gym in Manhattan even had mice running around it occasionally and I could laugh that off. But this gym just disappoints me more and more every time I go.
Don’t get me wrong — the staff are lovely, no issues there at all — but the equipment is just so old and they are lacking machines that so many people tend to use when they workout. Specifically, there are just 2 treadmills that must be around 12+ years old in the main workout area. There is another area with cardio equipment but it’s a room where cardio machines go to die — the 4 treadmills in that room must be 15+ years old with fraying belts and nowhere to even place your water bottle while you run.
So, no-​one seems to use those as they are simply not practical or safe.
So, that’s a total of 6 treadmills, 2 of which are somewhat usable (though one is currently out of order and everyone is fighting over access to the single working machine on the main floor)
This is a gym whose monthly fees rival what you would pay at Crunch, or even Equinox on a special deal and yet there is no evidence of what that money goes towards.
On the plus side, if you like swimming, the pool looks good.
I would love to see management spend a little money to update the equipment… even if they brought in second hand machines from say, 5 years ago it would be a big improvement.
My hope is that they notice this review and take it seriously — I am sure other members feel the same way but are reluctant to say anything because the staff are so nice (I feel the same!)

This gym is sadly very dirty. The cleaning staff and management just do not keep the ace clean. It’s unfortunate that they don’t do simple things like keeping the machines clean. The stairmasters are ways coated with grime and hair. If there were another gym this convenient to my office, I would switch. I hope the management reads this and improves the cleanliness of the facility.

i’m giving a 3 b/​c there’s no way to not give a rating, but if the folks from eastern athletics contact me i’ll gladly remove my review if they deal with my issue!
i hate getting snail mail promotions from these guys in my mailbox and i can’t find any way to get them to remove my address from the mailing list. booooo

I’ve been living in Brooklyn for five years and wondering the whole time how this place is still here? how is it not YET closed or sold to NYSC? (I’d LOVE that btw!!) this gym has nothing but a small crowded pool and a very expensive membership. awful! I really wish that they would be bought out and get some new machines and equipment going, and then maybe the price would be worth it. Also a good DRY sauna is needed as well… place is old, old as in 1950’s…seriously…awful!

Nice space, but it’s falling apart and not maintained.
A shame, given it’s location and giant pool. I won’t join again until they clean it up and renovate. Paint and plaster is chipping from the ceilings, the place isn’t clean enough and multiple Precore machines were not working at my last visit.

Joined. But I knew that the individual lap thing was too good to be true; there’s a 20 minute limit which will be arbitrarily enforced if there are people waiting, and if you don’t happen to see these people hovering over the surface of the water, the lifeguard will stick a kickboard down in front of your face when you get to the end of the lane. Still, with lockers opening at 6 a.m., and the pool opening at 6:30 a.m., there’s hardly a better private aquatic arrangement in the city (at least that I’ve found so far).

if you live locally, this is a great option. they often have promotions that make the cost come down.
the gym is straight forward and has a great pool and sauna. unfortunately i wasn’t able to use the gym as much as i liked and had to cancel my membership. Lenny tried to talk me into extending, but respected my desires and fully refunded my prepaid months.
when I’m in a position to start up again, i will definitely chose EA.

Pros-​nice staff, laid back atmosphere, never crowded, nice pool (although too warm for real swimming), nice views, good equipment
Cons-​weird Fri/​Saturday hours, could be cleaner, too expensive, lacking in amenities for the price
Mixed-​instructors, both really good and mediocre

I used to live on the UES and went to Asphalt Green — I’m just not into the meat-​markety, crowded gyms because honestly, I HATE going to the gym and I need to be comfortable there in order to get myself motivated enough to go… not everyone’s problem, I know — but definitely mine.
I went to EA because I heard it was the closest thing to AG that I could find in my new neighborhood. Same deal with Lenny in membership, there was a deal that was going to expire that day… so now for the actual gym:
There are plenty of machines, two levels for cardio, one of them shared with a floor for weight. then there’s a separate half-​floor for stretching. There are men’s and women’s locker rooms which are clean (no frills though, pretty basic).
What I like about the gym:
no lines for machines, never crowded
nice, regular, friendly crowd that goes there
nice staff, clean and safe locker room
what I don’t like
the price — frankly it is SO not worth 100 bucks a month — the machines don’t have TVs — there’s a common TV on the second cardio floor, but you have to like sync it up to your radio or something to listen to it. Weird. I personally need something to distract me so that I can stay on a machine for an hour.
You have to go up stairs to go to every floor since there’s no elevator connecting the first gym floor from the rest of them
I mean I don’t really know what they’re doing with the money their making — the machines aren’t the best quality although you can make do… but «making do» for a 100 bucks a month doesn’t seem quite fair to me.
So, that’s my two cents… I guess the first three «pros» (kind of) outweigh the rest for me (yes, I really, really hate going to the gym so I guess my standards are quite low… or weird. whatever). This place gets 1 star because of its proximity to my house and the staff and another star because of the availability of machines at any given point.