Bally Total Fitness

Bally fitness is not a very fancy place. Somethimes it gets very busy, but if you want to work out that will not stop you. I come here 3 – 4 times a week and I like it. I believe the prices are the cheapest in the area.
Monica

This gym is seriously the worst. It’s filthy, the locker rooms smell terrible, and the machinery isn’t kept up well.
Customer service from Bally is horrific in general. There are technical problems with the web site, you don’t get notifications if a problem arises with your account, and the cancelation procedure is designed to make you incur extra charges when you do cancel. Since when do you have to mail a form and wait 5 days for it to process?
As Ballys does not seem to care about its reputation, nor customer satisfaction I’d advise anyone reading this to not join.

I added one more star just because it is now taken over by L.A. Fitness!!! Hopefully, things will get better. Well at least they can’t get worse.

Parking sucks! Place looks a bit empty and abandoned.

I’ve been a long time club member at 24 Hour Fitness. I decided to switch to Bally’s because it was a short mile from home, instead of the 7 miles to 24 Hour Fitness. Angelenos know how much of a difference 7 miles makes.
I now question whether I’ve made a mistake in switching. Most of the equipments are old, constantly broken, and dingy. Most of the elliptical aren’t smooth. It sort of sticks a little when you move, if that makes any sense. Whereas 24 Hour replace their equipment regularly, this Bally it seems has not seen new equipment in a long time.
Their TVs are blurry, their upstairs is stuffy, their staff are indifferent, and the parking is atrocious.
I find everything about this facility wanting. The only redeeming factor is that it’s a mile away.
The sacrifices one makes to avoid traffic…

The place is rundown, machines are dirty and not maintained and Overcrowded during day and evening hours. I only signed up for the year because my wife has been going there for years and it works for her since she goes early in the morning. I would be down the street at Gold’s Gym if they had a pool for my wife to swim in…
First day of my actual Gym membership I went to get my card and they did not have any cards or claim the machine was broken. Don’t expect any customer service here. This place greatly lacks professionalism and integrity.

I’m sad to say this place has gotten worse! The place is dirty! The bathrooms hardly ever have paper towels stocked, and most likely won’t be fixed even when you tell a staff member. You only get that blank stare (cricket, cricket). The’ve gotten some new cardio machines which is a plus, but their weight machines are rusted and need to be oiled more often.
Gyms are just nasty in general, and since it’s impossible to workout in a hazmat suit, make sure you wash up afterwards. I’m not germophobic but this place is seriously in need of a good cleaning!

This gym is what it is for $ 20/​mo. The weight machines are old and unkept, some have some cobwebs. The ellyptical machines are pretty shaky. There are some newer treadmills and they are building a boxing ring. There is free valet parking. There is a smoothie bar. And hey if you aren’t a member, show up after 1030pm and you can just walk right in and work out for free as no one checks!
There is a saltwater pool, sauna, locker room, pilates studio, personal trainer «area» all of which I do not use. It can get musty at times, but it is a gym after all. If you’re on a budget, it’s passable. But as someone who just likes to go and lift for 45-​an hour, what’s the beef? I don’t get why people pay exorbitant prices to get sweaty and add muscle or lose weight unless you’re being trained.

If you are lucky enough to find a parking space before you get to walk inside and smell weeks old armpits, then you have had a better experience than I had.
That being said — you can still get your workout on. Just bring your own towel and steer clear of the leering guys who walk around.
Better yet — take up jogging.

One liner: Cheap, affordable neighborhood gym (that smells like a gym) with no bells or whistles but enough equipment for you to get your workout on.
Pro: Inexpensive. Convenient if you live in the Culver City/​Palms area. Has the basic equipment you’ll need to work out. Next to Ralphs (also a con b/​c of the parking «control»). Good number of young people work out here. Occasionally, they give out free food/​drink samples.
Cons: Equipment is getting kind of old. There is a slight smell during peak hours. Seem to only have 1 or at most 2 sets of each weight for free weights. Gets really crowded around 5−7PM. You have to avoid the shopping center’s parking people during peak hours.
Sign-​up:
I needed a local gym just for a few months and so my roommate and I signed up when they were having the $ 9.99 bi-​weekly single gym deal, with no annual contract or commitment. There was a sign-​up fee (I think $ 30) and we had to pay for a month upfront but it wasn’t bad all things considered. They were also having a promotional where they offered 1 free personal training session if you signed-​up.
Staff:
The people who helped us Harrison (sales guy), Rob (fitness director) and Marty (personal trainer) were all very nice. They were also really nice and would say Hi when I saw them around at the gym. But to be honest, a few of the other staff members who greet aren’t the most cheerful/​friendly but that’s okay because I don’t really interact with them except for all but two seconds when I get there.
Personal Training:
My personal training session was just okay. I had been working out kind of hard leading up to it so I was a little too sore to really take advantage of it.
My roommate really liked his training session. He had seen the heavy bag on the 2^nd floor of the gym, so he asked if he could get a trainer to teach him how to use it. They were really nice and obliged.
Equipment:
The machines look a little worn but they do the trick. A lot of treadmills and a lot of ellipticals. They have about 4 benches, an incline bench, a decline bench. I wish they had some nicer and more dumbbells — they have a set or two for each weight.
Patrons:
I’d say there is a good mix of people from all walks of life. From what I can tell there are a good number of people in their early to late 20s — probably college or maybe young professionals. There are some ridiculously ripped people who look like that body build for a living. There are people w/​families who just want to get in a quick work out — the gym even has a room on the first floor for people to drop off their kids.
Parking:
Bally shares the parking lot with all the other stores in the shopping center and there are «No Ballys Parking» almost everywhere. It is suppose to be «valet parking» but that is really only enforced during peak hours. I think the valets park on top of the Best Buy so you can probably park there (but the ramp is kind of tricky) and/​or just avoid the parking guards and/​or if you feel like it valet. I usually just jog to the gym. But if I’m rushed for time or have to go to the market afterward, I usually just pay attention to where the guards are and avoid them.
Overall:
I debated between giving this Bally’s 3 or 4 stars because it is just a little north of being OK (around 3.5+). I ultimately rounded up to 4 stars because 1) it was cheap; 2) some of the staff members are really nice; 3) it was what I needed it to be — a gym; and 4) canceling was easy.
This is really a no frills kind of place that is affordable to the average Joe who just wants to work out. It does smell at times but it is a gym… I think it’d be better each person brought their own towel and wiped down the machines but Bally has installed paper towel dispensers. Also, I needed access to a foam roller to do some of my physical therapy exercises and one of the staff members was kind enough to make sure that was one available at the basement level. I definitely appreciated that.
Cancellation:
I had originally been holding off on writing this review because I wanted to make sure that I was able to cancel w/​o problems… and I was! All I had to do with e-​mail
a month before I wanted to stop my membership and they stopped it with no issue.
I don’t know why other people had problems canceling but this was the short e-​mail that I sent: (looking at it now it was a little verbose and had run-​ons but it did the trick)
«When I signed up with my local Bally, I was told that I could end my membership at any time, but that I should let the gym know one month ahead of time because I paid for a month upfront. I went in yesterday and was given this e-​mail address to e-​mail in order to end my membership.
At this time, I would like to give notice that I am ending my membership with Bally.
Member Name: [Name]
Member ID: [ID]
Address: [Address]»
You can use the same format etc. and make changes at it applies t

**CRIME-​RIDDEN, UNSAFE!!**
I tolerated the stench, the horrible parking, and the run-​down machines for over 3 months (I had just moved to the area), but I called it quits when one of the gym’s denizens broke into my locker (cut off the lock), rummaged through my backpack, stole the cash in my wallet, and then abandoned my backpack in the middle of the locker room. While the theft itself was pretty horrible, the way the staff handled the incident was what truly shocked and disgusted me.
From what I’ve been able to deduce, the theft must have taken place around 5 PM. I immediately spoke with one of the managers about the incident. He wrote up a report and then told me that I would receive a phone call from Bally headquarters within three days.
After waiting a week for this call, I contacted the gym again, and asked another manager why I hadn’t heard back from the company. The person I spoke with actually told me that there was no record of any report being taken, and that I would need to go back to the gym and file another one. I did that, and was told, again, that I would receive a phone call from Bally headquarters in a few days.
As you can imagine, I received no such call, so I again contacted the gym and asked the manager what was going on. The guy basically told me that if the corporate office hadn’t gotten in touch with me, it meant that it didn’t think the matter was very important– apparently this company doesn’t think that theft is a very important issue, even though, as I later found out, it is quite common at this gym.
Fed up with the whole situation, I joined Equinox, and have never been happier. While the cost of my 3 year membership at Bally’s is approximately equivalent to 5 months at Equinox, you get 10x your money’s worth at the latter. Plus, this gym is extremely close to where I work.
Unfortunately, now that I’m off for the summer, necessity, convenience, and proximity may force me to patronize this cesspool a few times in the next few months, but I will NEVER use its lockers again, and neither should you!

This gym is nothing like the last gym I belonged to, but then again, that gym cost about $ 3000 a year…
As a VERY belated Christmas gift, my parents got me a year membership to Bally.
I did my one training session and while I’d love to have a personal trainer, I just can’t afford it right now.
It’s a little stinky and a little dingy, but it has ellipticals and treadmills and some space to stretch, which is all I’m asking for. I prefer not to valet my car, and I almost always find street parking, so no issues there.
This place is aight. We’ll see how often I go!

Staff is shady, they ditch you on your scheduled training session.
Dirty place, people don’t wipe down the machines after use. The staff is misleading and is very friendly until after you sign the contract. Then they forget you.
Don’t give your money to this place. Just invest in a home gym. It pays for itself in the long run. These days you can get great deals online on treadmills, and lots of fitness equipment at Ross starting at 3.99!
I used to be a member at this ballys. When it came time for me to cancel
I told them I was moving to a place that had no ballys, and I changed my credit card number.

This place is DIRTY… and people are inconsiderate, they never rack their wieghts back so it’s impossible to find the dumbbells you need. The personal trainers I have to say are pretty good, I’ve seen a few clients bodies change in a good way. Parking is a nightmare. There are signs in the parking lot that read, «Not Bally’s Parking» which I think is completely stupid because ballys is part of the culver center… So you either trust the valet or you drive around until you find a spot where you wont get ticketed.
They got rid of the rude girl who used to work the front desk so that’s a plus. Other than that it’s dirty… Did I already say that??? However, if you are like me, bring a towel and use it, the gym has everything you need…

–10 stars please for GROSSNESS. I have never felt so grossed out at gym before and I couldn’t wait to get out.
On my quest to find the best gym-​membership out there, I decided to sign up for Bally’s 7 day pass. FIRST OF ALL, if your driver’s license doesn’t say that you live in that area, then you have to pay $ 10 a day. NOT SO FREE AFTER ALL!!! What if I just moved there and haven’t changed the address on my license? What if I’m the type of person that moves a lot and so my permanent address is my parents house? What if my license doesn’t expire for another 2 years and I don’t feel like changing my address bc I like how it says San Diego on it still??? UGH. Ok enough of this.
So I get there. I say I have the 7 day trial pass. Luckily the sales person didn’t realize that I had to pay $ 10 yet so she showed me around and then pulled me right into her office. From there she was basically doing everything she could to sign me up for a membership. Are you really asking me to sign up for a membership before I even get to try out your equipment? Sure it looks like any old gym on the exterior, but you gotta milk the cow before you stamp your initials on it. This really irritated me. And after numerous times of telling her that I want to try the gym out first before I commit, I resort to saying that I didn’t bring any credit cards with me so even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. It was the truth tho. I only had cash so there’s no way I could have signed up. BOY did that shut her up quick. After my credit card comment, her faced went into a blank stare and she finally told me to go enjoy my workout. BUT she kept my ID so I had to see her anyway before I left. ANNOYING.
WHERE THE HELL ARE THE ANTIBACTERIAL SPRAYS!!! There was no cleaner to be found ANYWHERE and no paper towels either. I noticed that NO ONE wiped after themselves which I was absolutely DISGUSTED by. If you have ever taken a microbiology class you should know that the gym is a breeding place for serious germs and would be freaking the f*ck out knowing that these machines haven’t been cleaned in ages. I was hesitant to even work out at this point BUT I’ve been eating so badly that I just decided to hope on the elliptical and just try to touch it as little as possible.
After working out for an hour I decided to walk around some more and get a feel for the place. SMELLY SMELLY SMELLY!!! People c’mon!!! That place needs to be disinfected from head to toe. Their pool also looks disgusting. No one was in the pool and there was this filmy, foamy, almost like how oil floats on top of water thing going on. I was like GAGfest for real!!!
I better just stop now because I think I can go on forever about how horrible this establishment is. They should really be ashamed of themselves. And I warn anyone that goes here to bring their own antibacterial wipes or else you’ll be swimming in other ppls nastiness.

I went for a tour with the intention of going home, thinking it over, but very likely signing up. Normally, the outdoors is my gym, but I like the idea of taking a couple classes and hitting some machines, plus it’s practically around the corner from me. I had not yet read Unilocal reviews.
I’ll tell you the secret of how to sell a gym to me:
I want to feel like the people are genuine, friendly, helpful and enjoy working there. I want to feel like I’m not going to be oggled at much. I want lots of classes, and clean & well taken care of facilities/​equipment. And here’s the thing: THAT’S THE WAY IT SHOULD ACTUALLY BE — not just an act.
I left this gym feeling angry & disrespected, and though I had intended to come home feeling like «yes, I want to join this gym» — I did not.
Initially, I walked in and although the receptionist was not welcoming it did not turn me off. (she was playing with her cell phone & when she looked up she did not greet me. I spoke to her first, telling her I’d like to do a tour. She didn’t acknowledge me verbally, just picked up the phone to call over a tour guide)
My tour guide, Lee, was friendly & enjoyable during the tour. But then he left me alone in a room for 10 minutes (spoke to his manager?) & came back upset & depressed. I talked him through it, then got him to change gears & answer my questions regarding the cost of membership. He moved into salesperson-​mode, which was fine — it’s his job. I was upfront about the fact that I was going to go discuss it with my partner & was not going to make a decision today. Then he moved into guilt-​trip mode (ugh!), and then went to fetch his manager (which was annoying although it’s probably what he’s required to do when a sale isn’t working out).
The manager, Dexter, came in with Lee in tow. Boy does this meathead NOT have people skills. He TOTALLY disrespected me, ignored what I said, tried to manipulate me, and acted like a skeezy car salesman. To me, when I tell someone «I’m not going to make a decision today» that person needs to say, «Okay, that’s fine. I look forward to speaking with you when you’re ready. If you have any questions — please, don’t hesitate to call me.» End of conversation. I should leave feeling heard, respected, and like the door is open to me. THAT’s the way to make a sell.
This gym really suffers from multiple types of dysfunction. It appears staff don’t get much respect from each other & management, and are under-​valued in dollars and cents (i.e. paid minimum wage). Patrons don’t treat the gym with respect because it’s not cared for or maintained, therefore, the mentality is «why bother?» It’s time for a long overdue cleaning, cosmetic overhaul, and new leadership.

Have you ever wondered it was like to work out in an L.A. County Prison? Normally it’s free if you get arrested, but you can pay for the experience! That’s what working out at Bally Total Fitness in Culver City is like. That’s the best part about working out a this gym, it only gets worse.
(1) Overcrowding: There is a lot of weight and cardio equipment but there are so many people who go to this gym that you almost always have to wait for the piece of equipment you want to use unless you’re planning to work out at 10AM or 930PM.
(2) Equipment: This gym hasn’t bought anything new in quite some time. I was a member for almost 3-​years (man was I stupid) and not once did I see them replace any of the older or broken equipment. In fact you’ll probably see at least 1 or 2 pieces of equipment out of commission.
(3) That Smell: There’s a 3-​lane pool and a sauna. Said pool has chlorine. Add the steam from a sauna, chlorine from the pool, and the general funk of people working out. Oh yah, and don’t circulate that air for 15 hours at a time. That’s the Essence de Bally.
(4) Sauna: Avoid at all costs. It’s nothing but a bunch of beer-​gut skeezers who like to ogle the unfortunate women who end up in said sauna and those working out on treadmills and elliptical about 30 feet away. Then again, if you like being inputed into the spank bank of a 50 year old pervert, be my guest.
(5) Staff: I’ve never met anyone who has hated their jobs or their lives more than the staff at BTF. I mean seriously, I pay enough to use this place crack a smile once in awhile. Oh, they’re friendly with each other, but not you.
(6) Personal Training: I’ve never done a session with a personal trainer so I couldn’t review their services. It looks like they do beat the hell out of their trainees (at least they’re making them sweat) but there is a general BTF policy about certain pieces of equipment that can be used ONLY by personal trainers and their clients. Think medicine and balance balls. How about an extra mat to stretch? It’s little things like this that illustrate how little you get for your money.
Don’t fall for the used car salesman pitch when you arrive to «tour» the facilities. In fact, don’t bother negotiating with them. The staff doesn’t have enough business sense to retain old clients or win new clients so your efforts will be wasted. Practice negotiating with a brick wall for about an hour and you’ll be ready.
Some Positives
(1) Parking: Someone was complaining about parking earlier on. BTF offers free valet parking to all members. Really though, unless you’re coming from work you should be running (at least walking) to the gym, but if you are too afraid of the mean streets of Culver City then you’re covered. Don’t self park, just use their valet. Problem solved.
(2) Location: Great location at Venice and Overland. Grocery stores and other services in the general vicinity make it easy to combine and multi-​task.
Despite the positives, my experience has been overwhelmingly negative. Avoid this place like you already avoid the gym. Simply, don’t go.

Parking here isnt as bad as the other ballys in the area… but this is the one i used to go to the most. then again, i went around 11pm, so its quite easy to get in and out… ive already posted some negative crap about Ballys on my review of another Ballys store on Bundy, but the same complaints just seem to follow this franchise:
Equipment is quite nasty, people dont wipe down after using benches. and just about ANYTHING that has padding on it, is sticky… freakin nasty.
But this store in particular, has a lot of douches. people that just linger around the same damn bench/​machine, and will not share…
I also agree with those that complained about canceling. not only do they charge you a «cancellation fee» which is like $ 35, but it takes FOREVER! You cannot cancel in the gym, you can only do it through some 1 – 800 number.

Wow! There are no words for what a crap hole this place is. First of all, it smells like the Men’s Restroom at a Dodger’s game on a 90 degree day. Get it together! You expect people to shell out $ 26 bucks a month to work out in a stink hole?
My experience began like this… I came in with a 7 day guest pass gifted from a friend who is a member.
I have belonged to a gym in LA before — but fell off the wagon, and wanted to see what Bally’s had to offer. The answer? Bad attitudes and out of date equipment.
As soon as I walked in, I was taken to a side room and made to wait for 10 minutes. Finally, they guy came back in — sat down and began to go over the membership prices with me. I told him that I was not in a financial situation to make a commitment at the moment — and that I wanted to utilize my guest pass to see if this is the right place for me.
He did not like this answer — and went to get a Manager. Apparently, this Manager likes to greet all new potential customers. I never saw him. I sat in that room for 10 more minutes — the pushy guy finally came back in — tried to convince me AGAIN to buy — made me feel guilty — and sent me off to explore and use the gym.
I was NEVER told that because I did not want to purchase a membership that my guess pass would be revoked. But when I came in two days later to use it — there was mass confusion. Finally, the same pushy sales guy came out again — and told me that I was not welcome — that it is there policy to deny guest passes for those who are not serious about joining. What the F!!! I was infuriated!
Nowhere on their site does it state this policy!
Please — do NOT support this gym. They are used car salesman hacks — who have no dedication to fitness and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Way too pushy salespeople, old machines, bad parking. Through the Discovery Channel’s fitness promotion, I got a 2 week free pass to try out any Bally gym. I decided to check this location out for 2 reasons: to jump-​start my 2010 workout routine, and because it is practically across the street from my place. I already have a pre-​paid membership at 24 Hour Fitness, but I strongly dislike that overcrowded SM location, so I wanted to mix things up a bit. After going here about 9 out of the 14 free days, I definitely prefer 24 Hour and here’s why:
–pushy, pushy, pushy sales people and tactics. I expected the hard sell on the first visit but geez– a membership rep AND his own manager each separately tried to get me to sign up that day. The manager was especially pushy, and, as a former retail/​commission worker, I was slightly offended by his blatant attempt to «snake» the sale from his own team member when he stepped off the floor for a moment. Not cool, dude. And then the other guy kept asking me every time I came in, too.
–they have some seriously ancient-​looking equipment here. And there is that one elliptical that everyone avoids because it squeaks and rattles so much.
— not enough/​any of some popular weight machines. They had the crappiest calves machine that I couldn’t even use, because the padding was inadequate and it killed my shoulders too much. The abs machines are old, crappy, and there are only a few.
— leering looks. I understand that some people treat any gym as a pick-​up place as good as any bar, but c’mon! Creepy! Bad! I want to do the prone hamstring/​glute machine without fear! This gym seems especially bad for this.
–Parking. I can’t complain about this too much, since I prefer crack-​of-​dawn gym times, and I was able to walk when it wasn’t raining. But the parking here is notoriously bad. You can usually see the AAA tow trucks prowling the lots for those unlucky souls who didn’t read the signs carefully enough.
So after my little visit here, I think I can live with the 24 Hour Fitness again and appreciate all the things that are better over there.