The ZOO Health Club Fort Lauderdale

I really like this gym, but they increased the prices to almost double what I was paying and didn’t warn me. When I called to get a credit for the difference, the woman in billing was really rude and said they cannot issue any credits, even if I was not aware of the price increase (this seems fraudulent to me). She finally gave me a free month, but it did not cover all the additional expenses. I suppose she is getting a lot of angry customers about this, but she could have been nicer!

If you are looking to be motivated and improve yourself in every aspect of life this is the gym for you! Everyone is supportive and encouraging no matter what shape you are in. This isn’t just a gym just for Bodybuilders and power lifters its a gym for everyday people that have the drive to create a better life for themselves! I have been a member here for several years and the gym continually gets better.

FYI: if you were recently effected by the price increases just call your bank/​credit card company and report it, it’s fraudulent. They intentionally charge you more than the agreed upon amount and did not send out any emails to inform people. I just got refunded by simply telling my credit card company that I did not authorize the charges, because I didn’t.
I’m guessing a lot of people are in the same boat so just know you CAN get your money back, your bank will collect it from them so you won’t need to… not that the owner would ever call you back. — Speaking of owner, Gil and his girlfriend are the most miserable people I have ever seen. Talk about sour puss all day ‘err day, try smiling guys!

Love this place! Best gym in town! Gotta check it out! Much better than LA Fitness. Clean facility, GREAT staff! Very helpful and intelligent!
I would rather die than cancel my membership!

Been a member since it was Golds. They had some growing pains when changed to the Zoo. But the place is top notch now. The owner, Gil, is almost always there and he keeps the place clean and well lit. I very been working out for 30 years now and this is my favorite gym. They have way more equipment than I could ever use and a great selection of free weights and dumbbells.
I also have a membership at you fit, but hardly ever go there because this gym is so much better!!!

Love this gym. Have been a member for years.
They have some old style stuff which is nice. Classes are good, instructors great! Price reasonable.

I recently renewed my membership at the zoo, I have been a member for over four years now., I was at the other gym previously on federal highway that was named after a city in California. I have to say what I like most about the Zoo is that they have a lot of different types of machine to use and the clientele is working professionals so it doesn’t fell like people are there to hook up but rather take care of there bodies and move on to there day. I have been lucky to establish a group of friends from this gym that I do things outside of the gym with, so this says a lot of the type of people that mostly go there
There are many gyms to choose to go to,; $ 10 per month but we all know in life you tend to get what you pay for. I am happy to pay the higher price and go to a gym that is very suitable for my needs
In regards to the other review about the bathroom, this is not an Equinox gym, if they are out of soda just as the person at the desk, geese give the owner a break he’s doing a wonderful job and he keeps working on improving the experience there

Very happy when I first joined in 2013. Great classes and instructors. Now many of the classes cancelled and instructors gone. I would have stayed had the price not gone up so much. Not worth it for what you get. U fit or LA Fitness much better options.

Great atmosphere in this gym. Not packed no waiting for equipment no insta grammars. Only drawback is they recently doubled their fees.

Poorly maintained facility and good luck being able to wash your hands in the locker room because often there is no soap or paper towels in the dispensers. Even worse, they recently jacked the monthly cost by over 100% with no notice whatsoever. The owners & management obviously have zero appreciation or respect for their members. This gym WAS a reasonably inexpensive, basic/​no frills gym. But many members are cancelling and going elsewhere for much better equipped, better maintained and less expensive gyms like You Fit and LA Fitness. Do not even consider giving these people your money!

If you are looking for run down and broken machines (ive been there for 6 months and not a single broken machine has been fixed), filthy bathrooms (often lacking soap), or what seems to be a very disgruntled staff then this is your place. If your looking for a good workout with a positive vibe, go anywhere else!!!

I started working out there in June 2015. After 6 months going there 3 – 5 times a week I decided to cancel my membership and join YouFit just down the road (sooo much better!). The straw that broke the camel’s back for me is that for the last couple of weeks I worked out there, it was so hot inside that it was nearly impossible to get a decent workout (It was 85 °F!!!). Since I cancelled I read other reviews mentioning that AC was often down so apparently that’s hardly a new problem in this place. Before this AC hell, I had been unhappy with a lot of other issues for a while… I can begin by mentioning the lack of cleanliness of the place, the men’s restrooms are gross and often out of service. I have never dared used the showers or the steam room because everything looks so moldy and old I would be afraid to catch a fungus infection. They need some serious remodeling… Then there’s the machines that are a little run down so they break down often which would not be a problem if they didn’t stay out of order for weeks if not months. At some point there was only one elliptical that was still in order (although a little wobbly) while the one next to it had an out of order sign dated Feb 2014… It just seems the management there doesn’t have their priorities right because they just spent a lot of money to make a brand new turf room when the whole place is falling apart. I would not have given them such a bad rating if they had been nicer when I told them I wanted to cancel my membership. Nobody told me when I signed up that they need a 30 day notice to process the request (WTH?) so they said they were still going to charge my credit card one more time even though they make you pay first and last month up front. I find that ridiculous and dishonest but whatever. The young lady gave me an attitude and told me that she would send my account to collections if I didn’t pay! Then she tried to give me a free month and promised that all the issues that I raised would be addressed within a month. Why would they be addressed in a month when nothing had been done in the 6 months prior? Anyway, by that time I felt so offended that she could have given me a whole year for free and I wouldn’t have taken it. I feel bad for the guy who owns the gym because he seems a really nice guy but my experience, especially when cancelling, was really bad so I can’t recommend this place.

Good machines, ample amount of free weights and plates for everybody. Only thing preventing me to give 5 stars is the condition of some of the cardio equipment i.e. out of order, not in good condition. But still, the volume of the working cardio equipment is enough I guess. There’s also a room with a lot of boxing equipment, 2 rooms actually ;Plus a huge room where classes are held for, I guess, yoga or pilates; a power lifting area with a monolift rack. I can’t detail everything as this gym is huge and I don’t even go inside some of the areas, better visit the place. The staff are friendly as well.

I like the equipment variety. I go mid day so never packed. If I could, I would be here a hot minute. I would probably change the music to match the demographic but it dont bother me much cuz I listen to my own.

I work in hospitality so it takes A LOT of frustration to really get me to write a bad review… actually I don’t think I’ve ever taken the time to write one before. Anyway.
I had to move away from the city and was no longer able to use my membership. I called multiple times to make sure that I could cancel and would no longer get charged. But the past two months I’ve still been charged for a membership I have not used. When I called to speak with someone as to dispute the charge, before I could even finish speaking about my concern the young women I spoke with on the phone was already cutting me off and asking rudely for my last name. She said that I have to come in person and in writing to stop my membership and that they don’t take cancelations over the phone… if she would have let me finish speaking, I would have explained to her that I no longer live in Fort Lauderdale and that I spoke with two people in the previous 2 months and they said my membership was canceled and payment would stop. She then said «Oh well we push the last payment a full month after you call and cancel so the payment from today would be your very last payment». Last month I had someone say the exact same thing to me and now I’ve been charged over $ 70 in fees for a gym that I live 4 hours away from. I can only hope that next month my payments have actually stopped. I’ve never dealt with a place so unhelpful and uninformative up front. I always pay attention to the «fine print» but I’ve been told so many things from 3 different employees and it’s EXTREMELY frustrating and unprofessional. Will not recommend this gym to anyone.

I have been working out here for the last 4 months and enjoy the gym. Although there is always equipment out of order, there are always multiple available working machines for any body part you are working. I go to the gym to lift, in and out in under an hour and this gym allows me to accomplish that goal.
If your wanting a social club/​gym environment, with fancy showers, pool, spa, and locker room then LA Fitness is your best option. If you want a no frills gym with more than enough equipment this gym is for you.
It’s not for everyone but does the job better than most places in less time.

I’ve been training at the Zoo for many years and Golds before that — that should tell you how long I’ve been around. Unfortunately, the place is going to you know what!
Even though there’s tons of equipment, the place is dark with bulbs constantly burnt out, the bathroom and locker room have a constant stale odor, probably mold stuck behind the tile of the very old showers, and half the time the music sucks.
The thing that I really can’t bear to look at is the ridiculously childish mural that was just painted on the back wall. Whoever did it needs art lessons. And the owner should not be proud to look at this!
On a positive note — Angie, Lauren, and Rick are always super nice!

I did really like the trainers, but the whole time I was there it was under construction and many machines are old and broken. It was also very hot. All in all I wasn’t too unhappy, until I moved. I went in in person to fill out all the paperwork. They couldn’t find the right documents or person, so I came back. Same thing happened the second time. I filled out some form but never heard anything. My credit card continued to be charged. The next thing I know a collection agency was all me several times a week demanding payment. They tripled the monthly fee and posted it on my credit report. On top of that, I had several personal training sessions (55 a piece) that I never used and they did not give me the money back or use it to pay the supposed fees I owed even though they were still charging my credit card! Very very unhappy.

Place still needs some minor adjustments… Like enforcing a towel for people working out. Today: sweaty machines and they had ZERO spray cleaner…
Come on ZOO… Get it together. It takes a simple sign at the front desk: towel necessary for working out.
There, I wrote it for you: now print and post!

I printed out a 7 day pass to try it out. I took the 5:30 Wednesday to the max class .Ï was greeted at the front desk and introduced to Patrick. He showed me to the group x room and introduced me to the instructor.
Pros
The instructor was full of energy and played great music.
Plenty of weights in group exercise room
Friendly Staff
Cons:
–no a/​c
–not enough floor mats for class
I’m going to go back for the rest of my 7 day trial to try out the other class/​instructors and talk pricing.