Cascade Athletic Clubs- Cascade 205 Portland

Went today as a guest, everything is first rate. Everything you need is under one roof.

This club is clearly run-​down and they don’t take very good care of it. I used to be a member when they offered discounts, but their prices seem to be going up and up, but the facility is not reflected in the price increase. They may be «family-​run», but it has no bearing on the quality of their facility — or their customer service.

My favorite gym in the world. Great staff, friendly members, clean, and most of all a supportive community to be a part of. Never ever wait for a machine and always get a terrific workout. Classes are great with a ton of options and trainers are experienced and knowledgeable– their own true experts. Pool guarantees great brick training for triathletes and has family swim hours on weekends. Kids Club babysitting sets the gym over the top. Best in Portland.

been a member on a family plan for over ten years now, my parents as of late haven’t gone to the gym so it was just been me over he last few months and out of nowhere i get a call (mind you ive never been an account holder or signed any type of paperwork) saying I’m being sent to collections for using the gym for the last three months without paying.
Every time i worked and showed them my tag to get in i was never notified of this or anything those lines until it was too late
For being a longtime family/​church/​neighbor friends with the Eisenzimmer’s this is very disrespectful and
Donna at the cascade off division was hands down the worst lady I have ever dealt with, no idea how this old bag is still employed with her tone of voice and snippy attitude i will make sure to let every single person i’ve worked out with and met in this establishment over the course of the last decade know exactly what has happened and to drop membership
Golds Gym here i come

Private athletic club really cool lots of classes something for everybody little bit pricey in comparison to say a YMCA but worth it
my wife’s has been a member for a few years she absolutely loves the Zumba and the yoga class

I just had a tour and membership benefit explanation yesterday. My first initial thoughts were that I liked their variation in group fitness classes, overall the gym seemed pretty empty (it was Tuesday night) and there was no wait for the machines, and the instructors and staff were really welcoming and friendly.
I think their all star is Ronayln, (I think that is her name) she is the membership director I believe. I received a tour from her and she sold the gym hard. She is so great at building relationships that I honestly felt like i HAD to get a membership just to be friends with her. Super impressive job by her, what a great sales-​person she is!
Overall, it is clear that the people make this gym. The gym and equipment are pretty dated but still easy to use and clean. It is a little more expensive (I pay $ 27 per month at LA fitness and paid no initiation fee). Unfortunately, because of the prices I will be unable to switch right now. Still a great place to go and possibly can switch in the future.

Dirty! Needs serious updating. Carpet in a yoga room that is also used for a spin class, disgusting! Cold studio rooms with dirty ceiling tiles, dirty mirrors and broken av equipment. This entire place is in need of a deep cleaning. The staff is not very responsive or knowledgable about anything. Great yoga teacher does not make up for a dirty cold room. This gym is local and me I’m very disappointed in the conditions I have encountered. There are better or at least cleaner places in the neighborhood to go.
Canceling my membership

I love this club!!! It has a small and friendly Cheers sort of feeling to it which makes you feel like you belong.
First of all, the morning crew: Liz and Kathy are wonderful and have been working there for years. They change the little one’s when needed and not only watch the children but treat them with ultimate kindness and teach them how to read, share and properly cooperate in a group setting better than any preschool I’ve heard of! Hayley as well as some of the other young ladies who work the night shift are also fabulous.
The counter crew and check in is always friendly.
Harry runs the Tai Chi classes and is beyond amazing. He is friendly, intelligent and really reaches out to the students who want to succeed. His methods work for those wishing to exceed in either better health or those seeking to understand martial arts. He is very skilled and his methods work for those willing to have patience and listen.
Elizabeth is one of the aqua instructors. She is high energy, likable and makes her classes fun to attend. Pace for both of these classes is based on how hard you want to work, so you can go easy on yourself or get an intense work out.
The kick class in intense but loads of fun as well as the dance class. All of the instructors are friendly, even those for classes I’ve never been too! I bet the Yoga class is a blast (future list to try.)
The work out room is at your own pace and not filled with a bunch of jocks trying to show off, the cardio room is spaced well and also at your own pace. Multiple tvs to entertain and meet the masses as well as variety of music channels.
Pool room is one of my favorites– heated and salt water so you don’t get that nasty chemical taste in your mouth. Nice steam and very nice all new hot sauna. The hot tub is huge and my favorite, as it is never too hot and great to relax in after a work out.
The locker rooms are large, clean with lots of useful things, nice tanning booth and even a suit drying machine! It’s not as big as the greshem club, but I like the smaller and more group oriented theme to it. Yes, it could use the hot tub in here like the other club, but I know this is wishful thinking.
Great job to Cascade and highly recommended!

The facilities are rundown and poorly managed.
The machines are old and the place smells.
Carpets are disgusting with dark stains everywhere.
The quality of instructors ranges from very good to extremely poor.
Management is unwilling to recognize the issues, and therefore does nothing about it.
We are only members here for one reason, we have no other choice for the class we want.
As soon as there is a choice, we will leave.

Love, love, looove CAC205. I never thought I’d enjoy going to a gym (ugh, gym) but the staff is so friendly and the classes are super fun. I just celebrated my 1 year anniversary of consistent workouts and credit Cascade Athletic Club for that milestone. I’ve found there’s not a wait for cardio machines, weights, etc. Also I really enjoy the saline hot tub on a cold day. The older clientele and non competitive environment just feels safe and happy to me. I’ve referred several friends who have since joined and they love it too. The 205 location has something like 77 group exercise classes a week to choose from and the class content & music changes regularly so I find it never gets boring. Thank you.

Great club and top notch staff. My wife and I have been going here for a year now and we love it!

We’ve been members for years, but the rates keep getting higher, and the facility just is not being maintained like it was when the original owners had the reins. Membership fees are higher than anywhere else, and when we went to speak to someone about other, more affordable membership options, we were basically just warned that it would cost us $ 179 to rejoin if we changed our minds. Well, that pretty much pushed us off the fence, since we don’t like to be bullied, and especially when our many years of loyal patronage seemed not to matter at all to them. It’s really a shame, since it used to be so great.

Always able to access equipment. Friendly staff.

Nice locally owned gym. They have everything you need without the crazy meat market. I worked with the personal trainer, Melissa, there while getting in shape for mine and Mr. Kupcakes wedding. She was great. She listened when I told her my body wasn’t ready to do something, but gently pushed me at the same time. She helped me reach my goals and supported me the whole way. I highly recommend Melissa as a trainer and CAC as a gym.

I have worked for Cascade since 2000 so it may seem like a biased opinion. I have worked at all locations but currently teach group fitness at 205.
I love Cascade because they are very family oriented. It is an extremely comfortable setting and the people are really friendly. They cater to people of all ages offering weights, cardio, pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, group fitness, child care, tanning and massage. Even though the peak times can be busy, you rarely have to wait for a machine if ever at all. There are also group activities to help keep you motivated.
Go check them out and come see me in class sometime :)

I have been a member here for a few months, and have nothing but positive things to say about it. I was on the search for a gym that had a comfortable environment along with a variety of equipment/​resources. and found it here!
Clean, comfortable, cardio, weights, classes, pools, sauna, tanning, massage, whatever you are looking for it is likely provided here. I’ve been at all hours of the day and not once has it been that busy… never ever had to wait for a machine. I would highly recommend signing up… there are multiple other gyms closer to my house for about the same amount [$ 45/​month just going month to month], but I would MUCH rather drive a bit further for a more comfortable experience and variety of workout choices!

I’ve been a member of 205 for over a year. It’s clean, spacious, and never crowded. They have a saltwater pool, sauna, steamroom AND hottub! Never a wait in the cardio room, or for the machines on the weightroom floor, even during peak times.
There’s a separate fitness circuit room with a heavy bag.
The locker rooms are clean and plenty of room.
As a previous poster mentioned, I wish they would bring back yoga, and run classes later in the evening, especially the ADAPT workouts.

I’d been searching for a gym that wouldn’t feel intimidating, like I should already be super fit before setting foot in the place. And one without all the pressure to sign a contract for life (sound like any gyms you know?). The 205 Cascade location fits the bill.
In some respects, this place feels more like a social club than a gym, though, and in general, the crowd seems to run a bit older than what I’d expect at most gyms. Not that that’s a bad thing. The regulars all seem pretty friendly. I do, however, still get weirded out when some naked sweaty guy starts up a convo in the shower. I’m kinda funny that way. As it is, I have to leave my glasses off, so that all I see are flesh colored amorphous masses. Issues? Yeah, I’ve got issues…
They have a variety of classes, but I’ve only experienced their spin classes so far. One of them is run by a real slave driving instructor, and after an hour with her it feels like I’ve just spun up l’Alpe d’Huez.
There seems to be an adequate amount of equipment. I can’t recall a time where I’ve had to wait to get on any of the cardio stuff. Maybe the first week after New Year’s, but it seems that beyond that, a lot of people aren’t quite so resolute. None of their equipment screams «state of the art», but they have the essentials one needs to get and stay in shape. Works for me.

CAC is my current workout facility. Located extremely conveniently to my home, the combination of local ownership and larger, more up-​to-​date facilities and machines drew me in.
I had been looking for so long to find a gym that has a good balance of cardio and weights, some decent classroom facilities, a pool and good steam/​sauna, and (now this is the clincher) is not some big chain gym that’s going to either want $hundreds from me to «sign up» as an initiation fee, or on the flip-​side, way too much per month. I also didn’t want a gym where the personal trainers roamed the floor like a pack of jackals, waiting to interrupt my workout to tell me how fat and slovenly I am and why my life will be worthless unless I hire their expertly trained services.
I found it. It’s at CAC I-​205 location. CAC offers either month-​to-​month or 15-​month commitments. Either way, the monthly fee is the same (currently $ 47/​mo for singles, $ 74 for couples), and the initiation fee is simply more for the month-​to-​month membership. They’re currently having a deal, though, where the initiation is waived for the 15 month commitment and I only have to pay it if I break the contract. It’s a $ 150 buyout if I break contract, which is only 2 months’ dues, so that’s not bad.
CAC has everything I am currently looking for. A nice big weight room with extensive nautilus machines and a large free weight area, a huge cardio room full of treadmills, bikes, and ellipticals, the front wall full of TV’s with headphone access at each machine, a 4 lane swimming pool with co-​ed sauna (180°), steam, and hot tub, and 3 different rooms with classes like spin, aerobics, and the like. The facility is light years cleaner than my prior gym, and the machines are well-​maintained and kept up.
I show up at the slow times, so I can just hop right on any machine just like that… no wait, no worry. Not sure how crowded it gets at prime time. I understand the place is overrun with seniors in the mid-​morning hours, and has the business/​worker-​bee set in the pre-​8 and post-​5pm weekday hours, and on weekends, the pool has free-​swim, so it can be pretty mobbed with families. There is definitely more diversity at this gym than your average 24-​hour or similar. Lots of local flavor, and that’s a good thing.
So far, I am very happy with this gym.

I’m feeling generous today, so I’m rounding up to 4. This should really be a 3.5 review, just so you know.
The CAC-​205, as its known, is an interesting place. First off, its the most multi-​cultural gym I’ve ever belonged to. Every time I’ve been there, the non-​English speakers have outnumbered the English speakers 2:1. I personally find this entertaining, except when other patrons chose to ignore the «no exercising» rule in the steam room — whether that’s due to language or cultural barrier, I’m not sure.
They have a good cardio room, pretty good weight room, decent classes, a pool, steam room, sauna, tanning, child care, senior programs. Its not fancy, I think its a little spendy for what you get (they need to pay some attention to paint and maintenance). But its not oversold and I never have to wait for a machine or a pool lane, and frankly, that means I’d rather be here than 24 Hour Freakness.
It works for me. I don’t miss the butt-​floss crowd whatsoever. You might see your (Greek/​Russian/​Vietnamese) grandma here. I’m alright with that.