Equinox

I have been member at Equinox since 2012, and have never looked back. I have dropped into other gyms while traveling or going with friends for «trial» days (the Maryland Athletic club when I lived in Baltimore, Sport & Health Tysons, Sport & Health Worldgate, and the Washington Athletic Club), and no health club/​gym has even come close to Equinox.
To start the place nearly sparkles it is so clean. The equipment and gym floor is always immaculate. I have never been in a cleaner gym in my entire life. Because I do a lot of exercises that involve being on a mat or having to sit down it is so important to me that things are clean, and this gym takes it further than any other establishment I have ever visited. I constantly see employees cleaning machines, floors, showers, ect, The staff is seriously excellent.
I also love the saltwater pool. I am a huge swimmer, and not getting out of a pool reeking of chlorine is nice.
All of the trainers are very fit, and extremely knowledgeable in human physiology and body kinetics. I trained with an Equinox trainer (Omar) for about 6 months, and felt he really helped me advance way from my normal routine, and get results I wanted. I also felt that (from a health care professionals standpoint) the Equifit testing that Equinox does to asses your level of fitness is through, and very scientific. They don’t pretend they can diagnose metabolic diseases, and they truly just are testing your overall fitness and condition. … I have a serious problem with some gyms doing «testing» on patrons that isn’t physical. Its an absolute hoax, and is just smoke and mirrors. I should also comment that if your gym is trying to do testing on you to diagnose metabolic issues or other conditions you should find another gym as these tests should only be done and interpreted by a licensed health care professional, and doing anything otherwise is illegal. …off my soap box… anyway…
This is also one of the only gyms where trainers have floor duties, and walk around the gym floor lending a hand. They are always willing to stretch you out if you ask, help with your form or technique for various exercises, or just hand you a towel while you are sweating it out on the treadmill.
They also have extensive equipment to range from free weights, wide range of machines, TRX, yoga studio, cycling studio, salt water pool, bosu balls, kettle bells and various equipment used in crossfit exercises, ect.
The locker rooms are loaded up with Kiehls products which I love. My only gripe is the womens’ locker room isn’t well vented, and causes a considerable amount of humidity which is no woman’s friend.

Love this gym. It’s nice and clean. Lately I’ve been disappointed at the lack of AM and weekend classes. There seem to be more choices and variety at the orher 2 DC are gyms.
Personal trainers are top notch. The.locker.rooms are immaculate too.

I have been a member for almost 3 years. You will not find a better gym. If you take your fitness seriously and want the best of the best, this is your place. It’s pricey, but I cannot put a price on my health and well-​being.

I have been a member for almost 3years, usually I would go the Bethesda location but this location is closer to my job. I get here in the wee hours and all the machines are just waiting for me, One thing about this place that I love is the cleanliness. They are very seriously. Another plus is the eucalyptus hand towels ahhhh.
I know the price is very expensive but it’s all wort it. No stupid rules or someone coming up to you telling you to wear more clothes because someone’s offended. people here are nice and the employees are all helpful at all times. The bathrooms have a lot of high end little toiletries like Kiehls.
The classes are just awesome. It’s part of the reason of why I signed up. I love all the yoga classes, Pilates and the pool.
I love swimming. I’m very germaphobe and I love a clean pool. There’s never an issue with people in my way. I do my laps and I’m on my way, Though, this location is close to my job, I like the Bethesda location better. I have a better connection with the staff there. This place isn’t cheap it has a very hefty price tag but you get what you pay for. I work hard, I have a busy life and I love going to nice gyms that doesn’t have stupid rules. Equinox has a lot of perks. My yearly membership has ended and I’m going to renew once I relocate. The personal trainers here are genuinely here to help you reach your goals and maximum potential unlike other places.

Best gym, worth the premium (Tysons Corner location). Excellent quality in all aspects. A friendly smile greeting you just puts you in a good mood for your work out. (However, DC location which converted to Equinox from Sports Club LA is not on par with this location — bigger but not better)

I joined a year ago and I really love it. I used to work out 2−3x per week, but I love this gym so much that I work out 6−8x per week now. The classes are fantastic, the locker room is sparkling, and nearly everyone that works there seems happy to be there. The classes are TOUGH, which can be intimidating to new people, but the intructors are helpful, so stick with it.
My trainer, Brian Kim, is excellent. He’s really motivating and will work just as hard as you do. That’s a recipe for success and I’ve seen tremendous improvement.

This place has gone way downhill since I joined about three years ago. The staff changes over at an alarming rate. Class offerings have been cut drastically since I joined, and the instructors often seem unsure of what they are doing.
I have to laud the hard-​working cleaning staff, however… the locker room is always in great shape.

Love this gym. A bit expensive, but definitely worth the price.
The gym is pretty small but I love it anyway.
I love the yoga classes! Definitely plan on visiting more this year as i have to lose 15lbs by this summer for our family cruise!

Great gym & adding new classes all the time. Love the cold, eucalyptus towels! Free parking in the adjacent covered parking lot.

FYI, I left several months ago, and I never updated why:
1.) I got frustrated with the amount of humidity and moistness that accumulated in the locker room, which had no vent. The steam from the sauna and showers had no where to go, and I just got sweaty while getting dressed and putting on my clothes. The locker room is too small and really crowded at peak times.
2.) So, when I’d try to go in non-​peak times. The cleaning team would start spraying chemicals and powerwash the showers when I was still in them. I got sprayed a few times and didn’t appreciate the smell. I mentioned this a few times, but it happened so many times thereafter.
3.) I left some clothes (NICE, decently expensive), called in asking them to look, returned later. They didn’t make much effort. I know it’s my fault, but a little more effort would have been nice.
4.) Some people are treated differently… let’s say better. For the 2+ years, very few people at the desk knew my name. I would see other members get pampered, and no one would ever offer me towels when I was on the machines. When I first joined three years ago, they would come by and offer cold/​dry towels and to change tv channels for you when you were on the machines… but, that was like very short-​lived. They also never offered to stretch me out, which is something I only learned about the last few months of being there.
The ONLY REASONS to go:
1.) Loretta Arcangeli, amazing yoga instructor (she gives personal attention and makes sure that people have correct form).
2.) Michelle Guerrero, amazing trainer who gives 200% (she’ll send emails, send recipes and follow your diet on MyFitnessPal; has a great Instagram).
3.) The small Equinox store has great product, from Splendid and collaborations with Nike.
4.) Khiel’s products.
5.) The trainers/​class instructors are excellent here — so if you have the money to do private training, I would recommend this place. The TRX instructors rock.
BEWARE of the Spa:
The spa just seems to have a lot of turnover, and I never had much luck with good spa services over the course of the two plus years that I belonged. After communicating bad experiences with two massages over those years, the managers did nothing. No offer to redo it or credit me. So, I never did any spa services there.
I did do a free spa facial that they advertised in the bathroom. And, that’s the last post that I made with the excellent feedback. what I did get was a call from some NYC director asking how my facial went with Meghan, for which I gave excellent reviews, but then she asked if I was going to pay… I said, «Excuse me, I’m sorry, I am confused?!» She called me from the NYC office to inquire about payment? I responded that her aesthetician didn’t charge me at the time, and that the Equinox Spa was offering the free facil. I advised that she should talk to the gym management because they ran the promotion… and I was the customer and a member. I mentioned it to Joe Kim at the time who then relayed the story to his spa manager, who then asked me for more detail. I advised her that he and Joe ought to talk to that NYC director and NOT to me. That was a lot of time spent on dealing with their internal management issues.
OVERALL:
The $ 150/​month wasn’t worth it to me since I was spending 2 – 3 days a week playing outdoor soccer. I’m not much of a machines girl and many of the classes have too much jumping/​knee impact. I stayed mostly for yoga with Loretta to help balance the soccer, but I found that it made more sense for me to go to yoga studios.

My mother had been bragging about her amazing gym in Boston for more than a year when I decided to try the Tysons location. I canceled my S&H membership days later. Equinox is a great gym and I love being a member — even if it costs more than 2x what S&H did.
This particular gym is rather small, but it also has a small membership. I’ve never been unable to work in my sets, jump on a cardio machine, or secure a bike in the spin studio. The worst ‘waiting’ experience I’ve had was at 7:30am when I’ve had to wait for a shower in the women’s locker room.
The classes are fantastic. I wish my favorite spin teacher taught every day. The cardio classes are constantly changing and even the most fit people in the room look exhausted afterward. (I haven’t tried the pilates or yoga classes, so I can’t speak to those.) Cardio and weight machines are always in good working order. This location has introduced me to some great new things, too, like TRX and VIPRs.
It’s nice to go to a gym where no one is screwing around. No one is reading magazines on the elliptical machine or text messaging on the weight bench you want to use. There is almost always (always?) a trainer on the floor available specifically to help anyone who needs it.
I’m not going to tell you the name of my trainer because I don’t want to share. Suffice to say, she’s one of the best trainers I’ve ever worked with — and I’ve worked with a lot of them.
The locker rooms are amazing. Equinox is one of the few gyms in the area to offer towel service, but it’s more than that. It’s the cleaning ladies who never stop cleaning, it’s the high quality bath products, the numerous hair dryers, mirrors, the large locker room, the steam room, the locker room lounge, etc. I have finally found a gym where I can actually get ready for a work day without feeling gross or like I might have a new foot fungus.
I can’t think of another gym in NoVa who can hold a candle to Equinox. You pay for quality, but you get it.

I have been a member of this gym for three months. My time at Equinox has been the best gym experience that I have ever had. The staff is extremely professional, the trainers are excellent and the classes are taught by great instructors. There just isn’t any other gym like it. I’ve tried 24 Hour Fitness, Xsport, Planet Fitness, Golds and various bootcamp classes. Equinox is the only gym that meets my standards for cleanliness, customer service and quality of classes/​instructors. It is worth every penny! !

Fit body, healthy mind and empty pockets; simply the best option in the DMV with a HEFTY price tag
Bathrooms; Your hard earned cash (lots of it) being used to operate a spotless shower experience.
If you are a germophobe and/​or a neat freak, this is the place for you. The place just shines and sparkles even at peak hours. There are always fresh towels, razor blades, mouth wash and high-​end toiletries at your disposal. When I say high-​end, no cheap stuff here; the shampoo, conditioner, body lotion are all name brand and although I am not a connoisseur, it all feels and smells nice. Come to appreciate this more after my experience at Lifetime, for more see my review of Lifetime Centreville.
Weight Room; although crowded at peak hours, there are options and for the size gym, there are plenty of benches and free weights. Compared to other gyms there are more women than usual, and that makes for a «cleaner» environment more likely to adhere to some sort of etiquette standard (i.e. clean equipment after use, not claiming «dibs» on more than one piece of equipment at the time, etc).
They have a giant TRX (bands) jungle gym, which if you are into that sort of thing can be very useful (especially for somebody like me who has a lot of physical therapy derived exercises in my routine).
Classes; This is probably the best part of Equinox, classes are just top notch, every single instructor is super high-​energy and the Fat Burning classes (look at their Metcon3) will get you more results than Seal Team 6. They are very hard and will leave a world-​class athlete in a fetal position for a few days afterwards but I guess that is what we are there for. The Yoga classes are outstanding and the Yoga studio is beautiful, makes you wonder about those dingy Yoga studios in DC. I have been a competitive cyclist and Equinox’ spinning sessions are top notch, this is the only place that I know that has a power meter in every spin bike.
Trainers; They are extremely professional and work really hard with you, not just counting reps but actually working hard besides you. They could be a bit more «scientific» in the sense that competitors like Lifetime have food sensitivity tests, cortisol tests, etc. But the trainers are knowledgeable and every single one of them has a strong work ethic (unlike Lifetime).
Overall Facilities (here is why I am giving it 4 and not 5 stars); Although is in a beautiful building, It is in the basement and it feels as such, food wise; there is nothing other than a smoothie bar, yes Chef Geoff’s is upstairs but it is beyond my budget and patience level for a quick meal before or after the gym.
Staff; I have never been to a place where they have their act so together; first the sales guy, mine was Nick, never lied, helped me every step of the way, worked with me, helped me even when I had to cancel my membership, class act! Then the greeting staff, janitors, trainers, Yoga teachers, I know there are good people everywhere but, I cannot think of a single bad interaction in my entire year at Equinox.
I get the sense that many people go there because there are a lot of good looking people, in a some sort of continuation of the college popular crowd. I also noticed however that there were many people like me (you guessed it! not good looking at all) who appreciated the cleanliness, professionalism and overall the respect for our valuable time.
So, If you are looking for a high-​end, extra tidy, extra nice gym experience and you don’t mind paying a high premium for it, this is your place!

Equinox has a tendency of picking out cheap locales in expensive neighborhoods. It means the majority of their locations are in basements with no windows without access to natural light. As far as I’ve seen only the cheapest gyms use this annoying tactic to save money. Additionally, it is true, the place is sparkling clean. But they really use a large amount of harsh chemicals to keep it clean. The place eventually started making me break out in hives. I’m generally not sensitive to cleaning products.
It’s hard for me feel a luxurious experience that they are trying to portray when I am in a… basement inhaling harsh cleaning products.

I wish they had cots set up so I could just sleep here and never leave.
First, their locker rooms are so beautiful! They have a steam room with eucalyptus steam that will help you sweat and breathe out the toxins. The lockers themselves are (I think) bamboo, and quite lovely. They have basically everything you would need including towels; Keils brand soap, shampoo and conditioner; mouth wash; razors and shave cream for the men; hair dryers. Everything is VERY clean, too! No nasty gym smells.
The classes they offer are also wonderful! I’ve done spinning, boot camp, pilates and yoga so far, but there’s a lot more available, all included in the membership.
The pool is three laps, all saline and it’s usually easy enough to get some time in.
The gym itself is very peaceful and comfortable. People are walking around to check up on you to see if you need any help, a new towel, or a remote to change the channel on the TV. There are lots of machines and weights and it’s never THAT crowded, even during the busy times. The trainers are always happy to help you stretch out after your work out at no cost. You can hire a trainer there for a fairly reasonable rate, too. Eucalyptus towels available in the gym.
The juice bar and clothing store is a bit over priced and should be avoided if possible. They gave me a free shirt when I joined, and I think that’s about enough for me.
They’ll give you a free week to try out the gym if you’re interested, and they’re not pushy about joining. They know you’ll want to if you can afford it. If you can’t afford it, at least you got a free week out of it.

It’s hard not to love this place.
Yes, it does cost a lot more than most other gyms. But if you’ve worked out here before, you know its well worth what you’re paying for. I’ve previously tried working out at WSC, LA Boxing, and a few other mom and pop gyms but they all pale in comparison to Equinox.
I was previously a member at the Equinox on 50^th Street in New York years ago and always remembered it being a great place to work out. So when I was finally within a reasonable commute to one in the DC area, I decided to sign up again.
A great mix of big things that matter and nice little extras–
1. Extremely, spotlessly clean.
2. Never overcrowded. I usually come in later in the evenings but even at peak hours you can always find all the space or equipment you need.
3. Convenient. Right off the Tyson’s exit with free connected garage parking.
4. The hours are great — open early and late.
5. The staff and instructors are really nice. They’ll always come by and introduce themselves, offer pointers to help you out, etc.
6. Chilled eucalyptus scented towels. Served on a silver platter (literally).
7. High quality products in the locker rooms so that if you forget your own, you can still rest assured that you have everything you need to get ready and off to a meeting/​work/​other engagement.
8. Modern, trendy, with a positive vibe. Everything about this place feels great in a way I can’t describe, and keeps you coming back.
Only wish they had more zumba or dance aerobics style workout classes, and more classes geared toward beginners. Spinning and some of the yoga ones are great, but many of the others are very intense. Guess its good inspiration to get to that point!
Other than that, five stars all around. Great place to work out.

This is an exceptional gym. I was slightly horrified during the sign-​up process only because of the monthly cost. This was my first «foray» into higher quality gyms and it took me a few weeks to become comfortable w/​a slightly higher cost.
However, in the 6 months since I joined I am completely satisfied with this gym. I attribute my progress toward my physical fitness goals to the highly-​qualified instructors at the gym. I don’t use a trainer (yet) but I attend 4 – 5 classes a week and I’m tremendously happy with the level of service, professionalism, and thoughtful approach.
Highlights:
— Barre Burn with Mike is outstanding. Also the gym manager, Mike is a rock star instructor who keeps the workouts tough and fun
— Spinning classes are great and never crowded
— Serious Sculpt on Saturday is great — very difficult and worthwhile class; only «gripe» is that it can be crowded and a second class should be offered
Very happy with my membership and highly recommend Equinox in Tysons.

Equinox Tyson’s is exceptional, in my opinion. I’ve been a regular at the gym (5 – 7 times/​week) for over 30 years and go to gyms all over the country as I travel for work – so you could say I’ve done some pretty serious comparison shopping.
First, the equipment is excellent. Whether you’re a beginner or training for a body building competition, it will meet your needs. If you’re the latter, the quality is there, though you’ll need to improvise a bit on quantity. I didn’t explore Equinox for some time since their web site focused so much on the fancy facilities I assumed they didn’t put attention on the equipment. I’m pleased I was wrong.
The pool is the best I’ve ever enjoyed. Salt water! No chlorine! The rest of the facilities as superb, and I really appreciate how they keep every inch of the place spotless. I’ve never seen such OCD sanitizing. I have never cared about having fancy showers and über-​clean everything, but I’ve come to appreciate them after a long day at work.
Finally, the number and quality of staff is really, really impressive. And probably the biggest differentiator with other gyms. Weights are always in the correct location. I recently saw a customer doing a very improper bench press, and a staff member immediately jumped in helped the guy, and did it so smoothly the fellow couldn’t have been embarrassed. I’ve seen many difficult situations like this over the years, and I’ve never seen them dealt with so well. I’ve come to understand that the staff have extensive, monthly training requirements (very unlike other gyms) – and it very much pays off.
I trained a few times with Vinson and he’s exceptional. (I normally go to San Diego a few times a year to train with a guy who mostly trains professional body builders… so I’m more than a bit discriminating on this).
Equinox costs substantially more than most gyms. And it’s one of those cases where you definitely get what you pay for.

Decided to remove my negative review. Please delete. Thank you.

So, I decided not to renew my membership to Equinox after my year was up and am updating my original 4-​star review to 2 stars. Here’s why…
One of the main reasons I loved Equinox was the classes, but over the past few months, I feel that the class selection has really decreased, and in addition, two instructors whose classes I took regularly have both left (for various reasons), and I really just wasn’t a fan of the new instructors. (Regular gym-​goers will agree that an instructor can make or break a class!) I realize that instructors have other jobs and commitments, but when you’re paying as much as Equinox charges, I just didn’t feel that the value was still there. Out of the 3 classes/​week that I took regularly, only one with the instructor that I like still remains, and frankly, that’s spinning, which you can find at almost any gym.
As much as I loved everything else — the cleanliness, showers, yoga studio — it was ultimately the classes why I joined and why I decided to leave.