GoodLife Fitness

This GoodLife location is my go to because it’s close to my work. The staff are friendly and the equipment functional for the most part. Unlike other GoodLife locations the cardio machines do not have their own tvs, instead it’s 9 tvs on the wall. Which is fine but unfortunately some machines do not play the sound when headphones are plugged in.
I do make use of the on site Chiropractor and would strongly recommend Matthew Missa. He listens to what the problem is and works with you to assist in recovery but also prevent injury.

The gym facilities are great here, but I would not recommend Personal Training at this (or any other Goodlife gym). I came here to switch trainers after needing to take 6 months off when I trained with someone at the Dundas Square location that exacerbated injuries and whom I got absolutely no results with over a ¾ month time frame. I stopped training with him, trained myself and achieve my goals entirely on my own. I sought chiropractic and message therapy help over 6 months to help with the injuries from very negligent and irresponsible training techniques and decided to start back at Bloor Park with someone new.
The first trainer I was assigned told me she might be late to our first session so I suggested a time 1 hour later. She agreed, then texted me on the day to tell me she was going to still run later. I suggested a time ¾ hours later since I have very few available days I can train, and she texted me later to tell me she couldn’t make that either. Very unprofessional for a first session. Days later, when she was trying to re-​book and I couldn’t respond to her text messages asap, I received a 3 paragraph text about how I need to respond quicker to secure my spot (she had offered me times that I’d already mentioned don’t work anyway). Last I checked, I’m the customer who paid over $ 2,000. Why am I getting a lecture on how I can best suit my TRAINER’S needs after all this?
I asked to be re-​assigned to a trainer that was more available on weekends and on my first meeting she told me that Goodlife wasn’t even sure how many sessions I had left and that my old trainer had possibly accounted for sessions that I hadn’t scheduled or attended. That was fantastic news after already feeling as though I’d wasted all my time getting no results and knee & hip injuries with him. After a couple weeks of back and forth of me hounding the Fitness Manager at Dundas Square to confirm how many sessions I had left over, I showed up TWICE for sessions with my new trainer only to be told that I «wasn’t in her system» (THEN WHY MAKE AN APPOINTMENT?!) and she couldn’t train me until I agreed to come in at least twice a week to train with her. Again, I have ALREADY PAID OVER $ 2,000. WHY IS IT NOW MY JOB TO ACCOMODATE GOODLIFE’S ‘TRAINER EFFICIENCY’ RATINGS? Let me be the customer here, not you. I would have loved to discuss these issues with the Fitness Manager at Bloor Park, but despite me waiting to speak to him, and requesting that he call or email me, I have not received any contact in the ¾ weeks since trying to sort these issues out and just get my remaining sessions ‘over with’. Thanks Goodlife for continuing to make me feel at every turn that I am not valued as a customer but a a paycheque and a ‘metric’ to meet.
Final thanks to the trainer & receptionist who I overheard as I left discussing the details of my account in public and saying that they get «one of those people once a week». Hey Goodlife, perhaps if you get disgruntled clientele so frequently it may mean it’s time to re-​evaluate your customer service metrics instead? I hope there’s a spot on your metric card to indicate how inefficient it has been to take a client 1 year to go through 26 sessions, 3 inefficient trainers, 2 negligent fitness managers, and a client with $ 1000 in secondary treatment bills to resolve your irresponsibility. If I can take one great thing away from this it’s that I achieved my goals on my own in a short amount of time by QUITTING MY TRAINER and your customers really don’t need your service, you folks are better off on your own.

I’ve been to this location twice, both times to take classes. First time was in the large classroom, good size, nice experience. Second time was for a class in the smaller room… it was a yoga class… and I could barely concentrate because all I could hear was the music from the large room (was a step class). It felt like trying to do yoga outside of a club! Not ideal!
I still like the location though, but will avoid taking yoga classes that are run at the same time as other (louder) classes.

Decent gym. Gets a little crowded. And no windows. But awesome facilities. Clean equipment. No complains

Let me start by saying I was an avid member of this club for a good 2 years — until I got a new job further downtown and it was more convenient for me to workout at the Richmond/​John Goodlife. Whenever I come back to this one — I totally and completely regret it.
The Good:
1. It’s close to my condo.
That’s it!
The Bad:
1. The staff is extremely rude. They really couldn’t care less about any of the people in there. I’m going to put emphasis on the front desk — shut up and scan people’s cards! We don’t care how good Fly was last Saturday, people have places to be and your conversations should be stopped when customers are around.
2. The equipment is older than I am. There are no TVs on the treadmills, about ¼ of the equipment isn’t working, and it’s just very old looking.
3. It’s virtually a meat market and I feel on display each and every time I am there. The members of this club are gawky and awkward.
I didn’t realize how bad this club was until I started trying other clubs in the city.
Recommendation:
1. If you are looking for a club in the area, I would honestly walk to the Yonge & Dundas location. All three locations in the Yorkville area are outdated. Surprising for such a posh area.
2. If you belong to this club already, my suggestion for you is to go out and try the other Goodlife locations and you too will see what you were missing.
This post is WHEY too long!

Time to the update this review after a bit over 6 months of membership.
This is a big, multi-​level club with lots of equipment located right downtown (and within super close proximity of 2 other GoodLife’s). GoodLife is the Target of gyms: it has a little something for everyone, it’s nicer than a Wal-​Mart, but no one would ever mistake it for a Saks 5^th Avenue. I’ll give you a tip (or sad fact) as you may see it at the end of the review.
The EQUIPMENT: This club has a pretty solid selection of cardio equipment spread out over 2 different floors with a generally well-​maintained assortment of the standards: ellipticals (including my favorite with no handles), treadmills, stair masters, weird modern swingy-​things (the technical term), etc. The upper floor has quite a nice view with a lot of natural light. There’s sometimes a wait for upstairs cardio equipment, but if it’s busy the first floor usually has something.
On the weights side, they have machines spread out over 3 floors, ranging from the standard pulley-​type machines of a number of flavors, to the more intermediate Smith/​Hammer style machines, to a pretty standard selection of free weight equipment. The machines can get busy, and the free weight area is pretty slammed, which is a little disappointing.
Maintenance of equipment seems to be a low priority here. Treadmills can go weeks without being fixed. Lately they’ve had tons of issues with the televisions. No one ever bothers to put weights or dumbbells back in place.
The change rooms are pretty clean and well-​maintained. Showers are cubicles which are nice and private and provide body wash and hair products.
Unfortunately, some of the patrons have confused this gym with Steamworks (the gay bathhouse) and their idea of circuit training is to move among the dry sauna, wet sauna, and shower. Just be prepared for some number of mostly considerably older guys that are here solely to enjoy the locker room rather than the gym.
The STAFF: The staff really bring this place down. Trainers seem to have only two purposes: to sell memberships and personal training, and to do personal training. Trainers will never offer friendly tips to patrons that aren’t paying for training. Furthermore, the way they train clients seems to be intended to make clients dependent on a trainer as opposed to teaching them how to work out independently. The trainers often are the worst abusers of gym etiquette when they work out off-duty…monopolizing multiple machines for long periods of time.
The COST: Well, I debated going here or the YMCA. The base costs are fairly similar.
***SAD FACT: The days of negotiating a price on the initial contract are over. I tried it at 3 different clubs, and no one budged. You’re going to have to sign a 1 year contract. This is what happens when the fitness market consolidates to 1 major provider.
***TIP #1: Check with your workplace. Many of them have very cheap deals as low as $ 35-​$ 40 a month that you can sign up directly through HR.
***TIP #2: Many workplaces have a slightly better corporate rate of $ 25 for every 2 weeks. There’s a form you have to fill out, but it would appear that nothing is ever verified… cough, cough.
***TIP #3: Towel service is $ 10/​month. If you live in a place like I do where you pay for laundry, that’s the same price as washing my own towels if I go just twice a week.

I’d like it to be known this GM has left… oh course according to her by her own actions but after Goodlife was forced to pay over 3 employees a LARGE amount due to her idiotic actions I doubt she left because she wanted to.
Now I am a member there, a lot of the guys there are my friends and they’re great. The front staff is FANTASTIC and the new GM Andrew isnt too bad a guy at all. The Assistant GM Lucas is fantastic and if you need anything chat with him!
Massage Therapy is GREAT I HIGHLY recommend Javier the guy has STRONG hands. The chiropractor is also great has definitely helped me with my ITB.
The renovations are nice and I believe they’re tanning beds open on the 1^st. CANT WAIT!

It’s not worth the money — especially if you’re not one to go at least 3 times a week. I’ve been to a few good life centers in Mississauga and have to say that this one is the WORST, unfortunately it’s the closest to my work so I’m a bit stuck with it during the weekday. The mississsauga ones were great, more room, bigger lockers, not smelly, and significantly cheaper (by about half or more).
If you want to get the best experience, take the classes — and I’d try to get to a class at least 10 minutes early so you can get a good spot — but its almost always crowded.
I noticed that the personal trainers keep switching, I haven’t seen any of the older ones when I first joined last year, it might be a sign of bad management…
Womens locker smells like feet and the steam room was broken for at least a year (finally fixed for now).
I’m thinking about quitting the whole gym thing — goodlife has turned me off completely.

Thankfully (!!) Someone has stepped in and made big improvements to this club. The entire club has been painted, and the change room leaks are now fixed. They have not replaced the carpet which is a little gross but otherwise, thankful.

After basically donating $ 75 a month for the last 4 months, I’ve decided it’s time to make or break. Either I make a committed effort into going, or I suck it up and pay the cancellation fee. As the logical thing to do here would be to get off the couch and go to the gym, my goal is to go at least three times a week on my lunch hour.
I would love to take a class or too here, but as Lindsey S noted they fill up super fast. If there is one thing I hate, it’s feeling crowded while Im already feeling self-​conscious and a but uncomfortable, so for now I go after the lunch rush has passed. So while this means no yoga or Pump for me right now, it does mean I get my pick of the ellipticals and I never have to wait for freeweights upstairs.
The leaky changeroom seems to have been fixed, I notice nothing out of order.
I do also visit the Goodlife on Coxwell as its closer to home, but I far prefer this location as the latter feels like im in someone’s basement.

I’m hitting the gym again in the new year… was side lined by work and an operation, but I’m back at it Jan 3^rd — come on, I’m gonna be hung over on the 1^st and more then likely still on the 2^nd.
This is a great gym for people who want to get in, work out and get out… they don’t have a pool and they don’t have a squash area, but what they lack in those, they make up for in cardio. There are 3 floors to this club that also includes group classes, massage therapists and even a foot/​shoe doctor (can’t think of the name).
The staff is great and very funny — shot out to Kevis and Javier x2 — and they are very very helpful, and trust me, I’m a lot to deal with, so a big shout out to Eric.
I love that the ladies change room is on the first level of the gym. I’m in and back out on a machine before most of the men are even down from their change room.
There are some downfalls… the classes fill up very quickly, and there aren’t as many yoga classes as I would like. Getting to the gym can be a bit confusing — seeing as you have to take the 8 Park Road condo elevator up — so finding the entrance is a bit tough.
As Jennifer M mentioned, there are some issues with the locker room — there has been a very persistent drip from the ladies room roof and they have been forced to shut down their hot tubs as they were having issues with the water heaters. I have no idea what the men’s room looks like — but I have a feeling that they are the ones causing the issues — seeing as the ladies room is right below the mens.

The aerobic classes are intense and the instructors really push you hard to burn off those calories. It’s a great place if you just want to focus on working out and not so inviting if you want to socialize while you flex and tone.

I use several downtown locations (Eaton Centre North/​South, Liberty Village, Manulife, Yonge-​St. Clair, Bloor Park) but my home club is Eaton Centre North. Bloor Park was formerly Sports Club of Canada and was completely renovated in 2002 when taken over by Bally Fitness. GoodLife got this location after Bally left Canada several years ago.
This is one of the posh clubs in the chain as it has a full facility with mandatory towel service and is generally clean and well kept. It’s a bit confusing to find if you’re coming for the first time because the entrance requires you to be buzzed in from the lower lobby which is shared with the condo. Take the glass window elevator to level «T» otherwise you’ll end up at the condo lobby. The top floor has some natural lighting and a view as it overlooks Bloor St.
I lived in the condo at 8 Park Rd for a year after the club was newly renovated (I was a originally a Sports Club member when this place was a dump prior to the reno in 2002). I used the facility since it was convenient but I actually preferred the Bally location at Bloor-​Bay (now an Extreme Fitness club) which is a 2 level facility but with a proper layout. I’ve never been a fan of multilevel floors (more than 2) as you need to go to different levels to access equipment and this one has four floors. For mixed martial arts fans, a company called Openmat (not part of GoodLife) holds classes for jujitsu, boxing and wrestling there paid separately from your club membership.
The staff there are friendly and reception is equally pleasant. The members are across the board but there are a disproportionate number of males here… before you single ladies seeking men get all excited, I’ll need to point out many of these guys prefer their own gender so you may want to concentrate your efforts elsewhere but if it’s an no intimidation workout you seek then this is the place. The equipment here is nice but not exceptional and the free weight section is not very big. Overall, I would give this gym a 4 star rating.