Gold’s Gym

Let’s see, where to start…
–There is always equipment that is out of order.
–Zero response from the management to customer concerns.
–Useless water aerobics classes taking up valuable pool space. Also, the pool is sold to swim classes (so unavailable to use) 4 or 5 days a week.
–No coed sauna, come on!
On the plus-​side, the shakes are good!

I just joined Gold’s and have to say I am super impressed! The classes are some of the best I’ve taken in town. They are fun & different all the time. The staff is very professional and the gym is VERY clean!!! The theater gym is something I’ve never experienced before and is an awesome little touch. If you live in the area, Gold’s in the best gym in town!

I walked in and mentioned I’ve tried a few gyms in the area and am currently a member elsewhere.
The woman who was helping me seemed nice and went through the spiel about rates, rules the tour ect. I told her my one gripe was a ~$ 150 join up fee, I get that join fees are a thing but $ 150 seems STEEP compared to other gyms in the area but We went through some options about memberships and I must have misheard her, or at least I hope I did, I will get to that later.
They set me up for a week trial to see what was what and if I liked it maybe we could work it out.
I figured that was good. I don’t use classes, cardio equipment, pools, saunas, hot tubs or any of that so I could figure the gym out pretty quick.
Now to the locker room. There are a bunch of pried open lockers, so even with a lock I thought that was a little sketchy. One of the showers was taped off and unusable for the full week I was there and didn’t seem to change at all of the whole week.
The gym itself is pretty standard in terms of equipment. A lot of the grips are peeling off of things. it gets very busy.
Either way I showed up on the last day ready to commit for two years and talked about what the previous consultant and I talked about and mentioned the high enrollment fee, to which he offered a membership that would end up costing over $ 240 MORE. What? Now if someone isn’t fast on math that seems pretty shady to me.
My conversation with that consultant was very brief, I gave him plenty of time to explain it. He literally laughed at me and said «Yeah that’s it.» It’s not as if I was asking to waive the enrollment fee by any means, just a bit of a «You don’t know if you don’t ask» type question.
So in short, one consultant was great, and then when I went to sign up and talk about rates again the new consultant offered me a rate that would be over $ 240 MORE expensive and when I called it out he laughed at me. The gym is okay but I guess they don’t want my business.

Golds offers a ton of classes and the membership price in the lowest I’ve found in Madison. I would definitely recommend this gym.

Pretty and up to date atmosphere. Nicely priced if you are not trying to move anywhere. Long contracts like a typical big box gym, but its so low it’s not going to break your budget. Careful of extra fees, they do let you know before your join but don’t forget about it. Nice staff. Clean. Check it out.

A veteran of the Westside, and hearing so many good things about this gym, I decided to go check it out after I got a flyer in the mail advertising a really good monthly rate.
Upon entering the lobby, the place looks gorgeous. Very clean, updated, and has new equipment. This is where my good experience ends.
I talked to the front desk and present my flyer they sent me in the mail. I’m told to wait for an account manager, and they will come help me. I wait for about half an hour, and I am seated at a desk to review membership options. The lady proceeds to take out a white sheet of paper and start writing numbers on it. Everything from enrollment costs, maintenance fees, and monthly membership costs.
Their membership rates vary depending on your commitment. This is pretty much a given with health clubs. What irritated me was the membership card I received had no mention of any other additional fees besides the monthly fee. I felt duped. Bait and switch.
This is where the high-​pressure sales started. I felt like I was negotiating the price of a used car and I was not amused. After expressing my frustration with all of the add on fees I hadn’t expected, I was still expected to sign on the dotted line without any hesitation. Even after I said I needed to think about it and review my options, I was given the «limited time offer» line of BS.
I know you can’t expect something for nothing, and you pay for good quality, but I find their advertising to be very misleading. I walked out and never went back.

I’m obsessed with Gold’s Gym. They have the best group fitness classes with super motivating instructors.
I’ve never been to gym with staff and trainers that seem so genuinely interested in helping members meet their fitness goals.

Great gym. Very convenient, updated equipment, and a cardio cinema. Couldn’t ask for more.

The Good: The class instructors are nice and there is a good selection of machines and classes.
The Bad…
1. Sitting in your car at 7am because no employees showed up to open up at 6am. This has happened to me 4 times now.
2. They USED to have pretty much zero broken machines. I was amazed. Now there’s a bunch of stuff that is missing pads — they’ve been replaced with yoga mats. Looks bad, works worse. The edges of the weight room and the locker room floor have been getting pretty narly too.
3. Cardio Theater sounds great but unless you’re motivated/​distracted by movie credits or DVD title screens you’re likely to be disappointed. For some reason the length of the movies they play are a total mystery to the front desk.
4. I think they’ve hired some sort of telepathy snow removal outfit for their parking lot. You’d think not being open ²⁴⁄₇ would allow for clean up but you’d be wrong.
… AND IF YOU SEE LARGE WHITE SOFTENER SALT PELLETS ON THEIR SIDEWALK THAT MEANS ITS SLIPPERY AND SOMEONE THINKS THROWING THEM AROUND WILL HELP. IT DOESNT.
I gave them a rating of 2 because I like most of the people there but its not enough to keep me there.

Excellent gym. Joined for a month-​long membership while I was in town. Some really great, energetic teachers for the group classes. Try Matt’s combo/​attack mashup on Wednesdays — he is so fun!

I truly love golds. Clean facility, friendly staff, and my favorite part: the cardio cinema ! Not to mention the wonderful personal trainers, namely Jamie. She is always friendly and motivating. I’ve learned so many great work outs that I can easily replicate at home. The prices are reasonable as well.

I have been a member at Gold’s for 3 weeks now and I couldn’t be happier. The place is HUGE, they have tons of equipment, and lot of amenities. Like a Cardio Cinema! Talk about awesome! It’s like a movie theatre with Cardio equipment. Leave the headphones at home! Each locker room has a private Sauna. Separate Showers for everyone! Forget about community showers! Protein Shake Bar is kind of cool. This place seems to have it all! Best part is it will only set you back 30 bucks a month!

I’ve been a member at this gym for a year now and absolutely love it. It is extremely clean and filled with the latest equipment. There is always someone cleaning the floors, bathrooms, and equipment when I am there — thank you! The staff from the front desk to the kids club are extremely helpful and friendly. The juice bar has delicious drinks and I love that I can make my own protein smoothies after my workout.
The kids club is where it’s at people. Having children and having them enjoy going to the gym with me is priceless. My daughter absolutely loves all the gals who work in there and so do I. I appreciate that they are friendly and fun. On certain Fridays in the morning they even have a sweet lady come in and sing songs with the kids — how awesome is that?! Thank you for taking such great care of my little one while I get some much needed time to work up a sweat!
Almost forgot — the cardio cinema — WIN! They have a big room filled with various cardio equipment and every day they play a new video on repeat. Great way to get a long session of cardio in.

I Love Gold’s! It is my home away from home. I have been a member for about 3 years. The gym is always clean and the group classes are outstanding! My teens are always welcome in the classes which is a real plus for our family. The staff is always friendly and helpful.
There are only 2 negatives I can think of. Sometimes the desk staff are not as well informed as they should be. The parking lot can get crazy full, so be sure you give yourself time to get parking.

I like Gold’s. They’ve got fun classes, an abundance of machines and equipment to use, and the facilities in general are really great. I used to work until 11:00 or midnight, and then I’d go to Gold’s afterward. The hours they keep Monday-​Friday are so convenient. I don’t have any complaints, except for the staff’s knowledge about how the contracts work. When signing up for the membership, I was told that I couldn’t cancel my membership unless I was willing to pay $ 150 or some such. When I went in to sign a form saying I didn’t want to renew my membership, I asked about it and the person who helped me told me I could have canceled at any time, with a 30-​day notice or something like that. That was kind of confusing.
All in all, their problems are internal and don’t have anything to do with the facilities themselves.
P. S. Every time I went into the «women’s gym», Food Network was on both TVs and I couldn’t reach the buttons to change the channel. WHY

I have been a member since it’s opening and have always been pleased with the facilities, the classes, and the availability of equipment. Sure, at times, the place is crowded (especially the new year resolution people that show up for the first 2 months of each year), but never had a problem finding a free piece of equipment. The only negative I have is I would like to see them refresh their equipment more often. With the $ 30 annual maintenance fee, I think they could be doing more.

The Gold’s Gym in Fitchburg served me well for a good two years. I was sad to leave it when I moved to Baltimore.
This location was newly built within the past 5 years. The equipment still seems pretty new. There’s a pool, sauna, cinema room, and day care in additional the weights and cardio rooms and equipment. The basketball court is kind of small, but they just renovated it to have hardwood floors. At least they have one. Not all gyms in the area do.
There’s always promotions going on, and depending on when you sign up you could be in for a good deal. I remember when I first signed up, I got two months free. Then the next year, they ran a deal where if you get people to sign up under you, they add $ 20 to the total cost and split it among those people. For example, if I was paying $ 40 and I get two people to sign up under me, everyone gets to pay $ 26.67.

I wholeheartedly agree with Pearl S.
I have been a member since before the gym opened — they recruited me by a very low monthly rate and as long as I referred a friend (even without commitment) my rate was guaranteed. That has been the case since.
Yes, there is an additional fee ($ 30) to your monthly membership, which is assessed once a year for gym upgrades. I would not call it «hidden», as it is clearly disclosed at the time of signing your contract.
It is very easy to forget about it, however, as it is assessed 12 months later without an advance notice. Because the fee comes out ACH, if a min balance in a checking account is not maintained, it can cause trouble.
I used to use the gym facility and really liked the variety of machines. The «ladies only «area is great for women who don’t want the distraction/​intimidation of men training around them.
For the last 3 years, I switched my gym attendance to the group classes and absolutely LOVE them! The classes are included in your membership and follow the Les Mills format. Les Mills is one of the best international fitness programs, originating in New Zealand. The classes are renewed every three months with new choreography, music and instructor education. ALL OF THE INSTRUCTORS of the group classes are great, fun, caring and inspiring!!!
In addition to the Les Mills classes (Body Pump, Body Flow, Body Step, Body Attack, Body Combat, CX Works, I might be forgetting something), the gym offers FREE Yoga, Pilates, Zumba and Indo Row classes. Oh, forgot to mention cycling and swimming as well.
There is also a huge «Cinema» workout room, which I’ve never used but know people who love it!
Taking Body Flow or Yoga in the Body, Mind, Spirit studio, followed by a soak in the whirlpool or Sauna really transforms one’s mind (and body) and allows you to carry through the daily challenges with an ease.
To me, going to Gold’s on the weekend is similar to going to church for those who are devoted. The people who attend the same classes have built a community of caring and life-​lasting friendships.
There are, of course, flaws, which can be improved. I have to say that there have been a couple of instances of disappointment. There was a «family swim time», which my kids loved that was discontinued. Also, my kids are not too fond of the «kids area» but I’ve managed to work around it by hiring a baby-​sitter and paying her the same amount I would have had to pay at Gold’s for using the kid’s room. The gym is open to suggestions and accommodating in most instances. After all, you have to put things on a scale and see which side is heavier and by how much.
In conclusion, I would say, after trying several other gyms, I will not think twice if I had to select a new gym again!

I was walking on the treadmill, cooling down after my workout and I went to check in at the gym on Unilocal… the first few reviews that came up were all negative and i was shocked that my gym had such a low star rating… So I am now compelled to write a review and really put things in perspective for you if you are thinking twice about joining after reading those bad reviews…
#1. You are at a gym not the Rtiz Spa… So there isn’t’ someone waiting on your hand and foot every second. If you need something done there are always people at the front desk, trainers in their «area», and the manager’s door is always open. All of the employees greet/​acknowledge you verbally, with a smile, or a wave whether they are busy or not. That’s pretty great customer service to me…
#2. You are paying for a GYM membership… not a SPA membership… so yes they will charge for extra amenities like tanning, towels, smoothies, kids club, etc. There is no reason that I should pay a huge monthly fee for services that i don’t plan on using… so splitting up the cost so that people like me that go to a gym to actually use the GYM aspect of it don’t’ have to pay for the «extras». That being said, if you want to use other stuff than the GYM then pay up! I have been a member of several gyms – mostly Gold’s (going on 3 years now!) but also Sport and Health and Fitness First (those are two fairly large chain gyms but not sure if they are only on the East Coast) and they all have similar policies… you pay for the amenities that you want to use.
#3. I have been a member for this gym specifically for 2 months and I go there 6 times a week. I have never EVER seen an «out of order» sign at any machine.
#4. The gym is always kept in immaculate condition. I am always seeing one or two people cleaning something every time i go!
#5. A gym is still a business… if you need to move or just want to stop going you need to give them notice… just like at your apartment or any other place that you pay a monthly subscription fee. That’s just the way it is…
#6. Yes the gym gets crowded at peak hours… that’s why they are called peak hours… grocery stores also get crowded on the weekend… does that mean that they are horrible places and deserve a lower rating? Not in my opinion.
Anyways…The trainers here are very knowledgeable as they have helped me out in the past with a few things – I’ve seen them work with a whole range of people from athletes to people who are trying to loose a lot of weight. I’ve only seen a few of them in action (Robert and Mike) but they are there all the time and so friendly :)

Beware of hidden fees with this gym! Nice facility but be aware that they will spontaneously charge your account for ‘gym upgrades’. If you call to find out what that includes, they will as most gyms do, refer you to fine print in your contract allowing them to do this at will.
I thought gym upgrades were paid for by… ummm… membership dues.