ROBFA

The facilities are very old and outdated. The major plus for this gym is the convenience of location and low membership (low number of members and low cost of membership). This gym is mainly suitable just for federal employees who want to get workouts in during the workweek. It is only open on weekdays, Mon-​Thu 5am — 7pm and Fri 5am — 2pm.
Cardio (⁵⁄₅) — There is a lot of equipment for cardio and it is always open since there usually are not more than 3 – 5 people in the gym at one time.
Classes (⁵⁄₅) — There is a studio that offers classes every day that they are open.
Free Weight (³⁄₅) — dumbbells go up to 75 lbs. Only one set for each weight.
Barbell (²⁄₅) — Only 1 squat rack, so if someone else is using it then you are out of luck. It is also very old and has quite a lot of rust.
Machines (²⁄₅) — there are quite a few machines, but they are all extremely old and outdated.
Lockers & Showers (¹⁄₅) — the lockers are extremely dirty and filled with rust (once again very old). The showers are nice and there is always an open one when you need it.

As you may know, there are not a lot of gym choices in SW DC. ROBFA (Regional Office Building Fitness Association) is a gym located in the basement of the GSA building at the corner of 7^th & D Streets … that nobody seems to know about. And unlike many other gyms within government buildings, ROBFA allows government contractors as well as government employees to join. What a concept.
Pros:
* While the HHS gym, for example, is for HHS government employees only, ROBFA accepts *ANY* government employee or contractor, regardless of agency. You don’t have to be GSA. Pretty cool.
* Did I mention government contractors could also join?
* $ 30 /​month.
* Your checking account can be auto-​debited (using a voided check).
* Small locker rentals are $ 35 /​year, large $ 70 /​year. Those are not misprints … per year.
* Lots of small lockers (maybe a hundred).
* Locker room is open whenever the building is open (which might be 24/​7, not exactly sure), which works well for bikers or runners who just need a locker and shower facility at any time (I know a couple of people who use ROBFA for exactly this purpose).
* Lots of offered classes, like Power Step, Body Sculpt, Zumba, Spin, Abs, Cardio, Yoga, Circuit, Conditioning, etc.
* Personal training is available.
* MUCH neater than Gold’s.
Cons:
* Only accepts checks or money orders — no credit cards, paypay, nor anything people of the 21^st century might use.
* Very few large lockers (maybe twenty).
* A year long wait list for large lockers.
* Lockers are pretty darned old.
* No price reduction for auto-​debit, or paying 6 or 12 months ahead.
* Gym hours are funky, geared for govies — not open Friday afternoons nor weekends. It’s a 4 ½ day of the week gym. For this Gold’s might be the better deal.
* Not going to lie, not a lot of hot water in the showers.
Other:
* Day lockers are available for those who don’t want to rent a locker, BYOLock.
* Neither the locker room nor gym is luxurious, in case you thought it might be for 30 clams a month.
* Definitely geared more for morning — and in particular lunch — crowds. All the classes are between 11am and 1pm. Again, govies.
* Veeery quiet after 5pm. But still open til 7pm. 4 days a week, at least.
* Has the standard array of fitness tools. About 2 – 4 of any kind of treadmill, recumbent, elliptical, etc. About 20 spin bikes. Weight benches, free weights, weight poles, fitness pads for stretching or yoga, vanity mirrors, those big plastic balls, etc. Your standard gym stuff.
* Filled with govies, so if you’re self-​conscious about your body image, it’s fairly un-​intimidating.
For the record, I’ve mostly only been there in the late afternoons, so I can’t speak to how busy it gets at other times. Visit and see for yourself.
ROBFA won’t win any awards for flair, avant-​garde design, chic motif, nor cutting-​edge equipment, but it does have all the basics. It’s a gym, not a fitness boutique. And for SW DC … that’s pretty good.
NOTE: Unilocal seems to have the gym location one block too far north on their map, FYI.