CSUB Student Recreation Center

I’ve been coming here for years, so I might as well write a review.
When the Rec Center first opened, I would have categorized it as the best gym/​rec center in Bakersfield hands down. This is pretty much in comparison to my experiences at Body Xchange, In-​Shape, 24 Hour Fitness, and NOR Rec Centers. As the years have progressed, I would say it is still one of the best gyms in town, but their maintenance and staff have «depreciated in value.»
I’ll start off with the equipment and floor space. There is a lot of it. This place has quite the number of treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, and stair steppers. AND best of all they are almost never crowded! There are two areas with dumbbells that range from about 5 to 200 pounds. They have about three bench presses, two squat racks, and one smith machine. I would say they have more free weight equipment than the Body Xchange Sports Clubs and In-​Shape. They also have a rock wall that has different hours than the gym itself. Check at the front desk for that.
The best part: they have three indoor full basketball courts! There really isn’t any good competition like there used to be unless some of the D1 players decide to come in during the off season and play. However, that rarely happens anymore The courts are pretty full with young immature kids who love to argue in the evenings around 7pm and later. Unfortunately, that’s probably the best competition there all day, so you kind of have to deal with it. Looking over the courts is a ¹⁄₁₀ mile track with a huge clock that allows you to keep track of time as you run/​walk.
If you are a member of the rec center you can request access to the outdoor tennis courts, the outdoor sand volleyball courts, and the outdoor soccer field. Pretty cool if you like being outdoors. I’ll stick to the indoor basketball courts with this Bakersfield heat!
You don’t need to go to school or be an alumni to come here. You just need a current student or alumni (who has a membership and/​or is part of the alumni club) to get you a guest pass. You can pay $ 40 for full access or $ 5 a day. They also have Early Bird, Lunch Time, and Evening passes for $ 20. This gives you access to the facility during a 3 hour window in the morning, lunch time, or afternoon and you can stay as long as you want. Now that I’m an alumni I pay $ 20 for a lunch time pass between 11am — 2pm and I use it mostly to play basketball.
The worst part about this place is the staff. There are a few people who do a great job there, but at other times you see that this is definitely a college atmosphere. Staff really isn’t friendly and are cliquey. You won’t really get a friendly hello or goodbye unless you’re wearing a smile first. My biggest pet peeve is the maintenance of the floor on the basketball court. I don’t think they sweep it up every day. The floor always feels dusty and slippery. Injury waiting to happen.
Overall this place is still pretty nice. I love coming in and playing basketball. That’s all I need and it’s great for me.

I love this place. What’s better than going out for a two mile run on the track? Needless to say, you can always go rock-​climbing. They gym is up-​to-​date with all gym gear and the staff is supper friendly. I would suggest that if you do ever decide to come, bring a lock that way you can leave your things in the locker room. If you need any assistance feel free to ask the assistance in the front desk. After you are done working out you can always drop by the little coffee shop located in front of the gym and get yourself a chai latte.