O2 Fitness – Cary

I got a free trial for the day, as I was contemplating changing gyms. Signed up online, and immediately got an email from the GM, Vic. Very nice guy, so I was excited to check this location out. I get to the gym around 6:45am, and the girl at the front desk is too busy flirting with the guy behind the desk to even notice me until I walked up and mentioned that I have a trial. I got NO tour of the gym, so I had to somehow find the locker room, pool, otc on my own. I was not offered a towel, or even anything more than an «okay your signed in, thanks». That should have been my first red flag, but it wasn’t. Weights and equipment were fine. Finished my workout and went to the locker room. Got my things to head to the shower (luckily I always bring my own towel, and shower shoes), the showers and bathroom were downright disgusting. The showers were COVERED in hair, to the point that the drains were stopped up. Every shower stall was the same disgusting mess and smelled like mold. It was obvious that no one is cleaning those showers. I was absolutely appalled. It made the showers at Planet Fitness look like Heaven. If I didn’t have to be at work within an hour and I live 20 minutes from this gym, I would have toted my hind parts right back home to shower. I am shocked at the lack of upkeep the locker room has. I will not be returning to this gym, much less give them my money.

I’ve been coming here for about 8 – 9 months now and am extremely happy with my choice. It’s extremely clean and they have plenty of equipment (both automatic equipment like treadmills and ellipticals along with weights and strength training equipment). There is an indoor heated pool (swim classes also offered). The second floor has a quiet room, more equipment and a large fitness room where group classes are offered throughout the day. I’ve also used my 2 free personal trainer sessions which I found helpful so I hired a trainer now who I see twice a week. He’s really helped me out so if you’re interested, reach out to Nathan!

How about a Zero rating??? This place is ridiculous. I have been a member for a couple years and all the sudden I get an EMAIL stating that my membership has been cancelled along with Crossfit 829. I call to get further information and the general manager, Michelle Powers, has little to no information on the matter and can hardly explain anything about the situation. I was advised that I would need to email her so that she could send my inquires to someone «higher» so that my problems could be resolved. She was able to call me back with additional information but the lack of ethics at this place is inexcusable. I will now be a walking anti-​o2 fitness billboard and let anyone who will listen know what I think about the place. ESAC had its issues, but since they sold to this 02 crap festival fitness crap it has gone down the crapper. It’s obvious that this place doesn’t care about it’s members.

Since day one, this gym has provided all of the necessary equipment I need to get a powerful workout. Not to mention the Motivating Trainers they have in place, who are very patient and professional with me. Towels always available, and 02 Fitness is the cleaness gym in the town. The Steam-​Room is hands down a nice touch! Very satisfied with this gym, and highly recommended for all types!

O2 Fitness — Cary is clean and neat with a friendly staff who are always willing to help. It has an extremely large amount of equipment that is kept in good repair.

I love this gym. I’ve been a member for a couple of months now, and it’s fantastic. The bathroom is not the cleanest, but I don’t spend much time in there. The locker room is clean, and all of the equipment is well taken care of. I signed up to do the personal training, and so far it’s great. All of the employees are very nice and knowledgeable. It does get crowded after work, but I’m always able to squeeze in somewhere.

The gym appears clean and neat to initial appearance. The staff was always friendly and nice, they rearranged the gym so that the treadmills no longer shake when you ride on them. My personal trainer was great. The reason for the low score is:
1. Bathrooms often have toilet paper on floor and are out of paper towels, the area around the sink is dirty
2. One row machine display has been broke the entire time I have attended the gym, I and others have reported it
3. Some of the treadmills make rotating sounds
4. During normal hours they rent out the pool to children events, these events are not posted so you have to change your workout spur of the moment if the pool is filled
5. When signing up, I should have read the contract better, but they said there is a way to cancel, but now they won’t even let me buy out my contract, the only way to cancel is to have a life disabling event or to move.
6. Price for what you get

Sad my gym of many years seems to be dying. Dirty beyond imagination, close to throwing my towel (which are dirty most of the time). I go early mornings and the place is not even cleaned up from the night before.

Oh man. Where do I start?
First, they charge you double throughout the month! I called them and explained to them my issue and they simply said that it was a mistake and that they would refund me. Days pass and no refund yet. So I am going to cancel my membership!
Second, the gym is filthy! The bathrooms are really dirty; papers on the floor, dirty stains on the tile where the showers are, plumbing issues, etc.
I really did not have a good experience here at the gym in Cary. The gym is in a secluded place and when you walk inside you get depressed. Music sucks, staff doesnt routinely clean equipment or the bathrooms. DO NOT SIGN UP!

I’ve been a member of O2 Fitness since the end of Dec. 2013 and have had nothing but problems since I joined.
Every month, 2 – 3 times per month, I am charged 3 dues. Although I’m only supposed to be paying for myself and my spouse, I am also inadvertently paying for my spouse’s friend, who signed up same day as we did.
Every month I bring this issue to their attention, and every month there is some sort of blame. «Computer glitches» was the first excuse.
Several times they have tried to tell me that I’m NOT being charged for our friend, even though I have plenty of proof that I am. Then finally I reach a manager, nothing gets resolved. Call backs are promised but not delivered. «We are so sorry this is happening to you. blah blah blah…» but no resolution, no refund.
They obviously do not care. (Very poor housekeeping management, too, but that has been covered in other complaints.)
Mid-​February I was told that I wouldn’t be charged in March because I’ve already paid extra due to the overcharge in February. March 2 arrives and sure enough – charged again for spouse and his friend.
When I asked the receptionist who to contact in corporate to help with the matter, she had no idea what to tell me. I asked for a corporate number or some manager above the Cary manager. Clueless as to what I was asking for.
Untrained staff. High turn-​around (no wonder). Bad bookkeeping. Lies.
Oh, and insults. The salesman who signed me up actually had the audacity to say a very insulting remark about my physical appearance once.
Needless to say, we are dropping out at the end of this month. We definitely lost money on this one but better to cut it out now than to continue to lose.

I’ve been a member here for about 6 – 7 years… I can’t even remember how long (since way back when it was located on Harrison/​Weston Pkwy) Here are my thoughts on various aspects of the gym.
Price: I think I pay $ 35/​mo, which includes a $ 5 teacher discount… I do not pay extra for towel service (I bring my own — however, they never actually check your details if you ask them for a towel) or gym hopping ability. This is a little pricey, IMO, but if I were to use it more often, I wouldn’t mind… that’s my fault for not getting my money’s worth, haha!
Classes: LOVE them! In fact, since I have slacked off in my actual gym workouts, this is really the only reason I am still a member. I love love love Sh-​Bam and wish there were more evening classes of it. Combat is great, Jam is fun if you like to dance (I don’t, but it’s still a good workout if you can follow the moves), and CXWorks and Attack are pretty hard core workouts. Pump is a great class but usually packed! There’s a room especially for spinning/​biking classes also, but I don’t do those. Only downside is that the classes are often very full… sometimes annoyingly so… to the point that people are crammed in with weights and equipment everywhere or running into each other trying to dance.
Pool: I was so excited when they moved their location to a place with a pool. I learned quickly though that the pool is only available during very limited times (usually early in the morning). Therefore, I have never used it.
Locker Room /​Bathrooms: I never use the locker room anymore. I used to a long time ago and got annoyed that the locks were always broken… don’t know if they’ve fixed that or not. I have never showered there. Bathroom upstairs is very satisfactory.
Gym Downstairs: I used to use the equipment more in the past than I do now. There used to be issues of broken machines that would stay broken for long periods. Honestly don’t know if that’s an issue now or not. I mostly enjoyed it back when I used it, and there was rarely a shortage of machines (except maybe in January — all the New Years Resolutions — or when several were broken)
Gym Upstairs: I enjoy the cardio getaway. It is quiet (no piped in music over the speakers), so I like to bring my kindle and read on the bike or elliptical. The few times I have tried to watch the tv’s up there, though, I had problems getting audio… also, only a few channels to choose from.
Staff/​Personnel: The class instructors are all very nice (at least the ones I have interacted with). I have never had any interactions with the trainers. The desk staff can be hit or miss… sometimes pleasant in a genuinely nice way, other times aloof and a bit fake. Sometimes they seem like they have more important things to do than scan your card or hand someone a towel… some of them seem to just want to chat with each other.
Child Care: I don’t have any kids, but I walk by it every time I go in, and it seems very nice!
One last thing I really appreciate is how they will suspend your membership for extended periods. I am a teacher and usually leave town during the summer months to stay with family elsewhere. They let me suspend my membership during that time… it used to be that I had to do full months at a time, but now they even let me pro-​rate it. From what I understand, you can only suspend it once per year, but that’s all I need anyway! Overall, I like this gym :)

Sent this message directly to the manager on November 29^th, I never got a response. So I decided to post it here.
We visited O2 Fitness today and yesterday. I started to post a review on O2 Fitness’s Facebook page but I really didn’t want to give a bad review visible to everyone. I know it takes many good reviews to make up for one bad review, so I wanted to message you directly. Although the facilities were very nice and relatively clean, the men’s locker room was lacking to say the least. Almost as if they have been neglected. There is a very strong urine smell around the urinals, the walls around the urinals are caked with filth, the walls in the stalls were also dirty. You could tell someone attempted to clean them but did not do a thorough job. The areas around the sinks are also dirty, especially around the soap dispensers and faucets. I am glad I hadn’t planned to shower at the gym, although I didn’t inspect the showers, with everything else I noticed I would be afraid to look. I brushed it off the first day thinking it was Thanksgiving and the cleaning crew was off. But the very next day I realized that it looked the same, even noticing a small yellow stain on top of the urinal that was there the day before. And the areas around the urinals didn’t happen over night. It’s weeks and weeks of improper cleaning that leads to buildup like that and it adds to the pungent odor that you have to hold your breath to avoid. I hope I haven’t upset you in anyway, I just wanted to voice my concerns. I think your gym is very nice and in a great location. I am also glad all the equipment was in good working condition. I have visited this gym around this time for the past 2 years and I remember thinking, in past years, «what a nice gym, and it’s so clean!» I was a little disappointed with my experience this year. Attention to detail goes along way when it comes to customer service. I don’t think it would take much to resolve these issues just a little elbow grease and some bleach. This will not deter me from visiting in the future but I hope this information helps create a better experience for your members and guest.

I find the negative reviews interesting, I really like this Gym, I’ve been since early 2013 and I like that it’s filled with people who want to work out, not find a date. The classes are jam packed — I don’t use them myself but I assume based on the lines to get into them that they are good. I love the steam room, have never been disturbed by anything in the locker room, find the facilities clean and orderly, the staff as helpful as you want and I like that it’s a locally owned gym, not owned by a corp from elsewhere. I’ve gone to the Y off and on for years, joined lifetime and lifestyle, this one has the best of the others in one place. I’m happy.

I’ve been going to this gym a year now and I usually like to wait a while to post reviews just to make sure my review is accurate. I use most areas of this gym except for the pool and I love everything about it except for the lack of bathroom/​locker cleanliness. I love the classes. The instructors are friendly and energetic. It doesn’t seem to crowded in the cardio area during peak times. They seem to take decent care of the equipment. I’ve seen them replace pads and repair broken equipment.
I just wish they would take better care of the bathrooms. The showers always have hair in the drain and the locker room floors a little yucky. They always seem to be out of paper towels (or at least when I am there). If the bathrooms were more clean, this place would be 5 stars for me.

Nice «to the point» atmosphere. Clean. People are friendly.

Not only does this gym not care about what their members want or what classes and instructors they like (and get results from) but they have also stooped to a new level by deleting Unilocal post that don’t flatter them. I canceled my membership yesterday after they pushed out (by extreme micromanaging and harassment over the course of a year) my favorite spin instructor. Well someone else posted a negative review yesterday due to the same reasons I stated and their marketing gal, Shanna K. retorted (as she does on all negative reviews) and today the entire post is gone. Hmm… where’s the integrity?
All-​and-​all, gym looks and seems great on the surface but the only positives are the child care and O2 Ride taught by the instructor they pushed out. Oh well, as other posters have stated there are plenty of gym choices in the area!
*also, equipment that breaks down can go a month without being fixed which would mean the spin room could be down 5 bikes at a time.*
Update 1÷9÷13:
Found the post I was referring to, it was moved to a different O2 location page interesting…
Anyhow, thanks Shanna for the copy and paste from your first response. You perfectly quoted the incorrect information.

I’ve been to gyms all over the US, and I can definitely say this one is average. The staff is friendly, it was the cheapest we found in the area, and they have a lot of equipment. But they don’t have a lot of classes and the facility is slightly run down (holes in the wall over in the boxing area, the floor is noticably dirty sometimes, there’s mildew in the locker room, etc.). They do have a very generous guest policy, I should mention — and the child care is good.
Come to think of it, it’s almost a four, but after it shut down this whole week because of pipes bursting, I’m going to have to keep it at a three.

I joined O2 a year ago seeking a pool in the local area to train for triathlons. O2 seems to be one of a very small number of places with a pool — but not really.
What they fail to tell you when you sign on the dotted line is that they don’t own the pool at this location. It is owned by Sport2Sport who is also in the building. O2 members are «allowed» to use one of two lanes at certain times — very limited times in my opinion.
Just found out today that S2S has taken over one of the mornings the pool is open to O2 people! That is ¹⁄₅ of my mornings I can swim — has there been an effort to refund ¹⁄₅ of my membership? Hardly. I asked if this trend was expected to continue (S2S taking over more time for «paying» customers and was given less than a satisfactory answer.
If you are seeking a gym with a pool — try another gym.

I originally joined in downtown Raleigh but come here mostly due to it being close to my work. An annoying part is they don’t have all the same equipment. (Seamart– downtown — has jump ropes and 2 rowing machines… Cary has NEITHER. So the first time I wanted to jump rope at Cary, I assumed I would be able to. It’s dumb, but it was super annoying at the time.) Both only have ONE squat rack which is insane to me. What do I do when someone is curling in the squat rack??? Yeah. Exactly.
Other bad things about Cary: the roof leaks in the stretching area. It has dripped on me multiple times. ON. ME. ONNN ME!!! THAT’S DISGUSTING. I’ve learned to avoid that area, and also it smells sorta moldy over there. Ugh. Gross. The locker room is decently clean but I always feel like it could be better. The toilet area is kinda gross, but I see a girl cleaning there all the time, so I’m just not sure why it’s not always clean…
Now the good things: I like the clientele at Cary. There are no creepy dudes, I don’t get bothered while working out. BIG PLUS for a lady. The staff is pretty nice, but sometimes I feel like one person can be kinda snobby. Whatever, not a big deal. The nice people win out over the iffy one. I’ve never had to wait to use a shower, even during busy times. Great price. I can use all the o2s for just a little extra. They also have a good online resource that I really only use for when I need to print out of my visit history for work reimbursement.
I’m a big gym head and like the very best, but don’t want to go in debt for a freaking gym! I had looked at other places in the area, but this was the cleanest for the price. I wasn’t going to pay over $ 70/​month for a pool and slides I’ll NEVER use.
TL;DR: Good gym for the price. Has what you need if you’re just lifting, doing circuits or cardio on a machine. Decently clean but could be improved (LIKE THAT LEAK!!! PLEASE.).

I“ve been a member for several years, going back to their old location off of Weston parkway and Harrison. I just wish I had been a regular attendee for that entire time!
Ok, on to the review.
If you’re looking to sign up, expect all the regular sales nonsense. A fee to join, monthly vs yearly, etc.
One thing to negotiate — towel service. Seems absurd to have to pay for this, but I’m guessing you can manage to get it included.
Here’s how my wife and I manage our membership. We pay for an entire year in full and it comes to about $ 32/​mo for each of us. I don’t know if that’s ‘good’, but maybe gives you something to aim for. They are in sales, and they track memberships sold per month, so the old trick of going in at the end of the month, quarter, year might help you negotiate a better rate.
For the gym itself —
Some of the exercise equipment goes for a few months in need of repair — i’m talking about things like the elliptical machines. They have TVs, but don’t always work.
Access to water fountains isn’t great. When asked about access to water on the main floor, I was advised to bring my own. OK…
The trainers all seem very professional. I’ve gotten to know them just by observing them for a few years. They stick around and seem to care for the well being of their clients.
The pool — never used it, but it seems to be pretty accessible. It’s a lap pool, don’t bring your kids here to go swimming.
The basketball court — completely separate from the 02 business. I was led to believe it was included when signing up, but that’s a different story.
My wife really enjoys the fitness classes. Get their early, the mats and weights and bikes all go quickly and the classes tend to run full. She remarks frequently that it would be nice if they had more classes throughout the day, but she manages OK.
They have a daycare, but I haven’t steeled myself to bring the 2YO in to try it out yet.

I go to O2 because its proximity to my house, but that’s about it. I used to go to this same facility when it was Impact Athletics — it was run much better then.
O2 is in a facility that is not well-​maintained. When you go in there, definitely expect to get hit on the head with drops of water from the leaky ceiling. The weight area is so tiny that you don’t have room to work. Everyone gets in each other’s way there.
I attended some spin classes there and wish I could have my time back. The classes had the worst music and the instructors automatically assumed the classes were worthwhile, but they aren’t.
The music played over the speakers is probably the worst I have ever heard in a gym. If you need to go here, definitely just bring your own music.
The staff who works there in the evenings has a few nice people, but some really rude ones as well. I’d stay away from this place unless you need to go there out of convenience.

O2 is okay, nothing to write home about.
The gym has mostly everything I need to get in a great workout. However, the facility is not very clean. There are leaks in the ceiling and the carpet is tearing in several places. The mats in the group exercise rooms are so dirty, most are brown. I’m sure they are never wiped down by staff. The group room is VERY unorganized, with mats piled up all over the place and mismatched weights stacked in the back.
With all that said, the classes are unexpectedly good. I enjoy Vinyasa Yoga with Loretta and Pilates and Inner Strength with Suzie. Those 3 classes are on the level of any high end studio in my opinion.
The staff is 50/​50, 50% lovely and friendly and 50% rude and bitchy (especially at night.) I’ve had a couple instances when I was kicked out before closing and I’ve also had the clocks changed by a staff member who thought it would be a good joke for everyone who likes to get in a late night workout.
There are not many choices as far as gyms in the area– so for now, O2 it is!

I joined this gym over a year ago when it was on Weston Parkway in Cary. Now at a new location, it’s lost some of the appeal that drew me in originally, but additional perks have kept me a member.
First off, let me say that typically, yoga at a gym is not very good. At O2 they have a couple of different classes to choose from, but their Vinyasa yoga class taught by Loretta is by far the best I’ve ever been to. The one woman keeps me coming back to the gym. Her classes are usually pretty full, her voice is calming, her classes challenging– she’s transformed by body, mind, and spirit. I have a couple of friend’s that have joined and attend Loretta’s class, and we mention her in conversation like she’s an old friend.
The other classes are ok– some good, some bad. Spin class on Wed. nights with (michelle?) are decent, but I’ve had some really lame instructors. Ab class with Mark was intense, and I would go back. Other than that I have watched some other classes and there’s nothing in particular that looks great.
The facility itself is nice– plenty of machines and equipment. There are always trainers around with clients, and the staff is very nice and friendly. They have a lap pool, and the locker rooms have a steam room and a sauna. However, most of the lockers here are always broken which can be annoying if you bring in valuables.
All in all I would recommend this gym if you go more than 2 times a week and live in the area. Hours are good and it’s clean and well kept.

I’ve been going to this O2 location for a few weeks now, and I’d have to say that I’m definitely a fan. I had been looking for an inexpensive place to try a Zumba class (or something like it) for a while. I grabbed a Free 1 Week Trial pass from O2 and managed to make it to 2 different classes after work: Sh’Bam and BodyCombat. After that, I became a real, bona fide member.
I’m a little on the less-​than-​fit side, even after losing a fair amount of weight, so I was worried about the skill level involved with some of these classes. The teachers I’ve experienced so far understand that not everybody is Jillian Michaels and they explain how to do modified versions of what everyone else is doing. Though, to my surprise and pleasure, I’ve been able to handle everything that’s been thrown at me.
After trying BodyCombat for the first time, I was hooked and hope to try some of the other Les Mills programs that O2 offers. Suzie and Colleen are great teachers and I leave completely drenched in sweat. I feel completely energized and glad to have participated. I had never tried any of the Les Mills classes before, but now I’m really glad that O2 offers them, as well as many of their own classes including yoga and spinning.
O2 also has a really nice area with standard gym equipment, a pool, locker room, sauna, etc. From what I’ve seen, everything seems to be good quality and there are a lot of people utilizing the treadmills and such.
I’d give them 1 more star if they had more of a variety of classes offered for the worker-​bee crowd. I can’t really make it to any classes until after 5, so I’d like to see more things added in the evening. Still! — I love coming to classes here when I can.

Located in a slightly off-​the-​beaten-​track building, this O2 fitness location has a little swimming pool that is great to cool off in, or pull a few laps before work. The main fitness area (with treadmills, spinning machines and the like) feels a bit like a gymnasium — which I happen to like, but it does lack the über-​modern sparkle of a few of the Raleigh locations. Still, it’s a great spot to drip some sweat before work — especially if you’ve been finding tasty BBQ restaurants in the area like I have.

I know there are people out there who love to work out and live for the chance to get to the gym as much as possible, I however am not one of those people. I’ve learned over the years that the best way to get me into a gym is to make it convenient and to have a membership at a good gym. Seriously, if you are going to spend all of that money on a membership, you need to spend it at one that offers the best that money can buy. A variety of equipment in excellent condition, tv/​music to keep you occupied while you torture yourself, a full class schedule and again variety is key, locker rooms that don’t make you feel like you are at the spa instead of at the gym… O2 Cary has all of these things and more.
I had a membership at Gold’s Gym for a year and a half, worked out with a Private Trainer for 6 months before that, and had a membership to Planet Fitness before that. Each of those offered different perks but none of them offered it all in the same location. So when I walked into O2 to see about a membership I was skeptical that it was going to be exactly what I needed. I was wrong…
I’ve broken the gym into different categories so that I could address each one:
Location: Awesome for me. Its central Cary and easy to get to, of course that is once you figure out where it is in the first place. It is hidden away a bit, you have to turn onto James Jackson from Cary Parkway and then turn onto Towerview, follow that all the way back and then voila. Once you find it the first time, its super easy to get to after that.
Cost: Appears to be average for gyms with similar amenities in the area.
Group Fitness: The class schedule is not perfect for what I’d like it to be but I don’t expect them to seriously cater the class schedule to me. There is always a class during peak times and there is definitely variety. So I grab a class when I can… The instructors are friendly and helpful and make the classes fun so thats a big plus for me! My biggest complaint, they need a separate yoga room. There aren’t enough yoga classes and the room that the group fitness is in really is not conducive to proper yoga.
Floor Equipment is all in great condition and there are plenty of machines to choose from. Several of the cardio machines have tv’s attached to them so you can zone out while you get your cardio on which is nice because it makes the time go by faster.
Personal Training: They have several trainers. Some of the prices are incredibly steep so the PTs are not a plus for me. However, you do get one free session with your membership which was nice except it made me wish I could afford to work out with a PT more often.
Pool: Yes this gym has a pool; however, the pool is not owned by O2, it is owned by Sport 2 Sport. S2S has kindly opened a couple of the lanes up for O2 members but the hours are a little weird. So I like the access to the pool but just wish it wasn’t so limited.
Childcare: They offer it but I don’t have kids so I can’t say anything more on it then that.
Locker Rooms: This may have been the seller for me. The lockers have keypad locks so you don’t need to bring one! You set the code each time you go in. AMAZING! It just makes life so much easier this way! There is a lot of space so you don’t have to fight for lockers or mirror space if you are getting ready. The locker rooms are always really clean and in good shape so that is a definite plus as well.
The #1 thing I love about O2 Fitness in Cary… Linda and her O2Ride Class. I LOVE O2Ride with Linda. Don’t get me wrong, its a tough class and I find that I’m dying for breath because I’m working out so hard, but her selection of music is fantastic! I find myself saying at least 4 times each class, «oh my gosh I LOVE this song.» Of course then by the end of the song I am saying, «I love that song better when I’m not dying while listening to it» I just feel like the class is a mix of dance/​spin, two things that I happen to like. And I always feel amazing at the end! Linda has great energy, she’s helpful, friendly and motivating, all of which are things you need if you are going to peddle the pounds away for an hour.
So to sum it up, if you are looking for a gym where you get your money’s worth and have a ton of variety for working out, then you should check out O2 in Cary. And you should definitely give Linda’s O2Ride class a try!