The Columbia Gym

Limited space, old equipment, rude staff, crazy monthly rates. More appropriate for 65+ ppl

Contracts and the pricing for people who do not live in the CA community are outrageous. You can get membership for 2 people at others gyms for the price they require. They do not offer discounts to teachers who teach in their area. It is a snooty gym, with nothing but stay at home moms who work out ²⁴⁄₇. I will say the staff is great and the gym is clean, small, but clean.
If you are a female, you should get the women’s package plus plan so you have a private separate area to workout and stretch. Going to the main area gym and stretching area you will find high school students there and it’s not the most comfortable to stretch in front of them especially if you’re a young adult.
Overall, unless you’re fine with a contract… don’t sign up. The cancellation fees are high and you must provide proof of why you are leaving. So if you say financial hardship, they require you email evidence, or they will not let you cancel (craziest thing I have ever heard)

Great gym, love it!!! allows my kids to have a place to play basket ball and work out with me.

The Columbia Gym is not the best… not the worst either.
The equipment is sufficient and plentiful. Routinely cleaned. There are two packages.
For CA Residence: Package Plan Plus: they often have 20% off deals so the monthly pricing would be $ 59/​month. It also gives you membership to the woman gym, tennis clubs and golf facilities, and 4 guest passes. All options require a one year commitment.
Package Plan: monthly pricing $ 42/​month. It limits your access only to the communal gym.

IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 65 OR NOT A BORED HOUSEWIFE, then the Columbia Association is NOT for you. As a resident of Columbia, I tried out a few gyms locally that were part of the Columbia Association. Most recently, I worked out at the COLUMBIA GYM in Clarksville, MD and had an appalling experience. I was working out on a random weekday off in the middle of the day, had completed my cardio workout and was stretching and doing ab exercises on their large stretching area in the main gym. I was the only person in the area at the moment doing crunches in the upper left corner, and a woman came up to me and asked me to move. I politely told her no, but reassurred her that I would be done in a few minutes and that there was plenty of space throughout the rest of the stretching area. She stood up and like an immature child stated «I just love reporting people!» and ran up to the manager at the front desk. She and the manager returned back to the area, and the manager walked through the middle of the empty space and asked that I move over further into my corner. This was inappropriate, the manager should have informed the member that there were plenty of other spaces to stretch, but became fixated on asking me to move and stated that I need to be «considerate» and share the space. Not only did the woman move her stretching mat practically on top of me, but proceeded to get up again and return back with 2 managers who asked me to move again! Once I completed my workout, I left. I got in contact with the head of the sports and fitness department, Bob Bellamy, who initially gave me a standard, but fake, apology, and then spent 15 minutes perseverating about how long he worked at the Columbia association and how many friends he had there. After the fake apology, he stated that he had spoken to one of his «friends» who happened to be working out at that time and noted that I could have moved over because I had a «few inches» to spare from the end of the corner. Unfortunately, I have been to the some of the other Columbia Association gyms before and have had other bad experiences. It seems to me that the Columbia Association does the exact opposite of what they state on their website regarding diversity and inclusion, do not encourage new membership, and simply aim to please a certain clientele. Therefore, I will continue to drive the 60 miles roundtrip and continue to be a member of the Merritt Athletic Club, where the facilities and customer service are top-​notch.