The Gym@Hayden

I’ve been coming to this gym since January and it is fantastic! It’s never too crowded and you always get a nice workout in. The staff are all friendly and helpful and trainers that are in the gym will often give tips to members on their form. There have been certain days where I go and I have the gym completely to myself! Best gym I’ve ever been apart of.

Pretty big for a neighborhood gym with a warehouse feel to it.
No dressing room, so if you need to change be prepared to use a stall in a pretty smelly bathroom — first for me.
«Drop in fee» is high for the establishment of this caliber.
Overall was not the best experience.
Would not recommend.

I’m not a member of this gym, but I have started working out here every Saturday, because they host an amazing MMA boot camp class here. This gym is pretty small, but let’s call it intimate, because the folks I’ve met who do use the gym, have all been really pleasant. John the owner always has an encouraging smile when I’m dragging my caffeine deprived sleepy self in to the gym for my Weekend Whooping.
There is virtually no parking in the neighborhood, except around the corner on Exposition next to a weed shop. I would not want to park over there at night, but in the mornings, it is just fine. Parking in the few stacked spaces in front of the gym may mean that somebody who is ready to leave needs to ask you to move your car in the middle of your workout, but hey, it *is* free parking. Five stars but for the parking sitch.

Great small neighborhood gym with friendly staff and patrons. Occasionally they don’t have towels, and one of the two bench presses is jammed up and not always possible to adjust, but otherwise a great no-​frills place to work out. Perfect for getting in and getting out without having to deal with lines and waiting.
Also has paid and free training/​classes.

I liked my time at the gym when I was a member.
The reason I’m rating it a 1 was when I moved and quit the gym I was still billed even though I followed all the proper instructions for leaving.
I didn’t realize I was still being billed, once I did I notified them and was told it was their mistake and I would be reimbursed. That has yet to happen (and I notified them months ago), in addition they have been pretty much unresponsive.
Its unfortunate because I was a member there for over 3 years.
But honestly their customer service stinks and I’m beyond fed up

Nick, the boxing instructor, is amazing. Jada, the class instructor, is amazing. I love the feel of this gym and how close it is to me. Thanks for being so great and close to my house. They only thing I don’t like, which has nothing to do with the gym and has not taken away from it’s rating, is that I have to walk underneath the 10 to get to the gym and it smells like piss. Ha.

Here’s an update to my original review. In full transparency to Unilocalers, I received a few messages from the owner to reconsider my review so here it is.
Since I wrote my review, I got my money back from the overcharges. I’ll admit I was pretty annoyed through the whole debacle and I had to resort to writing a review to be taken seriously. Once they did contact me they made everything right pretty quickly, although I wasn’t offered any sort of compensation for basically borrowing my money interest free for several months.
I ended up cancelling my membership after I got the money back so I can’t tell you what the gym is like now. They were remodeling their boxing ring and making some other changes when I left. The gym was great quality and everyone there was friendly. You get what you pay for (and in this case you get a great place for the high price).
John the owner is a nice guy like I said before. This whole thing was probably just an honest mistake due to the terrible billing software they use. My only issue was their lack of response to a major billing problem. All in all, I’d recommend the gym itself.

Huge, open space with vaulted ceilings, cardio equipment, some weight machines, olympic bars and plates, and lots of open floor for more «functional» training. The classes are fun and the staff is very friendly.

The BEST gym in LA by far! Please don’t be inclined to join the big gyms where EVERYONE goes and you have to wait for a machine for a ridiculous price. This is a little treasure– you will honestly not find the best owner, PTs, guys and gals on reception anywhere else in LA, these guys actually care and are just happy you went to their gym to say hello! Best location, best equipment, best and friendliest service there is, honestly, and im not even american. This place makes you want to go there everyday because the people are so damn cool. When i go to LA again– this is the only place il workout for sure. John– you rock. Wish i didnt have to leave LA. See you guys soon :) kate

Watch your credit card statements! I stopped going to this Gym years ago and they just recently tried to charge $ 299 on my CC. The whole reason I stopped going to them was that they overcharged me 3 times and it took way too many calls to their management to get it resolved. They did the same thing to my co-​worker, so clearly they have money issues.

I went to this gym to take the Pound fitness class yesterday. The Pound class is an amazingly fun workout where you use drumsticks to exercise and beat to the music. The teacher was GREAT and the class was so fun EXCEPT the people working at Hayden Gym kept interrupting to tell us to hit the sticks on the mats (which I understand, but totally took away the fun noise effects) and then came to turn our music down 3 different times. For a class where you are beating, moving to the sound of the music it became hard to do when you could barely hear the music. The gym should have its own aerobics room instead of sharing all the space.

I’m giving this gym five stars because I hope people read this review and start going to Hayden Gym! I am so thrilled this gym exists in my neighborhood, and I can’t imagine going to some corporate chain gym when this is an option. There are some things I list below under «cons» that I hope the gym works to improve, but overall I can heartily recommend it.
PROS:
No pretentious, snobby, LA gym attitudes.
I get the machines I want whenever I want them. It’s never overly crowded.
Fair price.
Owner John is super kind and helpful.
Small, «neighborhood gym» feel.
Friendly fellow members.
Natural sunlight!
Upbeat music to work out alongside.
CONS (these may or may not apply to you):
My old gym had free water bottles. Maybe I was spoiled, but it seems like that should be included if you buy the more expensive package.
Not a ton of machines. It’s small, so just make sure they have everything you need when signing up.
Very few morning workout classes and class schedules can be confusing /​subject to change.
No free personal training with sign up. I think every gym should include at least one free session, just to help you familiarize yourself with the space and machines.
Cleanliness can sometimes leave something to be desired. I love the gym, guys, but can you sweep up and dust every now and again? I know some people don’t even care, but I would appreciate it. :)

This is a nice facility where the ownership/​management is very friendly.
They have a really cool boxing ring inside, and lots of barbell/​dumbbell weights, recumbent bikes (with TV’s in front w/​closed captioning to read), a hardwood studio floor for classes, Olympic gymnastics rings, a chin up /​pull up bar, and everything I think you need to stay fit and get challenged to work out. It’s a small gym, but pound for pound it’s got a lot going for it. Most of the time I’ve been here it’s respectfully occupied with no problems for access to anything, which is good (as opposed to other gyms that oversell memberships and when you get there it’s too crowded).
They don’t have a shower (that I know of) but the bathrooms are big enough for anyone to do the «Whore’s Bath» (wet towels and rub down, dry off, then spay a little cologne and you’re good to go for the rest of the day!).
It’s located on Robertson Place near Exposition. One tip is, for those who know the area… if you park near The Gym @ Hayden in the morning or afternoon, there’s only one way out and that’s going onto Exposition that then dumps onto either turning left onto Venice, straight onto Roberson or right onto Venice all the while there’s oncoming traffic that neither stops nor yields down off the 10 Freeway off-​ramp and you’ll have a stop sign to hopefully interlock and merge to get in the lane you want to. It’s white knuckle high stress game of inches with a little defense and a bit of proactive offense too as you try to get into the lane you want. HELPFUL HINT TO AVOID THIS SITUATION… Just park on Venice Blvd towards Albertson’s (not in their tow-​away lot) in front of the Verizon store or In n Out Burger, it’s unlimited before 8am and after 6pm, with no street cleaning and is 1 hour from 8am to 6pm daily. Then from there you can walk to The Gym @ Hayden and it takes all but less than 5 minutes each way and is a good way to warm up going there and cool down leaving.
Oh, and don’t park in the spaces to the left side of the gym’s front parking lot, she’ll threaten to tow your car away.
My advice on parking a bit off site is based on a no-​fault traffic accident that culminated in probably around $ 10,000 in total mutual damages going less than 10 mph. It’s a high accident area as proven by the fact there’s an auto body shop on Exposition that touts quick estimates and repairs waiting for their customers to get into fender benders and come in daily. You’ll also save on the time and aggravation trying to get out of that area by car, when you can simply remove that x-​factor and just park further out and walk a bit and «Keep Calm and Carry On!»

I had to recently, and reluctantly, cancel due to my new proximity to work. I’ve been a member for two years now and have loved it. I was part of the 6am crowd, and the gym was always open and ready to go for me. John provided excellent customer service and I enjoyed working with the other members of the gym. It’s a great place to get fit and I loved to small, more personal experience, versus the larger corporate style gyms in West LA. It will be missed!

The reason why I came back to The Gym@Hayden was because of Camila’s classes in the mornings on Tues, Thurs, and Sat. They are tough and they make me sweat all the time. She changes it up all the time and it’s great. We never get bored. There are towels provided. There is no issues with parking for the am classes. I’ve never gone at night so I can’t tell you about that. Camila is not going to teach Saturday am classes anymore, but John or someone will do the 8:30am classes. Today John taught the class with 10 circuits and we sure got a workout too. The gym is super close to me, so that’s convenient.

I make the long commute after work for the classes… I used to belong to the Gym at Hayden when I worked in Culver City. I now live and work on the east side, but I was unable to find the same caliber of classes. Rod’s Kick Boxing class is incomparable and Camila’s Brazilian Boot Camp class is a sweat-​worthy workout. I am not one to personally motivate myself at a gym, but the classes make this commute from the east side of LA worth it. And the membership rates? Extremely affordable. It’s a wonderful community gym — and the people make it a hidden gem.

I have been a member for three years and love the gym because it’s rarely crowded, has plenty of equipment, there isn’t a wait for equipment, and offers classes.
The environment is casual and unpretentious. The gym has a much «smaller» feel when compared to larger gyms.

I love gym at Hayden although it is not at Hayden ave any more. The new place is not very far from the previous one and has a parking lot.
My husband and I were looking for a neighborhood gym with boot camp class and some cardio machines two years ago. Luckily we found this little gym and became members since then.
Camilla’s class is my favorite. She is tough but she also makes the working out full of variety and easy to learn. They also add yoga classes now so you can have a deep stretch after running on the treadmill.
Besides all that, everyone working here is super friendly. John, the owner is really nice and would give decent price discount for annual membership. The only downside is that there is no shower: P

I like my little gym. It’s not packed with grunting, stinky bodies nor screaming instructors during workout classes. There’s always plenty of room for me to work out and there’s enough equipment for me to use, too.
They have a wooden gym floor and it’s nice, new, and springy enough to do jogs on and other types of floor work.
I tend to work out on my own and I like the fact that I can come by anytime and bang out a sweaty because they are open early in the morning til late at night.
I recommend this place although there is still room for improvement such as installing showers soon. I’ve stuck with them through their move to the new place and hopefully there will be some better changes down the road.

Only reason I come to this gym is, the trainer I workout with uses this facility!
Only reason…
This «gym» lacks what most gyms have!
* Music is horrible… Mellow office music most of the time! Now with the yoga classes is even worst, lifting to the relaxing yoga music… really!!!
* Space — it’s big enough accomplish a workout but nothing more, 10 people on that gym and it gets stuffy! Hot! And most weights are gone!
* Lack of management — even small gyms have some «rules and guidelines» this is a day by day rules type of place. classes get cancelled minutes before! No notice is sent out before construction projects!
* Change Room — forget trying to workout before work. Just a restroom and that’s all! No room to change! And forget trying to wash up! No shower!
* Location — the new location is hard to find and parking at night is a major pain! And if you find it, it’s a creepy walk in the dark! Not women friendly parking!
My over all experience is negative, again my experience! Equipment breaks and take months to replace, floor took 6 months to fix! Owner takes the equipment as he needs, even if your using it. No gym etiquette, I drive 13 miles to workout out with the trainer that I truly enjoy and that’s the only reason I use this facility…
Would never pay to use this gym. L. A fitness might not be the greatest place but compared to this. Well lets just say I still have my L. A fitness membership!

Here is what you get for $ 649/​year…
9 out of 10 times they are out of towels.
A couple machines have been out of order for a while now.
They no longer have TVs since they moved. They used to have 3!
They still haven’t hung the punching bags.
They got rid of half the stationary bikes.
Watered down soap in the bathroom to prolong its life for just another week. Seriously?
Annoying tandem parking.
New classes offered, but at an additional cost!
I am not digging the new location nor the gradual increase in membership fees. It is sad because I like supporting the local/​private gyms, but I don’t think I will be renewing my membership.

Huge space with vaulted ceilings and plentiful free weights and machines.
I’m a former professional basketball player, so I know a thing or two about working out. I look for places with ample room for non-​traditional exercises (read: the stuff that’s good for you). I’ve found that at the Gym at Hayden.
Staff is courteous and, more important, unobtrusive. They leave you to your workout and mind their own business.

The Gym @ Hayden is a great find! It’s small, low key, and has a good vibe overall. The staff is nice and the facilities are great. It has everything that you need, without the attitude.
My trainer, Lee Hutson, is the best! He is extremely knowledgeable, experienced and makes you feel comfortable. Every session is different, which keeps things interesting and challenges you and your body in different ways. I have never worked harder in my life! You can always be sure that you’ll get an incredible workout each and every time. I would highly recommend Lee to anyone!

I don’t write reviews often, but The Gym@Hayden deserves one.
I could not be happier with this gym and love working out there. The staff are great – personable and helpful. The equipment is complete and in good shape and the trainers are top notch. More than anything else, though, I workout here because of the atmosphere. It’s chill, comfortable, and feels somewhat private. It’s really good.
I’m actually a little hesitant to promote the gym as it’s such a hidden gem, but they deserve some kudos, publicity, and thanks for providing such a great space and experience.