The Well

Soooo… I might need like 360 sac state students who would like to be my friend, and allow me to be their one-​time guest to this fabulous facility they refer to as THE Well. Why? Because this school gym is crackin’! It’s not one of those boring school gyms where machines are broken, weights are disorganized, small, gotta wait your turn, (or in my case-​24 hr fitness). Its two stories, indoor track, basketball, volley ball, soccer, weights, cycling, yoga, rock climbing, cardio, etc. they got it all. Well, minus a sauna/​steam room and a pool. That’s pretty close to perfect!

Equipment and facilities are very new and well kept. It has everything from boxing bags to a rock wall to an indoor soccer field. However, the weight area is unusually small for a college gym which is really disappointing. Most college students, especially men, go there for the weights so I don’t know why the weight floor isn’t bigger. If you’re a student, the membership is built into your tuition too.

Intro
i do have to say this is one of the best and cleanest gym i have been into. i feel like this is a Disneyland for the gyms. Once upon a time, there was a boy name Alex T. He was a over weight, up to 260 lbs with all sorts of health problems coming to him and waist size 42 in 2012, and wanted to go to the gym, but always had an excuse. I remember watching them build this building. I then found out they were raising tuition like crazy for the funds to this building. I was like well i have to make use of that portion of the tuition. Next thing i know i went over and remember signing up and getting my finger print scanned into the computer for future admittance in and out of the gym. Then i stepped foot in to the building and started working out! i worked out about 3 hrs and remember waking up to pain all over and felt like i was beat up! Then my body got use to it and i fell in love with workout and The Well. It forever changed my mind, body, and daily active lifestyle. I felt better about my self. i kept on getting compliments from friends and family when results were showing and this motivated me even more to go workout twice as hard. I use to say THE WELL was my second home and i would preach to it everyday. I remember i was called Mr. Starbucks by the staffs, because i would always have a Trenta Starbucks in my hand as my water bottle, also it helped me measure the amount of water i consume. But usually the first cup is plain green tea, then its all water at the end.
Layout/​vibe
Awesome layout, i think it is pretty much organized into different areas, where you exactly know what your suppose to do. I do like how they organized the bottom floor as the weight and stretching area. The top floor being the cardio area. Also having a indoor track above the basketball court, where the basketball court can transform into a indoor volleyball or badminton court. They do have a indoor soccer, to a rock climbing wall. whenever i walk in here, the vibe i have in here was try to get fit and improve on my better self.
indoor track
i always love to use this track on rainy days. i like to use this track to train myself on sprints and for agility. I also like to use it as a warm up of the body and run 2 miles before i head to the cardio machines. also while your running you get a view of the basketball court /​badminton courts as well.
Weight area
The weight area can be crowded at times. Lots of men usually use this vs. the women. There are lots of weight machines and free weights available for weight training.
Cardio area
There are many machines in here. I usually love the treadmill to run a few good miles in. Also love the elliptical while watching some movies on the built in tv screen on the machines. Also i like the bicycle machines where you really get a good sweat on and work on them legs as well. I think the cardio area really helped me slim me down a lot.
Locker rooms
There are regular men and women lockers. Meaning where everyone inside the gym can access them. with independent shower stalls with a curtain. The individual lockers do have built in automatic number code password lock, where you create your own number combination. The lockers are usually roomy enough to fit your backpack and gym bag and some lockers are a bit larger that can fit a skateboard inside.
There is also a cabana room where the locker room was coed. The cabana room does required a password to enter in here. the cabana room is made more accessible to handicap wheel chair or for people who wants private shower rooms. Also the cabana room have 4 stalls which you get your own private restroom with shower. room. yes lockers/​bathroom stalls were usually filled up quick due to limited space.
Classes /​TRX
They do offer classes such as yoga and other cardio or weight training classes and those are usually paid for in the beginning of the semester. They do have free classes or test outs on the first 2 weeks of the semester, before you make up your mind on what you want to sign up for.
The End
Before i have to end the review. i have spent over a yr and a working out at the well and i have lost a total of 85 lbs and lost up to 7 inches of waist. i had come here at least 3 to 5 days a week spending a minimum of 2 hrs. where i divided the time 1 hr of cardio, 30 mins of warm up and cool down and stretching. also 30 mins on weights. Ate healthy/​or pretty much what i want but smaller portions and multiple meals. only tea and water. overall you have to spend time to get what you want. Also a powerful mind to control what you should eat or don’t eat, and set small goals so you fulfill the accomplishments. Also stay positive and patience and wait for results to show. Thanks for reading. hope your inspired to go workout more often. Just go!, no excuse! is what i have to repeat every day and have it as a screen saver on my phone.

Pros:
–Updated facility
–New and clean equipment
–Two (or more?) floors for workout
–Friendly welcome upon entering
–Many different sections of cardio equipment (on both 1^st and 2^nd floor)
–Weekly classes available to take
–Personal trainers available
–Mainstream music playing throughout the rooms
–Dancing rooms
–Raquetball courts
–Indoor track on the 2^nd floor
–Check-​out equipment
–Lockers available on every floor
Cons:
–Peak hours = Waiting for equipment
–Showers can be cleaner
If you are a student here at Sac State, be sure to take advantage of this center. Your semester fees go into this, so might as well use it!

I’ve only been to a couple other gyms and those ones are in small towns, so it is hard to compare The Well to those places. So far, this is one of the best gyms that I have been to. Of course, there can always be more improvements, but it has just about everything that I could need and want. Not to mention, I pay way too much money for tuition at Sacramento State so I try to take advantage of everything that I pay for.
The Well is always pretty packed, but I highly recommend to never go around 6 pm. It is just unbearable. Half the people in there are just standing around just to wait for a machine or weight to be free for them to use. But if you make the right choice and go at a time where traffic hours are low, then your workout can fly by.
There is a lot to offer here. Intramural sports, free weights, machine weights both upstairs and downstairs, an indoor track, cardio room, racquetball courts, basketball courts, volleyball/​soccer courts, locker rooms, rooms with mirrors for various activities such as dance or yoga, a rock climbing wall, a boxing room, an equipment desk that lets you borrow balls, jump ropes, towels, etc, and more!
The staff is pretty friendly and always quick to help you with your needs. If you get injured or sick, The Well also has a wellness center so you can get checked up there too. You can also get your flu shots there as well. Many meetings are also held here and even cooking demonstrations are held here at certain times.
Unfortunately, The Well is not a 24 hour gym. It closes on weekdays at midnight, 10 on fridays and sundays, and 8 on saturdays. I guess since it is student staffed, some free time for them would be nice. It is also has restricted hours during break periods that reflect the school system. If you are a Sac State student and haven’t been to The Well, you’re wasting your money! Go!

+3 Good lighting. Offers natural sunlight
+3 Equipment: Well maintained and
+2.0 showers and storage
+1.0 Free Towel Service
— — — — — — +9
–2: The music selection is distractive.
–0.5 For long waits during peak hours
–1.0 Some staff members are not helpful
— — — — — — - –3.5
Overall rating: 5.5 /​10

The Well is an amazing place for serious athletes and body builders. There are four full courts got playing basketball on and the courts are very well maintained. There’s also all types of workout machines for those who want to get in shape, not to mention an indoor track circling the basketball courts! All in all a great place for a serious athletes!

So this three star rating is based on the alumni packages they give post graduation. They say in order to get a pro rated alumni discount you must sign up for the alumni association membership, but they never actually check to see if you signed up, which seems unfair and greedy to me. Also, if you attended while the well was being built you get a pro-​rated discount for however many months your fees paid for it being built. The catch: you must use all the months consecutively and you must purchase at least 2 months at a time (they don’t tell you this until you give them your card). Of course, parking is an issue as well. Why do I have to pay 6 dollars to park in an empty parking lot when I already spent around 27 grand on my education here. Ok. Rant over. Besides the alumni membership issues, the well is a great place to work out with tons of equipment and friendly staff. The only downside is that it is very crowded most of the semester so it’s hard to get sets in and many use the Well as a social hour rather than working out. To sum it up: Great place to go as a student, horrible as an alumni.

I love the well, but I wish they had other stuff like a pool and sauna.
Some of the best features of the well is the large space and multiple basketball courts that are in the gym. There is always pick up games going on here on the first court, so roll through with your homies to run 5 on 5 full court.
This place gets pretty packed around 5−7pm, but there is plenty of equipment and lots of alternative machines and free weights to go around.
The well consists of two floors, the first lower floor is where the majority of the benches and free weights are, there is also a boxing equipment room where you can use a heavy punching bag. There is also a padded area where you are able to rock climb! On the lower floor you are also able to rent towels from the 2 desks and rent equipments such as basketballs, racquetball equipment, rock climbing stuff, etc.
On the lower floor the majority of machines are found here, but you can also find some on the second floor.
The second floor has a few raquetball rooms, a large indoor section above the basketball gym where you can run a few laps, and a section of the gym where there is lots of machines for cardio. They have the strider, elliptical, treadmill, stepmaster, cycles, etc. They also play music softly in the background so you can listen to that if you forgot your headphones at home.
On the second floor there is also a hidden section where there is everything you need for a full body workout, this is behind the cycling room, and dance room. There is also more treadmills facing the basketball courts upstairs.
The gym consists of a boys and girls locker room and a cabana room.
There is also a room that is either used for soccer or for volleyball.
The last things I want to mention is the well offers a place where you can purchase glasses, a health center for students on campus, a cooking class section, and a place to get some healthy food. All of these put the finishing touches on a 5 star gym for a campus.

What more can I say about the WELL?
It’s basically the main attraction at Sac State and one of THE BEST gyms I have ever been to. The staff is absolutely great especially with the little things such as locating buildings or finding certain numbers to different places on campus. The entrance is overwhelming when you first walk in with it’s high ceiling. To the right you have a great area in which we call the Lounge for students to chill, study, sleep, relax, etc. To the right we have the Optometry center, the Cove, and the Health and Services center.
The Optometry center offers one free eye exam to the students of Sac State and their UC Berkeley grad students working there are absolutely amazing. You can also purchase your eye glasses or contacts if you’d like from there as well.
The Cove offers free cooking classes for students. Just go down the hallway to your right and they’ll provide you with the times and classes available.
The Health and Services center is basically like a mini hospital on campus. They can help you with whatever your ailment is and the only thing you may need to pay for is medication at the Pharmacy.
That’s just the front of the WELL. Let’s get started with the gym itself!
As you pass by the turnstiles you are greeted by a huge rock wall and a state of the art performance center to the right. They offer equipment and towel rentals for students and members. Just remember to return it to the same desk you got your item from or you will be charged a fee.
YOU WILL BE CHARGED A FEE SO RETURN IT TO THE SAME DESK.
Other than that you also have the Gym Box which offers 4 basketball courts. 3 which are open to basketball and one open to either badminton or volleyball. Across from the Gym Box is the MAC Court or in other words our multi-​purpose court. Within the multipurpose court you can have a wide array of sports played in there but mainly for indoor soccer. Other sports include indoor football, basketball, badminton, volleyball, etc. We also have the Intramural Sports Resource center if you’re ever interested in playing in a IM league and also a men’s and women’s locker room. We also offer a cabana room in which it’s a little bit more personalized area for students to go if they feel self conscious. Just ask the Equipment desk for the code. As for weights we have a wide array of machine weights and free weights. we also have a great sunken area in which we hold TRX band classes and a big space if you need to move with your weights. The free weight area also includes 4 squat racks and one Olympic lifting platform.
This is only the first floor of the WELL. Let’s get started with the second.
The Second floor offers a Indoor 200m track, a personalized lifting area, three fitness suites for classes, 4 racquetball courts, and a cardio suite.
The 200m track is a great place to get some running in if your don’t like the cardio machinery or maybe perhaps if the weather is ballistic outside. The personalized lifting area used to be the lounge but they moved that downstairs due to the fact students were complaining that they had to wait too long to get their workout in. It’s great that the WELL professional staff actually listens to the students and provide what is needed for them. The fitness suites are used for classes offered at the WELL and one is usually open if a class is not occurring. The racquetball courts are state of the art and offer little cubbies on the side to protect your personals such as keys, cell phone, etc. last but not least the cardio suite is amazing with ellipticals, bikes, stairmasters, and rowing machines. The main feature of the cardio suite is that the ellipticals donate electricity to the power grid of Folsom and 65^th thanks to SMUD.
They also offer Family Rock Climbing for the community members on Saturdays 10 – 3 if you’re interested.
Other than that the WELL is an amazing place to chill, workout, network, and relieve stress.
5 stars all day EVERYDAY.

I started going to the Well soon after it was built. Vast improvement over that one weight room in Yosemite hall we had to deal with in 2009.
Excellent space. I’ve been through many local fitness clubs in the area and a handful of 24 HF locations up and down the west coast and the Well has been my favorite.
PROS:
–Respectable free weight area. Squat racks, benches, a platform, wide range and selection of dumbbells, kettlebells, and useful resistance machines. My understanding is this area has grown recently.
–Locker room was almost always clean.
–Indoor track was great for interval running, I don’t like treadmills as much.
–Cardio equipment upstairs was also pretty great, rock wall is excellent.
–Medical facilities are convenient. Also having a pharmacy, café, and optometrist accessible from the same lobby is neat.
–Gym-​goers are pretty chill, compared to 24 downtown. Not really hostile or as gendered between free weights and cardio sections.
–Hours are good.
CONS:
–Like most gyms, gets slammed in the early evening. Dealt with it before but I’ve heard it’s gotten worse.
–No practical way for a grad to access this gym regularly. There is an alumni membership, but you’ll have to pay to park. If you do so regularly, your parking costs will eventually be greater than your gym membership.
If you’re a student, you should definitely make this your main gym. Trying to keep it your main gym after graduating is going to be expensive and impractical, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Possibly the best gym i’ve ever been to and best in Sacramento. Plus it’s free for students. The well has everything. Dumbbells that go up to 150, check. 11 Squats racks, check. Olympic platform with bumper plates, check. This place has it all for serious lifters including free BJJ tuesday nights.

The facilities here are the best I’ve experienced in sacramento. I’ve had difficulties getting machines (depending on when you go). I also am not a big fan of how they require you to not have your gym bag with you while your working out but do not always have enough lockers to put your gym bag up. I also feel the staff seen generally slow and somewhat complacent. Every time I’ve checked out a towel the majority of the staff seem to give me a blank stare or are socializing with their co-​workers rather than ask if I need anything. I would rate the facilities as a five and the customer service as a two.

I love the place. They basically have everything… From weights, treadmills, rock climb to basketball hoops. I just forgot my bracelet in the locker, came back and didn’t see it, checked with lost and found but nothing…

This gym compares to the ARC (Activities & Recreational Center) at UCD with state of the art machines, indoor track, racquetball courts, rock wall, etc., however there are definitely MORE cardio & weight lifting machines here…& MORE students working out of course. Super packed on weekday evenings.
Pros: –Great place to workout because of all the great equipment available.
–Wide range of workout rooms.
–TVs in every room + on almost every machine.
–Free if you’re a student.
–Affordable if you’re alumni/​not affiliated.
–Great security barriers/​gates at the front desk. Lol. (Must workout 5ever!) Including fingerprint scan.
–Nice locker rooms/​bathrooms.
–Employees do routine checks of rooms.
Cons: –Can be super packed in the afternoon & evening.
–If you’re a workout hermit like me, meaning you like to workout in your own little bubble or space, this isn’t the place.
–Can get humid and hot at times due to huge population all in one building.
–Can’t have your small workout sack/​bag at the machine with you, if an employee sees, they’ll come up and nicely ask if it can be put in a cubby on the sidewall. (It’s Sac…, I really can’t trust my bag in that cubby without staring at it the entire time I’m working out & it’s too small to put it in a locker).
–Reminds me of another big name gym that is open all day/​night. Lol.

Went to the well for the first time ever because my friend dragged me to workout with her. I usually like going to my local gym, 24 hour fitness but since it’s apart of my tuition and I pay for The Well, might as we’ll check it out once.
It was so nice. It has just about everything! A running track, basketball court, racket ball rooms, rock climbing, locker rooms with locks so you don’t have to bring your own, and you can check out towels. They also have a variety of different equipments. The one thing I don’t like was how crowded it was. It was so crowded I had to wait for the machines I wanted to use. Sucked cause I felt like I spent an extra 30 mins there just waiting for machines to open up or weights or mats. Overall I think id come back once in a while, id probably stick with my gym though because at 24, it’s not as busy and the classes are free. You have to pay for yoga class and stuff here at The Well.

I still maintain that The Well is a great facility for Sac State students, there are just a few things I wish they would improve on.
1. The check-​in process. It seems like even though I do have a membership, I go to scan my finger when I walk in and I always have to wait for them to manually check me in with the computer. I don’t know if it’s a glitch in the system, but I’ve come here a total of 3 times in the past couple of weeks and the same problem happens every time.
2. The weights area. I love the machines that are offered, it just sucks that there’s only one of each kind so when it gets busy you have to wait a while to get through your round of machines, depending on how many people want to use the same ones. Kind of a bummer.
3. The locker rooms. I think the locker rooms are awesome, but I feel this is the one area of The Well that they could have designed a little better. I have no problems with the shower or bathroom area, it’s the locker area. For the number of students that attend Sac State (which is A LOT), you would think that they would have doubled the size of the locker rooms. Getting a locker is kind of a hassle because a lot of the time, they’re all occupied and you have to wait for someone to come in and leave. I also wish that the locking system was manual instead of digital. I do appreciate that I don’t have to bring my own lock, but sometimes the locking mechanism can be a little faulty. And a lot of them are broken and need to be repaired.
I still love The Well and come here now and then, but I still prefer to do my weights at 24 Hour Fitness instead of here simply because it gets too crowded.

What! The running and elliptical machines have individual fans in them… I never knew such contraption could exist!
Really impressed with all the amenities of Sac State’s gym such as:
— nifty, accessible, «no locker» lockers
— machines have «counters» to count your reps
— the fans in the running machinese
— basically all the gym equipment you can think of (or so it seems)
— rock climbing wall (that is free!)
Being a very casual gymmer, I was thoroughly wowwed by all the cool features this gym offers. I thought UCD’s gym was pretty good… but Sac State’s gym definitely beats that!
Downside… I’m not a Sac State student so I won’t be able to return whenever I want, but current students can bring in one guest for free/​semester.
Thank goodness I have two sibs going there right now! Must take advantage…

I forgot how it feels to be an overly privileged and self righteous college student…
…damn, I miss those days!
This review is for their 5K Sac State run (don’t quote me on the exact title of the run). I didn’t actually step one foot into this highly-​rated «well»!
My first mishap was with the packet pick-​up. Obviously catering toward the college crowd, however this run is open to all members of the local community — so TW hours are quite limited for those who work — even worse, commuters! So as I was having the Bestest pick up the packet, we ran into some issues. The snarky little college girl was very rude and un-​helpful in every way. She was hard to work with and when we did what she asked, she still refused to help…
Needless to say… a call was placed to the manager who promptly took care of my packet-​pick up, with a second trip back to TW. Twice in one day, I was definitely irritated that I made the Bestest have to revisit this place again — lo siento Krystle R.
As for the actual run, the only issue that stands out which is a HUGE issue in my mind — is there were NO MILE MARKERS! Seriously… its about the 4^th time they’ve hosted this run (again, don’t quote me on this), but you’d think by now they’d have gotten that down.
In case you didn’t see the bagillion signs, Muscle Milk was definitely a sponsor. This was the most branded run I’ve been too… signage at almost every half mile. I’m okay with that, especially since you got a free sample after the run!
Free parking was a plus, even though it was at the top of the garage. It’s free, so I can’t really complain. Also, a fairly inexpensive 5K, when compared to the others that happen during the year. I love, love, love that it was a mid-​weekday, evening 5K — definitely spicing up my work week :)
Not-​so-​FUN run… but at least it was exercise!
Cal Poly would have done it better… just sayin’!

Unemployed, uninsured students unite! We have basic health coverage, counseling services, wellness classes, a discounted pharmacy, support groups, annual eye exam (with discounted specs and contacts), nutritionists and so much more! (Most services are already paid for by our student fees)
A clean gym with state-​of-​the-​art equipment AND an overabundance of natural sunlight throughout! Oh — and did I mention Polynesian Dance? Zumba?
Happy happy joy joy!