Gold’s Gym

Been a member to different types of gyms all over Seattle and this gym has the greatest bang for your buck by far. The Staff have been really helpful. I checked out on there website that you could sign up online but it includes an extra cost for two personal trainer visits. I went in instead and said I didn’t need the personal trainer visits and they took it off the bill without any pushback or the typical salesman push for the up-​charge that you get just about everywhere else.
Clientele is cool as well, never feel any judgment and its never hard to get a spot. If you live or work close enough I would definitely recommend this spot.

Gym is okay. Had security issues on my card while traveling and missed a payment. They were unwilling to work with me and I ended up having to pay $ 160 for two months of my membership. Will be looking for a new gym in the next few months.

I go to this gym because it’s close to where I live and I like the group fitness classes offered. The facilities are okay and often pretty dirty. Towel service is available but unreliable. Also, for those of you thinking of signing up, THE BUILDING AND LAND WAS SOLD AND WILL BE DEMOLISHED:
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Good customer service can go a long way, but unfortunately, my experience with this establishment has been lackluster. I pay for my dues with EFT because you are charged a fee when paying with credit card (something management failed to mention when I signed up). My credit card recently expired and for some reason the self-​identified «Front Desk Lead» has been harassing me about updating my card. I have informed him several times now that I do not intend on updating my card because I’m paying by EFT and that should suffice (in fact, it is better for the gym because the membership dues are drawn directly from my account). Additionally, another front desk employee told me, without me asking, that I didn’t need to update my card for that reason. Furthermore, I have informed the Lead on several occasions that my membership agreement does not require me to provide a credit card. My only obligation is to pay, which I have done every month without fail. Last week, the Lead tried to intimidate me into doing it by identifying himself as Front Desk Lead, and today, he again tried to intimidate me into doing it by having this discussion with me loudly at the front desk in front of other people, including the guest I brought. He was rude, condescending, and clearly getting frustrated as his only explanation for needing a new card was, «it’s for our system.» So basically, «we need it because we need it.» Last I checked, you cannot arbitrarily require someone to provide secure financial information just because «we need it.» Someone needs a lesson on customer service and perhaps contract interpretation. I do not recommend this gym to anyone.

This is a hardcore gym, and by hardcore I mean there are no additional frills aside from the essential free-​weights, machines, and a smattering of classes offered — they have anything from yoga, spinning, to body pump. Basically, this is my kind of gym.
I love this place! People come here for the sole purpose of working out, and they work out hard. I have seen various body shapes, a spectrum of ages, and there is no prejudice shown. How can you when you see everyone sweating and working out like berserkers?! (JK, not everyone looks that intense, but you get the picture.) This gym may not be for everybody, and that’s ok, but for the few of us who go in, get our sweat on, and continue with our lives, this is the place to go.

Good gym if you just wanna train. Nothing fancy, kinda old. But I like it that way. Members go to workout, never noticed any creepers. Old school iron plates but also bumper plates and a platform. Great gym if you wanna deadlift and squat. I moved away and can’t go anymore. Had to join a LA Fitness which I despise. I wish there was a Gold’s Gym in Renton.
Note: The room for classes could use new flooring. Some of the dumbbells and preweighted barbells need replaced. They’re melted and stick the rack or floor.

Pretty great gym. Nothing too fancy. I go at a variety of hours and am always able to get on the equipment I want. I have also gone to a couple of classes (included with membership) and the instructors are all knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
There are large muscled ppl at this gym but the environment is still pretty including and easy-​going. Tons of parking and good hours during the week. The staff are pretty nice and they won’t continually haggle you to buy/​try stuff if you don’t express any interest. There is a kid’s daycare center there but I don’t know anything about that.

I have been a member for a little over a year. The gym itself is fine for the cost. There is a lot of cardio equipment and there is never a wait for it. I do wish it had longer hours on the weekends for those of us who work.
The biggest issue I have is with some of the staff. They carry on loud personal conversations from across the gym with each other… that you can hear every word of even when you are working out upstairs… with headphones on. There is one guy (he seems like one of the managers) who is the worst about this. I know way too much about his personal life. A couple of days ago when I got there he was reading a customer complaint email out loud and he and the trainers were all laughing about it. Super professional.

No frills, all inclusive without the hidden costs. Golds isn’t glamorous but they do the job right for the price.
Pros
+Tons of parking — never full
+Friendly staff
+$ 25 for a membership is hard to beat (doesn’t hurt to haggle still)
+Plenty of equipment to go around during peak hours
+Cycle and other workout classes included (gf enjoys them)
Cons
–No early bird or late night weekend hours
–No sauna or steam room, not really a surprise for the price
–Showers rooms smell pretty bad occasionally
–No longer affiliated with capitol hill or downtown branch
Decent gym if you’re in the market. However, Golds is a haven for bros and meatheads to grunt and drop weights so if that makes you uncomfortable I would suggest a different gym.

Completely bogus. Stay away.
This gym used to be affiliated with the Gold’s downtown which was great if you lived in North Seattle but worked downtown. Unfortunately as of the beginning of this year they split and you could only have a membership with one or the other. My girlfriend and I originally signed up with the downtown gym, and were told that if we switched to the North Gym after the split that they would take care of cancelling our accounts and cover the early cancellation fee. I took them at their word and didn’t verify that the downtown account was indeed canceled. I recently found out, now 5 months later, that all they did was sign us up with their gym and didn’t cancel our downtown accounts. So I have been paying DOUBLE for 5 months. I called the gym and was told a GM would call me back. After not receiving a call back for hours I had to track down the GM to get the story, and as you might guess, she essentially said ~sorry! not my problem!~
Do not believe anything the sales people tell you unless you get it in writing. Completely unscrupulous, unprofessional behavior.

This gym is great!!! From the more than personable and friendly front desk staff that always remembers your name, to the GM who is always around working his ass off & trying to make the gym a better place! This is my primary gym now and I always feel comfortable bringing friends/​family to check it out n sign up! Good affordable gyms are hard to find and THIS is one of them! Give it a shot! No big contracts required, month to month is fine and if you want to cancel your membership you don’t need to give a thousand days notice or cancel your credit card!:)

Has everything I need, I’ve been a member for close to 5 years and love it. The only thing I wish they had is a sauna lol but otherwise they have towel service and plenty of squat racks :)

I’ve been a member of a few different gyms in Seattle and the surrounding metro area… but Gold’s Seattle is my final stop!
The facilities, the staff, the trainers, and the members are all fantastic! Did I mention the staff… Conner, Jose, DIon, Darrell, and all the rest :-) — each one of them is extremely friendly and incredibly helpful. The members are great too! A Gold’s Gym may conjure up an image in your mind of muscle bound/​body building gym rats… but that is not the case here. Sure there are a few big dudes there and some women that could bench more than most… but I’ve never met a more encouraging, friendly, & welcoming group of people. If you’re looking to join a fitness center/​gym start (and stop) here!

Not a bad gym. I wouldn’t say it is exactly 2.5 stars. Instead, it is more likely ranked 3.5 stars (I rounded up). I like that this gym is tucked on the corner and has its own parking lot. It feels like it is in a less sketchy neighborhood because it is away from the busy streets of Aurora.
The staff who work here are pretty nice. They usually greet you when you come in and say goodbye when you leave. The locker rooms are relatively clean. I wouldn’t say it is the cleanest but it is decent.
I usually work out around 6 p. m during the peak hours. It gets pretty competitive to get a treadmill on the bottom floor because there are only two with tvs in the entire facility. I wish they would update their machines so that all of the treadmills have a tv screen. The ellipticals downstairs all have tvs equipped on the machines. During the peak hours, it gets a little smelly and stuffy because of all the people’s sweat. It does get a little gross. Also, there are a lot of people grunting and making sounds all around the gym. You definitely get the feeling that there are a lot of peacocks strutting their stuff around the gym showing off their muscles. The ratio of men to women are much higher so if you’re a woman, you definitely feel more self-​conscious.
The best part of this gym is that they have all the channels galore on the machines with tvs. I loved watching the goo channels that I don’t have at home like the Food Network or E. I like coming to this gym a lot. Not bad for $ 29.99.

I live across from the gym so the gym is convenient. The parking lot is MASSIVE and it’s never full. The gym can definitely expand to add more amenities to it.
I have been too three of the Gold Gym’s in Seattle and this gym is the least busy, which is a plus for those looking to not wait for machines or equipment. I work out in the evenings and I enjoy it. It’s never too crowded and the lady at the front is ever so friendly.
The machines and equipment are well kept. There are many areas throughout the gym with sanitary wipes which I like. I am a bit anal when it comes to wiping down equipment before and after a workout.

I would’ve preferred an inexpensive one month pass. I didn’t deal with any of the sales staff when I signed up, so I didn’t get any bullshit offers for personal training or any shit like that. It was fairly straightforward, we’ll see about cancellation, but.
Why would I want to cancel? There are squat racks, and more than one. That’s all that matters. There’s even an oly platform with bumper plates and a bar that rolls with your wrists. I’m in love, and I’m guessing all the negative reviews are from people who don’t even lift.
There are a lot of creepy old narcissistic dudes walking around muttering to themselves and curling in the squat racks, so I can understand other people feeling alienated, but I’m not going to be intimidated — it helps to be bigger than them.

Signing-​up and quitting were pretty easily done.
I had a short-​term membership with them as I was in the process of moving. I was able to call and cancel the continuation of services pretty easily. They gave me a number when I signed-​up. So that part went really well. They did ask me why I was ending my membership. Seemed like a fair question, it’s alway nice to know why I guess.
However, working out there was … weird. Most of the trainers seemed pretty… hmm…hyper-masculine and there were no female trainers for weight-​lifting. I only ever saw one woman weight-​lifting there. Otherwise I was the only person I saw who was female and lifting weights. Most women seemed to keep to the upper mezzanine where all the cardio equipment was kept.
And of course if you attended the peak hours of the morning or evening you would see all these burly guys weight-​lifting and being aggressive toward one-​another. It did not seem like a very friendly place to work-​out. People just seemed really irritated with each other, I think because it was so extremely packed during those peak hours.
Some were really territorial about equipment they were not actively using. I offered to keep the weight they were using on the bar and just jump in and do a set while they were walking around the gym, resting somewhere else, or talking nearby with a friend/​work-​out buddy. However, they were like rabid dogs with bones. If you got near the equipment they were «using» they would run over, shoo you away, or become very confrontational by stepping very close to you and speaking very loudly.
So, in conclusion, there didn’t seem like an active manager to help minimize bullying, the place seemed kind of dirty/​disorganized, and the equipment was in poor condition. There were also certain types of equipment promised when I joined and it never arrived, specifically 100lb plates for weight-​lifting. Boo. The plates only went up to 45lbs.

What a headache it is even finding out a membership price. All I wanted was a ballpark figure, but before they could reveal such classified information I had to give them a name, phone number, my fitness goals (what the hell do you think my goals are? Lose muscle and gain weight? Train for a hot dog eating contest? I’m at a gym, genius, draw your own conclusions), colonic map, and a bunch of other tedious details.
Then it was all, «So, Mr. Austerity, what time can you come down tomorrow so we can talk about a membership?» Just. Give. Me. A. Price. I understand your business model, Mr. Gold’s Gym Sales Bro, you archetype of all that is tacky and pushy about meaningless sales jobs. This is why gyms like Planet Fitness are so popular; they don’t play games – they have a piece of paper with prices, and can produce them for interested parties on demand. What a concept! It also helps that such prices don’t fluctuate depending on which employee you talk to. Alas, there’s not one of those close to me, which is why I’m slogging through the other big chain gyms in my area.
I can pick up and put down heavy things at a number of places in Seattle. Here was your chance to stand out and gain a client that isn’t swayed with elementary, cliched sales tactics, and you dropped the medicine ball.
If you can endure their time-​share/​cutco/​pyramid scheme-​inspired mentality and manage to suffer through their generic, idiotic pitch, you’ll find a gym that’s not crowded, with a reasonable amount of equipment, and plenty of parking (albeit in a crappy part of town). There’s no pool, but I’m sure for the right price one of the employees will rent you a towel and tell you how to get to Green Lake if you fancy a dip.

One of my favorite things about this gym, is that it’s never crowded! Being that it’s January, and all the newbies are hitting the gym to start their 2014 New Years resolutions, this is quite impressive! Doesn’t matter if it’s morning or after work, I can pretty much always get the equipment I want.
Classes are pretty good, but they don’t have as many classes as some of the other Gold’s locations. I really like classes, so wish they had more classes & that they offered a few classes at 7:30 or 8pm like Body Pump or Zumba.
Most of the staff are pretty nice and helpful, and not in your face like other gyms are. I definitely don’t like aggressive sales pitches, and luckily have not gotten that.
I do wish they were connected to all other Gold’s Gyms like 24-​Fitness is. When I was a 24-​Hour Fitness member I would typically go to the Downtown Seattle location twice per week, the Bellevue location once per week, Northgate once per week, and Lynnwood maybe once every 2 – 3 months. Due to my work & personal life I am all over the Puget Sound (Seattle, Bothell, Everett, Lynnwood, Des Moines, Redmond, Bellevue, Renton) so it would be nice that if I’m in Redmond for the day I could use the Redmond Gold’s gym instead of driving to Totem Lake (Kirkland) which is the closest club that is connected with this North Seattle club.
But overall, I really like this club a lot! It’s got almost everything I need (I could really use a sauna!).

Eww! (That pretty much sums it up)
In addition to broken archaic equipment and did I mention the smell? Absolutely horrible. How about the clientelle? Lets see, you have pimps, ho’s, crack smokers, weirdo’s, homeless bums and meatheads on rhoids. You might as well change the name from Gold’s Gym to Skid Row.

I’ve been a loyal member since 1997, even when they «lost» my membership once and had to sign up again. (But they kept the rates and conditions the same.)
Being a long-​time member, I don’t get the sales pitch as some newer members might. But I know the sale staff can be aggressive in selling their training sessions and in their memberships.
There is a ton of equipment, especially the free weight selection, which is one of the most comprehensive I’ve seen. I also like the fact that — at least, during the times I go — nobody is hassling me. This is not a meat /​meet market. Most people are very serious about working out hard here.
It also seems like, after years, the gym is finally getting a facelift by painting the building and fixing some of the equipment. That being said, I’ve no idea how Gold’s makes money, as the place is never full when I go (granted, it is HUGE), and it is well-​stocked with equipment.
I’m glad there are bad reviews for the place, as it means there won’t be hoards of people flocking to this gym anytime soon. I’ve thought about changing gyms to some place closer to home and work, but have always come back to Gold’s.