Olympic Athletic Club

This is a best in class club, from the professionalism of the staff, cleanliness of the venue, quality of amenities (love the family pool), service and responsiveness of the front office, and intention of keeping the member enrollment to a certain number so it doesn’t ever feel crowded. I truly felt like I was in a resort and spa.
I wish there were more locations in WA. I highly recommend OAC to anyone (singles, couples, and families) and wouldn’t say that about other establishments.
The one thing that I wish would be different is offering more parking for members. Parking in Ballard is tight, so I understand the situation.

Totally unimpressed with this gym as a whole. Like many other things in Seattle, the quality of the space ranges from decent to really nice, and the people who use and serve that space range from mediocre to downright unbearable.
Pros: They’re open 24 hours. I go late at night when few people are there so I rarely have to share equipment/​interact with the unsavory types that use the gym. They also have a pretty nice lap pool with a hot tub, and the locker room has a hot tub, dry sauna, and steam room. The night desk worker and night custodian are very kind and welcoming.
Cons: Standing water in locker rooms, dirty showers, small scratchy towels, but the overarching issue is the unresponsive and incompetent management. They never forget to charge my credit card every month but seem to have issues acknowledging very simple member requests such as «please do not change posted hours without telling your members» or «please do not keep lap pool closed for maintenance for longer than posted without telling your members.» Seems like I may get a response of copy/​pasted paragraphs from Melissa M. on this Unilocal review before she responds to my email I sent almost a month ago.
This place is not good if you expect any semblance of customer service with your $ 80/​month gym dues.

I’ve been a member here for a little over a year. It was recently remodeled, so everything is in great shape. There are two swimming pools, a basketball court and a couple racquetball courts. The staff is always friendly and helpful. Parking can be a nightmare in Ballard, but they’ve contracted with a couple different lots to allow OAC members three hours of parking per visit.

I have since given the personal training staff another try. My boyfriend and I are very happy with Eric. He is great.

Overall — I love it!
Pros:The facilities are very clean. Huge selection of equipment — I have never had to wait for a machine. Great trainers. Spacious locker room with a hot tub and a small women only exercise area. Super friendly and helpful workers in the office. A couple of private change rooms.
Cons: I wish there was a more private showering area. There are individual showers with curtains, but I’d like something with an actual door. Only three bathroom stalls, (It’s never been an issue, but I just think it’s funny). I wish it had AC. They have lots of fans to move the air though.

This place has only gone down year by year (the remodel only is hiding what they didn’t want to fix). I have been a member for almost 9yrs and the reason why I still go is because I luv a steam room and it is walking distance, but definitley looking for something else.
First, this place is DIRTY! I mean has anyone heard of using the hose of the vaccumm and getting the corners of the locker room, ??? They have about a inch of dust on them (last time I looked). And what about leveling out the tile during construction, so there is not a puddle of STAGNANT WATER everytime you get out of steam room and in the showers. GROSS! or at least give us a squeegee, this is absolutley unexceptable for a club you pay $ 80 dollars for. And the towels, I mean some one heard of a dryer sheet!!! Also the hot tub took about a year if not more to fix, only for it to be luke warm water. And that is not «as hot as health code allows». You guys need to stop blaming stuff on ‘codes’ and such and take some ownership.
I mean the ratings on Unilocal say it all. If this place was worth $ 80 dollars no one would complain as much and it wouldn’t have such a low rating. 3 ½ stars for that amount of money is not good.
Seems for the responses/​excuses on Unilocal the could give 2 hoots, it is only about the money with is club.
And forget talking to some one because they treat you like a child and have every excuse in the book as to why things are this way…

I give this gym 4 stars, because it is a beautiful facility. It has every piece of equipment a person could ever want, pools, classes included, hot tubs, dry and wet saunas. It’s 24 hour, rarely crowded, the front desk is knowledgeable and the staff is incredibly friendly. I did drop a star because this gym is a little on the expensive side. The gym is about $ 80 a month if you do a month by month. I did decided to pay for the whole year upfront, which dropped the price down to 64 a month after tax, and the start up fee. It is so close to my apartment. When my gym is close, I’m much more likely to go on a regular basis.

We are moving to Seattle and this great fitness club is within walking distance from our new place. We checked it out and got a tour while we were in Seattle buttoning up our housing details. First off, the facility is beautiful. It’s newly renovated and updated. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Secondly, it has everything you could ask for. Cardio room, every sort of machine, and squat rack, an Olympic lifting room with more weights, kettle bells, areas to do dead-​lifts etc. plus two yoga rooms that also do Barre and Pilates. There’s even a cross-​fit room (not my thing but it’s popular) best of all they have TWO pools! One is a family pool the other is an adult only lap swim pool. AWESOME!!!
Mark, the manager showed us around and was polite, professional and very helpful. He was not pushy and even though we initially went in simply wanting a tour, we wanted to sign up by the time we were done, and Mark helped us with all of that. We were also in a bit of a rush needing to get to the airport and he was quick and thorough.
Cannot wait till we are up there later this month so I can start working out in this amazing place! :)

I really like this club. I don’t have a lot of experience with gyms, as it’s the only one I’ve tried. I signed up about a year ago, and was full of anxiety about a potential hard sell situation. The gal knew her club was dope and just showed us around, answered questions, and gave a pretty sweet deal. Not sketch in the least. Use the personal trainers!

I’ve been wanting to try this gym out since it’s an awesome 24hr gym with a pool. Unfortunately, I was turned away because they «already had me in the system» from me simply calling and asking about rates. Not that it makes any sense what so ever.
Maybe I’ll try again, if i feel like wasting my time making a trip there again. 11pm at night at the end of a work day is not the time for this bs. Sorry. :(

Well I was a member here for about 5 months and finally had enough. The problem? The people.
4 times over this timespan I walked up to an empty piece of equipment only to have somebody run up from a conversation they were having or another piece of equipment to tell me «they were using it». Seriously? One guy even tried to pick a fight with me. Ridiculous behavior from grown adults. I know there isn’t much a gym can do about its members, but there are some things they could work on to make it less of an issue.
First off, I know it looks super elite to spread out all the workout equipment in the weight room, but this means less equipment, which means people are going to act just as they did and try and hog everything so as not to have to wait.
Second, yes there are rules signs that no one ever reads telling them not to hog equipment, but why exactly is the staff all sequestered to the front desk? They don’t say hello or goodbye (most of them) or really even acknowledge anyone on their way in or out. I was the first to say something most of the time. So really, you need 3 – 4 people at the desk to answer phones, fold towels, and swipe cards? Seems like a waste of overhead. Why not have them walking around, racking weights, being present and engaged with your member base? It’s not that easy and I don’t know what I’m talking about? I was an operations manager at gyms for 10 years. I have a wee bit of experience in the industry. And don’t get me wrong, it’s not the staff members at the desk to blame. They are just doing what they have been taught to do. Come on management. Why not bring your service standards up to your renovation standards?
Third, why is the only air conditioned area at the front desk? Do you know why they find a correlation between ice cream sales and violent crimes? HEAT. It may make your members less agro if they didn’t feel like they where on fire. Yes, it’s an old building, but you could at least put some shades on the giant windows. I shouldn’t be sweating before I even start.
I will say your maintenance team and porter team do GREAT work with the equipment and cleanliness. They are the ones getting the extra star.
So if you like an endless stream of stroller moms in the way who use a gym as a social gathering place to get away from their kids, middle aged men with egos that don’t allow them to share, and young teenage guys who enjoy watching TV and texting while sitting on equipment, maybe this is the gym for you. As for me, I find it to be a good representation of «the new Ballard»: a little soulless and incredibly pretentious.

So-​so at best. Definitely read the reviews, I ignored the bad and they were all true. This place so wants to be a high-​end gym, but totally misses. It’s okay, but not worth the $ 80 a month. Going back to my boutique gym.
The Not So Good
–The Layout: With the remodel, this place is a labyrinth of a million tiny rooms. Most of the gym is still the old depressing beige.
–Locker Room: The towels are the worst, tiny and scratchy. Everyone walks around half covered. Not enough showers or toilets, I always have to stand in line for a shower. Even more annoying is that there are only 3 toilets in the whole place, and having to run back and forth during the workout. Bare minimum care products, lotion and shower products. Could they have picked a more complicated lock for the lockers?! There is always someone locked out.
–Parking: Yeah, not so much. I was handed a crazy map and can never find any. And they give you the biggest sticker for your car as a nice way to advertise for them.
–Personal Training: Like anywhere, this is really pushed on you. Also, if you do it you are stuck in a dingy little room or end up in an awkward hallway by the racquet ball courts.
–Spin: You can only sign up 30 min prior and in person.
–Crowded: This place feels like there always a zillion people, and you are fighting for a space.
The Okay
–Lap Pool: Really nice and for the most part can get in. But, you will have to put your name on the board and if it’s busy you only get 30 min.
–Front Desk: Always friendly and helpful.
–Cleanliness: They do a good job if up keep.

I haven’t belonged to this gym in 7 months since I moved far from Ballard; however, I was a member for a year, so I figured I’d share some thoughts. Overall, this is a great gym. The hours are awesome (24/​7, except weekends), the facilities are kept very clean, and the staff is very nice.
If I wrote this review when I was a member, it’d probably be a star less because of the weight room, but I just walked by the other day and saw the incredible weight room renovation. My only «complaint» with this gym was the weight room was not that great, but now it looks amazing.
There is so much equipment at this place that no matter what you’re looking for, they’ll have it. Even during peak hours, I never found it difficult to work out here. I can’t speak to the current rates, but when I was a member, it was about $ 40-​$ 50/​month per person for a couple, which was a great deal for what you get.
I get people with lifetime rates getting those increased being unhappy, I would be too. But for those who are looking for a new gym in Ballard, you’ll have a hard time finding a better one than this one (and yes, I’ve been members of the other ones).

By and large I like the club and its facilities but when I joined much was made out of the increased parking because I asked about it based on Unilocal reviews. I was assured that they had responded and that more parking was available so I joined despite the price tag. No real problems until the last month when the dedicated spots next to Caffe Fiore became shared with a place called Massage Health. Since then, in the numerous and varied times I’ve gone to OAC (not even during peak hours) those spots have been filled– and not by any vehicles with an OAC sticker– so I’m having to park further and further away on the street. This is not great and I feel misled.
So, nice club but only if you can walk or take the bus to get there because parking is a joke.

I would give this gym five stars if unicorns existed but they don’t. This is the consummate example of a health club. The interior was well designed and the facilities immaculate.
The men’s locker room extremely clean and both saunas work perfectly.
This place is not for people on a budget but you definitely get what you pay for.
My personal favorite is the indoor cycling. They really got it right here. The teach indoor «cycling» and not spinning. Spot on for you cyclists out there.

Beautiful facilities, top of the line equipment and a fair price.
Layout of club can be confusing and parking is a little tough. Small price to pay though for any outstanding athletic club.

Overall it’s a gym– its pretty spendy but you do get the plus of a pool, hot tub and sauna. I can always get a seat in spin class and that adds value for me. One of the major plus to this gym is that it’s not over crowded. Thankfully they have been renovating the gym over the last year because the previous look left something to be desired. The gym is getting modernized and is much prettier in the updated portions.
One other little quirk is that the up stairs cardio room overlooks Ballard ave and in the summer you can smell BBQ when the windows are open. I always have mixed feelings about that.

First the good: The facility itself is pretty nice, especially the newer part. There are lots of classes. The new locker room is a huge improvement.
Now the bad: It is very crowded. Parking is horrible unless you want to pay. The towels in the locker room are awful so bring your own. The hot tub in the woman’s locker room will clearly never work. You have to arrive very early for classes to get a space. The system for getting a spot in spinning is ridiculous. Extra charges for the good stuff is annoying and adds up.
I decided to quit the gym and put the money into personal training which has been much better for me. Watch out because they make it very hard to cancel your membership. Must come in person five days before the end of the month. Miss that and pay for another month.

OAC is quickly becoming a joke. One 2′ x 3′ sandpaper towel per visit. $ 5 per TRX class with little notice to members except for a discreet sheet of paper outside the TRX studio. They only bill/​process payments on the 10^th of every month.
Where exactlyyyyy are my monthly dues going? The four foot tall «rock climbing wall»???
Again, JOKE.
This health conscious, ballin’ on a budget gal is on the market for a new club.
Oh, and unless you have graying hair, don’t be surprised if Mark treats you like a child. Worst service I have ever received for service for which I pay a monthly fee.

New members as of June 2014, I have to say I am impressed with the facilities and service of the OAC. I’ve been a member at Bally’s, 24, and eons ago, Harbour Square in Edmonds. OAC combines plush remodeled facilities with friendly customer service, classes, and an unassuming levels of a variety of workout options.
The price is more than 24 hr, but competitive with nearby LA fitness. Sign up with a partner and pay for a whole year for the best value. My fiancé and I wanted a facility with pools, racket ball courts, showers, and of course, proximity to our home so we don’t have that as an excuse not to go to the gym. The yoga and spin classes I’ve tried so far have been great! Want to try barre next, but that is the one class that costs a couple extra bucks.
Other reviews complained about parking availability. While I generally don’t come in the after work rush hour, I’ve come at all other hours of the day. No problems ever finding parking in one of the many lots in the area.
Our one complaint so far is that it has giant letters and is advertised as a 24 hour gym, with small print and hours posted on the door that it does not apply to Saturday and Sunday evenings. Saturday and Sunday close at 8, which is only disappointing when you forget and realize it at 7:45 on Sunday evening.