Gold’s Gym

I’m a long-​time member of the Redmond Gold’s Gym, and I split my time between that gym and the Gold’s in Issaquah. Recently I was passing through Bothell so I thought I’d work-​out here (I have the type of membership that allows me access to all three facilities). This review compares this site to the other two Gold’s.
(Ideally I’d give this place 3.5 stars but half stars aren’t available. I also should note that this site is presently undergoing some remodelling. Perhaps after that is completed, this place will merit 4 or even 5 stars. Who knows).
Based on my recent visit, here’s the low-​down:
PLUSES:
–Heather at the front desk was amazing. Greeted me warmly and when I obviously looked lost, she volunteered to give me a tour and show me where various amenities and machines were located.
–Clean. Like the other Gold’s sites, this facitilty was super clean. Even in the locker rooms and showers. I like that.
–Good basic gym for basic amenities. If you’re looking for a no-​frills gym where the machines all work and there’s a decent variety of equipment, this may be a great fit for a gym for you.
–The fitness director here, Jeremy, is the best personal trainer I’ve ever had. When he left Redmond for Bothell, I nearly cried. He’s the best, and this gym is lucky to have him.
–This gym is part of the «trifecta» of eastside-​based Gold’s Gyms, under the umbrella name «Gold’s Gym Northwest» (along with Redmond and Issaquah). As such, they participate in many of the same programs, like thier annual «Body Transformation Challenge», which are truly incredible programs. Very motivating, excellent deal, lots of support given to participants.
MINUSES (as I see them, from my point of view only):
–no frills means no pool, no cardio cinema, no basketball or racquetball courts; smaller space so fewer classes and fewer variety of classes; fewer machines (no in-​line skating machines, no torso rotation machine, no back extension machine — they didn’t have 3 of the 6 machines recommended to me by my personal trainer).
–they offer behind the front desk larger shower towels, but they’re not available for the taking as you check in (unlike at the other Gold’s), and there are no smaller towels available at all (so if you want one to wipe the sweat off your face, you’re outta luck. Bring your own). I was told that people walked away with towels here (for shame, people!).
–the remodelling in progress is making the gym interior smaller than it naturally is, with a plastic curtain-​ed area sealed off mid-​gym. Varous machines needed to be put outside by the front door (exposed to the elements, even!). This work, albeit temporary, makes the interior gym seem cramped. Hopefully this phase is short-​lived.
–the locker area looks and feels outdated and out of the ‘60s. (I’m a child of the ‘60s and so I know! This locker area was very reminiscent of my high school gym locker area. Oh, the nostalgia!). The actual locker cubbies are in a cubical, oddly-​truncated configuration and are made of wood laminate. The shower stalls are super small and narrow and there are four in total, as I recall. I didn’t check the sauna or steam room areas, but the bathroom area was orderly and clean and everything worked. (I like how they supply hairblowers and Q-​Tips and other smaller cosmetic stuff available, as at the other Gold’s. Nice!). The women’s locker area, in total, is probably half the size of that at the Issaquah site, and a third or quarter the size of that at Redmond, and much more «cramped» feeling.
As at the other Gold’s, I like how the people here all kinda mind their own business and nobody pays you any heed. I’ve never felt judged or uncomfortable coming to a Gold’s, neither when I was much heavier or when I’ve been thinner. Everyone just does their own thing. For me, that’s perhaps the biggest draw of this chain, along with the amenities offered at all Gold’s with membership.

Extremely happy and satisfied with the decision to join this gym. I was just talking to a girlfriend of mine about how much I appreciate that each person from front desk, to management, to PT staff, to maintenance each express a very notable appreciation, careful detail, and pride in their work and contribution to the overall production and success of the gym. In comparison to other gyms, its incredibly refreshing to be in the company of genuinely positive and friendly people who aren’t waiting for the sweet release of closing time so they can run away from a job they can’t stand.
Vicki is one of the people that manages the cleaning maintenance of the gym, as well as gym amenities. I’ve noticed, outside of a pretty smile and lovely disposition, she’s very meticulous in the work she does, ensuring everything is 5 star golden for the club members.
Jeremy, think he’s the general manager, hadn’t spoken with him but one other time, then I shamefully fell off the gym grid for months. Upon coming back he was welcoming, as well as impressively still in the know of my health and fitness goals and obstacles. Instead of just typing my name in the slot of the first trainer he saw, he went down the roster, listing off each trainer’s area of fitness expertise and technique. He didn’t rush me, and made sure it would be easy for me to identify who I would be working with later. Before heading along my merry way, he handed me a packet with some helpful nutritional tips to help tie off loose ends and reach my goals a little faster.
Jeremy linked me with Peter. Peter is the trainer I have begun working with. I’ve worked with trainers before. I wasn’t impressed as I felt they were training me according to how they felt I should look or develop my strength, rather than according to my fitness goals and concerns. Peter was great in the sense that he was aware I was just getting back into it, thus he utilized our first training session to get a real idea of what my strengths and weaknesses were to help me craft a healthy and attainable game plan geared specifically toward helping me to get back to 100%. What really instilled that I was in good hands was when he offered to give me one session of training, as I only purchased two a month, to help me hit the ground with both feet running. These people make their money off of each individual session, and he was willing to sacrifice his own time to guarantee the satisfaction and positive start of his new client. Very cool. Riley is another trainer I see whenever I go in. Don’t work with or know him personally, but I do think it’s really cool to see the positive energy he gives off to his clients. I can’t stress enough how far one can go when in the company of those that inspire, rather than someone who is counting down the minutes until the next «number» shows up.
The front desk is always friendly and ready to help. I wish so much I could give their names to express appreciation, but there are two young women that I see frequently manning the front. No matter the volume of people, they always manage to keep themselves busy, while maintaining big smiles for everyone that comes in. I can easily see them as real «no job too big or small» team players. Da El… I don’t know if he works up front, but I see him up there a lot. Appreciate that though I hadn’t been in for months, his exact verbiage was «Hey Jenna! Long time no see!» Just friendly.
Now, one might ask why the novel of a review for a gym? Well… I’m from Hawaii. Since moving to the arm pit of the US, I’ve few and far between had such a consistently positive experience that so reflects the wonderful culture I’d left behind years ago. The aloha spirit. Golds Gym in Bothell is the aloha spirit. Would give them 10 stars if I could. Thanks for reading!

I got a promotional flyer that said fees per month would be 9.95 after activation fee. I was excited about joining and getting healthier. When I was singing up I specifically asked if it was a month to month basis where I would only get charged if I go. I was told that I would only get a bill for the months that I go. Come to find out it wasn’t the case at all. And they also didn’t inform me that they would charge my card that was on file. So I had paid more than once for the services. After I found this out I cancelled my account. Almost a year later I get a call from their credentialing office saying I have an outstanding balance. This came as a shock to say the least. I called the gym to get it straightened out and was told that a manager would call me back within an hour. 5 hours later I had still not heard anything. I called back and the manager was very rude and seemed that he didn’t even want to help me. Telling me he doesn’t take care of issues like that and it would be members services. After he finally looked up my account and realized I had cancelled he said he would contact members services to get it straightened out. We shall see if there will be anymore instances of this. I would not recommend going there. From the beginning I had issues and even after I cancelled the problems still keep coming.

I love this gym. It’s old, equipment isn’t in the greatest condition, and it’s not fancy like the new gyms, but the people who go here are the best.
Everyone who goes here is there to workout. You would think that is a given but try working out at LA Fitness in Mill Creek and you’ll see the difference.
Golds Gym for life! Oh by the way, the desk staff folk are super friendly. The people complaining on here are probably the non approachable type and have issues with everyone. (Not realizing they are the issue).

Great no-​frills gym. This is a great place if you want a gym with regular people, a good price, and great hours. The staff isn’t very friendly but I don’t care because they don’t effect my workout. I never used the personal trainers but I have used most of the equipment and it’s great. If you want a fancy place you’ll have to pay more and go to LA fitness.

I like this gym, i also use Redmond and Issaquah! Its a basic gym and everything works great! Chill place and not a total meat market…

I’ve been going to this gym for over a year and am finally moving on to a different one. My only complaints is 1). The gym gets really crowded and you’ll have to guard your equipment otherwise it will be taken by someone else during peak hours. 2). Parking lot is horrible during peak hours. You’ll literally need to follow people with your car to get their spot. Otherwise I loved the atmosphere and workers.

Went here with a friend to show her how to use the equiptment and was pulled aside and told I would have to leave. This was horrible due to the fact she had asked for pricing on personal training and a response was «how much do you want to pay?» so I told her I would help her out and show her how to use the machines.
I had contimplated getting a membership here due to the fact that I lived close but after this happend I no longer wish to even come as a guest!

Honestly, so many people use Unilocal to complain so I wanted to give my honest feedback about Golds– I joined about a month ago and I love it. Had moved into the area and was paying 30 a month at LA fitness in Lynnwood… granted, it doesn’t have all of the amenities (ie. pool, basket ball court, etc) that they had, but in my entire year there, I never once used those things. The staff at Golds is friendly, I pay 10 bucks less than I did at LA, and they have the Curve treadmill (totally green and burns way more cals) which LA didn’t have. No towel service but who flipping cares? Bring your own damn towel. Great place to work out, thanks to the staff here.

Absolutely will not come back here again. I moved to the area and I was looking for a new gym. This gym is 4 minutes from my house. I called and the front desk girl answered. I asked to speak with someone that handles memberships. Jordan answered the phone and he immediately sounded disinterested. Our convo went something like this:
«Hi I just moved to the area and was hoping to join a gym, do you guys have trial memberships?»
«Well before we get to that, why do you want a membership?» or something like that.
«I want to lose weight.»
Eventually he asked when I wanted to come in to talk about memberships and such. I said noon, as it was about 10:45. He then asked for my number if he wasn’t going to be there… umm, what?
I get there at 11:50 and ask the front desk girl for Jordan. She looks lost. Then proceeds to ask if I’m new and I said yes. She said she didn’t know where he was and for me to fill out a form on a tablet. Took me two minutes. She then told me to go workout and talk with Jordan afterwards. Can you not find him, page him, or call him? This was immediately a red flag. We had an appt he did not show up for, and he did not call. Nobody gave me a tour of the facilities, and she didn’t ask if I wanted to meet with someone else.
I worked out for over an hour, and go back to the counter to grab my ID. Jordan was apparently standing right there not doing anything. Front desk girl introduces us and I say «I’m the girl you were supposed to meet at NOON.» He says, «oh yeah, i was away for a bit.» wtf.
He then asked me how I liked the gym and I said it was OK. Told me about their plans across the counter, didn’t even go to sit me down. I’ve managed sales stores and sales associates, and this kid is not well trained. If I were his supervisor and I saw this, I would have immediately swooped in and saved the sale. Honestly, the gym itself was fantastic. Clean, great equipment. But the customer service was so crappy, it isn’t worth it.

RUDE!!! The staff is very rude. My sister and I went here to try it out. I must have had too much coffee, So when we went in I immediately scoped out the bathroom facilities. I asked the woman (50-​ish, brown hair, shoulder length, wrinkles) if I could quickly use the bathroom while my sister started the paperwork. She said NO! She looked at me blankly and asked if I was a member. I said «No.» She then proceeded to tell me that I would have to be a member to use the bathroom. Well, i understand that, obviously to protect against thieves, (duh). I asked can i give you my ID or something, my sister will stay right here and start the paperwork. She stared at me for another second. At this point I was about to pee my pants. I looked at my sister who was also in shock at their rudeness and incompetence. OMG. She then said, yes, we can hold your id while your use the bathroom. WOW. what are you slow or something? I just asked if I could do that? !? I didn’t want to be stared at for another ten minutes being treated like a piece of scum, so I grabbed my wallet and headed out the door. I can’t believe how they treat new customers that could potentially be members there. I will never step foot in that Gold’s Gym Again. I am glad I experienced how they treat people before I signed up for a membership!

I have been a member at Gold’s for over 10 years and have never had an issue worth complaining about. I am now a Platinum member and pay $ 10 a month. The equipment is state of the art and the gym is always clean. Not to mention they are open 24 hours on the weekdays so that is a HUGE plus. They also offer daycare again and it is fantastic at $ 5 a visit.
If you are looking for a gym for a serious work out, this is the place. If you want a pool and a basketball court, join the YMCA and get over charged and stay obese.

I really liked this place. It has everything I need and nothing I don’t want.
I thought the sales guys was a little pushy over the phone but he actually turned out to be pretty cool once I got there. I think as long as I don’t get sleazy car salesman deal, then it’s all good!
$ 29/​month and you can bring anyone you want whenever… Not bad as long as I can get my boyfriend to come with me!

Why do I go to Golds? Because my husband has a platinum membership so I can always go for free. You can’t find 2 memberships for $ 40 anywhere else. And despite being cheap, the equipment is well maintained. My husband does natural body building competitions and picked this gym over others in the area for their selection of machines & free weights. I personally like that each cardio machine has it’s own TV. It really helps the workouts go by.
I went to the classes for awhile, and then I got bored of them so I stopped. I’ve been to better.
I would have given Golds 3 stars, however, there are 2 experiences I’ve had which cause me to lower my rating. First, when you come as a guest, you have to give over your ID. Long story short they have my ID to someone else. Not cool. The first employee who realized the mistake had absolutely no clue what to do, you could read it on her face. Thankfully, another employee was much more helpful later, and figured out who they had given my ID to and made an effort to get mine back ASAP. I was out my drivers license for two days though, which is pretty inconvenient. I give them an old student ID now.
Secondly, my husbands car was broken into while he was working out one time. Also pretty inconvenient (and pricey). The gym helped as much as they could, but just be aware it could happen to you! Try to park close the the building I guess!

Awful service! My mother went in to start a membership (month to month/​no contract), and the «General Manager» named Aaron aggressively tried to persuade her to sign a contract! She refused and the guy got upset, cancelled the transaction and walked away. Pitiful customer service! I’d rather have her pay $ 10 more for better service and more convenient locations than to have her join a club like this!

Too much of the equipment is filthy and needs to be professionally cleaned. I’m not talking about a little bit of dripping sweat, I’m talking about smudge and grime that looks like it hasn’t been wiped off in a very long time, if ever. Location is good and monthly rates are low, but please clean it up!

I joined this gym about a year ago. I used to come to this Gold’s regularly back in the day and remembering how much I loved their body pump classes decided to start back up again. Except for that I didn’t start back up. I never really showed up. Woops!
So after paying $ 53 a month for the past year and barely stepping foot in this gym I realized I needed to cancel my membership.
I walked in and was greeted by the receptionist and said I’d like to cancel my membership. She said no problem, asked for my name and then walked away. Shortly after, a sales guy came (which I expected) and laid it on heavy, asking me if he reduced my membership to $ 19.99 a month would I stay. Problem #1: ok, so you never REALLY needed to charge me $ 53 in the first place? Yeah, I have a problem with that. That in no way enticed me to stay, it actually made me madder. Why the eff have you been charging me so much Golds-​ripoff-​Gym, for the past year and now it’s ok if I pay $ 19.99?
Then he asked me how I was going to work out now. Um yeah, Problem #2: That was really none of his business. If I want to sit on my ass and eat cheese puffs all day I’m going to do that but don’t act like you suddenly care. If this gym cared about it’s clients, I would have had a lower monthly membership in the first place and not because I’m leaving. Well, unfortunately, not giving him a straight answer only encouraged him to inquire further about my new work out regimen and when I gave him nothing he said «come on; at least tell me you’re going to do some push-​ups or sit ups at home.»
Seriously???
Once he realized I was not going to buy into the fitness guilt nor go for his 60% off bullcrap membership, his tone changed and he slid a piece of paper towards me with a pen and said, «here’s the form» and walked off. Problem #3: What a Poor Sport. After completing the form, I actually had a question for the receptionist who was now there again but I could not seem to get her attention since she was too busy folding towels and refused to pay attention to me now, consistent with the rudeness the sales guy showed.
I won’t be going back. That’s certainly no way to encourage a customer to stay or ever rejoin again, which I have had a history of doing with this particular gym so they should know better than to leave a terrible impression. The only good thing about this gym were the classes anyway. The rest of the gym pretty much sucked and unless you enjoy being mentally undressed while working out on the machines by it’s pumped up regulars, skip this gym.
All this did was made me appreciate yoga studios, dance classes, and greenlake so much more!
Um, yeah no thanks.

Buyer beware!!!
I’ve been a member of Golds for 5 years. They’ve gone through a few new owners and the current one… hmm, not sure what the thought process was. There is no longer a kids care place and there is no more towel service. The ability to rock climb is non existent so instead of having access to the climbing rock you just have a nice rock to stare at. NO notification was given to any members regarding the downgrades and I’m still paying the same fee I’ve always paid-​which is now overpriced because the towel service really is what set Golds apart from the rest of the gyms.
I have one goal when I come, its to run, sweat and go home. I honestly don’t know why I haven’t cancelled my membership.

They removed the towel service a few months ago without even bothering to notify their members. Shame on them!
This Gold’s is going downhill fast. The managers are more like salesman and have no interest or concern for the actual paying members or the member experience. All they care about is acquiring new members when they are not busy surfing the internet or texting their buddies.
The condition of the actual gym is deteriorating. Weights are strewn around the gym — nobody bothers to put them back — the macho weightlifters and gym rats are too busy running around like madmen doing their «muscle confusion» routines to give a damn.
Nobody follows the rules here. None of the staff bothers to enforce the rules. Anything goes. Grunt, scream and act like an inconsiderate idiot — the staff doesn’t care.
Some of the machines are in a state of disrepair. Many of the heart monitors are not functioning on the treadmills.
The management needs to wake up here and start focusing on the existing members.

My husband has the platinum membership at Golds which means I get to go with him everytime he goes, for FREE. Major perk, because I am the type that will get going on something for a while, then quit… so it is never worth me getting my own membership.
HOWEVER… the annoying part of this deal is the fact that Gold’s keeps soliciting me to join the gym. Now why on earth would I want to PAY for a gym membership when I can go for FREE?! I never had this problem until this one PUSHY PUSHY salesman was at the desk. He asked me to join the first time, then called the next day… then asked again the SAME day… this was in a 2 day radius!!! God, leave me the hell alone! I DON’T want to join the gym. He should be a car salesman… people do NOT want to be solicited everytime they go into the gym… While I will continue to go to the gym FOR FREE… it really turns me off being solicited EVERYTIME I go in there!!!
The best part of the gym, EVERY piece of equipment has a TV on it… which makes working out very easy! (Just remember you have to bring your own headphones!)