O2 Fitness – Falconbridge

I have been a member since last June. I see a lot of these older reviews are negative but I cannot agree with them. I think this O2 Fitness is a great gym. The facility is clean. Last year they removed a lot of the older machines and replaced them with new machines. The people at the front counter are friendly and will greet you by name. I do not take any classes so I cannot comment on the quality of those. They did have an issue with the AC last summer but got it fixed pretty quickly. It can get pretty busy in the late afternoon hours, but otherwise it’s easy to get in an out in a timely manner. It’s a bit more expensive than other gyms I have had memberships at, but worth it IMO.

I love O2 Fitness, specifically the North Chatham and Falconbridge locations. The gyms are never too crowded and the equipment is well-​maintained. The staff is all very friendly and helpful to me when I have questions about group classes or how to use the machines. The Falconbridge is definitely the best of the Chapel Hill area locations in terms of getting new machines, cleanliness, and number of group classes. The RPM and BodyPump instructors here are great (I haven’t been to other classes but am sure they are good too). Overall I think that O2 is an amazing gym for the price and quality.

I frequent the Carrboro location and have always had great experience with the staff. Feeling confident to try something new, I visited this location today with a friend who has never been before. Upon entering, we were greeted and they asked her to sign some paper– expected. Then, one of the men started asking my friend about memberships. I stepped in and let him know that we are on a time crunch of just an hour and we are all set to workout, but thank you. he then stated «this will only take a minute» and proceeded to sit my friend down and try to talk to her about memberships. she told him she was not interested, in which he responded, «okay. this time I’ll let you workout since your friend seems to have an attitude, and we will discuss memberships later.» what??? horrible customer service. terrible attitude himself. I am very displeased with the customer service we were provided. Don’t support Sedrick with your memberships. Take them to O2 in Carrboro.

I like 02 but this location is in dire need of upgrades. The equipment is old and the AC breaks EVERY summer. Pick another gym!

I checked out this place for a week after a Unilocal promo. I definitely felt like I got some solid workouts with the group classes, even though I wasn’t so familiar with the martial arts focus. I’m not sure if the O2 chain is owned by Les Mills but man they love that guy. They’re allllll drinkin the kool-​aid.
I decided not to give it a go because there was some stank going on, the bathrooms were gross (pretty sure I caught some disease from checking out the shower), and the classes were so crowded there wasn’t enough equipment (which makes it hard in a class where you’re supposed to be lifting weights but you don’t have any?!?). The AC went out too and you know if there’s sweat involved, AC is vital.
Nice-​ish people but I definitely felt like an outsider.

The only reason I still go to this gym is because I love my personal trainer. For the amount of money I pay a month to go here it is ridiculous that they can’t have a decent air conditioning system. Not to mention you pay a yearly maintenance fee. This is not a new problem. The AC never works well and every year they don’t do a thing about it. It is so hot that sometimes you can’t finish a class or workout. It’s only May and it’s already horrible. July is going to be awful.

Like most gyms this place cares about only one thing — locking you in to a contract to get as much money as possible. The ‘hard sell” is a turnoff. I think this entire company needs a reboot.

Be careful with entering a drawing to win a «free membership» to this gym… everyone «wins» because it is only for one week (half of the two week free trial that is always offered to everyone).

I joined O2 back in January and it has been the best investment in my health that I have made thus far. I float between the Cary and Falconbridge locations, but have since mainly stayed at the Falconbridge location since the roll-​out of their new GRIT program. If you haven’t tried it yet, you must!!! It’s the most intense 30 minutes your body will experience, and it will push you to limits you didn’t know existed. All the instructors are fabulous and are awesome at motivating and pushing you. The music is fantastic, however sometimes its difficult to hear because its played over the loud speaker at the club which can be frustrating. The clubs are clean for the most part and the front desk staff is always friendly. I defintely would recommend O2 and the GRIT small group training program for anyone looking to make changes fast.

Not clean. Bathrooms smell and the gym smells like the bathrooms.

Smaller club, but good equipment. Multiple locations throughout the RTP area. It does not compare to a Gold’s Gym or LA Fitness, but considering what is available in the area, this gym is the best there is!

Very Smelly and always sticky, muggy, hot! The staff is very friendly and works very hard to please but the place is not worth it! From the moment you walk in the door and the smelly humidity hits you because of the lack of the ventilation to the moment you see the trashed bathrooms you are sure to be over it. When you walk in the aerobic room the AC will freeze you (feels nice) compared to the other gym part. In the summer, the AC was broken most all summer in 90 plus degree heat. REALLY!!! I really like this location! This place could be so nice with a little work and once, it was! Why can 02 Fitness not get it right?

I have been a member at O2 Fitness for 3 years, since this location bought out the previous gym. Before I joined, I tried out a couple of local gyms and joined O2 because of location, cost, class offerings and hours. The main thing for my success in working out is finding a location that is convenient and having the ability to vary my workout. The class schedule offers many options for variety and opportunity. I am an early morning person, so I can speak to the early classes. There are classes offered every morning so you can get in an hour workout and still make it to work by 8. The classes are Les Mills which means you get variety with consistency. All the instructors I have worked with have been competent, encouraging and conscientious. At least in the early morning, there are plenty of cardio machine options that I can vary my cardio workout without having to wait on a piece of equipment. Sometimes a piece of equipment may be down for repairs, but there are enough machines that there is always another option. The gym has an area with cardio machines lined up by type of machine and they all face 7 flat screen TVs with individual audio connections. Just plug in your headphones and select the TV you want to hear. There is also a free weight section with a variety of weights and benches. There is a large open are crammed with machines. Sometimes this overwhelms me, but it certainly provides many options. Some of the machines are beginning to show wear with cracks in the leather seats and bars. There is a darkened room with 3 TVs that includes some ab equipment, mats and a stretching station. A 10 foot wide strip of AstroTurf runs the length of one side of the gym with bosu balls, jump ropes, kettle balls, weighted balls, resistance bands, free weights, Pilates balls and a variety of other similar equipment to provide many options for HIIT. The free weight options need to be updated in this area. There is also a large aerobics room with steps, balls, adjustable weights and mats for classes. There is a separate spin room. The bathrooms were recently renovated and are clean and stocked. I haven’t used the shower facilities.
The staff are friendly and helpful. I haven’t used a personal trainer except for the free sessions you get when you join and the occasional group training classes that are offered. Those experiences have been helpful but not enough for me to pay the extra cost of a trainer in addition to the cost of the gym membership.
There are vending machines with water, vitamin water and other similar offerings. That has come in handy the couple of times I forgot my water bottle from home. They also offer a pick up location for Custom Fit prepared meals.

I stopped going to this gym for several reasons
— dirty — especially the bathrooms
— hot — it was generally cooler outside the gym than inside, especially during the summer. They did not invest in a proper ventilation system ad were unapologetic about the heat.
— crowded — until about 9 pm
— old equipment — with multiple pieces not functioning at any given time

Update:
Another MAJOR con is that there is no cap on the amount of people in the Group Fitness classes. It really gets crowded, and is much harder to get a good workout in when you can hardly move.

I’ve been a member of the location on Falls of Neuse in Raleigh and stop by this Chapel Hill location once a week since I’m in the area. Overall I’m not very impressed with this location.
Atmosphere: It’s dark, dusty, and smells. The paint color in most of the work out area is black with a partially open drop ceiling, like something you’d find in a golds gym (which I think it used to be). Some attempt has been made to modernize the look with the front desk and waiting area. A vacuum would go a long way here, there are dust bunnies EVERYWHERE in the ceiling and on the fans, it’s almost enough to stop me from going here.
Equipment: They have a lot of cardio machines with a couple of new editions in the last few months. None have TVs on them, but I’m fine with that since I really I don’t watch them when I’m working out. A lot of the weight machines are older models, the rest of the free and cable weights are in good shape.
Locker rooms: Nasty. They smell like an old gym, I hate getting changed in them. They do appear relatively clean though, just don’t smell like it.
Parking: In the morning when I go parking is pretty plentiful so I can’t complain.
This location isn’t the kind of place I could go every day, but serves in a pinch if you need to fit a work out in.

I really enjoy going to this gym (The Falconbridge location and their Chatham/​Cole Plaza location). The Falconbridge location is literally less than ½ a mile from office and less than 4 miles from my home.
The Les Mills classes are great, and the instructors are friendly and helpful and very encouraging if you are a ‘newbie’ to one of their classes. I’ve never felt intimidated trying a new class there.
It’s spacious and I have never felt crowded or that there were too many people trying to cram into the same space. Staff is helpful and always smiling. I would definitely recommend O2!

I would totally recommend this gym… The facility is always spotlessly clean… most likely do to the obsessive nature of their maintenance staff. They will literally be at your machine the second you are done to clean it. The trainers are not at all pushy… but very helpful if you need it. Jason Peters is a wonderful manager… very friendly and always responsive.
If you are sick of sweating it out in the heat, but still want to stay in great shape, join O2 today.

Showing typical signs of any gym that tries to expand too much and/​or not signing up enough new members to keep cash flow going:
— slow to repair equipment (pads, cables, bikes, treadmills), AC, doors, etc.
— «nickel & dime» w/​extra charges for towels, day care & even some group classes.
— Equipment getting a bit old/​dated.
— Slow to refill ‘consumables’ — - soap & paper towels in locker room, cleaning wipes in wt & cardio areas.
Other issues:
— poor layout — some kind of cable contraption in middle of floor right in front of locker rooms & 1 and only water fountain.
— NO air circulation — AC & blowers probably undersized for space & esp when 100+ people are breathing heavy inside. 1 small portable fan that gets moved between spin & aerobics rooms.
— GM /​Mgr hardly ever there past 4p-​5p. Peak hrs in most gyms is 5p-​7p right after work. NOTICEABLY absent when AC not working or not working well, while trainers & front desk staff are sweating just standing.
Positives:
+ Very convenient to I-​40. However, intersections layout to get into strip mall is VERY bad.
+ Cleaning crew VERY attentive. Have seen them wipe down some equipment immediately after someone gets up, if in their vicinity. Have seen them even unload & rack wts that people have left on equipment.