Harbor Square Athletic Club

I came here for the tennis center where my friend teaches at. The receptionist was really friendly and seemed to know all the club members, as he made light conversation with each person who came into the club.
The women’s restroom/​locker room is really spacious and nice. They provide basic toiletries, which I thought was cool. There is a lounge area with a couple couches and sofas, as well as tables and chairs. The tennis courts are fine. They have an automated tennis machine that we used, which at times, was slow. Just remember to bring your own towel.

So here’s the deal
I love this club, It is worth the premium you pay because not only is the place always spotless but the atmosphere is tranquil.
A couple things that do indeed bother me are: You cannot use the tennis facilities if you are not part of the separate tennis club which costs astronomical amounts more than a regular membership. I am a tennis player but can afford to be a tennis member. As the British would say that is rather Posh.
Second, The older people at the club are super grumpy and make snide remarks to me, while the younger people are friendly and smile at each other often. This needs to be fixed.
Overall this place rocks but fix those two things if all possible and the club would be perfect.

Bad TV channels. No Bloomberg. Volume controls broken, charge 6 bucks for pos ear buds.

Wish they had a bigger weight room! Theres not that many different machines to choose from in my opinion, they need an assisted squat machine and more leg options! But they have EVERYTHING else so I’m not complaining

Happy to be back after 4 years of living aboard and returning to HS! I appreciate all the instructors, variety of classes and the updated equipment. I am so impressed with the level of focus the club has taken on with the practice of yoga over the last few years.
It’s a joy to join Renee each Sunday for hot yoga and her devotion to practicing new flows and the peacefulness of her yoga practice. Renee is fabulous in her diverse instruction abilities and it’s great to be apart of her classes as she makes you feel welcomed and challenged. She has a wonderfully balanced yoga practice and she works you hard you in her body sculpting classes. After my years away, I am so appreciative of Renee’s instruction and dedication in planning my workouts and yoga practices!

I love this club! They offer lots of classes, the best equipment and it’s clean. The members are friendly and polite. The management clearly cares about running the best health club in the area.

My review actually breaks down like this: 5 stars for the equipment, 4 stars for the personal trainers and 2 stars for the women’s locker room.
Harbor Square Athletic Club’s ownership recently put a lot of money into new and upgraded equipment, so they have a really nice array of cardio and weight machines which they keep in good working order. (Now that they finally seem to have fixed the problems with the TV feed on the cardio machines.) They even have a kinesis wall in one of the weight rooms; it used to be available only when working with a personal trainer but now anyone can use it, which is great. Their pool is pretty nice and gets a lot of use, primarily from senior ladies in water aerobics classes. They have quite a few group aerobic, yoga and Zumba classes with a variety of things to choose from. The personal trainers are friendly and helpful, and generally seem to know what they’re doing. They run a ‘boot camp’ class which looks killer.
There are raquetball courts that seem to have great availability; I never see them all in use. There’s a nice indoor basketball court which gets lots of use. There’s a little smoothy bar/​café in the lobby if your workout leaves you calorie-​deprived.
They provide plenty of clean workout towels (for everyone) and shower towels (if you pay the annual towel fee, which is fair).
So what’s not to like? The women’s locker room is kind of nasty. The floors are slate tile which was probably nice at one point but which is actually a really bad idea for a health club locker room. They are often (usually) dirty — try to wipe up one of the many water puddles left by the hordes of previously mentioned swimming seniors and the towel will come up mighty funky. There is nothing to absorb the water left by pool users, shower-​ers, etc., and there is often a LOT of it. I have seen one slip-​and-​fall that could have been really bad if the person had not been caught on the way down. The shower curtains are often gross (dirty) looking. Holders for the provided soap/​shampoo/​conditioner are in some cases coming loose from the wall and I don’t want to be the one in the shower when that sucker falls. Even though decent hair dryers are $ 15 at Costco, months go by when they’re down to one which barely coughs out an anemic stream of air. I have more examples of the overall funkiness of the locker area but this is already enough of a rant. I’ll just finish by saying that for as tidy and functional as the cardio and weight rooms are kept, it’s kind of surprising that whoever is supposed to look after the women’s locker room is doing such a poor job.

Joined habor square last year and love the facilities. It is always clean and up to date, really enjoy the swimming classes!

Great deal if you stay at Best Western — $ 5.00 a day — but the front desk personnel was soooo terribly rude! I hope if I go back, I do not encounter the same experience. She will like you if you are a local or member only. If you compare Best Western’s outstanding customer service to this, it doesn’t match so well. No explanation about where anything is including towels or the locker room was. More older people — which I think is great because when I get to that age, I hope to be just as fit! Great location in downtown edmonds.

Excellent place to workout. Very convenient. However it seems like more people come here to socialize with each other rather than actually work out: p

After reading the prior review about Rick, I had to write. I played tennis in high school and after a 20 year break I decided to get back into the game at Harbor square. The entire club and instructors have been great. At my first group lesson Rick introduced me to the other players and made me feel very welcomed, he is awesome. They push you to make you see your potential and at the same time never forgetting its about having a good time. Even in a large group setting of 20 players on sat mornings, Kalei and Rick always spend one on one time helping each player, regardless if they are a member or not. I am getting ready to join as a tennis member but either way, I already feel like part of the family here. I highly recommend this club and it’s instructors to people of all levels. You won’t be disappointed!

I am an absolute fan of this Athletic Club. Harbor Square sets the standard for a gym that has it all– with superb customer service. I have belonged to this club since 1995 and have seen how they are always striving to improve and update equipment and workout spaces. In their Group Exercise offerings, they are mindful about what their members want and change or add the classes accordingly. At the same time, they keep up with the industry and the ever-​evolving trends that they might want to introduce to their members. Not annoyingly so that the changes in fitness line-​ups get you so befuddled you don’t even want to try ANY of them.
My absolute loves about this place:
*Extensive Group Exercise Schedule
*Extensive Mind Body Offerings – No silly things. Modalities that matter/​no gimmickey shenanigans
*A Pilates Studio with All Apparatus and Certified Instructors
*Great lap pool and reservation system that is all-​inclusive/​family swim on Sundays
*Pleasant and updated furniture, décor, flooring and art work
*Whirlpool/​Sauna/​Herb Infused Steam Room Suite In each locker room
*Locker Rental availability and ample creams, potions, shampoos, and cotton balls/​swabs/​towel service
*Diversity – Not only in cultural backgrounds, but in ages as well: Old, Young, Teenagers, Pre-​teens, Babies and Toddlers (in day care and pool) It is a very inclusive feeling here – not exclusive.
P. S. They have a Tennis Club Facility in the same complex. Lots of Indoor/​Outdoor courts. It is an add-​on membership if you desire. It is also super extensive. Offers a Junior Program and hosts a schlew of USTA events. If I had the attention span to play a round of tennis, I’d join… because it looks like they are having a bunch of fun over there. (Pro shop, Tennis Pros, Racquet Stringers etc.) Again, you don’t feel alientated when you walk in there. VERY welcoming atmosphere… not high-​brow in the least… though super tasteful and upscale furnishings, textures and interiors are earthy, warm, sophisticated, yet comfy… like in Main clubhouse. Their Jr. program has churned out some HS Varsity champions.

I have been going to harbor square since I was little. I took swimming lessons and tennis lessons there many, many (many) years ago.
They gym has everything you need: cardio, weights, tennis, pool, aerobics class room, Pilate’s, racquetball, squash and massage (it is possible that I missed something). The women’s locker room has plenty of space with lots of lockers, sauna, steam room and hot tub (I haven’t been in the men’s locker room but assuming it’s the same). The gym even has a «living room» type space to hang out next to the juice/​espresso bar.
I was beginning to get very frustrated with the gym because for how expensive it is to be a member, the equipment was very outdated. My friends were joining these gyms for 20 bucks a month and using these cool new cardio machines that have personal built in TVs, and I was paying WAY more for old crap.
FINALLY, harbor square updated the cardio equipment to the nifty ones with personal TVs and iPod adapters. They also began some big crazy remodel. I am not positive on what they are remodeling or what to expect but it is a step in the right direction. This much needed update/​remodel has convinced me to continue to stay a member.

Tennis players would be smart to avoid this club. Rick Buren the head tennis coach rules the tennis center here with a preference for doing things (lessons, teams, group play) his way and if you don’t follow them you probably won’t enjoy this club. He gives preference to members who spend much $ on private lessons and have large families who can all join and, of course, bring more $ into the club. If you’re not planning on being a big money spender here don’t expect good customer service or a good tennis playing experience.

I love this gym! I used to join and never go to other gyms but this experience is totally different. I love the great facilities, friendly staff, the yoga teachers, especially Heather, rock! I also play racketball 2 – 3 times a week and it’s a great workout; plenty of other members to play with and a great pro, Gred Boland, if you want ot take private lessons. I enjoy having the café right in the lobby because it really adds to the sense of community there. Very clean and roomy. Worth every penny!

Go somewhere else. Raised dues a few months ago with the intent to do remodel and newer equipment. Nothing has happened and not any news since. Seemed to be brushed under the rug. The cardio machines need replaced. Televisions are the old larger style and you have to ask everyone what they are watching before you can change the channel. If your lucky and one of the tv’s is not on the food network the sound you get through the machine is probably fuzzy and you cannot turn it down. Get on the treadmill and it may stop suddenly. Try and find a place to stretch, good luck you probably will be stuck in the hallway.

Just over all a fantastic gym to work out at if you can afford to! That is the only down fall. The facility includes a fitness center, full gymnasium to play basketball, indoor pool, jacuzzi, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, childcare, racquetball and squash courts, day spa and massage therapy studio, pilates and yoga studio, beautiful locker rooms each complete with dry and steam saunas. Every tread mill, bike and elliptical machine has a television hook up so your work out can go by much quicker to keep you distracted! It’s so spread out and you really feel like you aren’t in a box with tons of mirrors around.