Ballard Health Club

I love the classes offered here, and they are all included with your membership! The sauna is really nice for relaxing after your workout too.

Great people. Very helpful, especially the owner Pat, who really seems to care about people.

This gym is great!
Honestly, I’m tempted to give it 5 stars, but in my opinion, 5 stars would be perfect, and although BHC is super close… perfect is, well, perfect.
Big thumbs up:
Super affordable, super flexible (can put account on hold for no fee), no sign up fee (just first and last month), no contract, super friendly staff, and great equipment selection for a little commercial gym.
Coming from a background doing crossfit, powerlifting, Oly lifting, and sports specific training, I’m pretty picky when it comes to equipment. These guys have the basics, the correct basics, the things you need: power racks, great selection of barbell plates and free weights, real pull up bars, rogue boxes, not a ton of machines, but the right ones, medicine balls, kettlebells, rogue rings, trx, etc. And more importantly, the person who set this gym up actually knew what they were doing and took into account the functionality and placement of the equipment with what little space they have.
I LOVE THIS GYM!
My only slight disappointment was that when training my Olympic lifts, I was asked to not drop the weight on the floor (even though it was the proper flooring or platform for Oly lifts, with rogue bumper plates and I’m extremely experienced and there was plenty of space all around me. apparently their older clientele don’t like the loud noises dumping the weight makes). It makes it a little difficult to work on cleans, jerks and snatches if I can’t drop the weight. BUT I’d be shocked to find ANY commercial gym that is not a crossfit/​oly specific gym charging $ 200+ per month that is ok with that. So, working with what I’ve got, on the budget I have, Ballard is the closest thing I’ve found that is conducive to Oly/​crossfit training at an affordable (downright cheap) monthly rate.
Also, at certain hrs it can be packed, but that’s too be expected.
So ALMOST perfect :)

There is so much I love about this gym! First, they have done a great job at setting up a friendly, welcoming environment. Everyone who works here is totally approachable, and there are members at all levels of fitness. Whoever you are, you won’t feel out of place. As a member, I usually used the treadmills and elliptical machines, and I never had a problem finding an open machine. The rates are also totally affordable, and you can go month-​to-​month (no need to sign up for anything crazy).
I ended up switching to another gym because I wanted a gym with childcare (not having someone to watch my kids was making it hard to find the time to work out) and I was interested in a pool. If you don’t need childcare, though, and you don’t care about having a pool, I heartily recommend Ballard Health Club.

I cannot say enough good things about this club! I have been a member at a couple of other gyms in Seattle over the years and hands down this one is the best! I resisted joining for a very long time because I thought with no windows and being downstairs it would be dark and depressing. How wrong I was. The atmosphere is far from dark — it is bright and alive with color… you almost don’t realize there are no windows. The people are the best — both the clients and the trainers! BHC has it all — the classes and personal trainers are included in the very reasonable monthly dues. BHC honors Silver Sneakers for those of us on Medicare. The locker rooms are about to be overhauled and they are making other improvements regularly. You just can’t go wrong becoming and staying a member of the Ballard Health Club. I have been a member almost 2 years — I have lost weight, gained strength, regained my confidence… what more could anyone possibly want or need? Three cheers for the Ballard Health Club!!! Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!!!

I have only tried this gym once on a free trial, but I must say I am impressed! I read previous reviews of this gym before coming here so I had a good idea of what to expect. Some of the gripes about small space and lack of machines are irrelevant to me as a barbell weightlifter. As such I will provide a review from that respective.
This gym appears to provide 4 squat racks and a silly smith machine. So maybe it’s more like 4.5 squat racks. Ha! I probably came at one of the least busiest times (Sunday afternoon) so I can’t comment about how crowded it gets. From reading previous reviews, I was a little concerned about the lack of air conditioning (they use a bunch of fans instead), but it turned out to be adequate for me. I did 3 sets of 5 reps with squats, bench presses, and power cleans, and I never felt too hot at any point.
The employees appear to be all personal trainers like mentioned in previous reviews. I didn’t need any assistance, but I saw them helping other people.
Anyway, what I like about the squat racks are that the holes for placing the pins or bar holders are quite precise, especially for the bottom part where people might need safeties for the bench press. I appreciate that this gym doesn’t waste space with just benches connecting to a contraption for the bench press. Instead, portable benches are provided for benching on the squat rack which is much safer.
There are iron Ivanko weights and bumper weights so that you aren’t making so much noise during deadlifts and power cleans. What pleasantly surprised me was the assortment of bars they have in the corner! There are variety of shapes, weights, sizes, and materials depending on what kind of barbell exercise you want to do! For a non-​niche (powerlifting) gym, that’s impressive!
To the right of this sacred area, you have dumbbells for the curl bros. I don’t use these, but I respect that it belongs to the free weight family. There’s a good assortment for those who like to program dumbbells. Behind the squat rack area, you start to head into the scary isolation machine territory. However, before you worry about going to deep into there, you can catch the rower on the outskirts for some decent conditioning work.
For weightlifting meatheads, you get more bang for your buck relative to other «globo gyms» which provide less for a lifter with bigger space.
Update 8÷22÷2015: I’ve decided to make this place my permanent zen garden! After having done a week of training here, I am still satisfied with my decision. Although I wish they got rid of all of the treadmills to make room for prowler sleds, I am still able to get conditioning work in with farmer’s walks with the trap bar. Also, I was a little concerned after reading other reviews that this gym wouldn’t welcome meatheads. Fortunately, I ended up seeing fellow meatheads throughout the week. As a budding meathead, it’s important for me to see other, like-​minded meatheads.
Update: 01/​04/​2016: As of December 23^rd, I am no longer living in Seattle, WA. Unfortunately, the job market is too competitive so I must look for opportunities elsewhere. Anyhow, I ran into a minor issue when closing out my membership. Apparently, I had forgotten that you pay for the first and last month on a monthly membership. Because of that, my membership was set to go until the middle of February. I wish BHC would have been more understanding of my situation and at least given me one month of membership back. It is mostly my fault, but I feel that others need to be reminded as well before they go into a membership because I had forgotten about paying for the last month.
For those who read my older review, you might have noticed some changes. I decided to be more realistic and reduce the rating to 4 from 5. I may have been a little disenchanted with the fact that they have more meathead-​friendly equipment than other general gyms. However, a perfect gym in my eyes would have implemented a prowler sled before they included treadmills. That is not the case here. Furthermore, it is too crowded in the weight area to be running around with a loaded trap bar. You will constantly have to avoid crashing into other people. That means you are very limited on meathead-​friendly conditioning options (running is high-​impact and competes with resources for your squat).
The shower rooms have been remodeled since my original review so I also took out that portion. Good job on BHC’s part.
Although I don’t expect the coaches to have a Starting Strength certification, I wish they would have placed more emphasis on practical barbell exercises. I saw someone doing some balancing act on a bouncy ball while lifting those tiny pink weights.
Even so, I would still recommend this gym for anyone who happens to be living in the Ballard area. I was planning to keep this as my permanent gym as I would have wanted to move to the Ballard area after finding a job. That dream is dead. :(

Great location, very friendly staff and pretty much all you need in a gym. The showers could be a bit nicer and I have been to gyms with a broader range of machines, but I would recommend it. The biggest selling point for me was that it offers one month only memberships.

Saved my 100^th post for a health review. This place is amazing– it is affordable and the classes are fun and are great workouts. The staff are super friendly and the locker rooms are clean. I am not big into machines but they have useful one :-)
If you live or work nearby then I highly recommend this gym.

Yeah, I’m gonna give this gym a whopping five stars. It caters to everything I look for in a health club: easy in and out (with free parking provided), towels, clean locker room and showers, ample cardio and weight equipment, and a very casual atmosphere amongst both the staff and members. It’s getting a little more busy with all the condo dwellers moving into the hood, but rarely is there a long wait for equipment. And I truly salute that they’ve been able to hold their prices in tact.
I’ve been a member for over ten years and have checked out a few of the other local clubs, but nothing else matches BHC.

Some day I will need to leave Ballard and I had to choose one thing to bring with me from this neighborhood, it would be BHC. I love the friendly, non-​pushy staff, the unpretentious atmosphere, and the classes that I would take advantage of more if I could ever make it out of my house on time. I pre-​paid for my membership early in the year but I was out of the country for 3 months last year, and I had a hold placed on my membership during that time without any fuss. Sure, it’s hot & windowless, but bring your favorite podcast, fill up your water bottle, and do what you came to do.

If you’re looking for a solid strength-​training gym, BHC is great.
— 3 Rogue squat racks, 1 power cage
— Bumper plates + Ivanko iron plates
— 5 standard barbells (one for each rack, plus one extra)
— Trap bar + Elitefts yoke/​safety-​squat bar
— Bands (but no pegs on the racks), magnetic micro-​plates
— Landmine attachment
— Dip belt you can borrow from the front
— Dumbbells only up to 100lb
If these things were added, it would be perfect:
— Dedicated bench press stations. Right now you have to bench in the racks.
— Deadlift/​olympic platforms
— Glute Ham Raise machine
But you can’t expect too much from this gym that has limited square-​footage. The place is not huge.
I’ve only worked out during seemingly non-​peak times, 12−2pm and 8−10pm weekdays, so I’ve never had a problem with equipment or the parking lots. The contract is straightforward. They even started giving the option for students to freeze their membership for up to nine months. This gym is great and they know what they’re doing.

I’ve been with Ballard Health Club for about 2 years, all in all, and I don’t see myself going to another gym, ever.
Why, you might ask?
— It’s incredibly reasonable. We pay month-​to-​month, and it’s $ 40/​month, which includes using the gym, personal training, and all classes. What?! That’s unheard of.
— The staff are just wonderful. Every person who works here is friendly, willing to answer questions, willing to help you out, and goes out of his or her way for the gym members.
— FREE PARKING! (c’mon, it’s Ballard, and that is exciting)
— Plenty of options — lots of cardio, plenty of weights/​machines/​strength training options, two separate rooms for stretching and strength exercises.
— As clean as it gets! BHC pays very close attention to their facilities, and I’ve never seen one dust bunny or dirty machine. In fact, someone is almost always cleaning the machines at some point while I’m there, which is nice for the germaphobes like myself.
— No pressure: not from the staff (no upselling, etc.), and BHC seems to attract a lot of folks like myself… i.e. you won’t find a bunch of meatheads or scantily clad women working out here, just normal people getting their sweat on.
All in all, this is a great place. I’ve recommended BHC to many of my friends, and I recommend them to you, Unilocal reader!

I moved to Seattle about three months ago and for a month, I lived in Ballard. It was an odd situation to say the least, but basically I needed a gym membership for a month. After looking at my various options, I thought I would try BHC. I thought it might be a stretch to negotiate a price for just a month, but they understood my situation and gave me a very reasonable deal.
At first it might seem like the space is small, but it’s actually the right size in that you can complete your supersets fairly easily without thinking the rack or bench you were using is going to get scooped up. It’s busier in the mornings and after work, but in the day it’s pretty open. I also really liked their mounted bars on which you can do pullups. And for keeping track of your workout, they have clipboards and pencils available for use. The locker rooms were also very clean and they provide towel service which most gyms nowadays do not provide.
All in all, I was sad to leave them because they have a great gym and a great product. If you live in the Ballard area, definitely check out BHC.

Awesome little gym, so glad I found it. Despite it’s size, I never have trouble finding a machine. The staff is awesome, and there was absolutely no pressure at all when I went to try it out before becoming a member. Definitely a refreshing gym experience.

This a great Old Ballard establishment where you personal training and classes in yoga, zumba, and strength training are included in the membership. This gym is on the smaller side but has all the equipment you need and all of it is well maintained. It’s a low key kind of a place, people aren’t coming here to be seen at the gym, just to get a workout. Really great if you’re just trying to figure out a routine, especially with the free training you can easily expand your workout without any pressure.

Love, love, love this gym. Have been a member on and off for the past 10 years, and here are the highlights:
– no pressure from sales persons
– clean, updated equipment
– friendly members who don’t make me feel out-​of-​place
– excellent trainers available to help with questions or new equipment
– yoga classes galore. As a relative yoga newbie, I am psyched for the amazing # of level of classes provided.
Highly recommended for a low-​stress way to get your workout in.

I have an extensive home gym, but I still come out to Ballard Health Club a few times a month just because I enjoy it so much here. Friendly and helpful staff, a great selection of equipment, and extremely reasonable prices. I’ve tried nearly every gym in a ten mile radius and BHC is the best by far.

I’m a new member at this gym. I did a lot of gym shopping before signing up here. I almost didn’t check this place out because it seemed so small on the website. I am so glad I came before signing up elsewhere.
I’m pretty new to working out and trying to be fit. As a younger person I was fit and pretty athletic but that’s fallen by the wayside for me. This gym is great for people who are trying to find their fitness routine. They include personal training in the cost of membership and have a great mix of people that come here who range from trying to be fit to almost an Olympian.
This gym is small compared to super-​gyms I’ve seen. You can see all of the workout space from any point in the room. That said, it has a ton of great equipment in there. There are plenty of cardio machines and a good mix of bikes, treadmills, and ellipticals. There isn’t a lot of redundancy in the weight machines but it’s never been crowded enough to where that impacted my workout (I’ve mainly been going during peak hours too).
The training is what really sets this place apart. The trainers are really available on a short notice (I was able to book appointments 3 days before my appointment). They have you fill out a form on your goals, current level of fitness, and past experience. That gives the trainers a great jumping off point. During my first session with Courtney she really listened to what I was looking for and what I was able to do. We talked about what kind of commitment I was willing to make and when I should need to meet with a trainer again. I also like that the trainers here are cool with people trying out other trainers. There’s not an expectation that you stick with the same person or that you have to try out other people. I think the overall idea is to support people in their goals.
For such a small gym, I was surprised (and delighted) that they have TOWEL SERVICE! There’s a handy stack of towels at the front desk to use.
There is one classroom here and a rather full schedule of classes. All of the classes are included in membership. They have several levels of yoga available as well s zumba and a few classes that I’d never heard of before.
The locker room is clean but not spectacular. Since I live so close I come here in gym clothes and store my purse in the locker room.
This gym does not have a cycle room or pool. If that’s a must-​have then you might want to look at another gym (or go to the Ballard Pool). This gym is super personable and seems to really care about people here. When I was signing up I was really impressed with how many gym members were invested in the trainer at the desk as a person and she knew many of them.

This is kind of a hard review for me to write because this gym has done so many positive things for me in my life I’m unsure if the words I put down in this little comment box can really do it justice.
When I first came to the club I didn’t really know what to expect. My mentality on working out has always been headphones on/​angry/​lifting/​leave me alone. So it kind of bothered me when people started talking to me. But after a while it was pretty cool and eventually that turned into real friendships. All the classes are free, all the training is free, and I have never been treated poorly by anyone that works at the club. I’ve always been strong but one session with Jade and I realized «Wow, I could be so much stronger than I am now!»
Honestly this place is so far beyond being «just another gym» it’s crazy. It’s a community of like minded individuals all striving towards the betterment of their health and the health of others. It is a little yoga heavy but if yoga is your thing this is and even better place for you! All levels of fitness are present so you don’t feel out of place.
If you’re trying to improve your life through hard work and exercise the Ballard Health Club is not only the place for you but is also the place that would love to help you accomplish those goals.
I hope I get to keep going to the BHC for many years to come!

Major perk at this gym is the free personal training!!! It’s a small gym which has it’s pros and cons. Pros are that you can’t get lost & that you don’t feel like you’re working out in an institution or giant building like Costco. Cons are that you might not get to use the equipment you want since there is just not that much equipment. I really wanted to use this cardio machine, which there were one 4 of & 1 was broken. In 1.5 hrs I never got to use it :(
Lockers are really nice! Zumba class was good & very popular. Liked the sauna.
Overall a very nice gym.