Gold’s Gym

After canceling in person they decided to charge me an annual fee. Come to find out they never canceled my account. This place is unethical as prior reviews clearly shows. They do have a variety of equipment for those looking to strength train and build size. Go to Atlantis Sports Club instead, they have a salt water pool!

This gym is a SCAM…
Me and my wife joined there on august 2015 but we were moving on jan 2016 out of the city. So, we met the manager and he said that we can get only six month member ship. then on dec 2015 we gave them a notice that we are leaving and they said that they need a proof of the new address+it must be away 60 miles driving radius from any golds gym branch which is RIDICULOUS!
They kept withdraw money from my bank account so I reported them to my bank so they sent our bill to collection agency.
The manager is a LIAR and he acts nice in the beginning just to make you sign the member ship but in general the whole staff was rude and the gym so dirty.

I love Golds Gym because it’s cheap, convenient, and the class times are great for my schedule. I’ve been a member for almost 10 years and I’ll probably never leave. The classes used to be great! But lately (6+ months) their Zumba class has really sucked! The same girl (Melissa) teaches most of the Zumba classes. PLEASE ADD NEW INSTRUCTORS! Melissa is great once a week, but any more than that is too much. She runs through the same simple and boring routines day after day. It ruins the fun of Zumba. We want more challenging routines and better choreographing.

Let me just say that three stars are generous. We did a 1 week trial at golds gyms a few months ago. I know it doesn’t have the best reputation but it was the only gym in my area that offered a one week trial and I was in a serious need of lifting some weights.
So we took the time to get dressed and walk in and ask for a week trial. The gentleman working there gave us a tour. It was a sorry excuse of a tour, he just pointed us to the rooms. Next we met with the young lady in charge of enrolling people and wow, she had such a sour attitude! We filled up everything and she finally decided to ask for ID. Then she decided to inform us that they will not accept our California IDs (we had recently moved) and that we need proof of living in Massachusetts. So after wasting 30 minutes of our time we had to head back home and get bills that prove we have a Massachusetts address. She was extremely unpleasant about this ordeal, no apology and never even had a smile on her face.
Once we got around to using the machines we noticed that they were pretty low quality. I’m an elliptical snob, and theirs were not precor which I consider to be the best brand. I used three of the leg machines including the leg press and I thought those three were not bad.
I thought it was nice that they had a women’s section. Parking was free and easy. I could not feel the air conditioning well and found the place way too hot. We were happy that there was zero pressure to join. I definitely did not like the gym enough to even consider joining.

I love Gold’s (it is my «home away from home»). The once a year annual fee sometimes messes up my finances (only because I can never remember when it is going to hit my account. I marked my calendar for it and am hopeful it won’t screw me up again now that I THINK I know when the charge will come) but I have NEVER been double charged nor have I ever been charged a higher monthly fee than expected. I think the monthly membership fee is very reasonable. I used to be a member of a much more expensive gym (Fitcorp) and this one is much better (nicer & more helpful employees, more equipment, better hours, better location) and so much cheaper I wish I could go back in time so I could just come to this one. Perhaps this gym isn’t perfect for everybody (it is for me, though) but for the price it’s awesome and for people who live and/​or work in the area it is extremely convenient. I love the fact that they have a women’s’ section and they have a ton of cardio equipment, free weights and weight machines. They also have awesome hours IMO.
NOTE: I should also mention that they have a lot of classes at this gym. I haven’t taken any of them because I am a bit of a «control freak» over my workouts and I already have a regimen in place but I have heard very good things about many of the classes held here. I have a lot of workout equipment in my home but I get my best workouts at Gold’s for sure.

I asked by email about memberships plans but they didn’t respond to me. Management is not interested in you if your don’t want to pay for a year.
Im very sad that this gym can not provide monthly memberships. Im not living here for a years, and I need gym only for 1 month. What the problem? Cant understand. In other countries no problems with that.

It’s a decent gym with a good amount of classes, lots of cardio machines and a good share of weights. Yes it’s old and in a basement but it won’t break your pockets and if you live in the area it’s a very convenient location with a supermarket right near by.

Things are getting worse. Today, about 15 of us showed up for 9 am spin. We’re waiting on our bikes as the clock is ticking. One of the employees walks in, and we ask him if the instructor is coming. He says «I don’t know.» (Not an acceptable response!) One of the other gym members ends up texting the instructor to find out what’s going on, and she replies that she quit last week (due to the shitty schedule change, I’m guessing).
So we all sat in there for about 10 minutes, waiting for the instructor to show up, and when we eventually found out she wasn’t coming, it was from another gym member — we were not even informed by the staff!
Apparently the owner’s the one who came up with all these recent changes. I don’t know what he’s thinking. The entire reason I joined the gym was for the classes. Now, the spin class is in a new room that doesn’t work nearly as well for spinning (it’s too hot, loud in there, hard to hear the instructor), the bikes are in terrible shape (I went to 5 different bikes before I found one that wasn’t broken this morning), and the new schedule has really reduced the number of classes I can go to.
I know that other members aren’t happy either. I’m going to wait until the end of 2015 to see if the owner realizes his mistakes and changes things back. If not, I’m going to find another gym.

I called Gold’s gym about 6 months ago to ask them how much the membership was and if there was an annual fee. They quoted me $ 24.99 with no annual fee. Sounded good so I drove over within the hour to sign up. When I got there, the price had gone up to $ 29.99 and there was now an annual fee of $ 49.99. I mentioned to the person at the front desk but he made it clear that he could not care less. I bit the bullet and signed up at the new price. The gym was ok besides being kind of dirty and the locker rooms smell pretty bad. There were always a few machines that didn’t work and the weird this was that it usually wouldn’t be marked so you’d have to figure it out yourself. My friend left the gym as he got fed up for understandable reasons including getting double charged for his annual fee. It was so close to my work that I stuck with it, plus I paid the annual fee already.
I was going through my credit card statement to see if I had been double charged too. Come to find out I had been double charged for every month since I signed up 6 months ago as well as double charged on the annual fee. Technically it wasn’t double as there was a payment for $ 24.99(the price I was quoted) and a payment for $ 29.99(the new price when I actually signed up) being charged each month. I called them and told them what had happened and they said to come in with the bank statement. After about 4 attempts I was finally able to talk to some one. She was initially quite helpful, albeit a little rude but she was looking into the matter. I questioned why I was quoted 24.99 and then when I got there it was $ 29.99…that’s when she got the owner. He came storming out of his office telling me that I signed the agreement at $ 29.99 and ”it’s not illegal!” and «sales don’t last forever». I never said it was illegal I was just asking. He said I was making a big deal about $ 5. I told him that it wasn’t about $ 5 but being charged double since I signed up. He said, «even Jesus makes mistakes!». Don’t know why he was so defensive, maybe this happens a lot. I said that’s fine but you need to rectify that mistake. He told her to refund my money and cancel my membership!

It’s cheap, open late (some days 24hrs) and has most of the essential weights required for a good workout.
Yes, it’s in a basement, yes it’s old, yes some of the front desk people have zero personality and yes it’s not the cleanest establishment, but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! People need to stop being wimps and spend less time complaining and more time working out.

I went in here expecting the worst, but it really is not as bad as it’s reputation is calling it. They had a week trial with bringing in a friend, went along with a friend to try out this gym. The only hard time was given was by the receptionist who showed us attitude, made me go back to bring proof of residency in Massachusetts. The rest of the staff were very polite. I liked the fact that they didn’t waste my time with showing me the different equipment. The total tour was about 5 minutes. I also appreciate them not calling and emailing me a million times to join. There was a room only for ladies which I thought a cool idea. The equipment were not top of the line for the serious athletes, but they are fine for rusty old body parts like mine. Thanks Golds Gym for the trial!

It’s a gym, folks– not a health spa or a fitness club, it’s just a gym. Why do I like it here? I actually like how basic it is. people come to workout and it’s just a totally unassuming environment. I’d feel uncomfortable if I were working out at a BSC full of yogi’s drinking out of their BPA-​free bottles and wearing clothes that are just too cute to be working out in. The mix of people here are regular folks & gym-​rat/​bro types, and I like it that way!
There’s also a women’s section, which is nice if you wanna get away from said gym-​rat/​bro types. This also means that between the main gym & smaller women’s gym within the gym, you are never, ever going to wait for any machine or piece of equipment. And in terms of their offerings, they’ve got every single piece of machinery you can imagine plus a substantial supply of free weights.
They also offer free classes which seem to be well attended including zumba & spinning.
Best part? For me at least, it’s that they have a sauna. I have a fitness room in my apartment that takes care of all my equipment needs, so I don’t actually need a separate gym, but the sauna is the only reason I keep my membership here. It’s nice to top off a workout with an extra sweat session and again, this is not some nice sauna, it’s a tiny box, but as with the rest of the gym, it’s all about function here!
(also love that it’s 24hrs!)

Doesn’t even deserve 1 star.
I signed up in Aug 2014 knowing that this place wasn’t a five star gym but signed up only because it was close to work. Beyond it’s strangely perfumed-​mixed-​with –old-​sweat-​because-​we don’t-properly-clean-the –machines smell, the people that work there, including the owner Jonas Thompson, are all unfriendly and downright rude.
I’ve had some bad gym experiences, this one has to be the worst.
When you sign up, you are required to pay for your last month’s rent ($ 40) up front. No Problem. When you cancel, you have to give at least a 30 day notice, no problem.
I canceled on April 3– because you can’t cancel over the phone (because they want to make sure it’s really you who doesn’t want to go to their smelly gym anymore) and when you go to the gym in person to cancel, they don’t even ask for your ID– (so why did I have to come all the way here again?).
I was told that because I didn’t give 30 days notice, I had to pay until for May 31 (and that will be my last day of access) — no problem, I paid for my last month’s rent upfront. Except on May 1, I am billed again. So either, I have access to the gym until May 31 and my new charges are refunded, or I have access to the gym until June 30, because I have already paid for my last month. RIght??? Otherwise I am paying $ 80 from May 1 – 31.
Not according to Jonas.
I call on the gym same day to get this rectified– I am greeted with sheer disrespect from the owner himself. He yells things like «that’s a clever way to put it», «even Obama gets put on hold» and «corporate doesn’t have any say over my gym» as he constantly cuts me off and speaks over me. He hung up the phone on me as well.
I will get this matter resolved. But to save yourself some headache, stay far away.
You know what else proves that this gym is bad news? Out of all the 1 and 2 star reviews from people who are having legitimate issues with the gym, try to find just one response from the business in an effort to resolve a problem. Go ahead, try!

Only 1 star for harboring and supporting a company that engages in illegal business practices — Professional Fitness. These are the trainers that roam the Gold’s Gym in Somerville, and will not only awkwardly hit on you when you’re working out (ewwwww) but then will sign you up for training sessions and «auto-​renew» your contract without notice to you, and then send you a bill 3 years later for thousands of dollars from their own, home-​grown, fake «debt collections» agency.
If you’re curious to read more of this saga, here goes:
Almost 3 years ago now, I signed up for 6 months of training sessions — and made it clear I was ONLY going to sign up if I could work with a female trainer. I was told by the manager, Jordan, that they had «plenty» of female trainers and there were other trainers in the office at the time this promise was made as witnesses. A notation was also made on my contract that this was a requirement.
Well, only 1 month into my sessions, my female trainer Amy quit without any notice to me or to the gym, and the only other female they had on staff was completely booked. When I asked to speak to the manager, I was told he «went a-​wall» and had not been seen in days. I was told not to worry, they’d hire more female trainers that week and get back to me. I heard nothing, so I followed 2 weeks later. No female trainers had been hired, and the manager was never heard from.
Since Professional Fitness could not deliver on my contract, and was clearly unprofessional and under-​staffed, I submitted my cancellation notice in writing to their CEO and head of member services, Jessie, in North Carolina. I owed them nothing, not even a cancellation fee as their contract states that one of the valid reasons for cancellation is a «Failure to provide services».
They were unable to provide me with a trainer as my contract stated, therefore I was absolved of the contract. I notified the gym I signed up with and when I did one of their employees said «I understand. We’re a mess.»
Even though my letters to their CEO and head of Member Services were received (via certified mail) that was never noted in my account.
Fast forward almost 3 years later, I get a notice from a sketchy collections agency «On Line Collections», and that they are seeking $ 3,120 in payment on behalf of Professional Fitness. This was the ONLY bill or notice I had received from Professional Fitness or anything related to it, since I had originally signed up 3 years ago. I called the local gym where I signed up and the manager there stated that this is common practice, that Professional Fitness will «auto-​renew» customers without notice or bills quite often — and if I «pay a $ 250 cancellation fee» he «might be able to make it go away». The only analogy I can equate this with is going to a restaurant and them running out of food. I wouldn’t pay in that situation and I’m not paying for this scam now.
Since I am an informed consumer, I know that it is illegal to not send bills to a customer and then send a debt to collections. I wrote to this sketchy collections agency to notify them that this was an invalid debt, and they are required to respond with proof within 30 days that it is valid.
It is no surprise to me that I have seen nothing in writing, and no proof from this so-​called collections agency even though it is required by law withing 30 days. When I checked my credit report — nothing.
Long story short, Professional Fitness commonly engages in illegal and unfair business practices. They also do business with collections agencies that do not appear to be real, and do not comply with state and federal regulations to provide proof of debt. They will not send bills or notices for years, and then expect you to pay thousands for services they never had an intention of delivering. I sincerely hope the Attorney General of Massachusetts shuts them down for good. Thanks for reading,

I was a member of Gold’s Gym for almost 2 years. After I canceled my membership (August 2014), they kept charging me a monthly fee. I realized this in January 2015 and complained, and they reimbursed me what I had been overcharged ($ 145).
In March 2015, I was reading over some old bank statements and I realized they had charged me twice a month for 16 months (from May 2013 to Aug 2014), and also double charged me for the yearly membership fee. In total, they owe me $ 513.
I have since contacted the gym many times. I’ve spoken with the owner (John?) and also with someone responsible for payments and charges (Cassie), I have shown them the bank statements, which clearly say «GOLDS GYM 614−625−9566 MA [ROUTING NUMBER OMITTED] RECURRING –29.00» twice a month for those 16 months. They say they will not reimburse me at all because they do not believe the money went to them. Their justification for this is that the phone number listed for them on the bank statements is not theirs. This is clearly because there is a typo — it should be 617−625−9566, not 614−625−9566. They refuse to acknowledge that the routing number is theirs. I’ve asked how my membership was paid for to begin with, since the charges were going to that bank account, and I’ve asked why they paid me back for the smaller amount when I noticed an error before, and they have no answer for me.
After reading through other reviews online (two years too late), I see that this behavior is typical of their business. They seem to routinely mess up with payments and billing with customers, and then refuse to acknowledge their mistake. They are completely unreasonable in these matters until a court orders them to pay a customer back for what ultimately amounts to theft.
Do NOT use Gold’s Gym. You’d be better off paying more for a membership to a better gym, because chances are you’re going to be overcharged anyway.

I decided to give this gym a try since it is closer to my house than my current gym. I can’t pull out anything nice to say on my first impressions when entering it. It’s a crowded basement gym with a very sweaty, claustrophobic feel. It was hot (in the middle of winter…), and the ceiling feels like it’s closing in on you. No good vibes at all in this gym. Couldn’t imagine getting a good workout in here. The equipment and weights are old and seems like everything else is too.
Most importantly, there was NO cell phone reception/​service at all. What if there was an emergency and I needed to be contacted? I also use Spotify and its radio to listen to music so this was a complete letdown.

The group exercise classes were good and the cycling classes were great. The facility it’s self was decent, but nothing to brag about. The front desk staff that I had to deal with were awful!!! They are the main reason I am giving this gym 2 stars. Honestly, if it weren’t for the classes I would have given this gym negative stars.
When I went in to sign up for the gym, I told the guy I would only be around for two months and did not want to get stuck in a year contract. He said, «Yeah, that’s fine.» He barely looked at me when I was asking questions and was gossiping with someone else. I filled out the paperwork and read over what text was actually there. I gave him my credit card and then I asked him when I needed to cancel the membership and he said «whenever,» without even looking at me. I told him I would put in my cancellation today if it took a while to process because all I needed was 2 months at the gym. He said, «no, just come in sometime during the month.» Again, not looking at me and acting as if he was getting annoyed that I was interrupting his gossip time.
Each time I when to the gym, no one at the desk ever greeted me. There was either no one at the desk or they were chatting.
When I went to cancel my membership, they told me I would be charged the following month because I didn’t cancel in time. I cancelled my membership the end of August and I had to pay September despite the fact that I would not be using the gym the entire month. I told that desk attendant that the other guy said I could cancel anytime during the month. This desk attendant said,“No, it’s our policy and everyone that works here knows that.” Well apparently the customer is never right. I just said fine and thought that was it. Then in September I got another charged $ 60 on top of the $ 29 for my membership.
I called the gym up and asked about the charge. The guy on the phone was extremely rude and acted as if I was wasting his time. When I ask him again what the charge was because I didn’t understand what he had said, he suddenly pause and said, «I’m not dealing with this.» Then he hung up on me. Called back again and hung up on me a second time. I emailed the manager and never received a response. I decided to cancel my credit card so they couldn’t charge me anymore. I then received several texts telling me I still had another $ 29 balance despite the fact that I had paid for 3 months plus another $ 60. I again called up the gym and the girl tried explaining to me what the chargers were and even she didn’t understand. I told her to send me a copy of paperwork. She took down my email and I made sure it was correct. She never sent me the paperwork.
This place is a huge scam. It’s cheap, yes, but once you try to leave, make sure you cancel your credit card right away because they will steal your money over and over again. Everyone there is brainwashed and could care less about you. I DO NOT IN ANY WAY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE.

I did a free 1-​month trial membership here, after which I happily signed up at the Somerville YMCA (read my review) despite it being a lot smaller with a lot less equipment and more limited hours.
Why? Well, this gym is spacious, but only about ½ of the equipment is of decent quality. There’s a lot of half-​working ancient junk they keep around just to give it the APPEARANCE of having more to offer, especially to newbies who don’t realize that most resistance machines are useless anyway compared to free weights.
Main reason I opted against signing up here: price is higher than the Y but you have to do a monthly autopayment on your credit card which I refuse to since national chain gyms are notorious for NOT stopping the autopayment charges when they are supposed to (like when you move) because they want to squeeze every dime they can out of you. I will only pay up front a flat 6 or 12 month membership fee, and the manager I talked to here said they simply don’t offer that anymore. Of course not, they can squeeze more money out of you the other way.
Other reasons: this place gets crowded between 4−8pm which entails having to wait for the squat racks, barbell benches, etc. — there are lots of thoughtless meat-​heads who stand around chatting with their buddies or scratching their gonads for 5 minutes in between sets. They seem to get a lot of posers in here too: you know, the kind that only do bench presses and bicep curls because those are the most visible muscles, but 5 minutes on a treadmill would make them breathe hard.
The general vibe among the customers is cold and annoying, and the staff are mostly useless and annoying as well. And being in a basement, i.e. windowless with nothing but cold fluorescent lights and black/​gray floors and walls, further adds to the depressing prison-​like vibe of the place. Just not a pleasant place.
Thank the gods for the YMCA!
(PS. If you’re a guy looking for eye candy, this place is so-​so at best.)

Lots of pros and cons for this Gold’s Gym location, but it’s approximately 300 yards from my apartment so the convenience factor really is the trump card that keeps me as a member.
The good stuff: it’s fairly inexpensive. $ 35 a month which includes towel service, classes, and tanning, if that’s your thing. I’d give 5 stars alone for Lauren’s cardio kickboxing class on Mondays and Wednesdays — she has great energy and works your butt off without being pushy. Plenty of treadmills and stair climbers available, in addition to a wide variety of weight machines on the main floor.
The okay: while the gym is fairly spacious in its odd basement location, they shrunk the women’s only area by about a ¹⁄₃^rd to make room for a new massage space. Not only is the weight area compressed, there is no longer a full rack of free weights in the ladies area, and things like the bosu or kettlebells seems to disappear for a few days at a time. Still, most women seem to stick to the ellipticals, so I don’t often have a problem snagging the weights I need.
The infuriating: besides the aforementioned missing equipment, the members here seem to have the worst gym etiquette I’ve ever encountered. The wipe-​down stations are few and far between, so people generally don’t bother. Hardly anyone re-​racks weights so it’s a scavenger hunt before you get to lift.
I don’t love you, Gold’s Gym, but you’ve got just enough that ensures I’ll be around for as long my residency in the ‘hood.

My boyfriend and I needed a gym while we were in Boston for work for a month. Since we usually workout after work at 11 pm we needed somewhere that would not only be contract free but open late. Gold’s was the only one to fit the bill since it’s 24 hours.
This is a budget gym so don’t expect the best and newest equipment. That being said though for a budget gym it was everything we needed and was decent at providing that. Not many of the reviews talk about the women’s section so I’m going to concentrate my review to that.
The first night we went the women’s only area was closed, which happened 2 other nights but the rest of them it was open. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason behind the closure. I disliked it when the women’s area was closed as I did get leered at by some of the guys (ladies you know the ones I mean, the ones that grunt at every move and spend just as much time looking at themselves in the mirrors, as at any girl in there). The women’s area has a bunch of cardio equipment and different weight machines as well as a small free weight area that includes kettle bells although the heaviest dumbbells in that area go to 20lbs. If you need heavier you will have to go out to the main section. There is also a small locker area and bathroom in the women’s area so you don’t have to go all the way over to the big one.
Cons:
It is hot and stuffy. I can’t exaggerate this enough. You can do the easiest workout and work up a sweat so if you do anything with intensity you’ll be dripping. As such it can be musty smelling in there but it’s not unbearable.
Lastly while the guy who showed us around the first night was nice, I got a bit pissed with his sexist statement. He pointed the free weight area out to my boyfriend saying that was the area for him and then turned to me and said I’ll show you where your magic will happen and took me to the zumba and spin class room. I’ve personally never done either and wish people in the fitness industry would stop the stereotype that women shouldn’t lift weights.
Like I said if you go in knowing it’s a budget gym that you can get in and out of and be pretty empty at night you can expect a 3 – 4 star experience. If you go in expecting a gym that’s like a 5 star hotel you will be disgusted or disappointed in this place and give it low stars.