Gold's Gym

• Equipment
• Cleanliness
• Group Fitness Classes

Equipment

Equipment offered at Gold's Gym includes resistance machines, spinning room, squat racks, benches, Cardio Cinema, cardio equipment/machines, strength training equipment, and free weights. Overall, Gold's equipment is reported to be enough for the crowd that regularly attends with the machines and the company's equipment is in adequate condition. There have been no complaints about machines breaking down and not being repaired in a timely manner the way some customers of competing fitness centers have reported. There are also some competing gym chains that have outdated equipment according to members as well. With Gold's, this does not appear to be a common issue.

Cleanliness

Gold's has a reputation for building large, spacious gyms. Even though Gold's gym can and will be busy at high-traffic times, it feels less crowded and busy because of the design of the open layout. Across the board, customers agree that there is plenty of space and Gold's facilities are clean and reasonably maintained.

Group Fitness Classes

Gold's offers a wide variety of group exercise classes to help you reach your goals throughout the day. Even the busiest member can find a time slot to attend a class at Gold's local gym. These fitness classes provide members an opportunity to get in a good workout with a personal trainer or instructor and to socialize a little bit. Most locations hold their group classes starting at 4:30 a.m. with the last class time starting at 9:30 p.m. Some of the classes the company offers are Yoga, Zumba, Studio Cycle and Mixed Martial Arts. These classes are included in the membership fees. This is not always the case with other gym chains, that may charge additional fees for certain exercise classes such as yoga.

• Gold's Gym Membership Price and contracts
• Upfront fees
• Hidden fees
• Trainers and nutrition
• Complaints

Gold's Gym Membership Price and Contracts

Gold's offers a monthly contract or you can pay for the entire year up front. The monthly fee is $29.99/month, which on its own is inexpensive compared to most gyms on the market today. One complaint customers have expressed about Gold's Gym is that its sales representatives are not forthcoming with the membership fees right away. There are countless customer reviews detailing negative experiences with employees/staff when trying to freeze or cancel your membership. While some gyms prorate their fees in cases where members cancel a membership before the month is up, Gold's does not. The company offers many introductory discounts through vehicles like Groupon, which attracts a large percentage of people interested in a Gold membership. Once these new members encounter Gold's sales representatives, members have reported unethical scenarios, such as being quoted misleading prices only for the company to charge their credit card a higher price than promised.

Upfront Fees

Customers seem to run into issues when it comes to Gold's upfront prices. If a member signs up for a basic, month-to-month membership, they're hit with a $100 initiation/enrollment fee plus the first month's monthly dues of $29.99. Therefore, a member who initially thinks they're enrolling in a $30 a month membership will have paid $130. In some locations like California, enrollment fees can get as high as $199. Other members who decide to enroll in a contract plan for one to three years, have the potential of having their initiation fee "waived" depending on how comfortable they feel, and skilled they are at talking to salesmen.

Hidden Fees

Gold's customers should be aware of hidden fees within the first few months of signup. Specifically, Gold's Gym charges members a $39.99 cleaning and maintenance fee two months after signup. We did not find any gyms that charge a cleaning and maintenance fee, putting Gold's Gym members at a disadvantage when it comes to this area.

Trainers and Nutrition

Gold's Gym offers personal trainers at its locations for those who are seeking assistance. New members get a free, do-it-yourself fitness evaluation tool on their website called The Gold's Gym Fit Test. This is a simple, five-exercise test designed to give you a true measure of your overall physical fitness compared to others in your age range and gender. When it comes to nutrition plans, Gold's Gym offers nutritional counseling, although the cost is not easily available without going through a sales rep at a local Gold's Gym. For many people, reaching their health and fitness goals becomes much easier when working with a personal trainer. Unfortunately, training or workout sessions are expensive and can get as high as $449. When compared to other large gym chains, we found some gyms to be more forthright with personal training fees which were more standardized regardless of location. Regarding nutritional coaching, not all gym chains offer it. Certain companies only offer physical training.

Complaints

While Gold's is known for being popular and having locations virtually everywhere, a red alert on the company due to having one of the worst customer service records in the industry. Numerous customers have reported various Gold's Gym's for acting in dishonest ways. Some of these reports cite things such as billing irregularities, contracts being illegally altered by sales members after the member has left, advertisements not being honored, and problems with canceling accounts when relocating, to name a few.

Other Available Amenities

Other amenities Gold's offers is a sauna/steam room, childcare and juice bars. Unlike many chain gyms, Gold's doesn't offer amenities like pools, massage beds, whirlpools or courts (basketball, racquetball and tennis courts). Gold's is more of a "no frills" gym.