Bally Total Fitness

Pros: Variety of equipment, long work hours, not as expensive as other gyms
Cons: More social than some other gyms (pro?)

Attention everyone! I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled workout today to bring you the following important announcements. Bally Total Fitness has just announced a major sale, and if you don't sign up now, you'll regret this later as the...

Pros: They'll be nice to you to get you to join
Cons: Once you are a member, they don't want you

I was a member of the Bally Total Fitness clubs in my area (San Francisco) for about 2 years. The first 18 months of the membership went smoothly. I enjoyed the classes and always felt that the clubs were pretty well maintained, unlike the 24 Hour...

Pros: Variety of classes, good hours, generally clean
Cons: Often crowded, rude desk staff/pushy sales staff, shady location, lack of parking

The Sales Pitch I went to this Bally location with more than a few Epinions horror stories floating around in my mind, so rest assured, I was not about to be intimidated by any aggressive sales tactics. Although I thought I immediately made this ...

Pros: Great Equipment-Variety of Machines
Cons: Meat Market Disco disguised as a Gym

Bally’s Total Fitness center is a Mecca for excersize enthusiasts and anyone looking to shape up that winter doldrums flab your toting around. There is so much going for it.

With a simple check in at the front desk there is a huge room of...

Pros: Nice equipment, cool building
Cons: They try much too hard

By a fluke, I ended up at Bally Total Fitness yesterday. I say it was a fluke because I have been quite opposed to going anywhere near that place for some time.

It's not that I can't stand to exercise. In fact, I need to exercise. It gives...

Pros: As a member, you have access to any of their Bally's gyms
Cons: The ones near me aren't open very late

The television commercials promise you a hot bod and tons of good looking people to watch while you work out.

The actual gym delivers a variety of people from severely overweight to creepy, veiny (or should I say vainy?) overly muscled people...

Pros: I was pleased that they started offering YOGA classes this past year.
Cons: Paying extra for those classes in addition to the ever-increasing yearly membership dues.

I joined Bally's in 1995. Bally's had just taken over Holiday Spa in Los Angeles, so the facilities were hardly "cutting edge". The Bally's gym I was attending regularly had four treadmills, two Stair Masters, a small aerobics room and a tiny...

Pros: Locations
Cons: Pushy staff, gym odor, deteriorating equipment, staff not knowledgeable

When I first walked in the door I knew I was going to have to go through the sales pitch. So I sat back and went with it, eventhough all I cared about was the aerobics classes. After signing up for a 3-year membership I started my workouts with no...

Pros: A lot of locations, a lot of equipment
Cons: Inconsistency between locations, high pressure sales, too crowded

I have a lot of nerve complaining about Bally Total Fitness when I only pay $7 a month for my executive membership. But that's only because I've been a member for about 15 years and I keep renewing because I don't want to start over anywhere else due to...

Pros: Clean, lots of equipment, friendly staff
Cons: Slow to repair some machines

First, note that I have not visited every Bally's Total Fitness. I can only speak about my experiences at the Greenbelt, MD location, so when reading about the facilities keep that in mind. My advice on joining can be used anywhere.

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Pros: Great aerobics classes, hot tub, juice bar
Cons: Pressure to join, class fees, lackluster staff

Three years out of college, I became disenchanted with my body. Where was the high metabolism I relied on? Why didn't my dresses fit anymore? Spurred on by my family, I decided to check out my local Bally's. I had done some research on the chain using my...

Pros: Nice facilities, new equipment
Cons: The staff is like guerrila salesman

I went into the local bally's chain to try and get a membership at a reasonable price. The club was very clean and had a wide variety of equipment. One thing I did notice was that it had the machines setup in a circuit type fashion.

Now let...

Pros: Clubs almost everywhere, Quality Equipment
Cons: Sleazy, Pressured Sales Tactics

I joined Bally Total Fitness last November after moving to Dallas. I had been working out at a club that only has locations in San Antonio. Bally’s has its good and bad points. I would hesitantly recommend it to someone who was looking for a place to...

Pros: Lots of choices
Cons: not always clean, staff not well trained

Bally Total Fitness is a perfect combination of all the options I look for in a gym. There is a wide variety of activities and classes. This is a gym that meets a lot of different needs and could accomodate an entire family of preferences. My husband...

Pros: well kept equipment, lots of staff
Cons: Basic trainers are clueless

If you want the finest in equipment... and lots of it, nice facilities, lots of locations, and a club open long hours, Bally just may be the one for you!

I joined Bally mostly because it is close to home. After checking into several...