LA Fitness: First Impressions

I took a brief tour of LA Fitness on Monday July 16th, right after I found out that SAC had been closed and cleaned out my locker, but I was too disappointed with the day's developments to stay and work out, plus it was way too crowded for me on Monday. Anyway, here are my first impressions of LA Fitness:

Operating hours: similar to those at SAC. I think they close an hour or so earlier on weeknights and are open earlier on Sunday. No significant difference there, but those who like to work out early on Sunday mornings will be pleased.

Weight floor: equivalent to SAC, but there seemed to be less free weights available. I think SAC had greater variety of weight machines, and of course I never saw the weight floor at SAC as crowded as the one at LA Fitness on Monday.

Racquet courts: for the avid Racquetball fans, it looks like only about 4 or 5 courts are available at LA Fitness, all along one wall on the left as you enter. They all seemed to be in use while I was there; not sure what their utilization rate is.

Aerobic equipment: mostly treadmills and eliptical machines. I don't think I saw any stairclimbers. There are about 8 or 9 Lifecycles, most recumbent but some that have the conventional bicycle seat. The Lifecycles at LA Fitness seemed older to me than the ones at SAC. There are two Concept 2 rowing machines/ergometers on the main weight floor, which I was glad to see, but they did not seem well-maintained. One of them had a dead display; I wonder if they get used much. Most of the aerobic equipment is arranged around a balcony on the second floor that overlooks the main weight floor. EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF AEROBIC EQUIPMENT ON THE BALCONY WAS IN USE, AND THERE WERE LINES FOR SOME OF THE TREADMILLS AND ELIPTICAL MACHINES WHILE I WAS THERE. That really bears repeating: every single treadmill, eliptical and stationary bike was in use, and people were waiting to get on them. There are a few TV sets mounted from the ceiling that you can watch, but I don't think they feature wireless sound like the ones at SAC, and I'm not sure it is possible to change the stations -- you probably have to chase down an employee with a remote to do so, if they allow it at all. The TV sets are spread out in linear fashion so that it is only possible to view two or three sets from any one cardio machine, so it could suck if the first treadmill that opens up happens to be in front of a TV that is tuned into a channel or show you don't like. I didn't take notice of the type of programming the TV sets were showing.

Basketball Court: There is one indoor basketball court, but it is more confined than the one at SAC and seemed to be less suitable for tournament play with spectators. Not sure how much the court is in demand. It was in use while I was there, and they seem to have a basketball league going.

Pool: There is a narrow, indoor swimming pool with marked swimming lanes, but it is much smaller than SACs and is really only suitable for exercise and not recreational swimming. The pool is accessible through the locker rooms. Since the whole thing is indoors it is available year-round, but there are no lounge chairs or sunbathing opportunities. Those who like to exercise by swimming laps will probably prefer the pool at LA Fitness.

Whirlpool and Saunas: There is a co-ed whirlpool located in the commons area next to the swimming pool. The men's locker room has a dry, Swedish sauna, but I didn't see a steam room anywhere. The sauna looked relatively small, especially for the large membership of this facility; it was crowded while I was there.

Locker Rooms: the men's locker room seemed smaller and more confined that SAC, but there are probably equal numbers of lockers. All the lockers are the same size and are smaller than those at SAC. LA Fitness does not offer locker rentals, you must take all your belongings with you when you leave; any locks left on lockers overnight will be cut off. There is a kiosk next to the main desk in the lobby with small lock boxes for car keys, wallets, etc.

Child Care: It looked like there was a room to drop off children while you work out down a narrow hallway to the immediate left as you enter, but I didn't bother to check it out. Not sure if it has a TV or anything.

Sand Volleyball Courts and Outdoor Basketball Courts: There are none.

Tanning Booths: I didn't see any.

Parking: The lot was pretty full when I was there in the early evening.

The overall atmosphere seemed more formal and less laid back than at SAC. The place is so crowded that I think people just like to get in there and get as much done as they can and get out quick. It reminded me of the Bally's gym at Southlake, where they even had voice recordings telling you how long you had to do your reps at each weight station Big Brother-style, but LA Fitness is on a much bigger scale -- like Bally's on steriods.

I'll provide an update after my first real workout there, which will probably be Friday evening or Saturday morning or afternoon.

I miss my gym.