Richmond World Health

The fact that they wont tell you the monthly pricing over the phone and force you to go into the gym is ludicrous.

Had the best experience here when it comes to dealing with gym. I used to go to YMCA and Golds Gym, but I must say the staffs and trainers here are way more professional and friendly. If you want to get in shape I definitely recommend set an appointment with one of the trainers.

I haven’t been able to go to the gym for over a year due to two crushed vertebrate in my spine, but they won’t let me cancel my membership without going INTO the gym and now they suddenly went from $ 24 bi-​weekly to $ 60 with NO notification!!! BAD business! Don’t go!!! Many others have MUCH higher business ethics and customer service.

Hands down the best gym I have ever been to. I’ve been a member of World Health for over 20 years and hit the gym at least 5 days a week. The whole organization is great and I would never be a member anywhere else. For me the Richmond World Health location takes the cake. From the second I walk through the door whoever is at the front desk knows me by name, is super friendly, and always a smiling face. I have had the same personal trainer for almost 3 years and have never been happier with the results I have seen in this time. In my opinion Richmond also has the best equipment. I’ve never had to wait for any equipment and they are always ahead of the game with selection. Not to mention there are some wicked classes (my fave being Revs). They have recently done reno’s to the entire space as well so for those who complain about it being outdated I’d come back and look again;)
5 stars– 5 thumbs up– I love my gym

I signed up with a 30 days free coupon on March 9. They offered to convert the coupon to first month free of an ongoing membership, and I agreed. Due to unfoseen circumstances, I was not able to complete, and my membership terminated June 13. Here is a list of the charges I endured over this time:
March 9: $ 67.20 Apr 19 $ 30.45 May 3 $ 30.45 May 10 $ 156.45 May 17 $ 30.45
TOTAL $ 315.00, considering my first 30 days were free with my coupon, I paid $ 315.00 for 9 ½ weeks, averaging over $ 100 a month or $ 66 bi-weekly.their marketing of a $ 24 bi-​weekly pricepoint is misleading as there are set-​upcharges, and cancellation charges. When I complained about the charges they waved the contract in my face. The whole concept of contract is old-​school and the industry needs to change.
About the Gym: Clean enough, and they have done some significant renovation over the summer, especially in the change rooms. Cardio equipment is new, but it’s all the same brand (not much choice). I was given two free training sessions with my coupon, not something I wanted or even asked for. The trainer I was assigned focused his time on selling me on the benefits of ongoing training, as opposed to developing a program for me and teaching me how to use the equipment. The assistant manager Amy stepped in and gave me some proper training. I was also happy with the sales rep Sara. But now that I have been snake bitten by a health club contract, I will be twice as shy about joining a gym where I have to sign anything.
Subsequent to writing this review, World Health extended to me a free membership for a limited amount of time. I’ve since moved on, the membership is not that valuable to me, but I appreciate the gesture. For this I have increased my overall rating from two stars to three.

Worst experience I have ever had dealing with a gym. I received a call offering a free trial with the gym which I thought was awesome because it gave me an opportunity to see what else is out there aside from my regular gym. I ended up signing a bunch of stuff which I understood to be just for reasons that if I enjoyed I could sign up after if not no problem. Well, I ended up in a membership that was on a contract for a year, I am a student on a low budget and when I realized the mistake I immediately went back to have it cancelled. They informed me my only option was to buy out the contract for over $ 700 which I found to be ridiculous as I hadn’t even worked out within the 2 days I had the membership or used any training sessions. When I spoke to the assistant manager there was nothing he could do so I ask what the hell they pay him for.
Overall I am extremely disappointed in their level of customer service because they offered no advice and no assistance in how I could deal with this matter. World Health claimed to me that 1 in 5 of their members are students, I call bull****, I don’t know how a student who pays for their tuition and has a student loan already could afford to be a member when they offer little flexibility. I felt like I was conned into something by the staff and I would never recommend the gym to any of my friends and family based off of their disregard for service and how I was misinformed. I have a close friend who had an extremely terrible experience at the Sunridge World Health and this just puts the cherry on top of World Health to say that its not location, it’s the company that is trying to scam customers and ruin their own reputation.

The equipment is old. When they get new equipment, it is usually hamd-​me-​downs from their Bay-​Club, downtown.
When I was a member, I had several personal trainers that were quite good and a few bad ones.
Overall, I terminated my membership because of the poorly maintained equipment, dirty workout area (s), poor ventilation, and dirty change-​room facilities.

They say never judge a book by its cover. Well whoever said that obviously never had a gym membership. I’m not sure about the rest of the world but my criteria for signing up for a gym is as follows: clean, good equipment, a variety of classes and knowledgeable instructors. Inclusive to the definition of knowledgeable is upholding the appearance that they themselves workout. Having a non fit (by appearance — pudgy is harsh word) woman dressed in spandex shouting demands at me to ‘work harder and to push myself’ just seems contradictory and comical.
The last time I signed up for a gym membership was back in 2005. I did so without shopping around and although pleasantly surprised, didn’t use the membership to its full extent and I found myself making monthly payments for something I rarely used. This time, all the wiser, I thought I would shop around first before signing my name on the dotted line. Being limited to one gym for a whole year is very unappealing to me (commitment phobia?) so another criterion I have added to my list is flexibility. A benefit of having a WHC membership is the ability to use various clubs around the city (with the restriction of the Edgemont and Fifth Ave Club). Having been a member of the Edgemont Club previously, I was excited to check out the Richmond Club.
You can imagine my shocked face as I stepped into the gym revealing what resembled a set of Richard Simmons workout video more so than a gym. The equipment looked old — like they got to see the turn of the millennia — old. The trainers looked like they were hired based on strict criteria — Pulse? Check. Breathing? Check. You’re hired! The ‘trainers’ looked less lively than some of the equipment. When I asked if there was a lock I could rent, the girl at the reception desk looked up exasperatingly and asked for some photo ID in exchange. Off to a great start I see. I go upstairs to check out the cardio equipment (fingers crossed) only to find it overcrowded with minimal space between the different machines. The cardio machines looked much newer (and cleaner) than the grandfather of weight machines in the weight area. Each elliptical had its own TV and made the lack of space much more bearable.
I cut my workout short that day as a man was sweating all over my treadmill (yes, that’s how close together they are!) and decided to do my ab workout at home. The contrast between Edgemont and Richmond was signficant; luckily, the four months I spent at Edgemont outweighed the one bad experience thus far so I would consider signing up with WHC again; just not at the Richmond location. The search continues!