Foothill Athletic Club

whoa, whoa, whoa… we had our issues but nobody said close this place down, just fix up the equipment and maybe say hello or smile when we come in and maybe learn how to bill customers like professionals. if i wanted to join a ymca there’s already la canada, tujunga, and glendale, you didn’t need to swallow up and destroy this jewel in the verdugos where adults could go to unwind and relax and even exercise. now it will be another dump for christmas trees, creepy village people, and pancake breakfasts with leashless screaming rugrats scaring the wild deer away.
they killed kenny and he won’t be back.
you bastards!

R.I.P.
My ideal gym. Uncrowded. Laid back. I travel 8 – 10 months out of the year, and they would always let me pay as I went, without forcing me to pay monthly fees when I was on the other side of the planet.
The equipment may not be brand new, but it is in excellent shape, and works fine.
Aside from the standard weight lifting stuff and cardio equipment, there was a room with a punching bag, kettle bells, BOSU, jump ropes, and even battle ropes.
I train muay thai a few times a week, and I would go here in between to stay loose.
Then the pool. A large, heated pool, set under the foothill mountains. I would swim in it on cold overcast days and have it to myself. Jacuzzi as well.
An INCREDIBLE bummer that this was bought up the the YMCA, and will likely be more expensive, and overrun with people.
Adieu my sweet Foothill Athletic club, it was fun while it lasted.

After being with this gym for years and years, I turned up to find it was closed and has been overtaken by the YMCA. This happened within a few days with absolutely no notice to me, as a member. I would have given it 4 stars on a normal day, but am very disappointed that the approx. $ 500 per year I’ve been paying didn’t even qualify me for a note about their closing.
They did manage to bill me for ½ month, though. Didn’t miss that.

one word to describe this gym. BASIC. old equipment, older crowd, nothing special but hey, gets the job done and its close by my house =]

It’s an okay place, but it could be up kept better. The weight equipment is old and looks like it’s going to fall apart, and literally nobody re-​racks their weights on the machines which is a huge pet peeve of mine. They do have a nice selection of isolation and freeweight machines though.

This place is acceptable but not much better. I use it because it is clean, not crowded (nearby Y is chaos), close to my house, and the pool is awesome. The equipment is outdated but passable. This is not a gym to seek out but one to go to for the pool or the convenience. Bring your own hand towel; they don’t supply them. I have taken several morning classes and they have a decent schedule of classes.
This gym has an older clientele so not the spot to see or be seen… but maybe a nice place to swap recipes or to comment on the heat. :) This is definitely an adult only gym which I appreciate, and they have a daycare, which is nice.

i come to this gym on and off for the past 5 – 6 years, and i dont love it but i dont hate it either, i come do my workout for about an hour and leave, i dont really use their pool or the sauna inside the locker room but the gym it self is okay, their machines are old and some dont work but i still get my workout done and i like when there isnt too many people and i could be by myself.

I use to go here for very long time back in 2004−2007… I just recently started going here again because it’s kinda close to my house and it’s convenient. However the reason why I only gave it 3 stars is because the workers here are so bipolar one day they’ll greed you one day they’ll ignore you, the equipment is old but still workable even thought $ 40 a months seems expensive for this locations .I don’t mind paying because there isn’t that many people and you can use any off the equipment in fair amount of time some occasions no waiting!!!

The only redeeming quality about this place is the outdoor pool, something you can’t find anywhere else close by. Besides that, I agree that the owner is unfriendly. Most of the staff members are polite, but not as friendly as they can be for a customer service position. The simple «hello» felt so forceful.
Honestly, the place was sad. The vibe, the layout, the smell. I only enrolled because it’s a mile down from my house but I quickly realized what a mistake I made throwing $ 100 down. I left soon after and found another gym in the area that’s more expensive but I actually enjoy frequenting.
As a small business owner myself it pains me to see business not taking advantage of their potential. I mean, this place is RIGHT next to one of the busiest freeway on ramps in the area. You couldn’t buy better exposure than that. Get creative!!! The marketing possibilities are endless. Instead, there’s a sad sign out front leading you to a sad tour if you do try to stop by to check it out.
In conclusion, if you’re over 60 and want to «work out» with your over 60 buddies, this is the gym for you! Goodluck.

I love the Foothill Athletic Club. I come here to swim several times per week. The pool is clean, and it’s rarely crowded.
The price is lower than the YMCA, and the facility is much cleaner, too.
The staff is friendly, and the other patrons are generally unobtrusive and nice.
This is a casual gym with a mostly older, local clientele. It is not the place to see and be seen.
Therefore, if you want the experience of working out with glamorous young people, this is probably not the place for you.

This place is great for anybody that wants to lose weight, gain muscle or accomplish any fitness goals that they desire. Can’t beat the price too! Great staff, always friendly and always smiling, even the girl at the desk at the wee hours of the morning.

We just moved to the area and are looking for a gym. We walked in to this place and I was immediately put off. The guy at the counter looked miserable. We told him that we don’t have a membership but would like to look around. He gives us a form to fill out and I put my husband’s name and age. I didn’t fill in the address field because I don’t want to give someone our personal information just to enter a gym for five minutes. The guy took one look at the form and says «you need to fill it out properly». Seriously? Mr. Miserable also had an issue with the fact that we were two people on one line. We are one household, why do I have to write my personal address not once but twice for you???
So the whole thing started with a crappy vibe and a bad tone. Let’s move on…
I think this gym was some kind of school or rec facility before. Everything is divided up, different rooms for stuff. It’s claustrophobic with fluorescent stifling corridors. The racquetball courts are nothing to brag about. I’m sure I’d have a seizure from the bright fluorescents in there. The pool was ok but probably not peaceful because it’s right next to the freeway. I’m sure the air quality isn’t the best with all the traffic fumes. I asked Mr. Miserable about spin bikes… He said they’re upstairs. We went upstairs and there were no spin bikes, just stationary bikes (which are different). Obviously Mr. M doesn’t know the difference. No spin classes (really?) and a limited class schedule with limited gym hours.
And the price? $ 40 a month! Seriously? Seriously? Way nicer gyms go for that rate. Way nicer gyms that have nice people working in the front, who greet you with a smile and energetic attitude. I don’t want to pay $ 40 a month to walk into a gym with such a horrible vibe. It’s not the facility that out me off as much as the unprofessional behavior of this staff member.
I would really suggest management to put this employee through some kind of customer service training. His attitude was total crap and it’s already challenging for some people to get into a routine of working out. The last thing they need is to be treated like second rate citizens by someone who thinks he’s too good to be nice to customers (which is what he’s getting paid for btw).
Sorry FAC, you lost our business and I’m sure we are not the first ones. Good luck.

I love the classes at this gym and I also often go to walk on the treadmill. Gym has a good feeling but here are the reasons I am knocking off two stars:
1.) THEY DON’T HAVE LATE ENOUGH CLASSES!!! Anyone who works 9−5ish hours and has to commute will never make it as the last class is at 6:30pm (except for yoga a few days a week). If they had even a 7:00pm class I’m sure A LOT more commuters could make it to class!
2.) WI-​FI STRENGTH SUCKS! I was so excited when they finally got Wi-​Fi but you can’t even use it! I’ve tried 3 different devices now and you cannot do anything with the Wi-​Fi so why even have it? I wish they would fix this because I like to stream video to watch on the treadmill since their selection of tv shows on the 4 tvs they have in the cardio room are awful. It’s usually programmed to 3 channels of national news and one to something else dumb. Other gyms have tv screens ON each machine. Time to upgrade! Especially since this gym is more expensive than any other gym in the area.
I’ve never tried the pool so I can’t review that. The locker rooms are clean, comfortable and pleasant. They also have saunas. And they took out the woman’s only gym room and replaced it with racquet ball so everything now is co-​ed if that matters to you.
UPDATE — They lose one more star for the extremely rude man who answers the phone on Wednesday mornings. I called to ask questions about Zumba and Zumba for non gym members (non members used to be able to pay $ 10 per class). After introducing myself on the phone as a gym MEMBER, I continued to ask my question and he ripped my head off and told me to «JOIN THE GYM!!» and hung up. That’s no way to talk to anyone and if I wasn’t a member I definitely wouldn’t be joining now! Maybe it’s time to go back to World Gym in Tujunga, at least everyone there was super nice and acted like they wanted your business.

The best gym any woman/​girl can go to!
It honestly feels like a resort when you walk in with all the plants, t.v./sofa area and of course the outside pool.
It is never packed and they even provide a womens’ room only for women to work out in. That makes me feel really comfortable during my workout!
The place is sparkling clean. I could tell that they have a really good cleaning crew.
Also what I love about FAC is that they have this rule where you have to clean after using any equipment. There are about 3 – 5 bottles around every few equipments.
Overall a good place to workout, especially for women.

I agree with all the bad reviews. I joined recently. I admit, I am partially to blame. I should have bought a short term membership and tried the place out. Most of the equipment is old and not ergonomic and some of it is in need of some repair. Some of the equipment is like the stuff high schools got rid of. Oh and get this, they don’t have interior and exterior thigh machines? Or a swimsuit spinner in the locker rooms. Seriously???
Also, I don’t think whoever works there really knows how to organize a gym floor. The free weight area is a joke and for some reason they have metal weights. The place is very loud too. It’s not a pleasant place to work out. The pool is pretty bad too and again, if the people that manage it knew how to set up a pool for laps, the pool could accommodate more swimmers. I would really like a refund but I don’t know if they do that. I will keep going just to swim laps until my membership expires and I guess I will join the new Anytime Fitness which is just down the freeway. And I agree with the reviewers that say there are just too many things wrong with this gym to list them on Unilocal.It would take pages and pages to explain. Give it a try as a visitor and see what you think.
Oh, almost forgot, very important, the locker rooms have very slippery tile. Not sure who’s idea this was. The tile in the showers are even worse because soap collects on them. To me, it’s an accident waiting to happen. I think there is a sign by the door in the men’s area that warns of this but what good does that do? Why don’t they just get a safer surface?

Member here for about 4 years now. I don’t think anyone is rude at this place as alot of the rewiews state however newer equipment woulda been nice. Besides lookin like a retirement home for older clients this place is not so bad after all. If you going to gym to watch women work out and socialize this place isn’t for you. Plenty of parking and a great outdoor pool.

The people in the front desk needs to be more friendly and make their clients feels welcome especially the skinny white guy who usually works in the morning. Damn! Dude you need to smile dont just sit there looking like a dead guy! Seriously ! You’re spreading negative energy ! Greet your client or at least smile ! The gym is ok. Love the hot tub & the steam room ! Period.

I dont know what all the 1 star reviews are about. mostly due to lack of eye candy and older crowd apparently. yeah, cuz that EXACTLY what I look for in a gym (sense sarcasm)
The reality is this… there are only two gyms in the area. FAC, and World GYM. World Gym is about half the size of FAC, so I have no idea why somebody said it is bigger than FAC, FAC has a pool, racquetball, and Sauna… World Gym has none of that.
What is important to me in a gym is Air Conditioning and room to work out. This gym does not get crowded! You do not have to wait to use equipment, messing up your routine because somebody is using what you need. In contrast, world Gym is like working out in a sardine can. elbow to elbow with people in a space much to small and you constantly have to wait for equipment to become available. I HATE THAT.
It comes down to money. World Gym is a little cheaper, but you get what you pay for. What good is boasting having new machines (by the way they all work the same) if you cant use it because its never available? I walk into FAC and feel like I own the place cuz i dont have to compete for space or equipment.
i am not employed or affiliated with this gym whatsoever. Im basing my review of both gyms on 1 guest work out at each. I will be joining FAC based on my experiences at both. its $ 15 more a month, but definitely worth it.

Neighborhood Gym
Locals gym with pool, fitness classes, womens only room, daycare. It is small but doesn’t get very crowded and everyone is very nice.

So, after having a baby and acquainting myself with the ins and outs of motherhood, I saw a Living Social deal in December for FAC for a 2 month membership for $ 49.00.
I jumped on it thinking I’d have plenty of impetus to get over there and rid myself of this postpartum physique.
It was not to be that immediate. The voucher expires on June 18^th. So here it is, 4 days until it expires and I’m FINALLY getting to it.
I called the day before to set up an appointment, which it suggests I do before I went in.
Since we’re moving out of town in October, I asked the fellow on the phone if they offered month to month fees. I was told «yes» and that it would be $ 50 per month.
The next morning, as soon as I walked in, I was met by two fellows sitting at the front counter. I admit, I was a complete zombie, and I didn’t know how bad it was until I began to speak. (You know how it is, right? I hope?)
At any rate, I showed the closest fellow at the counter my voucher. He smirked and showed the other fellow the voucher, who then came over and explained that it was supposed to be completed by June 18^th, as they don’t run specials over the summer.
I simply replied «Oh. I must have misunderstood the expiration date»
He then explained to me that the he ever so magnanimously gave «The other last minute guy» one month, instead of the two.
I said, «Well, that’s the month to month price anyways, so okay.»
I was met with blank stares and complete indifference bordering on rudeness.
Disappointed, I went through the facility tour anyways.
It seemed like a nice enough place. I was doing the math in my head during the tour, so at first, I was a little off in la la land, but promptly adjusted my focus as soon as it was obvious.
At the end of the tour, I mentioned that I understood that the month to month fee was $ 50. He said «It’s $ 50, but you have to buy it for 3 months for $ 150. We only want long term members»
To which I replied, «I understand, and I’m trying to join for as long as I can here»
At that time, I fully understood why I was met with virtually z-​e-​r-​o customer service when I said something earlier about that being the month to month price.
I drove off somewhat bothered by the misinformation and obvious rudeness dripping from this place.
On the drive home, I thought to myself, if I took the $ 50 voucher I had and brought in $ 100, I should be able to buy the 3 month deal.
So I called. I got the fellow who took me around the facility on the phone.
I said «Hi! I’m the zombie who was in earlier with the Living Social voucher. I had a thought, since the $ 50 voucher is still good at face value, may I combine it with $ 100 for the 3 months?»
With nary a pause, I got this, and I quote, «No. You’ll have to buy the 3 months separate form the voucher. We’re never doing Living Social ever again.»
So it was crystal clear that not only did I annoy them by inquiring about a deal THEY put out, they likely talked to one and other about how annoying it was as soon as I left.
I fully understand the desire for long term members and that I’m moving. I also understand Living social/​Groupon/​Zozi etc… can really irritate those who run the specials, but to make me feel completely stupid isn’t necessary.
I’m in biz for myself and always treat my clients with respect, as word of mouth and social networking are now everything to businesses.
I called Living Social and got an absolutely trouble free refund. They also explained to me that what I explained to them was a tad shady according to some «fair something or other» act. So, Living Social RULES…
Foothill Athletic Club absolutely hands down without question does not rule.
Go here if you want some condescending behavior shoved up your butt.