Equinox

I’ve been working out at Equinox for about 1 month and am really enjoying it. I quit NYSC because my location didn’t have spin and the class times weren’t convenient for me. Equinox has SO many classes at various times throughout the day which is awesome and all of the classes are TOUGH but fun. I have felt myself improve a LOT over the past month and I’m really excited to see the progress. For the first time in a long time, I look forward to working out.
PROS:
— clean gym
— Kiehl’s products
— lots of classes and big variety
— 2 free personal trainer sessions
— 1 free pilates session (AMAZING btw, but very $$$ for a package)
— check in via your phone to the gym + sign up for classes right on your phone
— the mobile app tracks your activity as well
CONS:
— the training /​pilates sessions are very pricey — cheaper to get a monthly membership at a small boutique place for the pilates unfortunately — if this was more affordable i’d prob give this gym 5 stars
— the mat to do abs /​stretch is so crowded I can never get in there ;(

Of the Equinox gyms I have gone to I must say that Iron Park is my favorite. I just really like the lay out, the trainers are great (even if you aren’t getting trained they are always helpful) and the place is immaculately clean.

Equinox @Park & 33^rd! Long time all access member of Equinox, love visiting as many locations as I can. Yes I am obsessed with Equinox and its fantastic classes.
This location is not the most convenient– not really near the trains and kind of a pain you have to go thru a lobby and elevator to get to main floor. the entire club is all on one floor.
Clientele– mostly all college kids i swear, everyone is super young and in their 20s
Kids club, spa, yoga studio, main studio, cycle studio, free weights, cardio machines, weight machines, shower & steam rooms, café.
All the typical equinox things here– main studio, yoga/​barre studio, spin studio, tons of free weights, tons of machines, everything you can imagine. All the machines are new and in excellent condition and are up to date with the latest technology. Womens locker rooms are main studio floor while mens locker room & yoga studio is the top level. Several floors but the best part is that there is a whole area with chairs and wifi and you can study or do work there.
Some of the trainers here are great– good tip– if you see people in light blue shirts– they are actual trainers! they walk around and are there if you have questions, most people don’t realize they are actual trainers and are there to help people out!
LOVE LOVE LOVE the group fitness classes. They are so much fun and the energy is always high. Instructors are enthusiastic and challenging. get there early because it can get packed Tip– try body sculpt sunday 10am with Lee, wednesday ropes & rowers 6pm with Joshua Vela
Locker rooms– typical Equinox amenities (towels, q-​tips, cotton balls, shaving crème razors and of course KIEHL’s bath & body products — shampoo, conditioner, body wash, crème de corp moisturizers) You do need to bring a lock to this location.
TIP:
If you are thinking of joining, best way to get the best rate is to go thru a current member. Feel free to msg me. My advisor who I have known for over 10 years is the best, he is upfront, honest, not pushy and will get you the best deal. He always throws in extras. make sure you try the gym before you make a huge commitment.

I feel like Equinox is geared towards women. There are sooooo many chicks in this location at any time of the day. And why does this suck for me, a fellow chick? Well, besides the point I can’t pick up a dude since the women here are fitter, younger, and more attractive than I am, the showers and the hair dryers are usually occupied!
If you’re a lady, try to avoid this place when there are classes scheduled cuz you’ll be waiting in line for the showers and rubbing booties in the changing areas. AND if you’re average in all physical departments (face, body, boobs, etc), avoid it for the sake of your self esteem.

This was a decent gym up until two months ago. Now it is over crowded and there’s been a régime change of personal trainers. This is not a gym to belong to unless you use the trainers. Otherwise you are a second class member bullied from using many machines by trainers who hog 3 machines at once for their client. Look I get it. But when you have a bunch of people waiting to be graced with the usage of one of your «taken» machines or benches it gets to be a little silly.
If you like stretching and come to the gym at 7−9am or God for bid after work, expect to wait a while to have a 1×1 square to stretch out on. If you try and stretch elsewhere you will likely get stepped on intentional by trainers (not kidding). I was stretching in front of a common area for 5 mins and then a trainer came in with his boxing client and started passive aggressively boxing on top of me. After stepping on me the second time the trainer said «why don’t you go fing stretch in the stretch area». I said that’d make sense of there was space (what about the two empty rooms they could have boxed in?). Why are they even boxing — this gym as literally the smallest footprint I’ve seen.
Besides the passive aggressive trainers and the lack of space, the rest of the place is decent. Good shower facilities, nice equipment, good amount of a treadmills.

This is the smallest Equinox location. During the busy time, it can get really busy; sometimes it boggles my mind that the trainers work out/​stand around with their clients/​take up space during those times.
The nice thing is that the facility is very clean and well stocked with Kheil’s products. Equinox’s are known for their classes and its true, they’re intense and plentiful.
If you’re thinking of joining, join all the locations. It’s worth it in the summer when you need a bathroom in a different neighborhood. It’s only $ 50 more… (bringing it to over $ 200)
the price will scare you into working out. Plus, you get to be an elitist!

Very clean and well organized, this location though does get congested and there are a few flaws. The equipment isn’t the newest, compared to some of their other locations. Many of the treadmills are not balanced and their digital displays don’t work well. Trainers use the main corridor leading from the reception to the weights and cardio areas frequently setting up exercises for their customers, getting in everyone’s way and then get annoyed when you cross over. The locker rooms are very clean and well kept. Always ample towels. The bathrooms are very small though and as someone also pointed out here, there is always a line for stall. Not the best Equinox location though it is right above a subway. Smaller than 42^nd and 19^th, the two closest.

The gym name speaks for itself; it’s above average… But besides the amazing classes and instructors, that’s all it is. Just right above average. This specific location doesn’t get too crowded but does need some fixer uppers. For example, after each class in the main studio, the floor should be quickly wiped down so I don’t have to roll around in someone else’s sweat (gag). The showers should also be taken care of after each person. Sometimes there are shortages of shampoo etc and that should never be the case… and let’s not even begin to talk about the hairballs some of these girls leave on the shower walls (gag again). Cleanliness level– meh. Instructors are absolutely fantastic which is why I’m even giving it 4 stars.

Great staff, very clean and new equipment.
Locker room is the best part. Warm showers, soap and fresh towels.

Overall satisfied with this gym. The service here is great, a little nicer and less pretentious than other locations. Just make sure to avoid peak hours!

I like this place. Nice facilities, nice staff, people aren’t as douchey as they seem to have a reputation for. Still, 3 issues:
1) sometimes they run out of towels in the locker rooms. No bueno when you need to get to work and have to shower.
2) the place is like Penn Station during the after work rush. I’m not just talking crowded but people literally pushing each other out of the way to and from the machines. One reason I switched from NYSC was to avoid that. Might even be a fire hazard.
But my biggest issue is that EVERYONE IS ALWAYS SHITTING. I know this isn’t really their fault but for some reason no matter when I go, there is always at least one dude on line to use a stall. The urinals are always free. Nobody pees. Everybody poops. And boy howdy, do they ever. I don’t understand it. I seriously have not seen this many men on line for a bathroom for this consistently over the course of a day since Barack Obama’s first inauguration. Maybe the juice place downstream needs to put stuff in the smoothies to make people constipated, like the military does with food that’s designed to be eaten in the field.
Overall I’m quite happy. But word to the wise, poop at home.

I’ve been going to this Equinox for about a year and a half. It’s clean, great machines, but a little small and you definitely feel it in the after work hours during the week. The classes are great (especially the Blake Mays ultimate workout and core conditioning!) but always very crowded, get there early. I have asked repeatedly if they could add more of his classes throughout the week, but so far no dice. Other than that, no complaints.

NICOLE is a rockstar and she made sign-​up such a breeze. FIVE STARS ALL THE WAY!
I recently went to the location in FIDI (before I signed up at this ‘park ave’ club) and this dump truck of a man named Todd, «helped me». I left without signing up at that location just because he was just the worst and needed a reality check… not to mention a treadmill.
If you’re a prospective new member, come sign-​up at this Park Ave location, you won’t regret it!

I’ve been to several Equinox locations in NY and Boston and this one is — in my opinion — by far the best. The showers are mega clean, the locker room is very spacious, the equipment is top-​notch (the same as other Equinox locations), and the trainers are friendly. Haven’t done any PT at this location (used to in Boston) but I’ve seen trainers approach members to give them pointers and answer questions. Really like this place.

If you like doing yoga while someone else has a toe in your face or being around personal trainers that gossip and stand around… then this is the place for you!!!
At $ 160/​month (plus sign-​up fee), I would expect the management to be on top of their s*it. But they are definitely not.
Will, the General Manager, just disregards emails that he doesn’t feel like responding to.
The spin classes are great, but all of the other classes are so overcrowded it’s terrible.
Honestly, it’s clean and full of good looking people, but for the money spent, they really need to work on treating members much better.

I used this gym for 3 years, and really enjoyed it a lot during that time (I moved to a different area). My only disappointment is that group classes are too crowded, but since I only attended yoga and spinning classes, I was fine with my options. Great facilities, the lockers are clean all time around.

I’m not exactly the biggest gym rat but I’ve been a member of this Equinox for a little over 6 months and haven’t been disappointed in the slightest. The reception area is nice and tidy and there’s always someone greeting members as they walk in, which is refreshing early in the morning when I’m just waking up.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the locker rooms are kept really clean and stocked, even during «rush hour».
I’ve utilized a majority of the equipment (machines + free weights) and have found that very few things need replacing. There’s one treadmill that’s a bit wobbly. I’ve also been to yoga and Pilates classes that were full but not overly packed, and the instructors were fantastic at making corrections and keeping the pace appropriate.
Last but not least, I’ve found a great trainer — Rebecca Grande. She has taken into account any of my health concerns to create a program for me which is producing results. It’s actually become a pleasure for me to get myself to the gym at an un-​godly hour because I know it’s worth it.
Edit: Rebecca is now the training manager (not sure of her actual title) at the 63^rd Street location.

Decent gym and much nicer than NYSC. The toiletries are an added plus and the locker rooms are kept clean. Staff are friendly and helpful. The big negative about this gym is that the classes are always overcrowded and it’s annoying that there’s no room. I feel like at times it’s a fire hazard! At times there is no air circulation and because the ceiling fans are so low it’s not always turned on. Also the lockers don’t have locks so you have to bring your own locker. I’ve also had issues with the general manager who doesn’t seem to be very business oriented. I think the other Equinox locations are more spacious and class options seem better.

I heavily debated writing this review – Park Ave Equinox clearly has many fans but it’s 2 weeks into my membership and I’m pretty disappointed. The take away: For the cost– NOT WORTH IT. Doesn’t do well for the chain.
I was SO excited to join. I’ve been a gym rat for several years but knew from being a previous guest of UWS Equinox that I was joining «THE» crème de crème of gyms. Regardless of the building discount, I still needed to justify the cost. I did this by reminding myself of convenience to work, early classes, and those fabulous «little» amenities… Kiehls, hair dryers, etc…
I’m pretty disgusted. Over the course of these 2 weeks, I’ve come to decide that (most) of the early morning crew is absolutely rude, the early classes are led by certified teachers (?) because that’s not obvious, and the amenities… well. The first few days as the new kid on the block, I couldn’t locate a floor attendant to simply point me in the direction of certain equipment and when I asked 2 trainers, they were clearly annoyed and indicated that they were about to go into a session. I was politely asking a question before their session. They wouldn’t help. One person helped me – she teaches Tabata I think. Amanda. She was lovely. Together we realized that one of the spin bikes on the floor is broken – it’s still broken 2 days later. Broken spin bike.
Other thoughts:
–Really like Amanda Shapin’s spin class. I’m hardcore spin person – she is great with motivation and setting the expectations. I wish I could take her class regularly.
–John Tarmaggiiore might have NBC and ABC on his CV, but guy can’t teach a packed class. There was no real instruction, no mention of modifications… just a few screams of «HOLD THE pose» or some such nonsense. Form doesn’t seem to matter in these studio classes.
– 2 showers in the ladies room have been out of hot water – we are talking 7:30 am rush hour Several ladies had to get out and wait for another one and some of the Kiehl’s products aren’t stocked.
I’m going to give a try a little longer but I think I’m out. I can’t stand bad costumer service especially when the service is supposed to be the best. It’s just bleh! I can’t imagine that Harvey Spevak would be happy with this place.

The general manager at this location is incredibly unprofessional. I am a paying member of Equinox in Chicago. I was in the city for the weekend to visit my boyfriend. I had a legitimate guest pass and the manager here wouldn’t let me use it because I was an active member in another city. It was as if paying dues to this gym each month made him disinterested in helping me.
I haven’t been made to feel this unwanted in quite a while. The manager was very disrespectful and told me that my guest pass wasn’t valid. This manager should be fired in my opinion. He doesn’t understand that he is in a customer service oriented business. I love Equinox but avoid this location!