Columbia Basin Racquet Club

Heck yes! Love the Pelican Bay. Okay prices. I guess if you have kids it’s worth it considering entertainment costs you would pay somewhere else. Everything is a bit dated and that I don’t like. All classes are free with membership. This annual towel few bugs me.

Excellent fitness instructors. Normal friendly feeling among clients. many who’ve lived in the area a long time.

Very nice facility.

During the week I got a phone call from a club employee. She left a voicemail saying she wanted to do an account review and see how things were going, which at first made me think «oh that’s really nice, I’m coming up on a year on my membership so she must want to know how it’s been and talk about continuing.» Wrong. I finally got ahold of her a few days later, and she had read my previous review, gone through the system to find a Michelle with last initial G, and was obviously upset. She claimed she wanted to make sure nothing «funky» was happening with my payments, and then very condescendingly made me feel stupid while she broke down my payment and explained how «every business in America raises prices in September and every person in America pays it» or something of that nature. I was shocked. I asked about how much it would be to cancel my membership and the way she explained it to me was as though she was recommending I do just that. Never once did she apologize for my confusion on payments, and needless to say I will not be going back. I will wait until January when my 12 month mandatory payment contract is up and then I will be joining another gym.

Update: I’ve felt like I’ve had to lower my review of CBRC, due to the implementation of this «Pelican Bay» water park thing. Part of the reason I joined was because CBRC had a much larger number of swim lanes (nine, compared to only three at Gold’s). This ended up being far from what was effectively available, because of the significant pressure on the swim lanes due to the Channel Cats swim club, Master’s Lap swimming, the local high school teams, swim lessons, and the relatively significant number of lap swimmers.
However, this year CBRC implemented the «Pelican Bay» thing. I originally was not bothered by this, because I figured this was something new they were adding on to the facility. However, as it turns out, part of this plan involves taking the five-​lane outdoor pool, tacking on water basketball, water slides, and god knows WTF else, and removing the lanes from lap swimming availability for nearly the whole day every day. This makes a difficult situation with lap swimming almost unworkable. I’m really furious.
CBRC already has very high membership fees relative to other places, and the only other main reason I chose that place is that it has a good MSA (Meathead-​Socialite-​Athlete) ratio, and I didn’t have to tolerate excessive gym narcissism or feeling like it was a pickup bar.
However, I’m in serious reconsideration mode. For half the price per month, I can probably put up with Gold’s…

First: expensive. Outrageously so. Add on a big «annual towel fee» (even if you never use their towels) and several hundred for a joining fee. Way too costly.
Second: smelly. Seriously. All is well until you go down the stairs to the weights and locker areas and then it smells like feet. And pits. And breath. And unwashed bodies. Now listen. Do you think a gym should have carpets in the halls around the locker area? I don’t. I think tile is easier to sanitize. But if you want carpet, at least shampoo it once in awhile. It is old and smells like all the sweaty people rolled on it from the gym to the locker rooms for ten years. Please replace the nasty smelling carpet.
Otherwise, decent club. Lots of machines and free weights, plenty of classes, pools are even pretty good lately.

Good Lord… Where to begin… I had been a member of this fitness club for going on 12 years — during that time, I managed to mentally record a great many failings of this club — along with a paucity of positives. Let’s begin with the negatives:
1. Fees /​Cost — it was costing me ~$ 52 /​month for a single membership — this is crazy when compared to the competition — but it was close — between work and home, so they got my dough in context of the convenience.
2. No membership involvement in the changes: there would be these periodic «updates» when money was invested in new signage, resurfacing the parking area, some new weights, weight machines, etc. However, I, and other patrons, got use to certain circuits /​setups and equipment — one day it’s there, next it is gone — no consulting of the members (longtime) that actually use the stuff.
3. They are in business to sell memberships — that is it. The focus is clearly on getting new clients to sign lengthy contracts… little attention is paid to the members once they join (OK, there is the occasional membership appreciation gig, like a BBQ in the fall — but they charge $ 5 or something per person — bet they are still raking it in — no complaint, I am a capitalist and business owner myself — but come on — let’s have more investment in the existing clients.)
4. Lousy treatment of the employees. Over my 12 years, I engaged in numerous dialogs with lots of different employees, and tell you what I found — this CBRC is really cheap when it comes to recognizing and compensating employees that put forth exceptional service. The club had a $ 400k upgrade and I wondered how much of that went into increasing compensation for the super-​performers on staff… Not so much, literally just a few cents.
5. Towel fees — $ 26/​year for these towels that are better fit for cleaning the grease off an engine retool… we’re talking you need a couple of these towels to do the job. and they have this blue penitentiary stripe… maybe to keep members from hauling them off? Really? Who is going to haul off these hankies? Maybe to clean up after changing their car’s oil…
6. Attitude: the club management appears to have the attitude that This Is the Only Game in Town… possibly due to their proximity to The Hanford Area, Richland, etc… but there are other options, and it’s been a few months now since I left (recently joined Club 24 in West — half the price, open 24/​7, nice staff, all the equipment that works for me).
7. Hours: The club closed at 9pm on weekends and 11pm on weekdays. Due to my work, I would often still be at the Office after 11pm; no club time. Of course I could have changed my schedule — but why? Club 24 is open… 24 hours a day.
8. Service Attitude: When it starts getting close to closing time, a number of the staff present themselves as if the clients are a nuisance and are literally telling the clients that they need to get out (even prior to 11pm). I suspect that 11pm is the shift ending time for the hourly staff, and they want the clients out well prior. There is an approach — a professional demeanor that can be taken by the staff that results in a win-​win instead of being adversarial. Look at Disney — pure service oriented.
9. «Music»: the so-​called music that is oft playing over the PA system is both (A) garbage (B) loud. I get the impression that the last 16 year old punk kid working the basement (workout area), dials the music into some horrible gutter trash station (filled with cursing and related crap) — plus it is loud. I would go upstairs and tell the person at the front desk about the «music» in the basement, they would have a puzzled look, and state that they will have someone check on the Music… Never happened. I would have to literally haul a staff member down to the basement. Then I just decided to go into the «Authorized Personnel Only» room and I unplugged the audio system… go ahead, sue me.
OK, now for a few of the positives:
1. Classes — in particular, the Karate class — the instructor (Dr. John Jaffe) was amazing — I attended classes on/​off over about four years. Very well conducted classes… if I went back to CBRC, it would be exclusively to get back into that Karate class (if Dr. Jaffe is still presiding as instructor). There were also a few opportunities to take a CPR class at the club.
2. Other members — over those 12 years, I did manage to get to know quite the number of others at The Club. The atmosphere provided a social setting in that a 45 minute work-​out would sometimes expand into two hours (catching up with friends and acquaintances).
And so – CBRC gets 2 stars, although it would be closer to 1.5. I have not been a member for a few months — so perhaps it’s improved; but I wouldn’t bet on it.

I have had a membership at three clubs (CBRC, Court Club, LifeQuest) in the Tri-​Cities since arriving in 2001 from the Seattle area. CBRC in particular is my favorite. Despite the other reports here, I choose CBRC over the other clubs because of the excellent family changing rooms, variety of programming, and the friendliness toward my guests which I bring regularly.
— Family changing areas. I avoid the Tri-​City Court club tight and sweaty changing area. I like the fact that my family can change together in a private room. 4stars.
— Programming and workout zones. The class instructors at CBRC seem friendlier and more engaging than the other clubs. 5stars.
— Swimming pool (s). The indoor is part saline which is a much friendlier anti-​bacterial than chlorine. I can swim laps or play with my boys without smelling like a chemical bath. The chlorine is so strong at Court Club my son (who is a swimmer) swells up like a marshmallow (allergic reactions). The seasonal outdoor pool is a great in addition to the outdoor play facility. 4stars.
— Tennis. New director. Some new instructors make this an enjoyable environment. As I progressed it didn’t seem difficult to connect with other players at a similar level. I felt invited. I wish there was a more robust match making system for the newcomers. Once old timers start playing with each other they rarely break from routine and I myself would make myself available for new folks coming in. 4stars.
–Guest friendliness. As a full family member I receive free guest passes each year and $ 10 guest visits when my freebies run out. This allows me to entertain family members from the Seattle area without breaking the bank. It also allows me to play friends from other courts. Other clubs charge a $ 20 guest fee to play 1.5hours of tennis with a friend from another club! Can you imagine that? CBRC is a guest friendly atmosphere. I have taken my guests to both and they overwhelmingly appreciate CBRC over Court Club for feeling connected. 4stars.
–Pricing. For those who complain about pricing, I wonder how these clubs stay open. You only have to live in a large city a little while and join their clubs to realize that we are paying ¹⁄₃ the price and receiving much more. I think it would nice but perhaps unreasonable, for the clubs to create a Club Link program where a full tennis member could play tennis (perhaps limited times per month) with the other club in order to practice or gain skills playing a diversity of people. 4stars.
There is always room for improvement but for me, hands down CBRC beats the other full service (full service includes tennis) for space, options, price, and guest friendliness.
Adam

I used to be at 2*, but I’m moving up. Some of my original complaints remain: smelly in the summer, media in the cardio room is outdated, still carpet in the locker rooms.
BUT, they seem to be trying to update a bit. The weight machines have been 100% updated, welcome to the 21^st century. The men’s locker room is getting a face lift with digital locker locks and some more tile in the wet areas (still carpet in the changing area).
So I’m a little happier with the gym, and as a result, I’m updating my Unilocal score. They have a long way to go, but it’s more OK than before.

What is that smell? Feet? Jock straps? This place is in need of a serious remodel. Doesn’t matter how much stuff you pack in gym, it still need a deep cleaning.

I have to update my previous review down to one star. Why? Our contract was up in February. We had it set up on automatic debit and they took a ‘payment’ for March. We called them, they refused to give us our money back saying we needed to fill out paperwork to ‘end’ our contract that was already over.
So, we fill out the paperwork, drop it off, and they say we’re good to go. We get a call for April, saying that we haven’t paid them yet. We told them we filled out their paperwork to end the contract, and they said that didn’t matter and if we don’t pay them it’s going to collections.
Don’t go here, they’re evil.

This gym is pretty nice for the area, but membership fees tend to be on the high side. The weight room equipment is new, but some of the cardio machines need to be replaced. The cardio room has some good equipment such as trendmills, elliptical and exercise bikes. I wish they had the Stepmill though. The overall cleanliness of the facility is spotless. However I dislike the smell of strong chlorine/​musky mold like smell from the indoor pool and the dated interior. Cafeteria serves decently priced good food.
The daycare facility is stellar and sanitize all the toys (from what I have observed). My advice is to get to know the people who care for your kids and try to make sure your child is placed in a secure location. My child is watched by the staff on a daily basis and out the blue ends up with a cut upper lip (the kid was watched by someone I have never seen at the daycare). My rule from now on is I am not leaving them with a daycare worker I have never met before and will come back to check on them several times during my workout. It is a pain… but at least I know they are being looked after properly.

Okay, first I want to say in regards to all the bad reviews. I was a member back in 2007 – 2008 and the gym was pretty bad so I quit my membership: at that time a lot of these reviews were right, old equipment, expensive and questionable childcare, poor customer service at the check in desk, etc.
BUT
CBRC had really made a come back! I re-​joined about a month ago and I have really been loving it this time.
The front desk has for the most part attentive young people, occasionally there is a young person who could care less but I have seen a HUGE improvement. I have only encountered about two of these young people and I think it may have been the same young woman. The rest of them seem to make an effort to use your name in greeting you and they always include my young children in the conversation.
As a mom of two I need a break sometimes. Used to be I wondered it they even knew my daughter was there but this time I have been very happy with the care providers in the playroom, it seems they have more mature women working in there now and they also offer an unlimited card which you can purchase each month, so you get unlimited care (up to 2 hours a day) for the month for $ 25. Great deal considering it used to be $ 3/​hr for one kid.
The cardio equipment that I primarily use has been updated though I do see that some of it is still the older stuff they had last time I was a member.
One of the locker rooms has been updated though I still prefer the older one.
Overall I have been very happy with CBRC!

— Dirty as a dive bar
— Equipment the 1978 Rocky Balboa woulda stuck his nose up to
— Fox «news» on over 75% of the TVs
— All this for $ 60/​month (and one month is a whopping $ 100 for the «towel fee»)
The CBRC & I have been in a bad relationship. I’m the eternal optimist and try to be upbeat and hopeful. I don’t like giving up. CBRC and I have been going out for many years. I wouldn’t say we were friends, and I wouldn’t say it was all physical (shouldn’t it be though?!). I think it was mainly a marriage of convenience: it’s close, and it’s always a pain to end memberships and look for a new gym.
I think they are in a good situation in that they sort of have a monopoly: they’re big, and close to many Richland residents as well as being on the way home from Hanford.
Don’t get me wrong, she does have some good points:
— EXCELLENT group classes & instructors (10-​stars for this alone!)
— Nice staff
— Outdoor pool (forget about the inside one – it’s a petri dish)
Sorry, that’s all I got. There’s potential here, but it would take work.
Ok, let’s take a step back into the ‘70s. I would say some of the odor molecules and grime are definitely from the disco age. I found this out early on. The men’s locker room? Fuggedaboutit. It’s straight up nasty-​smelling. They need to give you a clothes pin to snap on your nose when going in here. Years ago I decided to simply bypass the locker room altogether. Last night I actually went for a swim. I went to the infamous Men’s Locker Room, and I pissed off my olfactory system. Usually I’m good to my nose, but my nose was straight up hyped at me for bringing it back to a place it blocked out eons ago.
I spend most of my time in the cardio & weight rooms. Man, I’ve been a part of this gym since before the millennium, and it’s sad to still see some of the fossil-​like equipment here. Or maybe the gym is meant to be a Work Out Museum. Every once in a while some new machines show up, but I keep thinking this gym must simply get hand-​me-​downs from yard sales of «real» gyms.
And why the heck is Fox «News» on most of the TVs here. I don’t know, maybe they plan it that way. I always get pi$$ed off when I see Fox on TV, so it makes me want to go beat something up. Instead, I just take it out on the weights. So yeah, maybe it’s a training mechanism.
All of this would not be much of an issue… if the monthly fees were more reasonable. Seriously, it’s embarrassing to take my out of town friends here, or to tell them how much I pay for this slop. In other places you can pay $ 50 for a membership — FOR TWO PEOPLE! And this would be for someplace newer, cleaner, and vastly better.
I’m sorry to vent here, but this gym has taken years of my time and thousands of dollars from my wallet.
So yeah, I’m finally breaking up with CBRC. The grass is always greener they say, right? I know I’ll find a sexier gym. One which won’t be afraid to be loved. I’ll be OK. Won’t I?
God, I think I need to see a therapist.

I only give it one star, because it’s actually, and unfortunately, a real business.
Most expensive gym I’ve ever used. Old facilities, old equipment, and terrible customer service. Not to mention the joining fee, which is OUTRAGEOUS. The staff was rude, uneducated, and unwilling to refund me the 20 days I was gone due to my wedding and honeymoon, because I was not gone for a FULL month. So now that I’m back and have a lot of work to make up with no time to use the gym, I’m still paying for it, even though I canceled it the prior month. Beware if you use this gym. Unless you like outdated services for ridiculous amounts of money.

Despite the fact that I spent the majority of my Tri weekends «Huck Finning» it (that’s local slang for floating down the river, drinking beer, with maybe a few wakeboard runs thrown in), I somehow achieved what might be called a «toned» look. Pretty sure those calories weren’t burned up solely from the energy it took to lift the beverage to my mouth, so I’m going to have credit CBRC with keeping my Huck Finn butt in shape.
Personally, the dated interior design doesn’t offend. I’m there to get my workout on, and the CBRC more than meets my needs. $ 60/​month gets you a weight (both free and machine) room, a cross training room with tons of different machines, a basketball court, two hot tubs, sauna, steam room, two running tracks, an indoor and outdoor pool (LAP pools nonetheless), racquetball courts, tennis courts, and three aerobic rooms. The Pilates classes were some of the best I’ve taken, even when compared with ones from a Pilates studio. Maybe I’ve been city-​fied but I’ve paid double the price for a pretty looking urban gym that had half the amenities offered by CBRC.