Washington Sports Clubs

Deceptive billing practices–
When I first signed up for a gym membership, I was incorrectly billed for two months of membership instead of one. I spoke to the staff about the mistake, and they said that they only could fix the mistake by cancelling my old account and opening a new one. I was never refunded the two months membership fee that I originally paid, and I was charged for a third month of membership, as well as an additional $ 9 fee. I tried to resolve my billing problems for close to three weeks, but the staff at the Capitol Hill location made little effort to help. It is my understanding that the staff at the F St location contacted the WSC Customer Service Department on my behalf. However, when I called the WSC Customer Service Department today, they explicitly refused to refund the full amount mistakenly charged without «proper documentation» of the mistake (which was never given to me). I finally cancelled my membership today after several weeks of frustration and headache.

I’m giving all of my five stars to Carly and her Total Body Conditioning class on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. Attending her classes brings my renewed passion for this gym since my personal trainer Jacky left. With her nicely-​picked cool music, well paced instructions, and motivational positive enforcement, a session flew by so quickly before finding myself cover in sweat and absolute satisfaction… And the water does taste like mimosas as Carly puts it, so I have no problem trading in weekend brunch for Carly’s classes!

I’m happy with this gym — it is very convenient to my house & work. It is definitely «no frills,» but you know what? I like it that way… I don’t need my gym to look like an Apple store. I just need it to be clean, offer good classes, and not too expensive. I got the Memorial Day special which meant no intro fee and I did the 1-​year commitment, so $ 64 a month. Still a little on the high side (compared to the $ 29 I was paying at a very similar Gold’s Gym in Alexandria where I used to live), but sometimes that motivates me to keep coming in so I’m not wasting my money. I’ve taken a couple of the cycling classes with both Carly and Judy. I like Judy’s class better because she is much more focused and subtly (in a good way) encouraging. Carly is very enthusiastic and high-​energy, but she is all over the place and sometimes it’s just too much. She’s a very nice person, but I always work way harder in Judy’s class because I can concentrate better.
When I first joined, they had a 30 minute Abs class right before cycling, and I loved it. Too bad they discontinued it– I’m assuming to get more people to sign up for the abs class with an add-​on fee. But it was quick and effective, and I could hop right into spin class afterwards. I wish they’d bring it back.
Oh, and everyone who works here is very nice, helpful, and chill. I like the attitude. Other gym go-​ers seem to keep to themselves. It’s a pleasant place to be.

So I joined this gym because it is in walking distance to where I live, and the only other gym nearby was an extra $ 35ish a month. I am not too picky when it comes to gyms, I just like to get a basic cardio & weight lift session in. This gym has basic equipment, but since the gym space is so small, you often have to wait to use a machine. Since people are waiting, others are trying to hurry up, and often don’t clean off the machines. This makes for a messy, unpleasant and dirty environment. This is definitely the smelliest gym I have ever gone to! I have seen staff around cleaning up the floors, but they never try to have customers clean their machines, and I have never seen staff cleaning the machines periodically.
The most redeeming thing the gym offers is the classes. I love the burn 55 class. It is strenuous, but very doable. The instructors are nice and upbeat, they genuinely seem happy to work for WSC and want to help the customers. The negative is the studio space for the class is awkward. If the class is full, you may be stuck in the back behind a corner where you can’t even see the instructor so you must rely on watching other class participants.
If you are looking for a gym with all the bells and whistles, this is certainly not it. If you want a basic gym for a good price I would recommend trying out a guest pass first to see whether you can get past the unpleasant smell and dirt.

I only joined this gym because I live two blocks away from it, and it’s the only gym in Capitol Hill which is crazy …
Now I will start with the positive side; the staff seem to be nice, and the cardio side downstairs seem to be decent.
The negatives; the weights area is a complete mess! Weights look like they were there for centuries! Many WSC locations in DC have tried to re-​invest the money we pay, and bought new equipments that would satisfy the customers and make working out an enjoyable time. Except this location! It seems like they don’t think at all about renewing the weights. What kept me a customer of WSC is the fact that I have a regional membership which allows me to go to all their other (way better) locations such as the dupont circle location, the faraggut location and so on… For a price of tag of almost 80 $ which I think is totally unacceptable for the state of the gym in Capitol Hill looks like.

Joined this gym because I got a special discount through my school, but couldn’t be happier. It’s a good price, not too crowded, and they have great classes and trainers. The trainer I work with, Rodney Hill, is honestly the best I’ve ever worked with. He is fast paced and tries to target the specific part of your routine that you want to focus on. He is about the whole person, not just about building mass. His favorite line is, «I’m not trying to get you bigger, I’m turning you into a more efficient human being.»
Since working with Rodney, I have become SIGNIFICANTLY more defined. You can always tell him what you want to work on in advance, but he has enough in his repertoire to manipulate his approach mid-​workout if you feel you want to change it up. In 6 months of seeing Rodney every other week, I have never done the same workout twice.

I have been a member of this gym for 3 years! The gym is clean, great equipment – never too crowded and the staff is super friendly. Honestly though the main reason I keep coming back is because I started working out with their personal Trainer Rodney Hill. He has completely transformed my body. My body fat percentage has dropped drastically and i have amazing definition in my arms! If you go to WSC Capitol Hill –you should see Rodney Hill!

I have been a member of this gym since February of 2013, and have lost over 100 lbs while working out here. I would recommend this gym to any person who lives on Cap. Hill, as it is easily accessible and large.
The best part of my experience here, though, has been my personal trainer — Rodney. He understands completely how the body works, and what needs to be done to achieve weight loss/​muscle building goals. If you are looking for a trainer, he is definitely the one to seek out.
There are sometimes when the gym is very crowded and it’s difficult to work out, but I imagine you’ll find that at any gym during peak hours. Also, I do wish they’d play music throughout the gym and update some equipment.

Joined this gym mostly because of its proximity to home and the office. It’s not bad for the price, facilities are clean, the staff is friendly, and I never have had to wait for a machine. However Carly Isakovic is by far the best part about this gym, her classes are always fun and motivating. I always make my Saturday mornings with Carly a priority!
I do wish they offered more variety for the group classes, especially in the evening. They used to offer an intense boot camp class in the evenings that I loved but they’ve replaced it with a Zumba class and those are almost the only classes available in the late evening. Not everyone likes Zumba!

I live in this gym.
I love the workers here.
Everyone’s cool. Everyone’s trying to help you get stronger or faster or lose weight or bulk up.
From Owen, to Gabby and Renaay, to Will, to Noël, to Tyler, to Ben, to Rod, to Charles, and to the gym members like myself, they all have helped me in some kind of way, reach my goals and keep me coming back. Even the guys who wash and clean the place up!
I will be with this gym for as long as the employees are there with me. I see these people more than I see my own haha.

I heart WSC! Three levels of equipment and it’s usually not packed after 8:30 am during the week so it’s perfect for me. Kinda expensive but where else can you get Concept 2 rowers, TRX, squat racks etc. in DC?

Staff has gotten more responsive and has done a better job of cleaning up the women’s locker room.

As a guy who travels the country and works out at many different gyms, this is by far the worst. Don’t go here. Go anywhere else! I thought I’d never utter these words, but Planet Fitness (ewww) yes, Planet Fitness is a better option.

The gym itself is okay, but I am a member for the classes. Carly Isakovic is an AMAZING instructor. She teaches spin and shred (total body). Carly is fun, motivating, and her workouts will kick your butt. I always leave feeling exhausted and amazing at the same time. Her classes are always full 15 minutes early. She is by far the best part about this gym

***4-​star update: On the day my account was credited, the WSC manager contacted me and made me a generous offer for re-​enrollment. Wow. His offer was above-​and-​beyond, and it was very much appreciated, as my workout experiences during my 15-​day trial had been positive. I respect the manager’s efforts to provide positive customer service after a frustrating experience. That means a lot. With this in mind, I’m upgrading my review to 4 stars.
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***3-​star update: The day I posted a 1-​star review, I received an email notification from WSC saying that my refund was in process. Within 1 business day, the refund posted to my account. Given WSC’s responsiveness to my 1-​star Unilocal review – and given the generally positive experience I’ve had with staff and with the facilities/​classes – I’ve upgraded it to 3-​star review.
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1-​star review: Extremely friendly staff and generally positive workout experience… but the business practices seem unscrupulous.
I canceled my membership within the 15-​day time period and was told I would receive an immediate refund of my $ 49.99 initiation fee.
Instead, I was charged both the $ 49.99 initiation fee and a $ 79.99 monthly fee.
2+ weeks, 3+ phone calls, and 1 in-​person visit later, these charges have not yet been refunded.
I’m sorry to have to give a 1-​star review, but I’m hoping WSC will take my concerns seriously and issue a prompt refund.
I’m also hoping that those of you considering a membership at this gym will take into account the serious billing issues that I and other Unilocal reviewers have experienced.

The staff is super friendly. If you work on the hill, you can’t beat the location. But that might also explain the state of the cardio machines… jittery video on a bunch of machines and one that has even been squeaking rather loudly for a few weeks now.

I would update my rating to zero stars if I could. Found out they have not had a manager for a while, so that may be part of the reason for the discourteous employee attitude. Apparently they did recently hire a manager, but too little, too late. Already quit my membership for the following reasons:
1) the gym upgrade signs posted around the locker rooms, etc. for months were limited to a few things: updating the flooring in the studio/​fitness room, painting certain walls, reattaching the doors on the broken lockers. I haven’t seen any other upgrades and most of this is just basic maintenance, not an upgrade.
2) staff do not return gym equipment to proper places. This includes trainers.
3) there is a serious lack of air circulation in the building.
4) there is a lack of disinfectant to wipe down machines. There are two disinfectant stations in the cardio area on the first floor, but that’s it. I like to wipe down my benches and mats before/​after using them, and unfortunately that’s not possible unless I carry them around during the workout, which isn’t going to happen. Even the old $ 39.99 Gold’s used to keep disinfectant around the weight and stretching areas.
5) the ladies’ locker room literally has holes in the walls and also a corner where people leave random junk that’s been there for months. In that corner there are old stinky stocks, random tennis shoes, random pieces of workout clothing, and various water bottles. Heard of a lost and found much? (will post photos later)
6) the tv in the weight area has had the same notice for the past months about needing to update the digital subscription. If for some reason the tv can’t work, why can’t they at least put up photos of people working out, the staff, a WSC advertisement. Something better than the notice about the tv not being up to date. That’s just pure laziness.
It’s disingenuous for WSC to charge the amount it does for membership when they can’t keep up with basic maintenance or provide things that $ 40 clubs offer. Therefore, I’ll be moving on.
On a positive note, the staff seem to have adjusted their attitudes as they are much more friendly than before.

I never write reviews, but I felt that I needed to for this place. The staff here is great. We were in town for just a few days and though we were on vacation, all the amazing food DC has to offer… we NEEDED to workout. Allan at this location hooked us up with guest passes for the 3 days we were here and showed us around the gym and even gave us tips for things to do in e DC area.
Equipment wise, it has everything I needed. Facilities are clean and the weights are still in tact and not so beaten up.
I definitely would come back here again if I was ever in town

When the staff is trying to do under the table membership deals to get me to sign up for a gym, that is very sketchy.
It’s obvious that they don’t have any manager oversight here.
And no debit or credit unless we do the special deals he wants us to have? And the special discounts on the account sign up end today if we don’t sign up?
And swearing every other word? Yea it’s obvious the short staff is due to bad management here. I know a scum run business when I see one. You could have the best equipment in the world but I can’t trust who signed me up for the 30 days and I sure as hell won’t give him cash for any of his «special» deals.
Anyone know of gyms with management I can trust? Just moved here and unfortunately this is the closest place to where I live.

This is a fine place to work out, but when I re-​joined recently, I’m afraid there was some dishonesty.
Someone at this location forged my signature on a contract. After numerous calls and emails to corporate, I have yet to have the issue addressed. I was promised a full refund — but my emails have gone unanswered and their hold times on the phone to call corporate are crazy (going on 20 mins right now).
Look elsewhere. This place is a hassle.