Golds Gym — Attraction in Houston

Given its history in bodybuilding, I've always lamented that there were no Golds Gyms in Houston. So imagine my delight as one opened less than two miles from my residence. I couldn't wait to use my free guest pass.

However, the reality left me underwhelmed. As others have opined, the place is DARK. I prefer low lighting, but not to the degree that I feel as if I'm in the middle of a power failure or in danger of bumping into a piece of machinery because of inadequate lighting.

The men's locker room is clean, serviceable. The gym lockers have self-locks where one dials in a unique 4-digit code. I wondered at seeing these. Another gym where I'd been a member ages ago began offering these self-locks, but abandoned them due to their being a ready means for dishonest members to spy on another member's code and take the person's belongings. Let's hope the members at Golds are more honest.

The equipment is spanking new. As others have written, there are no helpful cards affixed to any machine to give its name, a diagram to show the part of the body exercised, or any instruction on how to use or to adjust the equipment. I have been a gym-goer for more than 20 years, but even I confess there are some pieces of equipment that left me baffled. I suppose the lack of equipment legends could be a ploy to ensure that novices make use of personal training services. Otherwise, there is a good assortment of equipment to work both upper and lower body. There is minimal cardio equipment. It is odd that the cardio equipment is positioned to face the stationary weight-training machines just across the workout floor. The last thing one wants to do, I believe, is to lock eyes with a stranger while you are exercising and vice versa. Then again, the gloom of the place may counteract any awkward eye contact.

Lastly, the greeting I received upon announcing I was there for a guest pass was lackluster. Like most gyms, the front desk staffers seemed more interested in chatting with each other than acknowledging a new arrival. One would think being a new gym and wanting to attract members, a greeting would be more welcoming and mindful.

To sum up: It's a decent gym but nothing special. I may join later because the equipment is adequately spaced to avoid any close contact that may still spread the Covid virus droplets as one sweats and...

I went to this Gym to gather information. I was greeted by a guy. I asked him if he could share information about the gym. He showed himself a little to prideful and I don’t mean brand pride. I was looking for someone to sell the gym to me. I told this guy I was looking for value since I currently have an LA fitness membership since 2019. I then asked him about the one on one couching sessions, how it works with them and how much they cost. The guy didn’t want to give the price. The reason? He wanted me to first see how it is and then he will tell me the price. I know this sales tactic. Let me tell you, this doesn’t work all the time. Not with me at least. He kept on saying how he has a major in fitness education blah blah, good for him. But I don’t care about that if you don’t want to share your price. You are selling a product/service for a $ amount. But you gotta show your value. He wanted to sell value without the $ amount. Anyways. These tactics only achieve one thing. You scare your prospects away, the lack of transparency and honesty makes your potential customer steer away from doing business with you. Here is the thing. People buy things from people they like. I certainly did not like this rep. Why? Simply because he didn’t build rapport or showed interest to sell the brand or uncover my needs and ultimately didn’t earn my trust. Can’t trust $1 to a business that can’t tell me their price. The overall experience was a little tense to be honest. The membership is about the same as LA pricewise. The one on one coaching sessions will remain a mystery. Perhaps I will try going someday I will be certain to speak with another one of their trainers and see how it goes. But you must have well trained people at the front they are the human face for your business. It all comes down to the service.

For now, you get 1 star from me.

Overall...

I can already tell this gym is slept on. I’ll start off by saying the GM is very kind and the facility seems to very clean right upon entrance. And then it definitely does not disappoint as you proceed past the gate. It’s a very modern gym with high quality and advantageous equipment. I saw a lot of equipment I’d expect at a powerlifting gym. They have done well to attract powerlifters as well as bodybuilders. Gold’s as you may know is known for their bodybuilding but now I can see that there are decent amount of power racks that have mirrors. They several machines that emulate compound movements and I was highly impressed by that variety. This gym is truly amazing for the price point when compared to other gyms in the area. Monthly no contract too… you can’t beat that. As a fitness enthusiast who’s been lifting over a decade and traveling all across the country, this Gold’s gym was truly impressive. Check out my photos and videos !

Cons if any: lack of plates, got robbed during busy time in a few instances 😅

-Shirtless gym bros (detracts from the overall hygiene of the environment)

-No resistance bands (I love them from stretching)

Still a 5...