Princeton Club — Attraction in New Berlin

I've been a member of the Princeton Club for about four years. I work out there often (at least 5 days a week). While I want to provide an overwhelmingly positive review, I cannot do so without being honest in my assessment of the club as a whole.

The Good: For the most part the gym has a nice variety of equipment. This applies to cardio equipment (stair climbers, treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, and even rowing machines), free weights, dumbbells, and fitness equipment (i.e. lat pull down station, abdominal cruncher machine, etc.) -Running Track -Although I don't participate in them, there is a nice selection of fitness classes for folks interested in them -Indoor pool -Outdoor pool is a very nice way to spend a few hours on a hot summer day. It can get very crowded, very quickly, but that is to be expected when you offer something so nice. -Towels and a cleaning spray bottle and cleaning towel are provided to all members who come to the club. I think the spray bottle and cleaning towel should be mandatory (I thought this well before COVID) for those using any weightlifting equipment or cardio machines. -Tennis courts -Basketball courts -Massage guns -Numerous parking spaces -Nice sized lockers with no availability concerns. You can always get a locker. -While I have seen reviews to the contrary, I think it is wonderful that the club opened up relatively early shortly after the COVID pandemic hit. Some folks have voiced issues about people not wearing masks. I think the club put its best foot forward in this case, and should not have to resort to policing mask use. If a member is uncomfortable going to club because of this, I believe they could have paused their membership. I think this was more than fair. The Bad: -The basketball courts can at times be a source of disruption. There have been a few incidents in the past where fights have broken out. Not a good look. Further, I have seen Subway wrappers and garbage left behind on the basketball court area on numerous occasions. It is not always clean. -While there is a nice variety of fitness equipment, a significant portion of them could be upgraded. My estimate is about 25 percent of them. They are old and some break down rather frequently. The prevailing perception from myself and a few other members is that there is much more focus and investment in the outdoor pool area than there is toward equipment on the gym floor. -The dumbbells go from 2.5 lbs to 120 lbs. This is a solid range, however, there is only one set of dumbbells for any weight higher than 50 lbs. -While the fitness classes are a very nice perk, in particular the variety, oftentimes the music and/microphone of the instructor is turned up high enough that you can hear it through your ear buds or headphones on the other side of the club. -Staff courtesy - While much of the staff is courteous and listens to their members, too many are not. -Cleanliness - This is where the club has slipped considerably. it is a daily occurrence to see the following strewn about the club floor: water bottles, towels, cans of energy drinks, used rags, used towels spray bottles, etc. I have seen instances in which a can of Monster Energy Drink was on the same spot on the gym floor for five days before it was disposed of. Another big problem are the small percentage of inconsiderate members who don't rerack their weights, don't put their dumbbells back where they found them, don't put attachments back where the found them, leave plates on the gym floor, etc. (a few examples from just today are attached) Members who respect the club and the other members they share the club with should not have to clean up after the members that don't. This has been brought up to the staff by myself and other members on a few occasions and our ideas (putting up signs, being more present on the club floor to observe this behavior and correct it, and reviewing video tape during problem times to see who's doing this) don't seem to be taken at all...

I am not the type to go online and crate reviews and complain, but todays interaction with a front desk employee pretty much put me over the edge.

I have been a member here for over 10 years now , I do enjoy the club hence why I continue to re-enroll every 2 years. However todays interaction with a front desk employee highly upset me. It is an older lady grey hair, unsure of her name but believe she has been working there for quite sometime.

I was unaware that there was a "2 towel only" policy that was in place. I usually only use 2 towels but there are some days that are longer club utilization days which I grab 3, which has never been a problem in the past. -1 towel for gym floor due to sweating -2nd towel for drying off after shower -3rd towel if I decide to utilize indoor pool and steam room. Doesn't seem unreasonable , right?

Today as I grabbed the 3rd towel and began walking towards the stairs I hear " SIR SIR!! ONLY 2 TOWELS!!!" . This lady was yelling at me as she was pushing a cart all the way by the elevators. This was in front of other guests coming/going and multiple employees who were at the front desk. Extremely embarrassing and unprofessional in my opinion. I asked since when, and she replied "There's a sign right there"!

I will admit it did p* me off the way she spoke so I just threw the towel back down on the counter. If it was that much of an issue she should of spoken to me on the side and not holler at me as if I am a child.

However this is not the first negative interaction I have had with this lady. About a year ago I attempted to get my daughter (who was in from out of town) a guest pass for the day. I have never utilized a guest pass before so I assumed I had to get that from member services. After I scan in I start walking towards the member services offices and she lost it pretty much accusing me of trying to sneak my own daughter in. But then again she always seems to have a negative attitude when I witness her interacting with other members.

This is not the type of employee you should have interacting with paying member and potential future members at the front desk. I understand she may be a long term employee , but there is a point.

However she should not be a reflection of all of the other front desk employees. Everyone else that works at the front desk is always amazingly friendly, super helpful and presents a positive attitude . Its just disappointing you have one that ruins the reputation for...

Pros: Good variety of equipment. Locker rooms are always clean. Lockers are always available and pretty big. Lots of cardio equipment. Plenty of clean spacious showers.

Cons: They do not charge you on the same day every month. They have some weird policy where they can charge your card anywhere from the 1st to the 15th. Lot’s of stupid policies that don’t make sense.

If you aren’t a fan of children this isn’t the place for you. The children who have adults chaperoning are fine but too many kids walking around due to the basketball courts. Those courts are a nuisance.

Their policies cater to kids and families. Families have their own locker room yet they have a policy saying you can’t use your phone in the main locker room for any reason (increasing the volume, switching songs, etc). The reasoning provided was to prevent people from taking pictures and because children walk through. Other people’s children become your burden.

There is one particular staff member, she is literally the only one, that is extremely rude. She speaks to people in a very condescending tone. She has short curly hair and performs the janitorial duties there. She is passively rude for absolutely no reason then attempts to play hurt as if you’ve done something to her. Aside from her I notice there are a decent amount of antagonizers here. These are people who do small things to get a response. I was showering and a guy pulled on the bathroom door twice after I yelled I was in there. Locked door means taken dude. When I walked out he was just sitting there, even though there were open bathrooms available like he had to use the one I was in. Weirdos is the best way I can describe them.

The free weight area is smaller than it should be to accommodate the basketball courts. It quickly gets busy and you feel like you’re constantly running into people.

People are very unsanitary. I have seen countless people every time I go use machines and not wipe them down. One person did this today. Got up from a leg machine and just walked away. When they walked past the body odor was…. gross. Absolutely gross. I’ve gotten sick twice since being a member. Wipe before and after use. Disinfect...