UFC GYM Kailua — Attraction in Oʻahu

The thought of anyone else having the same experience I endured at UFC Gym leaves me feeling nauseous. After being gifted a personal training session, I was excited to finally check out the high-end equipment and personal trainers I’ve heard great things about. For context, I am a full-time fitness instructor, I exercise every day, and I have an athletic build. I came here to change up my workout, but instead of the time being spent showcasing all the benefits the gym has to offer, I was shown its ugly side, and I left feeling mentally pushed to my limits.

The session started with an assessment that included having my body fat measured. To do this, the male trainer opted for calipers, despite handheld self-measurement devices being available. He had me stand up in a highly trafficked area right next to the front desk. Here, he used the calipers to clamp down on the body fat on my arms, back and lower abdomen - one of a woman’s most sensitive and self-conscious areas. I was mortified to be asked to pull my waistband down so he could squeeze such a vulnerable spot while in plain sight of dozens of gym goers. It felt dehumanizing and left me questioning the gym’s policies against harassment.

It almost seemed as though there was no purpose in having my body fat measured other than to cause humiliation. Rather than telling me the results, the trainer had me walk over to the computer to read them, and he didn’t offer any context. The only point of reference was a visual on the wall that showed bodybuilders with 10% body fat at one end of the spectrum and plus-size models with 30-40% at the other. My results put me in the range of the heaviest-set model who is visibly several sizes larger than me. It felt incredibly manipulative.

I had hoped things would take a turn for the better once the physical portion finally started, but it was over almost as soon as it began. After having me remove my shoes, the trainer dedicated a mere 15 minutes to having me perform the most very basic exercises, including squats, lunges, pushups and deadlifts using a PVC pipe. No weights were used, nor were any machines, and there was nothing personal about it. Considering my profession and visible muscle tone, I felt confused by the trainer having me do the bare minimum. It also felt embarrassing to be the only person without shoes lifting a weightless piece of plastic. Was this kind of “personal training” really supposed to convince me to hire this trainer?

Apparently he thought so and suggested I spend nearly $3K on his program. Despite the hefty price tag, there was no mention of what types of exercise the program would entail, and I was given zero insight into the trainer’s qualifications and abilities. When I reminded him that I was simply there to redeem a gift certificate and had no intention of spending thousands of dollars, he brought in reinforcements.

I was stunned by how condescending the manager was toward me. I was told he was brought over to tell me the specials, but when I inquired, he ignored me. He made rude jabs at my profession as well as comments that insulted my intelligence. When he informed me that my primary focus should be on nutrition, I asked him then why would he expect me to spend $3K on a workout program.

At this point I was at a loss for words and excused myself from the conversation. The trainer did follow me and apologized on behalf of the manger. Despite voicing some remorse, I don’t feel like he, nor his superiors at UFC, truly understand how triggering his actions could be for many - especially women. It’s unfortunate that a man felt comfortable speaking to me in a condescending tone, but it is a far greater issue that a man felt comfortable grabbing at the skin beneath my waistband in the middle of a room full of men.

It pains me to leave any business such a low-scoring review, but the 1 star does accurately reflect my experience. It is my hope that this review urges UFC to promptly reevaluate the tactics I had to endure in my single visit, which were akin to body shaming, misogyny and...

I've NEVER written a negative review of a business before but here we are.

After three in-person attempts to cancel my membership (5 if we're counting over the phone/digital), I was wrongfully charged for another month and an annual fee. After several attempts to get ahold of a manager (in-person visits and over the phone), I finally got in contact with a female supervisor (I forget her name) who confirmed that the charge was wrongful and said I would receive a refund within two weeks. I waited two weeks, nothing happened, so I've contacted the gym again four times since and every person that answers the phone apparently has no idea where a manager is or when they will be on-site again. They always take my phone number, no one ever calls.

What's going on UFC? The sales rep, LJ, who signed me up said this is supposedly one of the nicest and most prized locations in the nation because Dana White himself comes here to train when he's in town which I guess is often because he has real estate in Kailua or something. If this is the best UFC has to offer that's super embarrassing because the lack of professionalism, disorganization, lack of follow through, and lack of communication among team members whether it's regarding SOPs or customer service is off the charts. As a worker or a customer I've never had such a difficult and unprofessional experience with a business, let alone a NATIONAL CORPORATION which usually have extremely structured and standardized operating procedures and chains of command. I needed to speak to a manager at a 7/11 recently and even their overnight workers at 2am knew their manager's schedule for THE ENTIRE WEEK and were able to tell me exactly when would be an appropriate time to come to speak to them.

At this point UFC has not only wrongfully charged me for an annual fee that's not being used and a whole month of membership dues that were also not used, but also wasted a huge amount of my gas money and time for me to drive down there just to be told there's no manager available and they don't know when they will be. But when I call the only answer they have for me is to come down in person or wait for a phone call that never comes?? EXTREMELY unprofessional.

The only reason I cancelled my membership is because they don't have a sauna anymore which I've found to be extremely helpful and beneficial in my health and wellness routine. But because of this terrible and toxic experience attempting to "break up" with the gym I will most definitely never be a UFC gym member anywhere ever again. My coach was helpful and there's cool people that train there but its definitely overrated considering you pay premium prices for less amenities than you could get elsewhere and the customer service is trash. Not worth the headache- not all that glitters is gold. Might as well get a cheaper membership somewhere else and work with a trainer privately-you can pay less, they get to keep more, and you're more likely to get treated like a person instead of a cash in for their sales quota, which is my interpretation of why I still don't have a refund that a manager admitted I was rightfully owed a whole two months later.

Definitely not giving up though. I guess fighters wanna fight 😂 on to the social media comments...

Customer service needs a lot of help there for the front desk. I usually go to the Waikele location but decided to go to Kailua because it’s closer to my job. The first time I went there the lady at the front desk was arguing with me that I didn’t have a guest pass when I clearly have the champion membership. She proceeded to say that all ufc is franchised and that I can only use it at my home gym (Waikele) she then proceeded to tell my guest he has to pay. I said no. I been to Mililani multiple times and they had not said anything about guest pass being only at Waikele. She then rolled her eyes and said hold on. Then said oh never mind you’re good. She didn’t even apologize. Her face presence didn’t even look like she even wanted to be there working. So I said maybe she had a rough day. The next time I go she’s there again. I check in and she doesn’t even say hi or anything. She just stares. As I was leaving I booked cryo for 7:30 and before I spoke to the front desk they were talking to two gentleman that was trying to check in, they were giving them a hard time about not having a towel. Which I understand. You need to follow policy. But when I checked in they didn’t ask for a towel. They then told the guys they need to leave. I went up and said I booked online cryo at 7:30 and they said oh we shut it down at 7:30 so we can’t do it. Then said online booking doesn’t work and I need to sign up on a paper. Well why not block online booking? There should be better communication about that. I don’t think I would ever go back to ufc Kailua. The worst customer service ever. The front desk person should not be working there. I wish I got her name. I was so frustrated with both experiences. I work in customer service and I would never ever speak to any guest like how she did. Don’t argue with your guest if you don’t have the right information. I know a few people that go there because they live in Kailua and it’s convenient. They said that girl in the front desk always has attitude problems too and they would switch gyms but the commute is to long for them. The local girl in the front desk with heavy eye lashes needs more...