24 Hour Fitness — Attraction in Portland

With a central location and window filled space, this 24 Hour Fitness has the potential to be great. Having been a member since 2017 I take no pleasure in writing this review and I hope that improvements will be made.

The CEO of the company has spoken on how the brand is meant to be positioned as slightly more premium than the high value low price segment—this gym falls short on both. This location is in a state of disrepair for the following reasons:

Cleanliness:

The cleanliness across the facility is overall very poor and certain areas are particularly bad.

Parking structure: The concrete is covered in gum and trash is often littered around. The stairwells frequently smell like urine. Regular cleaning here is necessary in addition to pressure washing. More cameras should be installed throughout and in the stairwells.

Entrance/ Hallway: The hallway is not bad as it seems to be maintained by an outside contractor with proper cleaning supplies, as their are other tenants in the building. The floor mats at the reception need to be replaced as they are worn out and dirty. Consider adding an air purifier to the reception area to signal that cleanliness is a priority.

Men’s Locker Room: The men’s locker room is unhygienic due to lack of cleaning and in part due to poor etiquette from some members. The lockers are grimy and the insides do not seem to be ever wiped down. The locker room often smells unpleasant. The floors need to be steam cleaned. Many of the sinks are often out of order for long periods of time. The sinks are usually surrounded with grime and some people shave their hair in the sinks and leave a mess across the counter (I have seen blood from shaving which is a clear biohazard). I have seen people blaring music at the sink while shaving and making a mess. It’s clear that hourly cleaning is needed in addition to enforcing rules so that everyone can enjoy a clean club.

Solution: Members should be warned when exhibiting poor conduct and if it continues then should have their membership terminated. Signage should be placed near the sinks reminding people to keep the sinks clean to keep the space nice for others. Technology at the exit of the locker rooms should be implemented to allow members to take a quick survey on the locker rooms cleanliness and provide instant feedback. Think something like a HappyorNot terminal or any other service company that provides a similar software. Cleaning can be made more transparent by posting a cleaning log sheet that shows when the locker room was last cleaned. Team members should receive incentives and recognition for doing good work.

Wet area: The sauna is unhygienic and needs daily cleaning. Staff need to enforce rules about not wearing gym clothes/ shoes in the sauna to make it clear it is not acceptable.

Strength floor: The strength floor often smells bad. Cleaning is surface level if done at all. Dirt and dust is caked onto most of the machines. I have never seen machines or dumbbells being sanitized by staff. Many members fail to wipe down equipment before and after use. Cleaning staff should be paid at least $24/hr and more are needed. More signage should be put up to encourage members to wipe before and after use. Air purifiers and more supplies are needed.

Maintenance: Most of the combination lockers are broken or permanently locked. The hand dryer is out of order. Many of the treadmills slip when running or don’t work properly. Availability of resistance bands is limited. Mats often smells bad. The Stairstepper arm machine display doesn’t function. The sun blinds are consistently broken on the cardio floor. The battle ropes are in an inaccessible location. Countless of the bikes have broken foot straps. The sauna thermostat is broken. Equipment: Equipment variety is good but needs updating. They need treadmills that go over 12mph. The turf needs cleaning. More 15/20 lb dumbbells are needed to match demand.

I will say that the staff are friendly.

I hope to see 24 Hour Fitness turn around or be acquired by a more...

02/27/25 - Improvements? NOPE! Perhaps even filthier than a year earlier. Corporate needs to take over operations and do a full remodel with new equipment. I can no longer work out here - feels gross/unsanitary.

Note: 2022 review mentioned pool shower missing floor tiles (photo). 2025 - same shower, same tiles missing (photo). Literally no attempt to improve. 03/11/24 - UNACCEPTABLE

I had high hopes that this gym would turn itself around (post pandemic). My last visit confirmed that it hasn't. Downgrading back to one star. Randy and Darren both summed up the current state of this 24-hour location. It is not properly maintained, nor do I trust leaving anything in the locker room.

UPDATE 12/10/22 - I am upgrading from one star to three after my last post 6 months ago. It would seem that many of the basic cleanliness issues have been addressed and machine's were in working order. The wood walls in sauna were replaced and the pool / jacuzzi look blue again. Gym and equipment could still use some upgrades, but I appreciate the effort to improve! (much like the entire City of Portland).

In so far as value, I will leave that to the individual to decide. Kudos to management, employee’s and cleaning staff for stepping up their game. Keep it going!

Summer 2022 It pains me to say, this gym has continued to spiral downward since my last review. I have been going to a newer location outside of Portland. I was pressed for time, so decided to go to Hollywood gym. I was shocked by how dirty the gym was. Machines were broken and it was obvious no one had vacuumed around machines for a loooong time (dust bunnies).

The men's room was disgusting (two clogged toilets, exposed plumbing). The pool was a dirty green color and visible green moss/mold on rim around it. Steam room had rust stains and deterioration on floor. Bathroom shower missing tiles. I talked to another member who agreed the gym was dirty and run down. He, like me, said it used to be his go to neighborhood gym, but now he goes elsewhere.

I understand Covid had a serous impact on the fitness industry and 24 Hour filed Chapter 11, closed locations, reduced staff. Some of the issues at this gym just require general maintenance. A few gallons of paint, vacuum, windex and disinfectant can go a long way That said, I really hope 24 Hour Corporate invests in renovation of this location. It is centrally located in Portland at a mass transit hub with the potential to be a great gym again. In it's current condition, it is unconscionable to charge the full membership. I encourage others to leave a review, email corporate and hope things improve. 24 can do better. I WANT THIS TO BE THE AWESOME GYM IT USED TO BE! I have been a member of this gym since it first opened as a "Sport" level club. Shortly after it became a "Super Sport" to include towel service and an increase in dues. I love the eclectic mix of people who use this facility, the employees and the location (except parking).

Unfortunately the gym has not been upgraded for some time. The equipment is old, worn and in some cases broken. The sun shades on the third floor (cardio) have been broken for years, thus the sun blinds you. The water fountains break and remain unfixed for weeks at a time. The locker room (men's) is very dated and feels "dirty".

For the amount of money this gym charges, it appears that it is not reinvested into improvements. I have gone to two competing gyms that offer $10 monthly memberships and was surprised by the quality of the equipment and cleanliness of...

I attended this gym for two months. When I joined, I went over my workout routine, shared the time of day I would be there, and the days that I would be working out. I was assured that it would not be an issue. This gym is busy but they have several machines available. If you're really into cardio, they have an entire floor dedicated to it. There is a nice lap pool on the first floor, and if you need child care, they offer a playroom downstairs.

So why the one star? I would arrive at the gym around four o'clock and plan on working out for 1-2 hours. I would dedicate each day to a different muscle group and at every other gym I have attended, this have never been an issue. I'm used to sharing the gym with others so that everyone gets their workout in. Here however, every time I would work out, I would have to wait 10 - 20min between routines in order to use the proper weight racks (bench set, squat racks, etc..). The worst part is, the people "using" this equipment spend more time taking selfies, and playing on their phone than actually using the equipment. I promise this is not an exaggeration. This happened four times by my last count. One day I had someone run to cut me off from the squat racks as I was approaching and then spend the time playing on their phone. I understand that this is more of a fault with the people than the gym, so I rearranged my work schedule so that I would be able to go in an hour earlier...still no better. There were fewer people but I was still waiting 10 -15 minutes before being able to start a new exercise. So much for keeping that heart rate up.

Clearly, this was not the place for me, so I asked to cancel my membership. I signed up for twelve months because I was told there was no trial program and I attended my old gym around four to five days a week. For only being here since September, my cancellation fee was over $300! That is three years worth of membership at the competing gyms in town and I was only there for two months. I understand the point of cancellation fees, but that was more than excessive, especially when the reason of cancellation was because the customer was unable to use the services the gym was supposed to be providing.

Verdict: If you want a gym where you can "look" like you're working out, or just beginning to exercise, or are really into cardio, this would be a fine place to start but be sure to do the month to month until you are satisfied. It seems like common sense, I agree, but the place looks really nice and the people are super friendly. You would be surprised how easily that sense...