Equinox Palos Verdes — Attraction in Rolling Hills Estates

PV Equinox is a weird in between of great and terrible. There are so many nice things about the club like the layout, cleanliness, and the people who work there. On the opposite side, there are a lot of unpleasant things about the club like some subpar conditions, no enforcement of member standards, AND the people who work there . . .

The maintenance and cleaning staff does an amazing job of keeping the facility spotless and sanitized. So that's a major point in PV's favor. However, the management of the facility does not do their job to ensure the facility is taken care of. For example, as of late the air conditioning for the gym has been broken. They can't open any doors or windows, so the solution has been to put one large fan in front of the cardio equipment. That's the solution for a gym without air conditioning in California in the summer. Last I checked, this was supposed to be a five-star gym. You need air conditioning. Members are still paying full price and not getting a full experience. I'll also say that there are quite a few malfunctioning cardio machines that have been pointed out over the years that are still there, so . . . yeah.

In the interest of keeping this review as concise as possible, let's just get into talking about the people who work there next.

As mentioned, the maintenance and cleaning staff are awesome and hardworking. All the front desk/reception and shop people have always been amazing and friendly as well.

On the opposite side of the spectrum you have the "office people" -- the ones who give tours to new members and such. In general, most are people who are super nice to prospective members but never smile at current members--a lot of death glares and stone-cold looks. Would it kill them to say "hello" or give a smile/nod to people they pass? With the exception of Robin; they're really stuck-up, unpleasant people to have wandering around the club.

Management fall in that in-between area. There have been some crummy managers here and there have been some cool ones. They change periodically though. The fitness managers, however, have always been SUPER nice. A recent one named Lindsey was great; their new one Jen is also a delight.

Trainers also fall in the middle. There are some really kind, competent, solid people who work there like Aimee, Patrick, Yensil, and Hannah. Then there are some people with the personality equivalent of a wet cat like Nathan. And there are people like KRISTIE FOX, who (if I had their contact info) I would email Equinox corporate's legal team about because she is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

I have seen a lot of trainers come and go at this gym, and I don't know if Equinox has tenure like universities do so they can't get rid of her, but I've never seen someone at Equinox less qualified to work there than Kristie Fox. She just doesn't know what she's doing, and I cringe when I see her working with clients because they trust her and they have no idea how many physical injuries she's caused others because of her reckless programs that she doesn't tailor to individuals. Speaking just plainly--Kristie Fox is bad at her job and shouldn't work here.

So, to sum up, PV Equinox has some amazing aspects and amazing people, but some awful aspects and awful people. It is what it is. As long as you stay away from certain people though, it can be a decent experience most...

I’m writing this review with the hope that Equinox corporate takes immediate notice of the ongoing mismanagement at the Palos Verdes location. My experience has been disappointing and frankly unacceptable — especially considering the premium cost of membership.

I initially joined this gym specifically for access to the swimming pool, which was marketed as a core feature of the facility. However, within a month of enrolling, the pool went under construction for nearly 3–4 months. No clear explanation was provided, and to this day, it looks virtually unchanged. I heard from other members that the renovation was allegedly to fix the chlorine system.

Unfortunately, the chlorine levels remain dangerously high — something I have personally noticed and brought to the manager’s attention multiple times. Since using the pool, my skin has become irritated, dry, and itchy, and my hair has been damaged significantly. Despite these repeated concerns, she has shown zero accountability and has been entirely dismissive and uncooperative.

Additionally, I have raised another long-standing issue with her: the shower heads in the women’s locker room have extremely weak water pressure, making them practically unusable. This problem has persisted for months, and yet again, nothing has been done. It feels like member concerns are not taken seriously at all.

Lastly — and this may seem minor, but it reflects the overall neglect — the hair sprays provided in the locker room do not function at all. They don’t spray; they squirt. It’s unclear whether they’re just placed there for show, but it’s another example of the lack of attention to member experience.

To be absolutely clear: this review is directed toward the current manager. I have tried to communicate these issues respectfully and directly, and I am disappointed that I now have to escalate things publicly. Equinox, you either need to replace the manager at this location or ensure she begins doing her job.

I expect better from a brand that markets itself as a luxury...

Very disappointed, I recently tried Equinox Palos Verdes location coming from South Bay with SoCal access. Where to begin… The Palos Verdes location has far less amenities available to guests and the Equinox quality is severely diminished, not to mention the reduced business hours and rude training staff.

The gym is unusually warm (75F +) and the eucalyptus towels are barely cool. The steam room in the men’s locker room is very small, many times there are towels left lying on the floor, and one time one of the sinks was left running. The showers are nice but not nearly as spacious as other locations. There were also no razors available in the men’s locker room on several occasions.

Front desk staff were friendly and comforting, but the Training staff is a different story. I couldn’t help noticing several trainers glued to their phones while working with clients. I don’t pay for training but am aware of the pricing and this is incredibly unprofessional! Trainers and workers should be focused on their jobs and most importantly their clients, not their phones! I had two trainers try to aggressively sell me workout packages during my normal workout sessions without getting to know me, and I definitely would not pay for a trainer who is on their phone and not focused on their client!! Moon Kim was an exception and very nice to talk to, he is also the only one I didn’t see playing on their phone while working with clients!

The yoga studio is very nice and the instructors are high quality, typical of most Equinox locations. I don’t cycle but other members have said their class is very well taught.The pool is small but rarely used which is nice. One big plus of this gym is low wait times to get on a machine or other equipment.

Overall, very disappointed with my experiences at this location and it does not represent Equinox well. I would suggest anyone thinking about this location tour the South Bay location instead, you...