24 Hour Fitness — Attraction in San Diego

Pro's it's a large gym Good selection of equipment overall Good selection of free weights Many squat/deadlift areas Membership cost is fair Open 24 hours Other amenities if you care (pool, basket ball, supplement bar) Staff has been pleasant and friendly overall

Area's that need A LOT of improvement Water fountains are broken and filthy 🤢 and have been for months and have actually gotten worse over the last several months! Water is a gym essential so this is just unsatisfactory as well as a health hazard. PLEASE repair them! The equipment and the gym is disgusting, with hair, dust bunnies, trash, finger nails and other detritus covering almost everything. I understand some of the clients are gross but the cleaning crew is non existent. I have seen a couple staff wipe off the treadmills a couple times but the floors, locker room, and equipment are just nasty. It smells... Like working on a hockey locker room level funk in the free weight room. Probably due to a lack of cleaning. Lack of plate trees resulting in plates being spread about and requiring you to hunt them down. Several machines and pieces of cardio equipment that need maintenance. Things wear out, things break. I get it. Parts for something might be on back order I get it, but the state of the equipment and the length of time it's out of order show me it's just a lack of care by management. ALWAYS over crowded. Glad everyone is into fitness but the place is a zoo. This is exacerbated by the individuals in there camping on equipment with a pile of weights they aren't using around them, while they watch videos on their phones, talk for 30 minutes between sets, or are too busy making out to actually work out. The stupid App! Why do I have to install an app on my phone so I can check in? I don't want you harvesting my data and slamming me with marketing multiple times a week but that's what I get with my membership.... Thank you very little. In general the place feels like they are far more concerned with membership than maintaining the place and over several months of going I have seen zero indication that's going to change. I'm hopeful they will start putting some of that effort and their profits into actually maintaining the place as it's taken a serious dive over the last decade in...

Navajo 24 is definitely one of my favorite go-to gyms in East county. Because the original construction was a revamp of a retail building into an LA Fitness, it retains that character;

The building is one story but it is well subdivided. And the lockers have separated saunas which make shirtless, bathing suit, or towel-only (my style) fine. But please wear flip flops or socks (remove your shoes).

The equipment is as diverse as the clientele which includes older patrons and professional in the morning; parents and kids classes in the midday; and college and serious lifters at night.

When I do go late, I'm pleasantly surprised by the serious lifters posing in the mirror. I say it's very builder friendly like most 24. You generally get that classic Arnold Pumping Iron experience. And I'm a showy guy who usually wears tights or a singlet.

However post-COVID 24 has had challenges getting back to the groove especially with all the competing boutique gyms.

Here are my overall pros and cons short list:

PROS lots of equipment including machines, free weights, various cardio machines, calisthenics equipment. full spa with sex separated saunas, pool and Jacuzzi Turf fitness area multiple powerlifting stations aerobics room spacious locker room big mirrors and good lighting great ventilation

CONS broken machines aren't always fixed quickly jacuzzi is often out of order only one number pad and finger scanner at check in multiple sinks and showers stay in disrepair sauna floor often gets quite dirty Air dryer is fixed without swivel and one is too high with low air pressure to even be functional. locker room gets humid (could use an industrial fan) cleaning stations often stay empty of paper towels, disinfectant, etc. weights are often out of order generally gets quite crowded (maybe add more machines vs powerlifting stations)

Overall though, just for the sauna, the variety of equipment and the clientele, I enjoy Navajo 24. I get in a good workout, show off and refresh between...

I’ve been coming to this location since before 24 Hour Fitness took it over—back when it was operated by a different gym brand. When 24 Hour reopened it under their name, I was genuinely excited. For a while, this gym had a fresh, modern feel, and I always appreciated the smart layout and strong selection of equipment. It quickly became a go-to spot in the area, and I’ve returned on and off over the years because it had a lot going for it.

That said, I’ve noticed a steady decline in maintenance and cleanliness that I hope management takes seriously. I say this not to complain, but because I care about this location.

Broken Equipment and Lockers: Several machines have been out of service for a long time, which limits workout options and causes crowding around the most-used equipment. In addition, a noticeable number of lockers—especially the smaller combination-lock ones—are broken or unavailable.

Cleanliness Issues: This is the biggest concern. The gym floor often appears dusty, and the locker rooms and restrooms frequently need a deeper cleaning. The floors, in particular, look like they haven’t been properly mopped in quite some time. Since I’ve been back, there have been multiple locker room floods caused by overflowing toilets—something I’ve heard has happened more than once in recent months.

I understand this is a high-traffic location, and keeping everything in top shape is challenging. Still, it may be time to consider either a short closure for a deep clean and reset, or hiring additional maintenance staff to keep up with the demand. With how many people use this facility day and night, the current level of upkeep just doesn’t seem sustainable.

I’m sharing this as someone who genuinely wants to continue making this gym part of my regular routine. I hope that not only the local staff but also upper management sees this and chooses to invest in getting the location back to the standard it once held. It really has the potential to be a...