EōS Fitness — Attraction in Santa Barbara

Pros: Three locations to choose from The downtown location has a new leg room with great glute-targeting equipment Friendly staff

Cons: If the showers are clean, go play the lottery You'd think keeping paper towels, cloth towels, soap, etc would be an expectation that is obvious enough that it would be fully incorporated into the workflow of staff but nope.

If you see a custodian, don't bother learning their name. They'll be gone in three months once they learn that it's not worth the pay. Gold's will conduct survey after survey and analyze the results as if it is some sort of complex differential equation but the facts are right in front of their face--either pay custodial wages that keep them there and working diligently or lower the monthly fee. They're aware of the issues and a solution is always 'in the works'.

Interesting anecdote: I once told the current GM (of all three SB-area Gold's) about how so much soap scum and mineral deposits had built up that it was beginning to crystallize on the floor and I was told "Do you ever have anything positive to say?" Let that give you an idea of what you're dealing with in terms of leadership. I could give you several examples but that speaks for itself.

The franchise owners are simply riding the wave of brand recognition and the reality is enough people will still keep enrolling because of that recognition to cover most expenses. They understand human behavior to the extent that, even if there isn't much of a semblance pride in what they offer, there is a clear sense of cost minimization. They also know people well enough to not even bother pretending to run a clean well-kept gym for the "New Years Resolutionists" at the beginning of the year.

When 24-hour Fitness, their closest competitor infamous for its lack of cleanliness, closed, Gold's breathed a sigh of relief knowing that people would have one less option and so members would have to deal with their inability to run a business with very predictable expenses. Thus, anything that can delayed or avoided (e.g., fixing machines in a timely manner) will be delayed or avoided with a friendly smile letting you know that that change is happening soon.

I personally switched to AC4. No more dealing with 7pm closing times on weekends (you know, the days where you have more time to work out) in addition to the other issues...

Avoid This Gym at All Costs – Terrible Customer Service!

I had an unbelievably frustrating experience at Gold’s Gym in downtown Santa Barbara. I walked in just to ask a simple question about their membership options, but instead of a straightforward answer, they forced me to fill out a long form just to get basic information. I made it clear that I wasn’t comfortable providing all my personal details—I just wanted to know their membership plans.

To make things worse, the so-called “manager” (who looked way too young and inexperienced to be in charge) flat-out refused to give me any information. Even after I pointed out that the details were already listed on their own website, they still wouldn’t cooperate. Their complete lack of professionalism and common sense cost them three memberships because I had planned to sign up two of my employees as well.

If this is how they treat potential customers, I can’t imagine how they treat actual members. Gold’s Gym is officially off my list forever. If you value your time and expect even basic customer service, do yourself a favor and go...

Used to be a regular member here years ago (pre-covid) and thought about re-joining again. So I set up an appointment tonite at 7 pm and drove out to this location, and was not told on the phone that I had to fill out a waiver and share ALL my personal information for just "sampling this gym". Was only offered 1 free workout on the phone, and not offered the 7 day trial either (per the GG website). I had to ask for it. As I began to fill out the electronic waiver, the salesperson was standing aggressively, with his legs wide apart (lol), not smiling, and not very customer service friendly; Was kind of intimidating to say the least.

Wasn't comfortable sharing all my personal info on a waiver, so I decided to leave, and the sales person didn't say a word, say goodbye, or even care. Was not a friendly experience

And after leaving, and then reading some of the recent negative reviews here, decided I'll try sampling and joining a different gym. From what I could see, this Golds Gym facility looks great though!

(In fairness, the front desk staff did greet me,...