24 Hour Fitness — Attraction in Santa Cruz

24 Hour Fitness in Santa Cruz is finally closed for remodeling (30 Sept. 2015 to 15 Oct. 2015) - and tented today (fumigated) to rid the vermin (termites, rats, lice, roaches). This review is based on the past three years. The facility has had no face lift since its opening 23 years ago (and most of the equipment was used when the building opened in 1992). I understand that they recently renewed the building lease from the property owner, the Canapa family. 24 Hour Fitness plans to increase cost to the "super sports" level - aprox. a 40 % increase in price once they reopen - with no added amenities, maybe a few new pieces of equipment? - the walk in rack rate will be $54 per month. The Costco 2 year "sports" level was priced at $369.99 ($15.42/month - the former club price) and the "super sports" two year price at Costco is $649.99 ($27.08/month - the remodeled club price). The Costco deal is listed as "new members only", but that has not been enforced at the Santa Cruz club in the past. I doubt that they will enforce a change as I was told that the local Costco was selling $6,000 per week of 24 Hour Fitness memberships just at the Santa Cruz Costco store, most likely more $$ in memberships than they were selling at the local 24 Hour Fitness. I was told that all the people that contracted a membership years ago for $99.99 per year will not have any changes and that there would be no change to the silver sneakers program - but best to confirm this information with the local club and to confirm that the Costco membership can be used more than once, before purchase (as the documents state for "new members only"). Santa Cruz 24 Hour Fitness had sunk to the lowest level of quality - and had been a horrible environment - with mold growing on all the walls - locker rooms that looked and smelled like dungeons - and a complete lack of basic gym etiquette by a small number of members that made it hard for all the others wanting to work out. The local staff was kind - but had no authority to do anything. The club was a like a homeless services center with people camping in the parking lot and living in the fitness center. The local county health department inspected the pool on a regular basis but did little to get the company to clean. The club frequently ran out of soap for hand washing - and would run out of toilet paper. No surprise as there are over 10,000 members at the Santa Cruz club with 2,000 - 3,000+ people using the club on a daily basis! There was only part time cleaning with no complete cleaning - ever. The locker rooms were so bad, most people refused to enter. As 24 Hour Fitness plans to increase the price - there will be an expectation that the remodeled facility will improve. Cleaning should be based on how many people use the place, not on some corporate formula that does not factor in that the Santa Cruz building is old with several small areas. Bottom Line - if you have 3000 + sweaty people using a fitness center EVERY DAY - hire more then one FULL TIME cleaner! Air handling systems need to come up to code - and there needs to be some air circulation - so that the mold does not grow on all the surfaces. How about using some AIR CONDITIONING when the temperature / humidity is high. How about enforcing basic club work out etiquette, like do not drop weights, or destroy equipment? Do not scream and scare people when you lift weights. Do not do your drugs or sell drugs in the fitness center! Hard to follow? Anyone agree? I have my doubts the place will change after the newness wears off - and will update this review in a few months. I want to be optimistic, but I am realistic. Good Luck if you use...

Club has been rapidly going downhill with the last few managers!! Used to have the best management, best staff. Now dirty club, repairs ignored. Now rude, do-nothing staff. And decreasing hours, even though they promised a few years ago INCREASED hours once people came back. Instead it's now so crowded, no parking, and DECREASED hours. INCREASED prices. Sign up for Toadal Fitness, for 24/7 access, yearly IMPROVEMENTS, great staff. / PREV: 😇 DOES have WI-FI ! 😇 😇 DOES have Hoist Roc-It machines 😇

Rebranded as a "Super Sport", so now long term members who joined at the club's top level tier so as to have access to EVERY club, INCLUDING THIS CLUB, and had access to this club FOR YEARS!...Now are REFUSED Entry to this club. Even WHEN IT WAS OUR MAIN CLUB. We SHOULD be grandfather caused into clubs we previously had access to and attended!! Taking AWAY access to clubs that people paid for, supporting their corp for YEARS, should not then randomly have that access removed without cause!!

😝 Older equipment 😝 It does have MOST amenities a Super Sport was designed to have, But NOT all.

Members, against TOS, try to hold several machines at once, keeping other members from using any of them. They use tactics like leaving gym bags or water bottles, phones, or clothing to "mark territory".

Staff does not enforce their NO WORKOUT BAGS on the gym floor" policy, exasperating the other unenforced issue mentioned above.

People also "sit" on equipment, playing on their phones, even 10-15 min not even using the machine between their sets, PREVENTING OTHERS from using it. They stay 30 min or more!

It's crowded enough that it should return to being open 24/7, as it had been for years.

🤢🤢 Sauna is UNCOMFORTABLE for Women to use, EVER. Old Gross men ALWAYS hijacking it. 24/7. Also right next to window in hallway. And dirty. 🤢🤢

Actually a very old, "standard" 24 Hour Fitness, re-branded as a Super Sport, so that fewer members can use it.

😝 NO...

This place is the WORST. I noticed a charge on my credit card for hundreds of dollars and I called to ask them why. They told me that I was signed up for auto renewal payments which I was completely unaware of. I noticed the charge the day of and I asked them if they could cancel it and the person on the phone told me that the manager would call me that same day and would cancel it. I never got a call back so two days later I called them again, and the man that answered the phone was incredibly rude to me and told me that they would not cancel it and that it was completely my fault for not knowing that I was signed up for auto renewal payments because it’s in the fine print of the contract. I told him that I had moved 8 hours away and that I was injured, which is why I hadn’t used the facility for the previous year I had paid for anyway. He told me that they would not refund my money unless I went to a doctor and got a note that specifically said I could not go to the gym. He was incredibly rude and condescending on the phone and did not care when I mentioned I was disabled and what the extenuating circumstances were. He never offered to get a manager or address the fact that the one that was supposed to call me back never did. If you want a good gym, go literally anywhere else. This place is dirty and full of mean, terrible customer service employees. PICK A...