JOHN REED Fitness — Attraction in Santa Monica

John Reed Santa Monica- Let’s talk about it.

The actual gym: The gym consists of 3 floors with a truly modern aesthetic. The “Gym80” equipment is all brand new and everything is ridiculously nice. You can tell there was a large sum of time that went in to mastering every component and corner of this complex. Even the lighting is angled specifically to represent a modern vibe alongside the interior landscaping and plants. They’re open until midnight as well which is an absolute game changer.

The staff: Nate, Dillon, Vee, Joelle and Daniel are the the people I have met so far. Joining a new gym isn’t the easiest thing to do and it is critical to understand how the staff treats their guests. All 5 of these people have been outstanding in every way. “Hey welcome in” “Hey can I get you a towel” “What’s up man what are you training today?” “How was your day?” Above and beyond. With most gyms in LA you’ll be lucky if a staff member makes eye contact with you. You can tell these folks have been hand picked.

The amenities: Some of the reviews talk about how there isn’t a sauna. Let’s touch on this. The membership is $130 a month, you have 3 floors of equipment, power racks, a whole wall of dumbbells, free workout classes, an outdoor section, a literal live DJ, luxurious hand soap and hand cream alongside stellar staff. You are also about a 24 second walk to Santa Monica beach and it is located downtown Santa Monica. I genuinely don’t know how they keep the price for a membership so low. $250 is probably more reasonable for something like this. So no, there is no sauna. Would it be nice? Sure but again- The gym costs $130/month. What you’re getting for that is absolutely ridiculous. Also, there is a Chipotle right next door. Also, all the cardio equipment charges your phone wirelessly.

The first weekend was free which is probably where some of the sub-par reviews come from complaining about the sweaty shirtless people. After that weekend, I have met so many down to earth people. You could probably strike a conversation with 98% of the members and gain a positive interaction.

Parking validation would be absolutely clutch but all parking structures surround the complex are free for the first 90 minutes then only like $2 if you surpass that/hour.

If you live within a 15 mile radius amongst the semi circle of this facility, then I highly...

I really wanted to love this place but there were too many cons I canceled after my first workout. I’ve been an equinox member for almost a decade now I love the simplicity and country club feel of some of their locations and their locker rooms are on point. The parking not being validated here is completely unacceptable you’re charging $130.00 a month for a membership with no locker room amenities how do you not have a sauna or a steam room charging over $100! Horrible cardio equipment a dark workout floor that looks like a dungeon the workout floor is great if you can see why is it so dark for the IG influencers to get quality pictures and videos! The matrix cardio equipment is absolutely junk in here I ran on the treadmill it couldn’t keep up with me and to make matters worse I was running looking out a dirty window with people staring so hard at me outside as I ran what horrible placement for the cardio machines I don’t want to be stared at by random people walking by it’s not enduring that matrix treadmill it’s something you’d find in a planet fitness too and all this jungle theme aesthetics is just way too much felt like I was in a rainforest downstairs and all the narrow stairs and levels someone almost knocked me over on the stairs trying to walk next to their friends smh. Don’t get me started with the music in here whose bright idea was it to blast music this loud so loud that you ear drums could bleed out from all the intense bass I mean the windows were shaking like it was an earthquake happening it was beyond annoying to say the least and how are you going to have a zen room with a DJ blasting music like this constantly the only great thing is the staff they were solid people with wealth and money don’t want all the theatrics and craziness this place definitely isn’t...

The pros: nice, aesthetically pleasing gym with lots of machines, free weights, barbells, etc. The locker rooms are decent with Dyson blow dryers provided.

The cons: the sheer amount of influencers with their tripods set up is overwhelming. I switched to John Reed from Equinox because the Santa Monica EQX is dirty and smells bad (especially for the price you pay for an EQX membership) but at least EQX had a clause in their membership contract prohibiting filming in the gym and locker rooms. Every time I went to John Reed, I had no way of avoiding being an NPC is some influencer’s video. I even saw these people taking mirror selfies and videos IN THE LOCKER ROOM where people are walking around nude! I found myself dreading going to the gym because of this so I cancelled my membership The only towels they provide are small, dingy hand towels The cleanliness of the locker rooms and bathrooms are subpar. Oftentimes the bathrooms smell bad. The staff act like they’re being held prisoner. I had a staff member bemoan to me how she doesn’t get a commission for signing up new members. This gym is not cheap so they should seriously consider paying their staff better and having the ability to hire people who actually want to be there. When I was a member, they did not have bosu or medicine balls or readily available resistance bands. You could check out resistance bands from the front desk, but have to leave a personal item in their possession as if you’re a thief paying $150 per month just to steal resistance bands. Bizarre.

I guess if you’re an influencer looking to film gym content, this is absolutely for you. For everyone else who is just trying to get a bloody workout in and go home, look...