Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation — Local services in Banff

I will do a Complete honest Review : If you are looking for a big gym with plenty of equipment and machinery to work out every single muscle, this place is not it. This is an Ok gym to do a very basic training, but very expensive for what they offer at $80 x month or you can do 3 or 6 months with a better rate but they will charge you straight up the full amount and not every month so be aware. Not many equipment to work out with or weight machines so if is busy you better go home or wait in line to use the equipment you need or just use the steam room (if it is working) or hot tube and leave the work out for another day. Not wide open hours either: 7am to 8pm, they close very early. They could at least be open from 5am - 11pm so ppl that works in town can actually make it or 24hs for that price.

Overall is well maintained, and everything inside will be in good working conditions, clean and tidy but they do tend to close the facilities without previous notice and no communication given by email or nothing. They take your contact information when you sing in but there are never updates or nothing to let people know they will be close. The only communication is a paper on the outside door. So sometimes you will go up the hill to the facilities and find out is close that day or for a few days due to random issues. If you forget the card they give you to check in, forget about coming in, they will turn you down and sent you away home without even looking you up in the system to check if your membership is up to date and let you in.

The place has the space to hold uncountable amount of machinery to work out and could be the best indoor gym in the valley but for some reason in the last 10 years they only replace a few broken things and only add a few more dumbbells, they never fixed or replace a few nice machines they used to have and with an insane monthly membership you could expect a bit more...

Sally Borden is touted as the biggest gym in town, but it leaves much to be desired. While it has the space to potentially be a top-tier fitness destination, several factors hold it back. Firstly, the location is quite unfortunate, with no nearby bus stops, making it difficult for many potential members to access the facility. Once you do get there, you’ll find the opening hours are limited, which can be frustrating for those with varying schedules. Inside, the gym feels cramped, especially after 5 PM when the after-work crowd arrives. Ironically, there’s a significant amount of unused space on the bottom floor that could be advanced to accommodate more equipment or classes. The current equipment selection is not bad, but in the three years I’ve been a member, I haven’t seen any improvements or updates. For gym of this size and potential, there is some equipment missing, which would be standard in most of the gyms. On a positive note, the front desk staff is very helpful and friendly, creating a welcoming atmosphere. However, the company’s policies are overly strict and often unhelpful to paying customers, which can be frustrating. (If you forget your membership card, no chance that the staff can check you in trough the system, nothing like pausing your membership when needed,...) The gym could greatly benefit from adding fitness classes to its offerings, which would help utilize the space better and attract a more diverse membership. Regular upgrades and maintenance of the equipment should be a priority, and management would do well to actively seek feedback from clients on how to enhance their services. Overall, it feels like this gym is run by someone who doesn’t truly care about its members or the quality of the facility. With some investment in both equipment and customer experience, it could reach its potential, and I hope it will in...

I went to the gym and really enjoyed it. Very spacious and clean, with modern equipments.

Afterwards, I went to the hot tub and it was bad. Just felt like a warm pool. Jets are very weak and the water was not hot enough for a hot tub. Besides that, there’s no life guard on duty and no pool activities.

Then, I went to the steamroom which was cold (30 degrees celsius according to the thermometer). I was in there for 10 minutes waiting for more steam and it didnt go past 35 degrees. Plus, it is extremely bright (too many lights) which makes it hard to relax inside.

When I tried to shower, all 4 showers in the female change room were extremely cold. I could not shower, as it was negative temperatures outside I did not want to have a cold shower - I was going to walk 35 minutes home and be cold during the process.

This centre seems to be the only gym and pool with public access in Banff, and they charge $80 + tax for a month membership which is extremely expensive considering most people in Banff work entry level minumum wage jobs.

Unfortunately, I’ll have to keep going to this centre as there is nowhere else for locals to go to the gym in Banff. Unless you work at a place with a gym that allows workers to use it, which is not...