Planet Fitness — Local services in East Hartford

I recently joined this Planet Fitness location and was on just my third visit when I experienced a deeply uncomfortable and unsettling incident. While working out, I noticed a teenage male repeatedly following me from machine to machine, blatantly staring, and talking into his phone while doing so. This behavior continued to the point where I no longer felt safe continuing my workout.

When I approached the front desk to report the situation, the teenager followed me there as well, fake-using nearby equipment just to maintain eye contact. This behavior was witnessed not only by the front desk staff but also by the general manager, who happened to be on duty. Despite this, I felt like my concerns were brushed aside.

What made this even more disturbing was that shortly after, a man (who turned out to be the teen’s father) appeared from a hidden spot near the 30-minute workout area — almost as if he was lurking. I expressed these concerns, including that the behavior seemed predatory and potentially dangerous, and even showed video evidence of the teen’s behavior. Still, the response I received was a vague promise to “investigate” and take a statement.

At no point did anyone approach the duo, even though they were still present and easily identifiable. Instead, I was told that if I filed a police report, staff would not provide their information, but would instead “have a conversation” with the teen at a later time. That response is deeply inadequate when a member’s safety is on the line.

To make matters worse, I was told the teen is on the spectrum — which, if true, raises even more serious questions about why a child requiring additional support is being left unattended in a public gym environment with no safeguards in place.

I left the gym feeling completely dismissed, vulnerable, and unprotected. As a woman, and especially a new member, this was a horrible experience. There appear to be no clear protocols for handling safety concerns, and staff seemed more concerned about the company’s reputation than a member’s wellbeing.

I will not be returning to this location and sincerely hope Planet Fitness reevaluates how it handles incidents like this. We are living in times where trafficking and stalking are very real threats, and dismissing them as inconveniences is not just irresponsible —...

6.20.2025 UPDATE: This location has degraded over time. Consistently inconsistent. My biggest issue is cleanliness, or lack of. There’s 1 person that cleans and he’s amazing. But when he’s not there no one cleans…if he’s away for a month (it happened) no cleaning for a month. He’s not there every day and has some medical issues so sometimes he’s gone for weeks and the dust just gathers…in clumps…..on the floors we stretch and workout on. But it gets better! There’s 2 types of cleaning stations round yellow bins and rectangular bins both with cleaning solutions. There’s more of the rectangular ones but they decommissioned those so now there’s only a few cleaning stations throughout the gym. People weren’t great before about wiping down machines and benches now they have to walk 1/2 way across the gym which won’t happen. Half a dozen machines are out of order (see pics) and 1 pic of dust clumps that will be there still a month from now - trust me. The stretch room with an & leg machines has no A/C so prior summers they put a huge industrial fan in there. Not this year apparently and it’s a sauna - where I start my routine. I spoke with the (newer) Manafer recently and he was professional and spoke very nicely to me. Made it clear that the cleaning station change wasn’t his call. He addressed another issue I had well also, but the place has turned into a dump. I’ve been a PF customer 15 years. I started in Manchester in the Plaza where Dick’s is now but they closed that location so I came here. Manchester was run VERY well. ALL staff cleaned, vacuumed, wiped machines, etc. I see more dust here in 1 workout than 10 years in Manchester combined. Overall staff is friendly, but useless. They stand behind the counter watching people checkin. If you tell them there’s no towels you get a weird look - they’re too busy to fill the dispensers which number about 1/3 of what they used to have. I love the gym because it’s close to my house, price is right and many new and old friends workout there. I wish the Regional Mgr or Corporate would visit, or Franchise Owner (if they care) and see what a dump the place has become.

Clean club, friendly staff, enough equipment unless you’re a serious lifter in which case not for you. Not usually over crowded and...

My wife has been a PF Black Card member since 2021 and this location was recommended by our brother in law who also is a PF Black Card member.

My wife and I have several gym memberships as we do a lot of travelling.

As my wife’s guest/personal trainer I pay attention to the environment at this location and while there have been some disappointments, there hasn’t been enough that would make this membership not worth it at this time.

However, lately something seems out of place as the men’s bathroom has been consistently (as of Jan 2, 2025) problematic with plumbing issues and unsanitary wet floors in the bathroom area.

Once you start to notice problems not resolved (today is Jan 5, 2025) you start to notice other issues.

So unfortunately I am concerned with the 20 or more treadmills that don’t have the “safety key / safety clip” attached to minimise potential accidents. So for the last three days we have had to search for treadmills with this safety device in order to work out. From observation, there’s also several stations of paper towels and sanitary spray out of service.

One last thing (perhaps trivial) I noticed an argument on Jan 2nd between members due to the waiting period on a specific weight training station. The individual on the station sat there for over 15 minutes texting while some got impatient waiting (unfortunately, only one machine of that type). From observation this is a problem. Today I timed one member who completed one rep on the machine we were waiting for while then he texted for 15 minutes and then continued with more reps and more texting. Total time on the machine was at least 35/40 minutes. Not the first time it happens with us attempting to complete our workout. We don’t confront anyone but look for other stations to use even thought they might not be our preference.

We’ve noticed ongoing staff turnover and hope for more stability and consistency in the overall management of...