Onelife Fitness - Forest Acres — Local services in Forest Acres

I'm not trying to discredit anyone's review or personal experience- so here's mine: This location is probably the best out of all of the Golds Gym/Muv Fitness locations that I've been to. I first enrolled into Golds Gym back in 2001 and the gym in NE Cola wasn't the nicest place to visit. It had a very "snobby" attitude. People join the gym to improve their physical stamina so why treat those who were overweight ridiculously rude? It wasn't until I became good friends with 2 male body builders who were best friends with some of the veteran staff members; everything turned around and motivation and friendlier attitudes were noticed. However, that place has since shut down and I rejoined again in 2015 with my job. My first visit back was to this location on Forest Dr. When I entered, I had at least 5 of the staff greet me, one noticed that I was not a "regular" and asked if I wanted a tour to get familiar where everything was. Over the course of time, I can probably count on both hands the number of times I wasn't greeted when I entered, but in their defense they were either answering questions, answering the phone or talking to another staff member about what needs to be cleaned, worked on, etc. It wasn't until last year and 31lbs later, where I was truly acknowledged as a regular. I walked in and was greeted by an employee who was being trained (I'm assuming- based off of the conversation they were having). The "new" girl scanned my card and wished me well. The veteran employee stopped her and said that "she comes in everyday of the week and always tans first" then proceeded to ask if I wanted bed 1 for 7 minutes. Granted this isn't something that would wow a lot of people, but it definitely showed customer service and knowing the consumer! That little piece of acknowledgment made my day. Now about the contracts- I seen a lot of reviews calling this place an extortionist and greedy (yadda ya)- everyone who signs a contract must hold themselves responsible for signing something they aren't reading. Contracts here are 1-2 years- not straight 2 years. I'm currently on a 1 year contract and haven't had any difficulties, yet (knock on wood). In the past, I did move out of state to attend college and needed to term my contract bc there is no Golds Gym in Mi. They did charge 2 months worth out of my bank account until I could prove my move was legit (I could imagine how many people said they moved just to break contract, but didn't). I wouldn't expect there not to be a strict rule about terming your contract from all the bad apples that spoiled the "good faith" in honest people. Once I provided documents, I received my refund back and once those charges were reversed so was any overdraft fees. For those who had this issue, you should look into overdraft protection with your bank and if you have a credit card, you may want to look into another credit card company that will not let you overdraft your credit limit (I'm not saying it's the consumers fault, but most of frustration came from credit cards or bank issues that gave fees bc of the gym, but your bank/cc were involved in making matters worse- so pull up those big boy undies and research who you get involved with- that's what any responsible adult would do). Now- the facility, itself... For the most part, making sure the facilities are clean does need a little more attention than what has been given. The steam room does smell a bit funky bc of members wearing shoes, but it's not something that the gym has control over- wearing shoes helps prevent foot fungus from nasty consumers, so I can see why there isn't a rule of no shoes made. The equipment is generally in good condition from what I've seen and used- which is the treadmill, elliptical, weights, resistence equip. etc. In two years, I've encountered 2 machines that were down, but back up running after 1-3 days. There have been at least twice where the sanitation wipes needed to be refilled for about a week, but that was out of 2 years- so that's not too bad. Hope this review helps others- sorry...

I am newer to the area and was trying to find the best gym for me, and have been working out for 10+ years consistently. I've been all over the country and have experienced almost every type of gym and their memberships, trials, sales pitches, etc. I can say that Muv at Forrest Hills is an average to slightly below average gym, but monthly prices seemed to match their quality especially compared to national averages. I ultimately did not take the membership as I was not a fan of their sales approach or the ultimate cost-benefit analysis.

Their 14 day trial should be labeled as a 1 day trial with a 60 minute sales pitch that if you don't cave and sign on the spot the conversation will just repeat itself over and over and over until you do cave or they deem you a lost cause. The best gym memberships are to the point and and no frills or BS, but Muv definitely shows that they thrive on high turnover. The contract pricing was decently black and white, but they would only verbally acknowledge the bi-weekly price vs the total monthly price. Yes I can see the whole price right in front of me, but the fact that they'd only acknowledge the bi-weekly price is a solid indicator that they like to sway your attention a bit. I was also heavily pressured to upgrade to the option that grants access to all Muv locations. I asked if my trial would allow me access to all locations so I can make an educated decision first, and I was told that wasn't a possibility and If I decided I wanted that option then I could upgrade at any time. Why would I upgrade to something without any knowledge of its quality or value?

In total I had to tell the sales associate that I would not be making a decision that day 4 times as I do not sign contracts same day for anything and that they were the first gym I had looked into. I was met with every tactic in the book from "you know what you're doing in a gym and you'd be a great fit here." to "you mentioned running your budget, can you not afford $xx.xx every two weeks?...it just seems like money may be tight for you?" I was appalled by the latter; the lowest form of sales pitches -- attempt to make the customer feel 'less than' about money so they will prove otherwise by signing on the spot. that's timeshare level sales pitching.

I was told upon leaving that the GM would call me the following day to discuss my decision. I never received said call which further proves that they operate on the side of the gym spectrum that thrives on turnover and same day signings -- i.e. you're a number if you sign up. Someone who is truly determining the best gym for themselves and avoiding rash decisions will be deemed too much work for the dollar at Muv.

Nonetheless, here are some pros and cons that I observed of Muv during my very short time there.

Pros: -Good location -Clean workout area -Indoor track -Good variety and selection of equipment for all types of fitness -Decently friendly staff

Cons: -Extremely pushy sales tactics -Minimal squat racks and flat benches -Aging facility and equipment -Dirty/foul odor locker rooms -No...

I have spent nearly 40 years in a gym on and off . A little over 20 years ago I joined Golds , which eventually became MUV, and is now One life. I had had a couple of lapses in membership, but have been fairly consistent at this location for almost 10 years. Covid seemed to have destroyed this location . I did not attend ( though I did pay ) throughout covid , but upon coming back it was in shambles. The same broken equipment, sanitation, flooding , the list could go on and on . I was dealing with an administrative issue when they transitioned to OL. I had been dealing with it for months and it was becoming hopeless. I will say that right before the transition the GM finally got involved and was doing her best , though she seemed extremely overwhelmed. And then the transition happened overnight and I thought it was the beginning of the end . Walking in to cancel my membership , obviously irate, the new GM ,Chris , walked up to me and called me by my name, asking if my situation had been taken care of yet , and then he continued to follow up until it was. For the first time in as many years , it seemed as if someone actually cared. This is business etiquette 101 . Say . My. Name. And he did that . Throughout the next few months I could see small changes that meant the world to me . Changing faces isn't ideal , but neither were the previous conditions. From a business consultation point of view I see new management creating higher standards and thriving to cut dead weight, and find a staff that is willing to work the achieve the same goals. The smallest things that mean so much , are now being taken care of. Filled sanitation wipes , and plentiful amounts. Drinks . Snacks. Clean locker rooms. I'd imagine the slackers that worked there before didn't like being told to do this stuff and had to go elsewhere . So I watch closer. As someone who's been in business management, rule #1 is to lead by example. Do what needs to be done regardless of what your job is . What I see at times is Chris filling wipes when it's needed, not finding someone else. Eventually this WILL lead to a staff that follows suit. I see evolving equipment and a thriving environment. One by one I see every complaint that I personally have had over the last few years being addressed, and look forward to being a member as the club grows under its...