Equinox Century City — Local services in Los Angeles

I've been a member of Equinox Century City for many years, going all the way back to its original location across the street. That club had a true executive feel--something that set it apart from other Equinox locations and justified the premium price. The front desk team knew you by name, and the general manager was always walking the floor, engaged with members and ensuring everything ran smoothly. With a limited membership base, the club felt exclusive, calm, and well-run.

When the new location opened, I was excited. The facility looked incredible--modern, well-designed, and elevated. In the early months, especially during COVID, it actually delivered on that promise. There was plenty of space and equipment, and it had a calm, focused energy. It truly felt like an upgraded experience.

Unfortunately, over the past year, that has completely unraveled. The club now feels overcrowded and chaotic. There doesn't seem to be any cap on the number of memberships, and on many days, it feels like it's operating well beyond what would be considered safe or comfortable. Frankly, if the fire department took a closer look, I wouldn't be surprised if they found capacity violations.

It's especially frustrating that they're handing out free memberships to influencers with massive followings, seemingly more concerned with clout than the actual member experience. The front desk staff--who used to greet you warmly--are now overwhelmed just trying to process the endless stream of check-ins. The personalized service has vanished.

Equally disappointing is the lack of managerial presence. The general managers are rarely seen inside the club. Instead, they're often spotted sitting outside having coffee or meals, totally disengaged from what's actually happening on the gym floor or in the locker rooms. There's no real leadership or accountability anymore.

Amenities have taken a hit too. They removed the premium Kiehl's products and replaced them with subpar alternatives that leave you feeling like you just showered at a budget motel. Even the Q-tips have been downgraded to flimsy versions that break apart when used. These little things might seem minor on their own, but together, they send a message: quality and member experience are no longer a priority.

The atmosphere has deteriorated significantly. Locker room etiquette is virtually nonexistent--people scream into their phones, take calls on speaker, and treat it like their personal living room. There are clear signs posted against cell phone use, but staff don't enforce them, and management seems unaware or uninterested. The once-professional, respectful vibe has been replaced with a loud, unruly environment that's not remotely in line with what this club used to represent.

Even personal training, which was one of the highlights of being a member, is no longer worth the price. While many of the trainers are fantastic, you end up losing 25% of your session time just waiting for equipment or fielding constant interruptions from members trying to "work in." It's frustrating for both the trainer and the client, and certainly not what you expect when you're paying top dollar.

The group classes, too, have become dangerously overcrowded. Studios are packed wall to wall with barely enough room to move safely. It's a hazard and an injury waiting to happen--especially in high-intensity formats that require space and movement.

At this point, there is virtually no difference between this location and a standard Sport Club LA--other than newer furniture and finishes. The executive feel that once defined Century City is gone. This is no longer a premium experience, and I say that with deep disappointment as someone who has been committed to this club for years.

Equinox Century City used to be a standout flagship. Today, it feels like a missed opportunity and a case study in how quickly a great member experience can be sacrificed for volume and...

I’d give equinox a 2.5 star rating if I could since there’s an equal amount of pros and cons of getting a membership here.

Pros: -unlimited classes -unlimited classes -accessible amenities

Cons: horrible customer service, rude misinformed staff no appreciation or loyalty to members

I have a student membership at the uc Berkeley location and I truly truly loved my first two months as an equinox member. The classes have amazing instructors at the Berkeley location for all of the classes and I believe they do uphold their instructors to be the highest quality. Another plus is how you can take unlimited classes and this is probably the best part.

The most frustrating experiences as a member has been the customer service as none of them are truly well informed. I’m not saying berkeleys location as it’s kind of a special location so the customer service with concierge there was usually accurate, with only small things where I was misinformed but no where near as bad as other locations. As I’m originally from the LA area I went to the century city location multiple times and every time there was some bad mistake by the concierge that was helping me. I don’t mind mistakes as it’s only human but my main frustration was there inability to fix their mess ups. And they would be pretty bad mess ups like one time they charged another customer for something I was supposed to be Charged and it resulted in me missing half of the yoga class I was attending bc I had to talk to the concierge person for a while. After that they made me responsible to fixing the mistake with very bad instructions and I ended up giving up because I was upset at how horrible the service was. Another instance was I chatted with concierge on the app to pause my account as there is a policy that for students at the Berkeley location can pause there account for one month, no fee. I was told very confidently that ALL members (including Berkeley) HAD to pay a pausing fee of $50 multiple times but when I called my location and talked to other members they said that is absolutely wrong. Thankfully I called instead of chatting and they told me that yes I could pause my account for free for a month. I nearly paid the $50 pause fee so I was grateful I checked and tried again and was helped by another staff member that was better informed.

Another issue I had with equinox is that I’m paying quite a lot so I’d expect that they would honor loyal customers as that’s usually how it works with luxury companies. I recruited four members to the club as I loved and raved about the gym a lot in the beginning. Then when I’d ask for possible deals on more guest passes (as literally every one of my guests ended up signing up) or like possible day passes for when I’d go back home on break at LA locations, they would never ever honor any favors to loyal members. I understand that’s not promised when you bring in new members to sign up for equinox too but you’d think they would treat you with some little favors when politely asked. I also believe bringing in 4 members to join equinox is quite a pretty penny and I just think for the price u pay for this gym, there should be way...

My mother and I have been loyal Equinox members for the past 3 years, prior to the pandemic and initiated our membership at Century City. Today we brought my younger sister, who is already an Equinox member with access to all locations besides Century City. We came because we were told by another club that because she is already an Equinox member, she could try this club to see if she would like to upgrade her membership. We told the front desk that she would upgrade, but she would like to try a class before to make sure it was fitting to her needs.

However, the treatment we received from the front desk attendant, Sophie, followed by the membership advisor Brian Holtby was absolutely unacceptable and appalling.

Sophie was extremely juvenile and sarcastic like a “mean girl.” Which is not the attitude she should have as a front desk attendant. She treated us as if we were not members and we’re trying to get in without paying. We pay a total of $1000+ for our memberships and no one paying this much should be met with atrocious behavior such as Sophie’s. After coming to no solution, she called Brian. When calling him, she started off by saying “sorry to bother you” as if we were a burden.

Brian’s behavior was awful as well. When my sister asked about upgrading her membership, he abruptly cut her off and quickly said the price as if he wanted to make sure she could afford it. Completely unacceptable, and she is already a member. As we were walking away, Sophie quickly joined Brian to go behind the scenes and gossip. When we decided to not workout because we were upset, he confirmed that she went back to talk to him to see if she did anything wrong. Brian offered no apology for his behavior and even endorsed Sophie’s behavior. Completely unacceptable. To make matter worse, as we were leaving, Sophie sarcastically shouted “Have a Nice Day!”

We then spoke to Leslie, the general manager, and she just heard us and didn’t offer any remedy or solution to providing better service to Equinox guests. Instead, she just said that she “would talk to them.” Which does not ensure any change, and guests will most likely continue to experience this horrible behavior from the Equinox employees. We also asked Leslie for the District Managers contact and she said that the issue would likely “come back to her,” meaning that her intentions were not genuine and she...