West Coast Strength — Local services in Milwaukie

Let me start with this; West Coast Strength is a gem, within the large radius of dirty, overpopulated, and dilapidated commercial gyms.

This review is for the newbies, people whom may be afraid to jump into a gym because they are scared of the environment, and for the people who have been serious going to various gyms consistently for years.

DO NOT believe some of the low star reviews. FOR EXAMPLE, the review by Joshua Bytendorp. This guy is WELL KNOWN in the gym for making others uncomfortable, slamming weights, ego lifting, attempting to hold multiple machines during rush time like he owns the place, and yelling at people when they don't let him misbehave like a spoiled entitled adult child.

I had the pleasure of being approached and yelled at by him because he wanted to hold the cable machine (FOR 20 MINUTES while he attempted to do supersets at the opposite side of the gym) during a VERY populated time. I stood my ground and told him nicely, 3 times, that he needs to learn gym etiquette, and it's well known not to do that, especially during rush time. I eventually realized he is ignorant to reason and walked away. I went to a machine close by and watched him do 5 reps SLAMMING the weights ego lifting, and stormed off like a child. It was ALL on video.

I spoke with management and this was his 5th time doing something like this! Needless to say, they had more than enough patience for him but did the right thing and Banned him. (Which makes me want to give this gym an extra star, because when people misbehave and act like this, they do not tolerate it) which makes this gym a friendly, comfortable and safe place to burn some calories.

Sorry for the long rant but after my 7 years of going to the gym, this is an important subject that most gyms do not take care of. This benefits the safety of people who attend the gym and maintains a stress free environment to newbies and veteran gymgoers.

This gym is very clean at all times. The equipment is very new and reflects that. Machines are maintained to always be functioning properly. Over the years I have been to this gym , I have not seen a machine down for over a few days or a dirty bathroom.

This gym mainly consists of newbies, people above 20yrs old, and serious gymgoers. Besides my interaction with Josh B. This gym has been peaceful, safe, and maintains a clean environment.

The staff are great! They are very nice and welcoming, and check hourly that all sanitation bottles are filled up in conjunction with fresh towels always available.

From my 7 years of going to gyms all over northern Oregon, I can say this is one of the best gyms for the price of membership, in addition to the many benefits listed above.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 6/5 would...

West Coast Strength is a fine gym, but it's not possible for a mother with a child to go swimming because they do not have a family bathroom and children 4 and older of opposite sex aren't supposed to be in restrooms of the opposite sex, and I find this to be reasonable, but there really should be a family restroom for something such as this. I truly never felt comfortable or welcome there, and the interactions that I have had with the folks up front have not been stellar since my initial sign up. I'm guessing new ownership was in transition when I joined because I've never seen the man or woman there who signed me up originally, they were great. I truly believe that the teenagers working up the front desk literally just don't say hi or bye to me because of an interaction I had with one of their peers, and it's just super shady and a shame really. I needed to cancel my membership after some consideration with regards to my employment status, which is transitioning to be independent vs employed. I had planned for it to be temporary, but with how everything ended, I will never come back. This review and never returning are the only things I can do to send a message that it isn't fair or cool. The person I spoke to initially at full termination SHOULD have mentioned things about it being after the 1st, and yes, at some point a contract was sent, but that was over a year ago and NO I'm not going thru my emails to find it. It is perfectly reasonable for the person answering the phones and having the capability of termination of accounts to repeat explanations when someone is calling attempting to do such. I feel I was failed without being re-explained to that because it is after the 1st, I would still be charged. It is not unreasonable for me to ask your employees to do their job explaining how everything works at your gym at any given time. It is, however, unreasonable for your establishment to treat me like an idiot because technically I signed a contract and I should have memorized it apparently. Anyway, I'm sure the only thing this gym will miss about me is my membership dues, so...

1-Star Review for West Coast Strength

I had high hopes for West Coast Strength after discovering it at a bodybuilding competition, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment. They try to present themselves as an upscale gym, but in reality, it’s just a basic corporate gym like 24 Hour Fitness or Vasa, but with jacked-up prices. It’s truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

The management is another issue. I’ve encountered ableism and discrimination from the manager, which is completely unacceptable. The facilities themselves are poorly maintained; the bathrooms and toilets are often dirty, and many of the machines seem to be breaking down despite being a new gym. If you are into doing supersets or drop sets this is not the gym for you. Management will yell at you for doing supersets and people will take your machines even with a bag next to it and then yell at you for working on two machines doing a super set.

Communication is lacking, to say the least. I’ve shown up during normal business hours only to find the gym closed for staff events, with no signage to inform members. This has happened multiple times, even though I go 5-6 times a week.

Additionally, I’ve noticed kids working out unsupervised, which goes against their own policy. The atmosphere is also terrible, with loud music playing that drowns out my own playlist. And don’t even get me started on the trainers—they don’t look like trainers at all, which makes me question their qualifications. It’s clear they lose quality staff because they can’t pay them a decent living.

Overall, I’m really disappointed with my experience at West Coast Strength. Save your money and look elsewhere for a gym that actually delivers on...