Equinox Bond Street — Local services in New York

After shopping for gyms for a month, I decided to go with equinox as it really does have the best bang for your buck.

Bond street is great with a beautiful interior and subterranean locker rooms. A great place to workout.

But, I am going to hijack this review to talk about the amazing experience I had with a personal trainer:

DUUUUVAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!!

When you sign up at equinox, you get 2 "free" personal training sessions. They reached out and said I would be with Duval, who is one of their best.

The amount of fitness/health related questions I have accumulated over the years has become so over-stimulating that I don't even open that can of worms anymore. Different "experts" will tell you completely contradictory things, it will go something like this:

"Fruit is obviously good for you, and also it's all sugar and is bad for you. Sugar, I forgot to mention, is a vital source of quick burning carbohydrates that your brain needs to survive, and you should avoid it at all costs. Protein elevates your blood lipids and will lead to heart disease. Make sure you eat a lot of it. Drink water. Don't over hydrate or your kidneys will fail."

However, something about Duval just screamed genuine to me right when I met him. Every question I had, he took about 15 seconds to think about every situation that the question could apply to and would answer it the best he could.

He was formerly the strength and conditioning coach coach for UCLA basketball, and I had a buddy who played there so I texted him after.

He said "Yo that's nuts!! He was honestly so good that's big time you get to work with a guy as knowledgeable as him. And he's my dog!"

Our first session was supposed to last 60 minutes but ended up stretching to 90 as I just kept asking follow up questions to my follow ups. I profusely apologized but he just said "young fella I love talking about this!"

He is truly passionate and truly an expert in the space. In an industry full of phonies, Duval is bringing the real back.

I told him once I get my bread up we are...

I had an amazing experience here. I'm seriously contemplating a move to New York over the next few months, and was in town over the weekend and wanted to check out gyms. Equinox has dramatic and beautiful branding, that sticks out even in the bustle of NYC. Because I wasn't certain exactly when I'd move, I offered to pay the day fee, and then I realized that at $50, it was a little steep compared to what I'm used to paying. This is understandable, as they really want you to meet them and show you the space before giving you the green light to workout. If you're polite, friendly, and earnest, and don't just want a freebie, they will be super gracious and accommodating in turn. I met with Trevor James, who was very helpful, and personable. While you're meeting the staff, it's good to pepper in information that let's them ascertain the level of your fitness knowledge so they can know how to give you suggestions. The facilities were high end and low key, which is REALLY tough to find in Philadelphia. It's a little pricier than other gyms, and there are a few things you get when you pay for luxury: Amazing comfy box jump platforms, solid weights (pro tip: The top floor has most of what you need if the main weight room is crowded), and staff that is friendly, and eager to help. As anyone who pays for luxury knows, a small part of the experience are the amenities. What you're really paying for is the service, courtesy, and your actions being interpreted in the best possible light.

PS I had a couple of PRs here: Incline DB 95 x 9, and a 48" box jump!

Thanks for a...

i was in the gym for 2 hours and i needed to charge my phone so i looked around their lackluster lounge in the lobby to find a charging port and didn’t find one and so i went back upstairs. then a red head man chases after me and demands me to show my gym pass. I told him my phone was dead and i never stepped outside and he still kept bothering me. why do i need to show you my pass again if i’ve been there for two hours already?? make it make sense. Do you think i dont belong here?!? then the GM calls me and tells me it was their fault for not paying attention but didn’t do anything to make the situation better or make me want to go back. All she said was she was gonna talk to him which who knows if she did or not. this location is pretentious and trash anyway with no good amenities and a terrible steam room. and now that i know the managers are just as trash, i stay away from this location at all costs.

On top of that i call the eqx corporate to complain and the girl on the phone laughs. why am paying obnoxious amounts of money for obnoxious service?! UGH really makes me dislike the company they only care about your money and nothing else

EDIT in response to Equinox: Um i've called the concierge hotline about this and the girl just laughed at me... That's it for me.. I dont want to keep dealing with this awful service that I'm paying WAY too muchh money for. So yeah when lifetime opens near me I will be leaving. And you guys did a similar thing to a friend recently, so its clear you people have a problem with people who...