LA Fitness — Local services in Pittsburgh

It's a little crazy seeing people complain about inconsiderate members or broken machines - I'm saying this as someone who has had nothing but (internal) complaints about the mgmt and clientele and states of disrepair at the bakery sq and Robinson locations. To address some concerns potential future members may have from reading other reviews: this is EASILY the only LA location in a 15 mile radius that doesn't constantly have old, broken down, hodgepodge machines. I've seen other LA locations skip out on spending $10 on a replacement pin, and instead put an ill-fitting pin from a different machine. I've seen the bakery sq location have 5 machines down for service at one time, with long waits for repairs. I have yet to see a down machine at this location, period. Yes the equipment is brand new, yes this could change over time, but people are so dramatic. -This is the only LA near Pittsburgh there aren't used wipes all over the floors, pools of sweat left on machines, etc. For all some people want to complain about the crowd being a young "influencer" crowd, I have found the members at this location way more respectful of shared space than the more boomer-heavy crowd at other locations, especially bakery sq. -Yes, it can be annoying (at any gym) if people are on their phones or sitting on a machine. Have those complaining tried practicing human interaction? Any time I've asked someone if I could hop on a machine at this location while they rest, they have been extremely respectful about it. -The locker rooms and floors of this location FAR EXCEED bridgeville or Robinson or bakery sq when it comes to cleanliness. -This is esthetically the nicest looking LA by far locally. Sure, esthetics doesn't make a workout - but it definitely feels far more premium than the actual "premium" Pittsburgh LA location which charges more.

Now, onto the cons I've experienced: -There is no clock near the men's sauna after the reno. This seems a very small critique but leads into con #2 -The staff at this location, while normally very friendly overall, are easily the most aggressive (and at times flat out rude) about closing times. If you are still finishing up in the lockerroom quite literally at 9:58, they are outside the locker rooms screaming "LETS GO ALREADY!!!! HURRY IT UP!!!! COME ON!!!". While the issue of people running behind on heading out by 10 would be easily solved by installing a clock or two in the lockerroom - it seems the route they have taken is to instead start yelling directly at people 20 minutes prior to close. One of the guys working the evening this week literally screamed in the ear of someone walking into the sauna at approximately 935pm "I NEED YOUR ATTENTION!! TIME TO WRAP IT UP IN THE SAUNA!!! ITS TIME TO GO SOON" in a manner frankly fit for a drill Sargeant. There has got to be a nicer way of making people aware of the time than to yell at them to leave 25 minutes before close. -While it seems to have gotten better lately, there needs to be better or more direct signage about screwing with the sauna. Too often there are people pouring water on it, adding essential oils to the burner, spraying scent sprays on themselves in large quantities. To the point at times where it's been suffocating.

All in all, this is still easily the best LA location and best bang for your buck, in Pittsburgh, outside of gym's like powerhouse, which target a different type...

The grossest, worst gym I've been to in a long time. I only joined for a couple of months while my gym was being renovated and oh man, it's bad. 1- The air conditioning is terrible upstairs, which is of course where all the cardio equipment is. I tried to use the treadmills on hot mornings (when I want to run inside because it's too hot) and it's OPPRESSIVELY hot. 2- The treadmill safety key clips are in rough shape. Literally this morning I couldn't get one to clip on because it was rusted through. 3- The only cleaning equipment available is measly wipes that are never saturated enough to adequately wipe down the equipment. Please, for the love of God, get some paper towels and spray bottles so people can adequately wipe the equipment. 4- The locker rooms look nice but they stink, there's no floor-length mirror in the women's main area, and the outlets in the women's area are all a disaster waiting to happen. They don't hold the plugs so if you pull even lightly on your hair dryer, curling iron, etc. it falls out of the wall. 5- The water fountains on the second floor are grossly warm. Why on earth would I want to drink lukewarm water, particularly when it's already atomic upstairs? The water fountain downstairs it better but it's also incredibly slow and it's small so it's difficult to fit my water bottle in to refill.

In terms of trying to cancel your membership - good luck. They make you either show up in person during business hours (because obviously members don't have jobs they need to be at) or print and mail a notice (which of course requires you have access to a printer) to their HQ even though the membership contract says you can cancel by bringing a notice to the home club and "asking" for the operations manager. I dropped off a notice outside of the operations manager's shift and got an email saying I had to print a notice and mail to HQ. Called the club and they kept claiming I had to come in person to cancel, during those business hours, which isn't called out in the contract as any kind of cancellation requirement. It's misleading and deceptive and clearly a BS hurdle to prevent people from easily cancelling. When I pressed the staff on why I couldn't talk to the operations manager over the phone to process the cancellation I just kept getting told "that's just how it's done".

On the plus side the morning staff is sweet and friendly, and it's never very crowded...

Good value for the price. Gyms aren't the cleanest places in the world, but this one isn't even particularly bad in my experience. I typically clean machines before and after I use them anyway, but it's rare that I go to a machine with a big sweat mark or a butt-print on it; generally, people throw their paper towels away as well, and the restrooms are somewhat better than average public restrooms. Just about every gym I've been to had a strong smell of that rubber-mat flooring and this one is no exception.

My main issue is the hours. There are other LA Fitnesses that are open later (ie. currently, this one closes at 11P, the one my friend goes to closes at 12A). and I don't understand why this one closes earlier. You'd think that in a very populated area with a young, working population that it would be a prime target for longer hours. It's very crowded during peak hours (ex. from 4p-830p) and it isn't crowded later toward closing time, but there is still a decent number of people there. They could definitely stand to extend their hours.

Secondly, the class selection is heavily limited by the time. For example, yoga is very popular, but their class slots are during times when many people work, last time I looked. Work between 7A and 5P? No yoga for you! The classes are free to members, though, so they have no financial reason to offer classes at any particular time. Their schedule could change based on if they switch teachers/the planetary alignment/the length of sunlight in a day so maybe they will offer yoga after 5P but don't join this gym if you work 9-5 and specifically...