Spunk Fitness Silver Spring — Local services in White Oak

This gym has fairly cheap dues, albeit it is no cheaper than the Planet Fitness across the street. But the cheap dues is no excuse for the mess that goes on in this gym. This is probably the dirtiest gym that I have ever been in.

The machines in this gym are dirty and nasty. And the staff makes no attempt to clean the machines as they spend most of your time at the desk talking or playing on their phones. There are signs all around the gym that asked for people to clean the machines after use, but people rarely do this. And the workers do not enforce it. The machines are often so dirty that you can see a film on the handlebars and seats (see the pic). There have also been several times where I touched a machine and end up with a random sticky substance on my hands. I notified a manager of this about a week after I joined the gym, and since then I have seen them playing the machines maybe twice (and I was a member for 5 months). About 1 - 2 weeks after I join the club, I ended up with a rash on my leg that I had to end up taking antibiotics for because my doctor stated that it was a staph infection. And I'm pretty certain I got it from this dirty gym being that it was the only change in my rountine. Plus, these dirty machines are perfect reservoirs and mode of transmission for bacteria, especially with ppl sweating and open pores.

A lot of the machines are old and broken. Most of the ellipticals are missing the cell phone rack to hold yoyr phone. And most of the weight machines are missing the cup holder. Many of the belts make weird noises like they're broken. And a lot of the weight assistance machines have the chair stuck in one position and you can't move it. And when I talk with the staff about the ellipticals making weird noise, I was told that there were no problems to their knowledge.

The gym also has a terribly awful smell. Walking into this gym makes your eyes water. I was told by a female staff that was why they stay at the desk near the door because it smells so bad in the gym. The bad smell in the gym is probably due to the fact that that machines are dirty and the sweat mixed with poor ventilation. During the summer I often feel like I was overheating because the ventilation was so bad and when I spoke with staff about it I was advised that they were having problems with your HVAC system and had had it serviced twice but there were still problems.

And here is the real kicker they closed for 5 days this month for repairs(while still billing their customers). When they reopened it looked like the only did was add a faux hardwood floor near the door and a weird turf like floor in the gym. I could've diy'd this by myself in one day. And when I asked the manager about whether or not they would be reimbursing or giving a credit for the days that they were closed, I was advised by the GM Robert Escariz they would not. He advised me that they gave me "enough notice for you to make other arrangements." What other arrangements could've been made?! There was not enough time to cancel my account before they would have bill for the next month. And because I work out 5 days a week it costs $20 to use the Montgomery County Rec Centers for the same amount of time. So why did I need to pay Montgomery County and you guys for the same service. And when I asked if I could speak with the owner, my request was denied and the GM advised that he already knew already what the owner was going to say. How did he know what the owner was going to say when he didn't know what I was going to say to the owner? He later advised that I can send him an email and he would forward it to th owner. And I'm supposed to belief this?! Yeah right!

The photos added are the floors that took them 5 days to do.. 🤔

DON'T WASTE YOUR...

I may not be the one to judge, not having gone regularly to a commercial gym since the 80s, but Spunk has most of what I need and want, and not much of what I can do without. Spunk is pretty chill. No dress code to speak of beyond what is reasonable and practical. Training and advice is available, but if you know what you are doing, they pretty much get out of the way and let you do it. The staff is as friendly and helpful as they need to be. Machines are in good repair, with the exception of one or two cardio machines which have seen better days. Of course there are plenty of free weights. Clientele are basic unpretentious, working class people who mind their own business. So on the whole, the fundamentals are all there, and the flexible hours (24/7) seal the deal.

Complaints and concerns: The changing facilities could be a little more inviting. I don't know if hygiene is an issue, but I feel like it could be.

Also, security sometimes is a concern in the parking lot, if you are attending during odd hours. Secure your car and valuables, and stay alert.

Also, the name. "Spunk" can mean a spirit of derring do and stick toitiveness, or it can mean something else... (don't google it, trust me). For a gym, either could be...

It's a cheap gym, which is a plus. Decent equipment and a good number of cardio machines. But honestly the clientele that come here aren't the greatest. Large numbers of seemingly unwashed meatheads who don't wipe down equipment after use (due to the greasy residue and horrid stench left behind on most of the equipment) make coming here very unpleasant. The staff here are relatively friendly, but it's not very reassuring when several of the gym staff and trainers are overweight or obese. The locker rooms are fine, but they SERIOUSLY need to start spraying Ozium every day because they EFFING STINK. Again, I don't think the people that come here shower very often.

Above all, however...my biggest complaint is the fact that it's a GYM that doesn't have a WATER FOUNTAIN. I'm not even sure this is legal, and it's incredibly annoying. I refuse to pay for water bottles at a gym that I pay to be a member of. If you forget to BYOW you either flat out waste money, or you say "Well, looks like I can only work out until I become severely thirsty to the point where I have to leave"

Honestly, if they just sprayed the locker rooms and installed a water fountain the rating could at least go up to "Good" since it's still...