The Little Things Can Drive You Crazy
The Gym Rat is snooping around Southern California, looking at the best and worst in health clubs. And he isn’t just any rat. He’s been teaching for more than five years at various clubs in the area and is a certified aerobics instructor.
New is nice, but when a facility is new, that usually means some bugs have to be worked out.
Such is the case with the new and expanded LA Fitness club in Diamond Bar.
The club isn’t even 2 months old--it opened Aug. 25. And at 38,500 square feet, it is huge. Young palm trees decorate the outside of this modern-looking, coral-colored building that overlooks the Pomona Freeway.
The front desk staff couldn’t be nicer or friendlier. The jury is out, though, on its ability to give directions on how to reach the club.
“Boy, it took me almost an hour to find this place,” a woman fumed as we walked from the parking lot. “And I don’t live that far away.”
When we walked in, a staff member acknowledged that she had given directions to my new acquaintance. And even after the woman told her how long it took her to get to the club, there was no apology.
That’s Bug No. 1.
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For such a big facility, I found the men’s locker room to be on the small side. The lockers are tiny--my clothes got scrunched after I had to jam my gym bag into one. A couple of wire hangers were on the floor, some dirty paper towels were left on the basin, a paper towel dispenser was empty, and in the toilet area stood a gnarly pool of water between two stalls.
Bug No. 2
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I took the 9:45 a.m. Monday step class. The instructor said hello to everyone but never told us her name. She earned a gold star for asking if anyone was taking a step class for the first time, and she got another for checking with everyone to make sure the music volume was acceptable. But it looked as if she hadn’t practiced her choreography because her cuing on some moves was late and a couple times, she asked us to start a move on the right foot when, clearly, the left foot would have been more logical and less clumsy. One woman next to me gave up and decided to watch the rest of the class while sitting on a bicycle that is used for the indoor cycling classes. Also, during the rhythmic warmup portion, we worked only the right side of our bodies--she never switched to the left.
Bug No. 3
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On the positive side, there is an impressive amount of cardiovascular equipment here: 16 LifeCycle recumbent bicycles, three Versa Climbers, 15 Precor cross trainers, 10 StairMaster stepping machines, two Concept II indoor rowers, five LifeFitness cross trainers, four LifeCycle bicycles and 27 top-of-the-line Star Trac treadmills. One of the treadmills was broken, though, and no one had put an out-of-order sign on it. And if you want to hear what is on the televisions scattered around the cardio area, don’t forget your FM radio and headphones.
The free-weight machines are made by Hammer Strength and Cybex; free-weight plates are made by Hampton, and there are row after row after row of other resistance-training machines: Cybex, Flex Fitness, Body Master and Nautilus.
If that’s not enough, LA Fitness comes equipped with a basketball court, four racquetball courts and a three-lane, 25-yard swimming pool. Personal trainers are available from L.A. Lifestyle, which subcontracts with LA Fitness.
“Club Pride” is the motto at this LA Fitness, says Dion Gentile, the club’s general manager. He said that means that every 30 minutes, all staffers do whatever it takes to make sure the facility is clean, and, in fact, a vacuum cleaner was humming in the background as he spoke.
But when I returned to the locker room more than an hour after I had arrived, those hangers were still on the floor. The wadded-up paper towels were still on the basin. The paper towel dispenser was still empty and that nasty pool of water was still between the toilet stalls.
And that can really drive someone buggy.
If you know of a gym or health club you think the Gym Rat should scope out, fax the information to (213) 237-4712 or e-mail gary.metzker@latimes.com.
The Rat Trap
On a rating of one to four rats, four being best, here is how the Gym Rat rates LA Fitness in Diamond Bar:
* Parking: Plentiful, and the gym even has security people on bicycles cruising the lots seven days a week. ****
* Locker rooms: The men’s and women’s facilities have eight showers (two are handicap-accessible) and each locker room has a steam room and whirlpool. The lockers are tiny, and the staff should do a better job of living up to its “Club Pride” motto. *
* Juice bar: Choose from 32 flavors of smoothies, energy bars, muffins, protein drinks, fresh fruit and that most nutritional of foods, Gummi Bears. ***
LA Fitness, 20801 Golden Springs Road, Diamond Bar. (909) 595-0045. A day pass costs $10. Basic membership is $34 a month and the one-time registration fee is $125. Other membership packages are available. Towel service is $5 a month. Kids Klub is $3 per visit with a two-hour time limit. The gym is open 4:30 a.m. to midnight Monday-Thursday, 4:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.