Bally Sport Club

The low price prompted me to checking out this place and it seems it is the only selling point for me unfortunately. I came here trying out their 7 day pass. I was really considering giving it a chance since the membership was so cheap. The facility is big and there are 4 floors I think. The bottom floor is swimming pool and cardio machines. One floor is weight room and there is another that is locker room and juice bar. I think what really turned me off is that the women's locker room looks dirty. The floor has stains and the shower has no curtain whatsoever. The personal care products they provide look really cheap; something I won't pour on myself. I also only see 1 hair blow dryer, which is way too few in a big gym like this. The weight room seems alright. There are plenty of machines and tons of personal trainers around trying to help you or sell you packages. The stretch area however, really turned me off. There is no padding but carpet. I felt disgusted that I had to lie on carpet. The pool is pretty big; 2 lap swim lanes and 1 open swim lane but there is really no wait because you can always go into the open lane area. The lifeguard is on site but he is teaching/swimming at times too so I am not sure how helpful he can be if emergency happens. I decided not to join because it is very important to me the gym is clean and well lit. Bally fails both. more

The end of towel service is a sign of things to come. The club is definitely dirtier and less crowded than it used to be. There are fewer locker room attendants. I would not be surprised if this club closed within a year. Bally's has closed Sports Clubs recently (the club on 43rd street closed quite suddenly in 2006). Members who specifically paid more to join a Sports Club should file a complaint with the New York State Attorney General's office, since there is now little difference in amenities between a Sports Club and the other Bally's clubs. more

With the fiscal crisis, this place is going downhill fast. What used to be a very nice, clean simple gym for a reasonable price is deteriorating into a unclean place focused more on its bottom line than its customers. The most recent amenity to go is towel service. They informed clients it would be gone in 2 weeks but the very next there were no towels available. I understand you need to cut costs, but at least be accurate in your information. This made people downright hostile in the locker room. The scale in the bathroom is broken and the bathrooms seem to be cleaned less frequently. WIth no towels people are less inclined to wash the machines down and the shared mats in classes are no longer covered. If the towel service does not return, I will not renew my membership next month. The one plus is those that teach classes are fantastic and better than at gyms I've visited that are twice the cost. Pros: nice staff (although not always in the loop about club policies etc.) Cons: no towel service, poor communication with clients, unclean facilities, broken amenities more

Beware of paying Bally?s in full for your membership; you?ll be hard pressed to get it back if you need to cancel. I had a conversation about cancelling my membership with Bally?s "call center". I moved to California in May 07 at which time I had faxed and mailed in the required documentation and the said ?they had never received it?. I followed up in September and November which apparently they have "no record of". The worst part is that I paid the entire amount for 3 years up front ? paid in full till August 08. I called the club as well, and it seems that the membership sales team and the customer service at the call center are two different entities. The sales team will tell you everything you want to hear so they can get your money; the ?customer service? call center will not want to give you one cent back. I spoke with a supervisor named Danielle. I wanted my fees to be refunded from May 07 which is when I sent my letter in, and I have proof of that. All she kept saying was ?that request is denied?. It?s not even the money that they are not refunding that has me livid. It?s that the supposed ?customer service? is anything but. This woman was down right rude and condescending. I must admit, I wasn?t all happy in that conversation either, but, seeing as I?m a member who is cancelling due to relocation, you would think that they would want to keep me happy, in case I move back to an area where they are. My entire family was contemplating membership at Bally?s (they just moved to NYC) which I had recommended till now. Also, I will be moving back in a few months, and they've lost a long time customer for good. I have never been so disappointed, it?s true, once they have your money, they don?t care about you at all. Anyway, beware, and even if you spend a little more money, go month to month, it?s not worth spending 30 minutes on the phone waiting to talk to someone from customer service. Pros: Used to be good value for money Cons: They closed down my gym location, turned out very expensive since I'm not getting a refund for my paid in full membership more

I joined this gym because of the amazing features: a great pool, steam rooms, a sauna, a jacuzzi, lots of equipment, a store, and a juice bar. On the busy moments, it's near impossible to get the machine you want, but there is still plenty of other things to do. I rate my experience as average. When I began my membership, I LOVED this gym, but as time progressed, problems soon developed. On two occasions, the gym did not have any shower towels, and they weren't even closed to closing! The women who clean the locker rooms are also rude. One followed me around and told me to stop dripping water even though the shower room floors were already wet, and another time, one woman entered the shower stall I was in to tell me to go into another shower because she needed to clean my stall. AWKWARD! The place was also a lot cleaner when I started the gym in January, but it's progressively worse and has developed a rank body odor smell. Next, I had one personal training session with Oliver, and it was really awkward. He knows what he's talking about but he had really weird social skills. I NEVER WANTED TO WORK WITH HIM AGAIN! Lastly, they cut many of the classes, and this seems absurd considering bathing suit season is coming up! Overall, this gym is OKAY but if I could, I would've joined somewhere else. Pros: lots of equipment, sauna, steam rooms, toiletries provided, nice features Cons: weird encounters with staff members, rank smell, lack of towels more

good place, lots of equipment for you to use. but it definitely has a rush hour (morning and also, evening). trying to go during the off hours is worth it. not the meet-market that everyone makes it out to be. more