Rumor has it Equinox is taking over the Printing House, should I be sad? It's an awesome location and the facility has great bones and local vibe but a make-over wouldn't be so terrible. What would be terrible is a McGym taking over and replacing a highly knowledgable training staff McTrainers who have trainer certifications they got in a couple of weekends Most of the fitness staff at the Printing House have really sound knowledge, expertise and are genuinely passionate about what they do. They take their careers seriously, it's not just a job and that makes a difference. There are a few exceptions and hopefully Equinox will rid us of the ridiculous likes of ""Joe Trainer"". (Yeah he actually calls himself that) The Hollywood wannabe, once manager, acts like a punk teenager with absolutely no business sense, treated members with complete disrespect, called the gym ""his house"" and never lived by the standards he preached to his staff for all members to hear, especially when he was dis'ing people or beating his little chest on his huge power trip, kicking out paying members. A super-sized ego with very little reason and utterly unprofessional. WHY oh WHY is he still around???!!! So many members HATE this guy!!!! THANK GOD for the current Fitness Manager, Dariusz Garko who was always an incredible trainer, way lower key, humble, very respectful of members and is literally an encyclopedia of quality information on everything from form and technique to progression. The dude is super strong and agile too and an athlete in sports like surfing, snowboarding and swimming - this is a guy that lives what he does and knows EXACTLY what he's talking about, truly a professional and has raised the bar of The Printing House in my opinion. I actually ended up joining PH because of two of his clients who swore by him....they were not wrong, the guy's NYC's best kept secret and gets results! You gotta be motivated by one who actually tests his own physical condition regularly and pushes people to peak performance. His clients who vary in age and gender. He literally got some 65 year old lady in the best shape of her life and coached her into a power lifting competition. She now holds a US record....that's crazy! Lynn is another really focused no BS pro who's a PH veteran, Margaret is super passionate about her classes which are intense and Joanna is a Pilattes master to name a few of the gems. Oh, Michelle and Carly I've heard good feedback on too and both are in good shape. You cannot miss the Santiago family in the downstairs boxing arena...accomplished champions The jury is out on ol' Ralph - The GM who apparently doesn't believe in new ideas and has freaked out publicly in front of members. Yet another manager who has used ""his power for evil"". The guy's a health nut and he's always biking but...beyond that? Someone lets this guy run an entire club?! Christ, it could be so much more profitable, efficient and SOOO much more of a positive customer experience if Ralph could actually leave 1985! I've never seen a staff so demotivated and agitated by someone or such silly systems. The front desk staff is generally rude and annoyed by customers ""interrupting"" them. But, the views are killer, the facility space and variety is terrific, quality fitness staff (all I really care about) is much better than most, the roof top deck and pool in the summer is a major bonus so overall, a lot going for this club. Hopefully Equinox will highlight the best parts and finally do away with the bad which....would make it almost a perfect 10... potentially.
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