The Omni Club

Two Words: KETTLE BELLS
I like the gym, don’t get me wrong. Look past the teeny bopper music, less than friendly staff and the wannabe Dwayne Johnson manager and it’s a good place to work out. It’s fairly clean, there is a wide variety of equipment and usually it’s not overly crowded. What really grinds my gears though is the BEST equipment is tucked away into the tiny back room that’s off-​limits for regular paying members. Even something as simple as kettle bells, which are offered to the lowly peasant members at every other Omni, are pushed to the side and only the personal trainers are allowed access. There are at least 40+ kettle bells of all weights yet less than 5% of the members can use them. That doesn’t make sense to me. What’s the harm in letting members use the kettle bells and place them back in the Personal Training area? The wannabe Rock manager (I think his name is Ramen? Like the noodle) sits back there and guards his precious 10 lb. kettle bells like a momma bear protecting her cubs. Don’t let that little ounce of power slip through your paws Ramen! Beware.

New Ownership is killing this gym. I became a member back in July. Which is before the switch happened. Before the switch happened things were going okay, there were some equipment issues that never seemed to get fixed. Since the new ownership from Bodyplex took over it has been downhill. Management doesn’t work with customers to resolve issues. They just act as if we should be grateful for them to let us pay to be a member. Also since all the Bodyplex member have come over there is no chance to use equipment in a timely manner. If you are looking for a gym I suggest you look elsewhere.

I like the gym, it’s really the only option you have in Athens though. They’re not super expensive for a base membership but add-​ons will rack up and the membership can get expensive. I’m not a big fan of the automatic 12 month payments that you have to enroll in but like I said it’s really your only option in Athens for a gym of the same caliber. It’s probably more like 3 stars but I’ll give it 4 stars because they have every type of equipment and plenty of classes that if you’re really into fitness you can find your niche at the Omni either the west side where the east side. I’m a big fan of the team strength and the fight club programs that they have so if you’re interested you should give it a shot.

I regularly work out at a gym. I was a member of LA Fitness for 2 years, and have tried other gyms like Fitness 19. I’ve also worked out at the Ramsey Center for 3 years.
I visited the new Omni Club Eastside Saturday around 3 p.m. on July 9^th, 2011. Unbeknownst to me (not listed anywhere online), the club has still not had it’s «grand opening» so it has limited hours and had closed at 1 p.m. I am a student at the University of Georgia and currently don’t have a pass to the Ramsey center during summer, so I decided to take one of the many 14-​day trail passes I’ve been receiving all year and try the gym out.
As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by two staff members and I told them my situation. I was handed a guest form to fill out, with all my information and why I wanted to workout there. Next, I gave them my I.D. and sat down with a salesman while he questioned me about my fitness routine and health for about 5 – 10 minutes. He was nice but asked a lot of questions, I was expecting to walk in and begin working out quickly.
Afterwards, I was given a tour of the facility. The facility is very nice — A+ with flat screen TV’s and prime equipment/​workout areas. I then sat down at a sales desk to go over my «membership» which I had apparently hinted I wanted to sign up for? Not.
*As soon as I showed him my Omni Club 14-​day trial pass, he stated that the pass was only good for the Westside Omni Club location even though the location was not listed on the pass and the company’s website lists both locations. AND Eastside offers a 14-​day free trial (I find out when I get home).
I continued to play his sales game and eventually got to where he offered me a membership for $ 29 a month. When I asked the commitment time he said a YEAR. I walked in expecting a 14 day trial, yet I was about to be pushed into a year long commitment (a total of $ 349).
If you are a student at UGA, you know that we have «student fees» we must pay including fees for the Ramsey center (our workout center). I proceeded to tell him that if I am required to pay the Ramsey center fees while taking class I wasn’t ready to sign up for a year long commitment. So, I would like to just sign up for a month and find out about the fees. OH, well that will be $ 68. Are you kidding me?
So here, I’ll be reasonable. How about I find out about the Ramsey fees and come back with a response in a couple days. Nope, the $ 29 a month is only available today. His reason was that this was how their computer system worked because I just filled out that form. What a bunch of bull. I just watched you change my membership fee in front of my eyes 3 times. I’m not an idiot.
Long story short, this looks like a great new gym but don’t count on them honoring any «free trial» flyers you bring in. Also expect a 30 minute tour and sales pitch full of smoke and white lies. Nice people, but in the end they’re just trying to get your money.