Washington Sports Clubs

I am a gym rat! I admit it. I’ve been working out ever since I was a kid and grew up going to the gym regularly with my family. So having a home club is very important to me.
Very clean facility. Spacious. Looking from the street, you would never know how huge the facility is, but its really big upstairs. No large and overwhelming crowds! The staff is very friendly, they smile and say hello. When you come in for a workout, you can come in and do what you you need to do in peace! If you want to come in and run on the treadmill or hop on an elliptical or lift weights, you can and not have to wait for a machine.
They have a huge cross training turf with weighted ropes, weighted sleds to push or pull, TRX suspension bands, and agility equipment to use on the turf too. I like to use this space for my personal workouts. The cardio area is huge, spacious and extremely clean. TVs to watch. I like the machine weights area or I also tend to use the free weight area. Just depends upon the mood I’m in. Either way, there is a lot of space and options. They have 3 group exercise studios including a cycle studio.
When I come in for a workout, I want to unwind and exercise in peace. I feel extremely comfortable here. The trainers are willing to help and provide advice. I’ve purchased personal training sessions and worked with Michael and Joey. Very motivating and they were able to push me beyond what I would normally do… I can be lazy, so they really pushed me. There are a lot more personal trainers available as well.
As a female, its important that I feel comfortable. I have the privacy to work out and feel comfortable. No odd-​balls showing off, hogging equipment or staring. Everyone is very respectful of one another.

Boooo! Unexpected fees and dues that add up to make this really not so much of a bargain. You do have to pay to get out of whatever contract you signed.
Then, when you call to speak to someone about the unexpected charge on your MasterCard they will place your call on hold for infinite chunks of time. When you ask to speak to their manager, you will be placed on another never-​ending hold only to be told that they don’t want to speak to you. Seriously. Ask for a manager and the manager will refuse to speak to a client. Like I said, booooo!
ALL the reviews about the financial hassle regarding this business are absolutely spot on. Ick. Just need a shower now.
PS — this was the corporate offices and not this location. THIS location simply didn’t have a business manager around for me to speak with.

I’ve been a WSC member since 2006, and have seen a lot of transformation at this location.
The staff and trainers and their classes are as good as it gets with its new low membership. I have kept my Passport Premium membership due to the convenience that I am able to use other gyms in the area and at other states, PA and NYC. I like the free towel policy at my rate and the dedicated training management staff they have at my home location at Fairfax. David Haydu, Training Manager at Fairfax is very experience with membership policy and was able to freeze my personal training, resolve error in billing with the corporate offices. This location has the space and equipment I need to get my workout done even during peak hours, unlike other facilities that you have to compete for equipment to get your work done. This location is well lighted, good top floor views, parking and has enough good athletes/​trainers to motivate you.

UPDATED:
I was contacted by the General Manager and invited to try the gym for a week. I decided to give it a shot. While I was there working out, Nina personally came over and apologized for my experience before. It was admirable for her to do that and I appreciated it. The gym was nice, clean, had everything I needed. Best of all it is not that crowded even during peak time which is great. No waiting. I ended up becoming a member. Upgrading review from 1 star to 4 stars. So far, so good.
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
I live a few minutes down the road and am currently a member of Xsport. On Friday, August 14 I came to your gym optimistic about signing up for a membership. The club is closer to where we live compared to Xsport and we do a lot of our grocery shopping at Aldi, which is very convenient. It also doesn’t hurt that WSC is cheaper than Xsport. However, before I signed my family up, I wanted to ask a few questions about the membership.
When I entered, I was greeting by an Oriental gentleman and explained I had some questions. He told me Nina (who was standing next to him) would be able to help me. Nina didn’t introduce herself and hardly looked in my direction. It seemed like she was in a bad mood. The Oriental gentleman then gave me a yellow card which I filled out with my information. Nina then took the card and said she needs my driver’s license. I explained to Nina that I only have a few quick questions and asked if it was necessary to get a copy of my driver’s license. Nina then rolled her eyes and simply said «yes» and proceeded to just stand there and stare at me waiting to take my driver’s license.
Needless to say, I was very bothered and uncomfortable and I left. After pondering the situation for a minute, I decided that I needed to share my experience and went back in to ask Nina for the GM’s contact info. Suddenly, Nina was full of smiles and asked me if I wanted a tour of the gym or if I had any questions she could answer for me. Obviously, her efforts are too late and she is only trying to save face because I am asking for a manager’s info.
I came to the facility excited about signing my family up and I left very disappointed. There are 2 other gyms within a mile of WSC that are competing for business and customer service will always prove to be a major factor in which businesses thrive and which ones fail. Sadly, in this case, WSC failed miserably.

Amazing Great Gym, & Awesome, Cool Hardworking Trainers, and Managers, Cleaning Crew and Front Desk Employees. Every time I go, they are all so friendly. There are so many choices Machine wise, depending on what you want to lose weight and get into shape with. It’s a great place to work out at, this is a very nice gym, if you need help in getting into shape, they have trainers, classes/​workout groups, and more. Check it out! And don’t just Check It out, TRY it out too. :)

As other moms, im a super busy mom w running my biz, my 2 busy boys’ activities… So I decide to call here for more detail on pricing and childcare info. The lady Nina won’t give me the price quote on either member and childcare fee, but forcing me to make an appt to see her. I don’t want to waste my time or hers that’s why I ask for the info before making decision to come in to join. I hate their customer services, they arenot clear on the fee, delaying my time for joining the exercise. I will go with Xsport as they clearly tell me what their fee is on phone which it maybe higher than them, but I don’t care since I like to deal with straight forward person/​biz.

Four years ago I joined the gym because my physical fitness had reached a crisis point. I visited three gyms and decided on WSC because of it’s proximity to my office, the large open layout, and the ample equipment. I was not looking for «social club» but rather a gym where a solid workout would be the norm. WSC fits my needs and is priced well. I have worked out with several of the personal trainers and they have greatly increased my success. Bottom line, WSC is not for lounging around at the «juice bar,» it’s about getting in shape and increasing the quality of your life.

I joined this gym many years ago. My needs in a gym are few and they continue to meet them. I like a gym that is not crowded mid day when I go. The locker room is clean and the showers are cleaned. The training staff is very helpful. I have a trainer who helped me recover from a major injury and put me on the road to better long term health. There are a variety of trainers to meet the needs of various clients and various fitness goals. Even though I prefer the free weight area and kettle bells, there are cardio machines, a TRX area and various pieces of equipment to meet any fitness needs. There are people available most of the time to assist with my workout if I need it, without making me feel crowded. Every business has room for improvement, but this gym continues to exceed my expectations.

I have been a member for just about a year and I am enjoying the gym. I mainly go on weekends and there is never a wait for equipment. There is a nice separation of free weights and cardio machines. There are two areas for stretching/​floor exercises, an area for TRX, turf for sled, ropes, cardio, medicine balls and running timer to keep track of time. In addition there are two stretching stations. I always see cleaning staff on the floor. The locker room/​showers are clean and supplies are stocked. The front door staff could be less involved with their own personal conversations/​texting when a member enters/​leaves, but the training staff is outstanding. I enjoyed the personal training I received. The staff are knowledgeable and extremely helpful. I do not feel intimidated to asked them questions or ask them for help. There is a large parking lot which makes accessing the gym easy.
I would recommend this gym to new members.

Just moved into the area and stopped by looking for a new gym. The staff was friendly and welcoming when I came in and throughout the tour, gym was clean, and not overcrowded at all. Price was also good for the area, 19 a month with $ 0 enrollment, I decided to sign up and now love it! A lot of bang for your buck! I was hesitant to stop by after previous reviews, but I’m glad I joined its a great club with great customer service from all staff members.

Awesome club! Awesome staff! Great price and very clean. A must see to believe club. Do yourself a favor and check this place out.

I went there as a prospective member. The front desk staff were more interested in their private conversations (both when I arrived and when I was leaving). It was as if I had to beg to interrupt them.
I wonder why I even bothered sticking around to tour the place given their disinterest right from the beginning.

WSC has more than billing problems! Recently I downgraded my membership from a $ 49.50/month to the advertised $ 19.95/month membership. Of course there was fine print and I ended up paying $ 139.00 for the privilege of downgrading. The WSC employee who set up the downgrade transaction in the WSC database, swiped my credit card, and then told me that the system had crashed. She sent me to the manager who showed me the WSC database, told me that my credit card transaction had not gone through, and asked me to swipe my card for a second time. I did, and when I got home and checked my credit card transactions online, I found that the first charge had gone through as well as the second charge. I contacted WSC Customer Service to relay my problem and was told that I was wrong since only one charge had gone through because that was all she could see on my member account. When I explained, again, that the database crashed before the system that transacts credit card charges could link with the WSC database, she wanted to know if I had documentation of the two charges. Of course I had documentation and she asked that I send it to her. When I tried to explain that surely she had records of charge transactions that she could query, it became obvious that she would only accept my documentation. I did a screen shot of the credit card transactions, redacted everything that did not pertain to WSC, and sent that to her. Upon review of my screenshot, the WSC Customer Services Representative (in «Corporate») told me that even though the charges were listed as «posted», that I did not have documentation from the bank saying that those charges were paid. I explained that «posted» is bank terminology for «paid» and was told that I would have to send my entire printed statement from the bank so that she could see that both charges were paid. Even after I explained that the statement would not say anything different than the screen shot I had already given to her, she still wanted the entire monthly bank statement. When I asked if I could talk with someone in accounts receivable who would certainly have transaction records for WSC, I was told that no such department exists.
Eventually the local manager said that she understood my screen shot and could see that I had been charged twice and would talk with «Corporate» to clear things up. Later she reported that she had talked to the «Refund» person in Corporate and I should see a refund on my credit card statement. That was last week and there is still no refund.
What I have learned about WSC is:
1. Often when WSC employees are actually typing in the WSC database they are timed out, repeatedly.
2. The WSC employees in Customer Service don’t realize that there are any other records than those found in the database.
3. There are several WSC Corporate level employees that do not know how to read a bank statement.
4. It is totally incumbent on the customer to provide all information when the WSC employees make mistakes. The mistakes may never be corrected.

After e-​mails, phone calls promising me my refund, including the 9.95 monthly fee I have NOT received my refund. It’s now going on a month. Have to give them credit for increasing my cardio — since every time they call, or e-​mail, my heart gets to pounding knowing MORE empty promises.

I used to be a member at a different WSC, but had to cancel my membership when I moved out of the area. However, I got an offer for a five-​day trial membership that coincided with a stay just down the street from this gym, so I figured I’d give it a try. I was very clear with the manager that I had no interest in a membership since I didn’t live near any WSC, but she gladly set me up with the guest pass and gave me a club tour just like I was a potential customer, so I have to imagine that the customer service for actual members is even better. The gym was clean, well-​organized, and fairly empty, so I was able to get in a good workout, and would definitely highly consider joining if I ever found myself living or working in the area.

If it were possible to give zero stars, I would have done so.
I signed up for the $ 19.95 per month deal, then quickly realized that the hours etc. would not work for me, and I canceled during the initial review period. I submitted written notice of cancellation, then followed up with a phone call. The manager herself assured me that I would be refunded my $ 19.95 plus the $ 40.61 in fees that I paid when I signed up.
Six weeks later, I have not only NOT received the refund, but just noticed on my credit card statement that I was charged $ 150 at the beginning of November! So right now WSC Fairfax owes me over $ 200. I

Washington Sports Club in Fairfax is a clean gym with great facilities. The problem is their BILLING DEPARTMENT. They constantly claim we owe them money (which we don’t) and send bill collectors after us. Its like an organized crime family runs the billing department. And they are MEAN!
Avoid this place like the plague.

Have to say I’m a little surprised about the previous comments on here. The gym already has a built-​in a daycare as far as I can see, trainers seem very knowledgeable and helpful when needed.
Highlight: The cardio kickboxing class really kicks your butt!!! Cassy is an amazing instructor and every time we go in there she mixes it up with something different.
Negative: I kept on coming back to try the UXF Saturday class and frankly stop trying because nobody ever showed up. I spoke to Dave who’s the manager and guaranteed me that there will be somebody there from this point on.
So far mostly positive experiences!

The trainers are always supportive and perky. Never attended the small group classes, so I can’t comment.
For me the entire experience was like having had an awesome relationship with an amazing boyfriend, with a horrifying, messy, and dirty break-​up.
I know how much the gyms try to keep their clients, but the process of cancelling was not only painfully time consuming, but was also ridiculously complicated. I have had to spend my entire afternoon stressing about collecting my legal documents. Oh, have I mentioned my emails were «rejected» more than twice, because of «technical difficulties»? Definitely not a good way to end my registration, since this is what I will remember the gym by.
Buying a personal training package is easy. But cancelling before the term ends, you’re charged with $ 140, unless you have a suitable excuse and lots of legal documents to support your defense.
Loved the personal training sessions, but will I be returning to this gym again? Nope. Would I recommend this gym? No.

First the positive. The people here are great. Women immediately introduced themselves to me in the locker room and in the classes, and offered helpful tips. This is a smaller gym, with a smaller membership, so I liked that I would see the same women every time, and that I felt like I belonged after only a week. (A few of the classes I attended only had 5 participants!) I’ve been to my fair share of gyms, and I have to admit that this is the first time I felt a sense of comradery with the other folks at the gym.
In addition, the collection of weights is impressive. My husband was delighted that there were so many heavy weights, and by all the variations of machines. The collection is comparable to the massive AFC gym at the University of Virginia. Actually, I think that most people who join this gym come here because of the weights.
Now the bad. Because the gym has a smaller membership, there were about half as many classes as at Gold’s Gym, and most of the class times target women who do not work. Their earliest class is at 7:30AM, and lasts about 50 minutes, so their class schedule would only work for you if you could leave for work at 8:30AM and still get to work on time. They do have 7:30PM classes, but there’s only two. As someone who works in D.C. (11 hours including commute), this schedule just doesn’t work for me.
It’s hard to put this into words, but the classes do not excite me. The music during the workouts isn’t particularly inspiring, and the instructors do not try to choreograph their classes with the music (with the exception of the spinning and zumba classes). Also, most of the classes are ab classes, so while I’d like to be able to attend the classes every day, my abs are usually recovering from the prior day’s workout.
I’m also surprised that the gym closes at 7PM on the weekends.
That said, if you’re planning to join, I’d hold out. The first day I spoke to the membership rep, she offered $ 50/​month (for membership at this location only). Then she said that if I signed up for 2 years, she would knock it down to $ 40/​month. Then, a week later, she called to offer $ 35/​month.