David Barton Gym

This place is clearly in trouble. I would be surprised if it lasted another year. There’s clearly a downward slide going on.
I’ll give you the pros: Towels and water refill stations are a plus (well, and we do pay for such upgrades). General areas are kept clean. It’s usually not crowded during the day. (Maybe because people are canceling right and left?) Other members seem generally cool without attitude.
However…
Gone are two huge classrooms and the spin room (rumor has it they couldn’t afford to keep the space and gave it back to the building), with no compensation or lower fees for fewer classes and offerings. If it’s busy, you’ll be making real close friends with everyone else trying to use the one remaining stretch area.
They have a couple trainers who do these obnoxious circuit classes now, either in the middle of the room (okay fine) or in the one remaining classroom, where the dude turns the music up SO LOUD with the door wide open, that it’s impossible to hear your own headphones if you’re on a treadmill outside the room. One trainer in particular seems to think he owns the gym. Seriously, man, you aren’t that special. And your music blows.
They apparently can’t afford to provide hot water anymore, or they’re trying to discourage members not to shower. I’ve asked three different employees who all seem «unaware» of the problem, and got major shade for my trouble. «Really, is it cold?» Did I just fall off the truck yesterday? People other than me have been complaining. For WEEKS. $ 75-​$ 80 a month for cold showers? Seriously?
(Oh, and forget the ladies’ steam room. It’ll be down for weeks on end. Only recently is it running, after months being broken or turned off at the holidays.)
Despite warnings that locks will be cut off every night, the same locks appear to take up the same lockers day after day. Hmmm.
What’s with the hairballs in the ladies’ showers? Piles of towels like that user photo is a daily thing. The one woman always shuffling around in there could use a fire lit.
Front desk couldn’t care less about any of it. You’ll be lucky just to get greeted, because clearly football playoffs and what they did last night is way more important than bothering with you who paid a good amount to walk in the door. If you complain, you get attitude. Some are more pleasant than others.
I’ve been a member since this place was Bodies in Motion, and it actually had real classes and machines that worked and people who seemed to give a #@% about the members. If this place wasn’t so convenient for me, I’d have quit when DB first took over and put their hideous branding and design everywhere. It’s gotten to the point where I may just bite the bullet and look into LA or 24 Hr Fitness.

David Barton is a good neighborhood gym with everything you really need in a workout.
The gym features free weights and machines on the west side of the gym, a boxing ring in the center and a training room and cardio machines closer to Bundy. All of the equipment and machines are kept in good working order. If you go at night the gym will feel a bit like a night club, with dimmed lights and music bumping, but I wouldn’t view it as a negative. During the day it doesn’t come off that way at all though.
The locker room itself is in pretty good shape. There are tons of lockers, so you’ll never feel like you’re searching for a place to put your things or change, but at times it can have maintenance issues — most notably the sauna not working (which actually matters to me, as i’m a big fan of hitting the sauna after a workout). In general though, the locker room is kept clean with no shortage of towels, lotion and other such things. If you hit the gym at rush hour (after work) the showers in the locker room may all be occupied, but you usually don’t have to wait for more than a couple of minutes.
While the gym has classes, good equipment and a solid locker room, the main reason i’m not as hyped on DB as I was a year ago is the fact that they’ve gotten rid of a big piece of the gym which included two large rooms for classes as well as a large stretching area, so now the gym feels a lot more cramped. I used to hit up boxing classes in the hanging bag room at least once a week, but i’m now unable to as a result of another tenant taking over the space where the room used to be. Evidently there are still boxing classes offered, but they are at times that aren’t conducive to someone with an office job. With the new tenant moved in, the gym is and feels a lot smaller, and one of its most redeeming qualities of offering great boxing options has largely fallen by the wayside.
With that said, DB is still a solid option. At this point i would say it is on the pricey side for what you actually get, so keep that in mind when you’re taking a tour. I think they’ll give you a week pass for you, which is a good way to get a feel for DB before making any commitments. Some of the people that work at DB are huge chillers and super friendly, while a couple are less than welcoming. Lastly, there’s convenient subterranean parking, which is validated for 2 hours, which is usually enough time for a workout and shower.

Ok — I am from out of town .
Used it for several visits, met all my needs
staff are helpful
Machines ARE working
Locker rooms are immaculate (at midday)
Nice vibe.
Reasonable $ for a guest visit

I’ve been a member of this gym for over 2 years now, and unfortunately it is no longer the great place I signed up for. I originally liked it for the manageable crowds, superb artistic style, and modern facilities, but all 3 have deteriorated in some form. If you want to work out between 5−9pm monday through thursday, you’ll be forced to wait around or miss parts of your routine. There are just too many people inside. They got rid of 2 huge classrooms and the stretching area, so now they run classes in the middle of the weights area, taking up valuable machines and space for those not participating in the class. On top of that, you now have to stare at an ugly, unfinished wall whenever you walk past that section. The locker room is never repaired. I am not exaggerating when I say that 25% of the lockers are outright broken. Playing a game of trial and error for a working, empty locker each day is an exercise in frustration. There was also a roach infestation that lasted for several months.
For the premium this gym charges, it is simply not worth it. The only advantage it has over standard gyms is that it is marginally nicer, but if your goal is to get an efficient workout in, then this isn’t the place for you. One last thing, when you try to cancel, they will force you into paying for an extra month, so if you you’re going to quit you may need to notify them up to 60 days beforehand, depending on where you are in the billing cycle. Because they really needed one last way to get your money before you never come back.

Packed gym this time-​a-​year! Been a member for almost a year. They got my Rower memo! Rowers have been installed, the floor plan was updated and remodeled and got a chance to check out their Century City gym which is not as clean or modern looking as this prime location. Hat’s off to Arturo whose great effort to replenish all Locker room equipment accessories and cleanliness is prime whenever I usually go @ night. He does phenomenal work for a one man show and is always happy. Now, can we get the Oblique weighted cable machine please? Thanks in advance.

Gym shopping and decided to check out David Barton. Initial tour was good, no hard sales pitch, Mike (GM) gave a thorough overview of the equipment, classes, amenities, pricing and offered a free week trial. Went on a Saturday mid-​morning, review is of the gym facilities as I didn’t take any class.
Pros:
1) wasn’t too crowded, plenty of room to workout
2) machines are clean and in good condition
3) water stations (2) that has electrolyte water and buttons for specific bottle sizes
Cons:
1) they have towels, although the first one I picked up didn’t smell dryer fresh…
2) the women’s locker room needed quite a bit of attention
— lockers without doors or with broken doors
— floor of vanity area is covered in industrial floor mats with towels underneath (see pic, not sure what the towels are soaking up)
— mold on the shower grout (yuck)
— towel bin was overflowing at 11:30am and a giant Brute container next to it (really?! I didn’t see more than 3 women the entire time)
Membership of $ 95 monthly (or $ 85/​month if you sign up for 12 months) is not justified for a gym only marginally better than LA Fitness.

Their wifi is a joke. Been a member 6 months and they said «they’re working on it» since I joined.
Gym towels are subpar, they just got new ones but extremely cheap quality/​material.
Two rock climbing walls, one doesn’t work. Another thing they’re «working on fixing.»
Everything else is decent, nothing too much to write home about here. Better then LA fitness but compared to the monthly dues it should be way better.
Fix your internet DB it’s almost 2016, that’s basic

I first joined this gym 6 years ago when it was a Bodies In Motion. Under the previous management the place was clean and the staff was fantastic. Under the Barton label things slowly started to erode over time. Many of the very experienced trainers were pushed out for younger fresher looking staff. Derrick is the best one of the bunch still there.
This gym is all veneer with not much quality too it. At first look the gym appears to have the freshness of an Equinox caliber gym for less than half the membership fee’s. Unfortunately this is not the case. The men’s locker room is a train wreck. The lockers are barely clinging to their hinges, one look at the ceiling and you’ll find caked dust and black mold. Additionally, there is a cockroach infestation that will not stop. Many of the machines are newer but already beaten to disfunction.
They recently have downscaled the gym square footage, and with that their class offerings. No more group spin, and the relocation of their boxing classes and studio classes to very tight quarters.
Losing the last bit of services without any reduction in gym dues is what finally did it for me. I have moved on to Equinox. Yes, it is more expensive however, it is well kept and it has all the classes one would come to expect in a good gym.

With all of its recent changes, David Barton Gym is becoming harder and harder to stay a member.
I have been a member of this gym for about three years now so I have seen it transform over the years and can say now what I truly like and dislike.
Here are a few things I think are pros:
+ It is never fully crowded so there is always something available to do.
+ The group classes they have are actually quite good with great trainers who lead them
+ Towel and water refill stations
+ It is not 24 hours but it has hours that work for most working people
Here are the cons:
— Inconsistent Wi-​fi in the gym
— No pool, recently got rid of spin classes — for the price, there seems diminishing returns for the fees
— Membership here is limited to this DB gym. To access the other DB gyms, you will need to get passes or pay fees.
— Broken/​outdated machines — not all the TV screens work on the running machines and some running machines have not been replaced for months
Another issue is the validated parking. Given the location, I understand they have to limit the parking to 2 hours on weekdays, 3 hours on weekends. However, the restriction is especially hard for people who take a class which is already one hour on the weekday. It feels like a race to the parking attendant to avoid the fee.
I pretty much stay for the convenience of the location and quality of the group classes. However, I am definitely not married to David Barton Gym and am starting to look elsewhere if there are not more incentives to stay given its pretty high fees.

This place actually kind of (really) sucks.
Let me set the scene for you.
Last night, I arrive for my treadmill run (night runs in my neighborhood in Santa Monica aren’t the most fun, unless you find methed out homeless people whistling at you from across the street…) and imagine my surprise when I see a trainer yelling at a group of people in the middle of the gym. No biggie, I suppose, I’ll just go find my treadmill and ignore it.
Put on my headphones and start rolling. One side of me is an open training session for 10 people, circuits and all, yelling at distracting. The other side of me is yet another circuit training class with music blaring that would rival any Las Vegas nightclub.
I have so many questions!
1. Why isn’t there just one circuit training class going on?
2. Why are they both so mfing loud?
3. Why, if they need two, aren’t they just at different times?
4. WHY IS IT SO LOUD? Seriously, the trainer and people in that class aren’t the only people in the gym. Tone it down!
Twice I have been in the gym when the lights have gone out. The machines have kept working but the lights, why are they going out?
When I first started coming here they made me fill out paperwork 3x – the last time I was like, I have a paid membership, and I am not filing out this paperwork again. Their office staff is obviously behind since I probably had a week in between each time going to the gym the first three times.
I’ve taken a few classes here, and meh. They don’t have a good time schedule, making yoga directly after like a sweaty kickboxing class or something. ACK. How am I supposed to relax when I smell gross sweat?
Parking is okay – two hours free with validation. However, it’s $ 2 every 15 minutes thereafter, so hurry your little buns out.
1 star for the steam room that no one else seems to use so I WIN THERE DBG HAHAHAH. The spirit of the gym is really where I have the problem.

An update on my previous post:
I sent an email to the general manager citing all of my concerns. No response.
The boxing bags have been moved to the yoga room. At first, the brackets that they were going to use to hang the bags actually started falling out of the wall on their own, before the bags had even been hung. They switched to a different type of bracket that seems slightly sturdier, but not by much. The bags are hung in corners so that you can’t work them from every angle. Of the 30 or so bags that they originally had hanging in their boxing room, they kept the 6 worst bags. If you’re over 5’7″, the bags are inadequate because they aren’t fully stuffed, so if you’re punching at head level, you’re punching an empty bag. This is after one of the managers assured me that they would choose the best bags available. I don’t have any logical explanation for why they put the higher quality bags in a storage facility and kept the worst ones. One of them split open at the seams after 2 days of use. It’s only a matter of time before they start getting knocked out of the wall from use.
The group fitness classes have moved into the smaller room but now require a sign-​up sheet. Classes that previously had 30 – 40 clients attend are now limited to 15, and even that is an extremely tight fit. One popular trainer has already announced that he’s leaving and going to the Bay Club.
The trainers are working hard and trying to be optimistic, and they will still give you a terrific, sweaty workout. What’s sad to me is the lack of response from general management and the lies that come out of the management office. Sadder still is the fact that these changes were supposedly being made to rent out space to other entities to reduce the gym’s overhead, but those spaces are just sitting empty and unused by anyone, even though all the equipment has been taken out. Clearly they rushed into something with poor planning, and I would recommend anyone to stay away from this gym.

I ran away from Gold’s Gym, thinking I would class it up with DB. Not so much folks!
This gym currently has some serious issues. I wasn’t going to say anything, but a couple of months ago I was stretching and an enormous cockroach crawled by my head. I told the guy at the front and he said, «oh yeah, we’re aware of that and it is being handled.» I’m pretty sure if the gym was aware of a cock roach infestation it is responsible for notifying members so members can make an informed decision about attending. I should have backed out of the contract then because little did I know they were soon to downsize and take away all the cool stuff.
Pretty much everything worthwhile about the gym is now gone due to the loss of space (no spin, tiny fitness class room, and cramming everything into a small space). It’s so stuffy in there and the exercise classes so crammed in that tiny room that it is a safety hazard. I asked if considering all the down grades, the gym would be compensating its current clientele in any way — you know, provide customer service to retain members. I was told I can go to Century City location (no thanks!!!) to spin, and that the gym was already too cheap for being on par with Equinox (is it really on par with Equinox? Somehow I doubt that), and that I continued to get an amazing deal. I mean I love the steam room but other than that I think other cheaper gyms have basically the same stuff. And it was already too hot in the gym, now that half of it is a closed off constriction zone, it is even hotter and they don’t even need a separate steam room. Why is it so hard to find a decent, affordable gym in a city of gym rats and fitness freaks!

I have belonged to this gym since it was Bodies in Motion. Now they have closed two of the classrooms putting Yoga classes after they have kick boxing with no cleanup in between. The floor is wet with sweat, the room is smelly. They have moved the morning classes to a room that has no air conditioning. The class instructors are really good and they are dismayed at the changes. DO NOT JOIN THIS GYM AT THIS TIME.
Megan

I’m pretty picky about where I’m putting my money on a monthly basis and leave a review after a summary of experiences.
Since moving to LA, I’ve tried Golds, Equinox, Spectrum, LA FItness, apartment «fitness centers» and my DBG experience since I signed up in March 2015 has surpassed all my previous gym experiences.
My experience here has actually been consistent with experience at DBG Chicago. (When I moved to LA there wasn’t an LA DBG yet).
I also don’t get the pretentious vibes from other members that I do get at other places. Amenities are great and folks that are OC about cleanliness like me will definitely be appeased.
The 5^th star will come through when the evening front desk folks can greet clients as we come in — this is tied to trainers, managers talking with the front desk and dividing their attention between management and clients. I our morning desk chica!!!
Recommended morning classes: Melt, Shredded, Asses, Abs & Arms

I am returning to David Barton in Sept 2015 after switching to Equinox for a year and a half. I’ve come back to all the improvements completed, an amazing filtered water machine where you can fill your own bottle FREE. Super healthy. All my favorite employees were still here like Stephanie and the manager Mike, trainer Derek and Raymond and my new membership advisor Mike. The gym is just awesome. Great locker room/​spa with clean towels, excellent steam room, sauna and jacuzzi which I use every day. It’s never too crowded, has wifi and a great mix of members. I’m happy to be back (home)

Not sure what the extremely negative reviews are about. I guess you can’t please everyone. As you will figure out from the rest of the review, I’m extremely pleased!
As a disclaimer, I must add that the man and I get a corporate rate, so it may be different for some people.
Pros:
— Towel service! Yay — I really have to pack nothing while going.
— Water fountains (P.S. We’ve never had to pay for water!)
— Good instructors and classes — we’ve taken Fortitude and Synergy 360 classes with Kevin, Jessy and Tina at different times. All 3 trainers are very good, and the classes really stretch you (pun unintended). We’re both just getting back to being fit, so it’s hard on us, but very worth it.
— Great showers and toiletries
Cons:
— Poor wifi — if you’re gonna offer it, make sure it works!
— The Water fountains can be moody sometimes!

My experiences here have been hit and miss, but mostly miss.
Their WiFi is really unstable and didn’t work for a while. No sense of urgency from staff to fix it, either.
Tonight I rushed from work to take my 6pm spinning class. No instructor. I waited and still… No. Strike one.
Finally went to the front, asking wtf. «well, she is on the schedule so I don’t know what to tell you».
Strike two. I he girl did ask the guy at the training desk if he had any idea. No, just check the schedule.
The fact no one wanted to just call the instructor to sort it out for all attending, nor really seemed interested in our issue being actually their issue, and the facts above, make me pretty disappointed.
In a city where gyms are on corners as frequently as Starbucks, and with another gym across from my office, I’m going to give them a try to see what they offer.
The only thing this gym had going for it was the amount and cadence of classes, with nice showers.
While I don’t expect to be treated like royalty, it’s clear customers aren’t really the highest priority through my experiences, not just tonight, either.

Wow tough crowd! This place is definitely deserves more than three stars. First, and most importantly, this place is not packed during peak time after work. I can always get a bench or a treadmill, and that’s half the battle for many gyms! It’s super clean and there’s always an abundance of small fresh towels to use.
My ONLY beef with my gym is that I asked him many times to have dispensing Sanitizer stations so people can keep their hands clean — especially during flu season. No luck so far.
So until then I will continue to hold back the last and final star!

First time here.
Close to home — check!
Lots of training equipment — check!
Clean — check!
Free filtered water — check!
So far it is a very clean, organized and user friendly gym. Definitely signing up :)

This is a really really nice location with clean stylish aesthetics.
I get a sense that the monthly membership fees help pay for the frills, bells n’ whistles, all while staving off the crowds, so equipment and machines are readily accessible to members.
They have a unique boxing ring, a moving treadmill styled rock climbing wall, boxing heavy bags and other specialty /​specialized niche equipment
I get a since it’s sort of a boutique gym where the rich, famous and beautiful converge, which makes for a nice atmosphere.
The staff are /​is friendly.
The parking is free for a few hours with validation, but anything longer is on your dime.