Equinox

This gym deserves to be 5 stars but I’m taking one star for them not having a built in keypad lock in the lockers. Common guys you are supposedly a luxury gym. It’s not the 70s people shouldn’t bring their own lock from home Lol

Necessary evil, much like Whole Foods. I’ve not spoken to a single member of this gym who really seems to love the place. Just convenient and lacking any other close options, this place become the default. But forget about any sort of value. The place is a ridiculous rip-​off. Again, much like Whole Foods. The employees are alright, but I can’t stand the management. The management is smug and pretend to be interested in member feedback, but do nothing about anything wrong in the gym. Which often includes cardio machines that are busted, missing weights, medicine balls that are falling apart, even the scale in the locker room has been broken for months and nothing has been fixed despite repeated inquiries.
A couple months back, some people from corporate came to the gym and put these little signs with a phone number for members to contact them directly to complain about issues. They went all over the gym and slapped these suckers everywhere — only for the signs to be gone in a couple days. Perhaps they were overwhelmed with the negative feedback or the club’s management took them down because they knew that members were unlikely to be showering them with praise. In any case, it’s representative of the Equinox attitude, which curiously seems to be built around some ludicrous notion of luxury as being hostile, rude, or unconcerned toward your clients/​customers.
The trainers are fine when not over-​occupying half the gym, but for what you pay, their presence should not be in any way felt or noticed. The place is largely well-​kept, but for what you pay, it should be spotless at all times in every place, which it is NOT. Yes there is clearly a theme here: For what you pay, this gym is severely lacking.
Only have a couple more months on my contract (yeah, they force you to sign a contract) and once I’m free, I’m never looking back.

Yes, I’m back, for the third time. I’ve been a member in Santa Monica and Westwood, and I’m now a member of MDR. And yes, that is a five star rating you see. Here is why:
*I’ve never worked with a Trainer at Equinox and after doing the initial fitness assessment and trial workout, I couldn’t resist signing up. If you are focused and looking for a Trainer who cares about seeing you achieve your fitness goals, ask for Eric Constanti. Eric has a great demeanor, he is motivating, professional, and he is very engaged. Eric makes the work fun and I look forward to my sessions!
*Classes, classes, classes. I love the spinning classes, and I’m even more excited now that Gaia Scott-​Crouch is teaching. Gaia’s music selection makes the class fly by, and it sounds amazing in the spin room (my vote, turn it up and let the bass shake the whole building). I’ve also found the yoga classes to be excellent. All of the instructors that I’ve taken so far have been top notch. Would love to see more classes on the schedule, especially ashtanga yoga (Gaia please).
*Location, location, location
*Clean facilities, well maintained equipment
I noticed some of the complaints and yes, when I left Westwood, they made it very difficult for me to leave and they did overcharge my credit card (which I eventually had the charges reversed). Clearly I got over it because I’m back. There are lots of fitness options in LA and the best advice I would give is to try everything and see what you like. Equinox is not the only place I spend my time working on my fitness and health, but it is a place that is convenient, motivating, and high value to me.

I cancelled my membership in November and am still being charged the full fee of $ 160 in December.
Still no refund today (¹⁄₅) and when I called Member Services in NY, I was told that my membership was cancelled just yesterday (¼). MDR told me, «Refund was processed on Monday (¹²⁄₂₈) by our member services team (was delayed by the holiday). If you don’t see by Tuesday, please let me know.» Well it’s Tuesday and still nothing.
The girl in NY was rude and immature and not willing to further explain. Since November I have been given excuse after excuse for my membership/​refund not being properly handled: «It’s taken care of, it’s the holidays, new management, our corporate offices are in NY.» It’s not taken care of, business operates during the holidays (there were plenty of business days), new management should be better not worse, and we live in a digital world.
Aren’t they all about not using excuses?
Ugh. Such a frustrating experience. This was a poor choice on my end to join this ordinary, overpriced gym. Bad management, immature staff, and a shortage of classes (that were promoted by the guy who convinced me to join) is all on Equinox MDR.
Bottom line, don’t waste your time or money on this place. LA has a ton of better gyms to select from.

This place is so clean. Love it here. It gets crowded dice it’s small. Some members are messy with towels. No dusty machines. Mix of people. No daycare. TVs have glare but sounds always works. Members like to tune into the food network here. Sometimes there’s all sports on the TVs and one Kardashian show. Lots of magazines to read while at the gym. So hard to concentrate on working out when Giada Dilaurentis staring back at you with a paella in her hands. I’m convinced it’s the vegans who watch that channel.

Equinox MDR is killing it. I have been a member for a year. This location is less of a zoo than many other SoCal locations. I hadnt been part of a gym for many years until EQ. I was not expecting to start with a personal trainer ether — but I set up a consultation on a whim, and instantly wanted to continue. The vibe of members is right — respectful, kind. I’ve found management to be very helpful as well. Once in a while you have to go through a few people to get to the right person. Clean, always, and the women’s room is great — the steam room is legit and always running.

Two words: BEYOND DISAPPOINTED!
Trust me, I’m not one to take out time to complain about a gym but this facility has been disgraceful when it comes to service and even common courtesy. For me personally, the encounter started off with wanting to join the gym and ended in me losing my wristlet wallet without care/​concern from their staff. After working with Tender Greens and the MDR parking security, it was evident from both their video footage that the only place my wallet could possibly have been snagged was at the entranceway of this «fine» gym.
So within 2 hours of discovering my loss, I asked to speak with a manager for help but to no avail. I had to call 3+ times daily over 3days in a row to even get a hold of a manager as the msgs I left were never tended to when there are at least 3 managers employed here (Ops, Assistant and GM). I finally made a ditch effort to email the GM and he too did not reply nor call. From a operations manager’s standpoint (as I’ve held the title for Yrs), I can safely say they do not care about service and effectively their customers nor potential customers.
The one star here is to credit a girl named Jesse at the front desk who was cordial and apologetic on my call to them the third day. Outside of that, I highly recommend they check their customer service strategy or more so lack thereof. All the best with your belongings to those that frequent this gym and I highly recommend no one else join given my personal experience. I honestly would’ve expected better given the branding they are going for but ethics and service are clearly not high on their priority list.

Haven’t visited this location in a couple years, but something brought me back to the area so I decided to check them out.
Although there is always high turnover for staffing-​here is no different-​they continued to carry the same level of customer service with a smile. This cannot be said for all of the locations, but perhaps since it’s a smaller location, the group is more tight-​knit, and this shows.
Had to laugh at one of the reviews below when she discussed the height of the amenities in the shower in addition to the odd lighting in the women’s locker room. She’s absolutely right, and although I didn’t have an issue in the shower, I did notice they were mounted higher than other locations, and as for that spot-​lighting, I moved on over to where the sinks were to finish up where the lighting was much more flattering.
God forbid you encounter any stairs while at the gym (I always laugh when people complain about this, be it Equinox, 24Hr, etc.) but here, you won’t have to worry. The only ones you will see are from the parking area or the street below. Perhaps due to the lack of levels Marina del Rey feels smaller, but equipment is plentiful and spread out accordingly.
Best of all… parking is free. Most Equinox parking facilities offer two hours free, option of valet (West Hollywood, West LA, Irvine), ‘forced’ valet (Century City) but not here (or SouthBay, or Palos Verde, as far as I can remember). I heard once the shopping center is finished that they may start charging, but it’s been about 5 years now and nothing has changed… for the better.

This gym is small, so there’s not much to it besides machines and a studio for classes and a spin studio. The place is bright, sunny, and has a fresh clean modern feeling, though. Locker rooms are nice. I did the Rower & Ropes class, and even though two people told me it was going to kick my butt, I didn’t believe them. A day later, I’m VERY aware of my hamstrings. :) The staff is friendly, though there wasn’t much instruction in the class. It was surprisingly busy at 10:30am on a Monday morning. The best surprise was the fridge filled with chilled eucalyptus-​scented towels for a post workout cool off.

I’ve probably been to 10 or so Equinox gyms at this point although MDR is the one I go to the most. Having been to a fair amount of the clubs I can tell you that this one feels like it gets all the hand-​me-​down equipment. I’ve been to clubs that have been operational longer, but with better cardio machines and weight equipment. When this location opened five years ago a lot of the machines looked worn and I haven’t seen any new stuff come into the club. I can only assume corporate buys new equipment for some of the more high profile locations and then ships the older stuff to locations like MDR.
Now in fairness I still like this location better than the new fancy LA Fitness that was built in Playa Vista a few years back. The place is clean and I have no issues with the staff. I just wish MDR could get some of the cool toys some of the other Equinox locations have.

Contacted the equinox email as told. Still no reply back. Called in the check if they have cancelled my membership and apparently ive been charged for every month for the past year. I didnt receive any one year membership letter. Never apply for equinox. The worst service.

Equinox prices. Not Equinox quality.
Equinox Sepulveda twice the amenities, service and caring management.
They cut a lot of corners with MDR. Biggest reason to go there FREE PARKING
Staff is nice but unprofessional.
Be careful if you go for a private trainer.

I couldn’t be more frustrated with Equinox. Yes it is a very well kept, classy gym, but that does not make up for a few huge issues.
My «friend», started working at Equinox around January to become a personal trainer. I supported him and he kept really pressuring me to get a membership. He showed me around and hyped me up about the place. Finally he got me in a room with one of the salesman, and they told me I could have a membership for $ 80/​month because he works there (instead of the full priced $ 160). The guy basically left out a lot of details on the membership itself (of course not explaining that it’s an annual contract). Well go figure my friend gets fired, and the gym never bothered to tell me and just started charging full price of $ 160/​month (which I find very steep even for how nice it is). I go in to the gym and The business I run is all around helping people live the best possible life by helping them save on traveling, day to day shopping in stores and online, help people manage their money and build an income. If you’d be down man I can send you some short videos that can break it down for you. I’m definitely looking to connect and work with some ambitious people my situation and asked to cancel the membership since they fired my friend with no notice (to hire some more experience guys from another gym) and they tell me I can’t. Oh and the salesman who creates my membership, yea he got fired because he apparently wasn’t disclosing information well to many other customers (go figure).
So basically I have to continue paying for a gym membership that I rarely use, because their hours are no longer suited well to my schedule (I usually work out in the evenings and they close at 10pm weekdays/​7pm weekends). Oh and I’m not the only one, they’ve had a few lawsuits against them on how they sometimes don’t disclose very well on how their membership is impossible to cancel.
Honestly, beware of this place. As their ad campaign says «Equinox made me do it»… And I don’t like what they made me do.
So to sum it all up:
Pros
–well kept
Cons
–Price (in my opinion) is not matched with value
–annual contract that they seem to not disclose
–staff aren’t helpful/​were actually rude

I tried to get a day pass today, just for today, so I called in asking to try this gym since I was a former member at Century City (the headquarters) and South Bay, but they were being ridiculously strict about it, so I decided NOT to re-​join at this location.
I just can’t deal with the bad customer service when I just wanted to check out the steam, sauna, facilities, not really concerned with the workout section, but OK, now I know to find a better place.

This gym is my home away from home, and I’ve been a member since it first opened in 2012. Clean, plenty of equipment and amenities, and the most helpful and friendly staff (everyone from front desk to trainers to maintenance and spa, shop, etc).
David Merabi (Assistant General Manager) has been incredibly helpful and welcoming during my last several months on freeze. Whenever I have a brief stopover back in LA, he puts me on his guest list that allows me a couple days of gym access. Being able to still go to my beloved gym for a sporadic morning or two at home while on freeze is wonderful — really makes being a loyal Equinox member worth it for me. Looking forward to coming back home and unfreezing my membership soon!

I had to give 1 star to be able to post this review. But I can assure you, it doesn’t deserve even the 1.
Unfortunately, the Marina Del Rey branch of Equinox is a farce. As I read through the other reviews of this particular branch, it saddens me to think I could have avoided going through almost the exact situation as many of the reviewers below. So let me save all of you potential new members the pain. DO NOT CREATE A MEMBERSHIP HERE.
3 years ago my mother bought me a membership as a Christmas gift. After about a year and a half I decided to cancel it and I did. A few months later I get one of those mass emails from Equinox saying «I know it’s been a while since you’ve been in to our amazing club, but I’d love to invite you back to truly change and revolutionize your fitness regimen as a member of Equinox.» So I think to myself «why is this email saying I’m a member of Equinox?» I email the Membership Advisor (Ryan) from whom the email came and ask him to check and make sure my membership had been cancelled. He responds with an email saying «Yup, you’re showing up as cancelled.» This email is date stamped March 30, 2014.
Can someone please explain to me, why then– for the last almost 2 years, my mother’s credit card has been getting charged $ 150.00 a month for a membership to Equinox? I assume that when a large «reputable» gym assures you you’re cancelled, that this statement will be honored.
Unfortunately for us, my mother didn’t realize I hadn’t been a member all that time, but when I recently moved across the country she asked me to make sure I cancel it as she was still getting charged.
Still following? This means Equinox Marina Del Rey owes my mother a refund of over $ 2,400. When I reached out to them to let them know I’d be contesting it through MasterCard, Nick, one of the managers, responded saying we would get a refund but it would start at the date from Ryan’s email (which is at least 4 months after I actually cancelled) and that it might take a couple days as its an «unusually large refund.» Ok, I thought, finally this episode will be over soon.
However, it has been over a month since Nick said we would be refunded and I am still waiting to hear back from him to confirm that a check has been put in the mail. I have called and emailed and it’s as if he’s fallen off the face of the earth. It remains unresolved and I am still wasting hours of my life dealing with it.
I honestly can not believe this place is still open for business. With a managerial staff like this, it’s pathetic. Even if it had the best classes and equipment (which I can assure you, it has neither) it still wouldn’t be worth going through this hassle that I apparently share with so many before me.
Like I said at the beginning. JUST DON’T DO IT.

This Equinox is not very big but the staff and members here makes up for it. The front desk staff Bethany & Robert are so friendly. The mangers here (Nick, Angelica, Ben, and Eric) are very personable and very willing to improve your Equinox experiences.
Fitness instructors here are super friendly. I enjoy taking Katie’s & Rene’s spin classes. Also try Susie Frank’s & Aji’s yoga classes, they are awesome.
There’s not as many workout equipment as other gyms but I can find other substitutes. As long they keep this place very clean and not smelly, I’ll keep coming here.

Equinox Marina Del Rey is a great little neighborhood gym. You see a lot of the same faces each day, and most of the staff is very friendly. The good ones even make an effort to know your name.
The gym is kept clean, they offer unlimited towel service, and provide some nice amenities in the locker room (razors, Kiehl’s soaps/​shampoo/​conditioner/​lotion, etc). There’s also WiFi available for no additional charge (notice how I don’t say «free»).
Overall its a very nice place to workout, and a person can get spoiled by the level of service (as compared to LA Fitness or 24 Hour Fitness).
The reason I deducted the fist star is their policy on monthly dues. I’ve been a member of the gym for over 3 years, and they’ve raised the monthly dues each year. Equinox is the first high-​end gym I’ve been a member of to do this. Most gyms reward loyal members by locking the rate of monthly dues, and passing any increases onto new members.
Also, the amount for dues should be proportional to the size of the gym. The Marina Del Rey location is one of the smallest Equinox gyms I’ve seen. There is limited space, which means limited equipment, and when it’s Prime Time, there are almost as many trainers on the gym floor as their are members, which can make finding open equipment very challenging.
I deducted a 2^nd star for lack of maintenance on their equipment. I’ve notified management several times about broken screens on cardio equipment, and repairs are never made. When they are charging premium prices, everything should be working.

I am trying my free week pass this week at the Equinox Marina Del Rey location!
I admit, this place is expensive but the amenities and classes make up for it. The gym is on the smaller side but they don’t lack on any of the equipment. I usually come in during the mornings and it’s never too packed. You don’t have to wait for any of the equipment here.
What I love about this Equinox is their classes. I’ve taken a few but my favorite is their yoga class. It’s a tough class and it makes you stretch and sweat! They have complimentary mats for everyone and they’re clean too. Shout out to Katie for an amazing class!
As for their amenities, they have all Kiehl’s products in their bathrooms which I love. They also have fresh towels everywhere and even cold towels in the gym for those who get too hot during their work out sesh and need something to cool them down. They’ve got a steam sauna here too.
If you have the $$$, this Equinox is a pretty solid choice. It’s new, clean, and their staff is really energetic and friendly. Parking also isn’t an issue because there is a huge structure. Lastly, they have an Earthbar in their lobby!

1. I left my workout book next to a machine and went to find a strap. I was gone 3 minutes. When I came back my notebook was gone. I frantically looked around for it and found that one of the trainers named Tony was at reception looking through my book which contains highly personal medical info — blood pressure and cholesterol levels, weight, goals. When I confronted him about picking up my notebook he said he didn’t know any better. He then proceeded to hide in the trainers office the rest of the night. COWARD.
2. Everyone who complained about the crooked billing practices is correct. The day I ended my membership with Equinox, they charged me twice on my credit card. Angelica Justiniano the assistant manager played dumb and couldn’t figure out the charge (or maybe she is that dumb). She said she had to contact the corporate office in NY and get 3 separate divisions involved to figure out a $ 106 charge. After 2 months without any response I disputed it with my credit card. My credit card investigated and it turns out that Equinox sent tons of paperwork to them defending the charge, blatantly lying and saying that it was my last month’s prorated charge. But I *already* paid the prorated last month membership fee, so where does this phantom charge come from???
I have yet to hear anything from club manager Travis Nelson who puts on a good face and promises to help, but hides in the shadows when something goes down. Hey surprise, another COWARD!
This location isn’t even worth it guys, if you want to enter billing hell then at least go join Westwood or West Hollywood where the facilities are so great that it’s worth the crap they put on you.