In my journey around Equinox NYC, this was gym number 2(the first being Bryant park). I find it odd Bryant park would have an overall higher rating, but after reading the reviews for this gym, I realized a lot has changed since they were written. Layout: When you walk in, you take an elevator ride to floor 3 where you check in. From there, you make a right to get to the check in desk or a left to go to the café. After check-in, you make a right and walk down the hall and down about 5 steps; here, you can choose to either go down 1 flight(to the changing rooms) or just walk across the hall/platform to get to unisex locker area/sports training room and main workout area(go right after all the unisex lockers). You then walk through the main room. To the left is the cardio equipment and to the right are the weights. I can’t go into much specifics, because I just whizzed past it since I was already late to my class, which was at the end of the room. The Good: + There are SO many showers. After seeing the line at the Bryant park location after a weekday morning class, I decided to leave the class a couple minutes early to get down there so I can get a shower without waiting. The showers are BEAUTIFUL and massive. There is a changing section within the shower stall with a bench. Even when I got out of my shower, there were only 2 people waiting(as opposed to about 20 in the Bryant Park location). And I had no problem finding a blow drier/space to do my hair and makeup + I did a spin class and really enjoyed myself. When I walked in, it smelled like eucalyptus which faded(or I got nose blind) about half way through the class. As for the instructor, she really really pushed the class. The Bad: — The place is a bit of a maze so don’t hesitate to ask where anything is or you’ll just be walking into random places — You have to take an elevator ride from the street to the entrance which could take a little bit of time — so factor that into your commute — I had trouble finding a water fountain — and when I did, I had trouble filling up my large bottle. Need to search more for a better/more fountains.
Shari C.
Place rating: 1 Austin, TX
I’ve been a loyal Equinox member for 4 years, but this club sucks. Leave 10 minutes for the elevator to take you up 2 floors and 20 to have maintenance pry open all the non-working lockers after you lock your stuff in them. And they’ve been in construction mode for a year? One of the trainers referred to the out of commission section of the gym as the meth lab.
Tania s.
Place rating: 2 New York, NY
Most importantly, I love Equinox. It’s my place for therapy in life, and I spend too much time there. With that said, I’ve been going to the Rockefeller location since March 2015(10+ months) and the bathrooms and showers are still undergoing construction. The result is the longest shower line ever for a limited 2 – 4 showers that are available and not under construction(and not broken, because it seems the contractors did a lousy job of installing the doors and they clang and bang and it looks like they’re already breaking). So I now leave class 5 – 10 minutes early, to get first access to showers, and still stand in line for 5 – 10 minutes. Equinox, I love you, but everyone please be warned!
Christopher W.
Place rating: 2 Miami Beach, FL
I have been a member of Equinox since 2012 and regularly frequented their gyms in NYC(UWS, Soho and Rock Center) as well as on Pine Street in San Francisco. The Rock Center facility stands out for being the most poorly run and a poor experience relative to their other facilities. Classes are scheduled too close together and are often over crowded. This results in going in for a yoga class, often 5 minutes after it was supposed to start, with slippery sweaty floors and an aroma that would be familiar to anyone who takes trains in Calcutta or works in the dirty laundry area of a prison. Trainers are good, but are the most expensive I have found at any mainstream gym. The constant construction is a problem. When you ask management about the forecast duration for the work they plead ignorance(unlikely) or they have made a choice to lie about its duration. I think they just lie. What is the point of paying a premium price for what is supposed to be a premium product if you are dealing with hygiene issues, scheduling incompetence and being taken for fools by management?
