Emerald City Athletics

I’ve been a member here for a year now and I can say, yay, I’m a fan!
At first it was a bit overkill, big push to buy supplements, and buy into the whole we’re a family community, so sign up and get your friends to sign up!!! But then things settled down, there’ve been some changes in staffing, which was probably good and bad. I had a trainer that I really liked but she’d get a promotion, and then her schedule kept switching which threw off my schedule. Not her fault, and she really did a solid job in getting me into great shape.
I have a new trainer now that I’ve worked with for several weeks who I also like very much and have signed on for a few more months of training with. I can’t get myself here unless I’m committed to meeting someone and paying for it. I need that accountability! One of the reasons I’d delay going to the gym in the past was because I never thought I had the time, but working with a trainer has made me super efficient, and I get a great/​challenging workout in 30 minutes. Awesome.
I joke that this experience is a hate love hate relationship, I hate what I’m put through for the 30 minutes I’m working out, but love the results, and I wonder if my trainer hates me, but she assures me she doesn’t. ;)
The childcare access is fantastic, so that’s also a big plus.
Cleanliness for the gym is about a B, there could be more sanitary wipes available for the machines, but the staff is friendly, without being too over the top, and there is free parking below, although the spaces are teeny tiny.

This gym has a lot of fancy equipment, a fancy website, and enthusiastic trainers, but after you get past the surface the customer service is very poor. The pyramid scheme membership model puts pressure on you to join by making you think you’re saving money, but in reality you end up paying lots of extra fees to take special classes, support the upkeep of the gym, and even to cancel your membership (they require 30 days of notice, during which they charge you for a membership you no longer want). If you like classes, avoid this gym. The teacher turnover is very high leading to inconsistency from day to day. The cycling equipment is poorly maintained (about half the bikes are stuck and can’t be adjusted). In summary this gym is way more focused on wooing new members than on serving the ones they already have.

To follow-​up: the manager (Mike?) called me after seeing my review, harassed me about expressing my dissatisfaction with ECA on Unilocal,and disparaged my personal character for documenting my experience. He said he would not want to help me because of «the kind of person that I am.»
If he views this as a business he should treat it as so and not take his business interactions with clients to a personal level. How incredibly unprofessional. I felt violated that he would call my personal phone and cast aspersions upon me rather than address the issue: that I am a dissatisfied customer. It’s one thing for a business to rip people off, but an entirely other thing to outright insult patrons for separating ties because they are simply displeased with their experience.
Despite all of this, it is shocking that they will still proceed to charge me later this week for another month of gym service that I clearly will not use after this hostile interaction.
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VERY disappointing experience with this place. Similar to others, I found trying to cancel my membership to be a difficult task. When I finally physically went in to do so they said they’ll be charging me for another month, even though my current billing cycle isn’t up for another week and I have used the membership maybe a handful of times in the last few months.
The manager I spoke to said they view it at a business. Businesses exchange services for money, but ECA takes money from people for not even using their services. Absurd.

This is my dream gym! It’s SPARKLING clean, and the equipment is never out of order. I love that the membership (which I thought was pretty reasonable) comes with a personal trainer that I get to see for monthly sessions. The whole staff is very friendly, and I enjoy seeing Christian, Mach, and Leah as well as all my neighbors when I go in for workout.
Big windows, clean locker rooms, and right on the 16 bus line. This is the perfect neighborhood gym.

I tried so hard to like this gym and stuck with it for a year but after it all I say don’t join this gym. I joined ECA the first week that it was open and I was really excited about the description I was given about the gym and how new and clean it is. A manager at the gym told me that included in my membership were all of their classes, the FitLab (a crossfit style training program), once a month session with a trainer and daily use lockers. However, with each of these things the gym failed. The classes are indeed free but they are hosted poor hours and always so packed (besides Zumba) that it is impossible to get a place on the floor. Then I learned FitLab is an additional cost that was 3x the price of my monthly membership. On top of that the offering of the once a month personal training session was a complete and utter lie. Lastly, the daily lockers — there were NEVER enough because the locker room is tiny. I often found myself leaving my stuff in the corner of the locker room and praying that no one stole my bag.
For the actual gym itself I was disappointed. They have SOOOOOOO many machines which is great that you never have to wait (except for the stair stepper and the rowing machines). The only problem is that during a sunny day (aka all of summer) there are no blinds on the windows so the sun shines directly in your eyes if you are on any of the machines — not fun. People often wait for certain treadmills that are hide in the shade behind a pillar. It is ridiculous. Another issue I had was there was zero space to do a workout that didn’t involve a machine or a squat-​rack. You could try and do lunges, step-​ups and other body weight movements but guarantee you’d get in the way of someone else — God forbid a trainer and their client. Did I mention that are a TON of trainers at the gym and they feel VERY entitled to use the space and gear however they would like with zero cares about how the other patrons are using things.
Lastly, when I finally decided that enough was enough they made it extremely difficult to cancel my membership. They didn’t allow people to cancel their membership over the phone because you HAD to come in to the gym to meet with a manager and discuss with them why you were quitting. This made it very tough because I travel a lot for work and was headed out on a 2 week work trip at the time I wanted to cancel. So I attempted to follow their instructions of meeting with a manager, only problem with the managers is that they work very strange hours that didn’t jive with my work schedule 10am-​7pm. When I was able to make it in to the hours that the manager was working he/​she was with a client and I was told it would be a 20 minute to an hour long wait until they were free – this happened a couple of times. It took me a month and 6 attempts of coming in to cancel to get it finally done. And then they informed me that they needed 30 days to cancel so I got charged for another month AND I still had my last month’s payments already paid. So now I have an additional 2+ months at this gym even though I have already committed to another gym.
Just so done with this gym. The shiny new machines and weights do seem wonderful (and they are!) but the rest of the experience will make you angry. If you are looking for an alternative gym, check out Olympic Athletic Club. Cheaper prices and better facilities and no B.S.
— I don’t actually attend Olympic Athletic Club (I’ve chosen to go a different route with Crossfit — NWCF) but I’ve heard excellent things and they give discounts if you have a partner. It is a couples discount to be exact but they aren’t picky. :)

Traditionally I haven’t been much of a gym person — when I go to a gym I sort of push some weight around, run on the treadmill, oh look it’s been an hour, guess I’ll go home kind of guy.
What’s really worked for me at this gym is their Fitlab class — it’s an hour long programmed class (think P90x meets Cross fit), 5 days a week, that’s tailored to your skill level and restrictions. It’s not just a bunch of fit dudes working out and looking at their muscles, believe me! It’s a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ split of men & women who are looking to get into or get into better shape. I for one have made good friends at this gym (something that’s never happened before) and look forward to going every day.
Even outside this class, there are other types of classes (yoga, barre, etc.) and modern equipment for you to work out on if that’s your thing.
Bonus: they have babysitting in case you have kids! Bring them in and they’ll be watched and entertained while you work out for a very reasonable price.

Pros: The facilities always felt very clean and up to date. There are a million ellipticals, treadmills, and bikes so I never had to wait to get access to those machines. There was a nice selection of weight machines and free weights (though I’m not a serious weight lifter so I wasn’t judging the selection too harshly). I usually went during off hours (10−11am) and the gym was nearly empty, though I’ve seen it be much more crowded at peak hours around 5−6pm. As others have mentioned the locker rooms were quite small.
Cons: Do you ever walk away from a conversation feeling like you’ve just been had? Kinda slimy? That’s how I left just about every conversation at ECA. I came in to get a price quote and after an hour of being battered with sales pitches I finally relented and signed a six month contract (they wanted a year). They pretty much wouldn’t let me leave while guaranteeing the price. And they run this whole pyramid racket of «the first _​_​_​_​number of people to join get it at a better price so if you don’t lock it in now the price might go up» bull. It that’s not pressure I don’t know what is. The only reason I gave in was because I negotiated a low price and short time commitment and it was the closest gym to my house. Otherwise I would have walked out immediately. But the sales pitches don’t stop when you join. Every conversation with a trainer during your «free session» is trying to up-​sell you supplements, additional training sessions, or entry into their upgraded «Fit Lab» that costs a significant chunk of change on top of your membership. Unless I had my headphones in and my head down I would get approached by a person working there who would (1) strike up a very friendly conversation and then (2) carefully manipulate that into a sales pitch to help me «reach my goals.» Everyone was VERY friendly but it never felt genuine because it inevitably ended in trying to squeeze more money out of me. Towel service is extra every month. The «guaranteed results or your money back» program they brag about on every billboard across Seattle costs extra every month.
To top it off I was told that after my six months were up my contract would end. Turns out that it automatically rolls over into month-​to-​month payments unless you cancel 30 days ahead of time. If you don’t cancel ahead of time you get charged for an additional month. You cannot start a membership without setting up automatic withdrawal from your bank account and you can’t cancel your membership without physically going in to the gym and signing a release (which can only be done when a manager is available).
Sure it’s shiny and convenient. And if you are addicted to fitness you will probably enjoy the facilities. But for the casual workout it’s just not worth the hassle.

ECA is a gym worth your time and money! I am not a fan of most gyms for so many reasons: the overcrowded atmosphere, the sweat covered equipment, the bro’s crowding the mirrors, the list goes on. ECA is NOT that type of gym. It’s for people who are serious about getting healthy and it works for people of all shapes and sizes. The team at ECA is super supportive without the in your face high-​five sessions that happen at places like 24-​hour fitness. Trainers really listen to your goals and create plans to achieve them. The gym itself is super clean, the customers are courteous, and the classes are great.
I highly suggest FitLab, which is an hour-​long class that will keep you burning fat and growing muscle. It’s kind of like crossfit, but more intimate with a trainer making sure you’re executing each move properly and at a level that works for you. You also don’t have to worry about some of those intense crossfit moves because it’s only KIND OF like crossfit.
Every Saturday they have a bootcamp at 10am that is open to the community as well, so you can bring any guests at no additional charge.
I’ve been going to ECA for a year. I almost hesitate to write this review because I like how quiet it is in the mornings and don’t want it to get super popular. That said, if you’re looking for a great gym that won’t make you hate yourself (sorry 24-​hour fitness), then I highly suggest ECA.

The music here is so loud sometimes that you can’t hear your own music or the TVs with headphones turned up full blast. I’ve asked staff multiple times to lower the volume but they have no control over the music and nothing has changed over time.
The touch TVs are nice but many of them are somewhat broken. The staff is super friendly which is nice, but the facilities are way too small for the amount of members. There is no area for weights and stretching and lockers often are all occupied.
Also, beware, there is no way to leave a contract once it is signed.

Emerald City Athletics is a great gym for anyone looking for a higher-​end gym experience. Emerald City Athletics is a modern high-​end health club facility with really nice, quality equipment that you won’t find at other gyms in the area. This is a beautifully designed facility with the top-​of-​the line equipment in all areas from the dumbbells to the cardio machines.
Another thing that stands out about Emerald City is the cleanliness. This is a relatively new facility and the staff takes great care to keep it well-​maintained. I have never been in the gym (and I am there almost everyday) where I have seen anything that was dusty, dirty, etc. Everything at this gym is always very clean and looks brand new, including the locker room, which is very unusual in health club environments.
The staff at Emerald City is also extremely friendly and helpful. They make sure that you feel welcome from the moment you come in the door and I have always received great customer service. I have also done personal training with Joel at Emerald City and he is an extremely talented trainer who is fantastic to work with. In fact, all of the trainers at Emerald City appear to be better than what is typical in many health clubs.
I would highly recommend Emerald City to anyone looking for a health club — the quality of the facility and service far exceeds my expectations!

This is a review of the Stone Way location.
If you’re looking for a new gym to join, I strongly recommend you avoid this one. It’s badly designed, badly equipped, poorly maintained, and badly managed. **It’s definitely not worth the money they charge.**
1) The place is badly designed. The locker rooms are way, way too small, so only a few people at a time need to be there to make it seem very crowded. It’s not unusual to have to stand there and wait for people to finish changing before you can get access to a locker.
The free weight area is far too small and cramped. It’s tough to get a good, smooth workout in there because if more than 4 or 5 people are using it at a time, it can seem overcrowded and you constantly have to move to avoid people. Meanwhile there are many machines in the cardio area that go unused while people crowd the free weights area. That’s space that could be better used.
2) The equipment isn’t good. The treadmills are unresponsive and seem to be frequently out of order. Many ellipticals are constantly unclean and it seems like many other machines are in need of repair. They have the kind of treadmills where most of the speed controls are given through a touch screen. They should have gotten the kinds that have the control on a separate pad. Those are much easier to use and more responsive to input, and they seem to break down less often.
3) It’s very poorly maintained. The locker rooms and bathrooms are frequently filthy, and I know a lot of other guys will agree with me on this. I’m not exaggerating when I say that about ¹⁄₃ of the lockers in the men’s room seem to be broken at any given time. They don’t do a good job repairing them quickly and the result is a lack of available lockers in an already-​too-​small locker room. All they would have to do is replace the stupid, unreliable digital locks with lockers that require your own locks and this wouldn’t be a problem.
4) It’s very poorly managed. Others have written on here about the management’s lack of clarity about contract terms, and issues around getting harassed with hard sells from trainers. That should never happen.
Also, simple things continue to go ignored, like having kleenex available and keeping the bathrooms clean and stocked. Personally I’ve found the management to be very unresponsive to simple requests like this (things like this shouldn’t have to be requested, by the way). Spray bottles are hard to find, and the wipes are not replenished often. It took them 2 months just to get a neck pad for the squat bars! They could have just gone over to Big 5 Sports and bought one there but for some reason it took them 2 months, despite repeated requests from users.
Finally, they took away towel service. That may seem like a small thing, but considering how high the rates are for this place, towel service should be a given. So the management’s going to keep rates high, and probably even raise them, while reducing services? Not good.
It all combines to make the entire experience of being a member here a very frustrating and negative one. I definitely don’t recommend it.

Not a bad gym but not a great one either. Cons: The trainers really want to sell supplements and other upsells, so it feels like you’re in an infomercial when you’re training sometimes. I’m not new to gyms or fitness programs and I’m pretty tired of this stuff.
Ladies locker rooms are way too small and are pretty dirty (at least during peak hours) hair monsters in the showers, etc. Plan on showering at home.
Finally, there is no where to stretch. I was told when I signed up that one of two rooms would always be available for stretching, but every time I’ve gone in the peak hours there’s always classes in there and I’ve shoo-​d out.
Pros:
Training is included which is nice. You can ensure thAt you keep your workout up to date if you don’t mind a sales pitch here and there.
Free parking. Parking is tight on stone way so having space is great.
Good mix of classes, I went to a few and liked them.

This is a great play to workout and challenge yourself. There are many engaging classes and the equipment is top notch. The entire staff is very well trained and willing to assist in anyway they can. My trainer was Miller and he helped me learn the discipline and strategies to meet my fitness goals.
I only left this gym because I decided to move away but I will definitely miss it.

Love this gym and the people that work here make it even more amazing. They offer a ton of classes, sales are not pushy at all and all of the trainers are so motivating whether you’re training with them or not. I have trained with Sean, Chris and Kedric (the superheroes) and let’s be honest, they are like the Avengers. They are SO knowledgable and actually listen to their clients and design the best workouts for each individual. Kedric works you out so tough that you’re shoes will fall off. Literally. He’s that good :)
Prefer the feel of ECA over 24 Hour or LA Fitness, everyone genuinely cares about your progress and always willing to help.
Yaaaaaaaas for ECA

No complaints about the gym interior or staff but, if you sign their contract your not getting out of it! They have no early termination fee and make you pay. Feels unethical and greedy.
If a person is moving from Seattle to the Eastside, it does not make sense to cross the bridge and pay the toll to come to a gym!
Transparency will take a company a long way, and so will customer service. Gyms like ECA are what make people untrusting of joining other gyms. I am not one to write negative reviews but I don’t want others to go through what I did. Especially college students living on a budget who try to look after their health.

ECA is a great place to go and get in shape. I’ve been going there for several months now, and I love that the trainers keep me accountable to my goals. They’ll often go out of their way to keep me honest on my routine.
The gym offers a wide variety of classes from nutrition and stretching to yoga and cycling. In addition, the Fit Lab offers classes based on a hybrid of crossfit involving TRX gear and mostly body weight lifting.
The facilities are very clean and they stay up on state of the art equipment. They also offer all the supplements you need in a one stop shop where a trainer is certified, and will recommend a balance of supplements and a meal plan based on your goals.
They also host all sorts of competitions that are fun and motivating to compete in. It’s a great way to stay involved with the gym, and trainers take pride in making the place feel like a community. Everyone knows everyone and are incredibly friendly.
All in all, I would recommend this gym to anyone that asked me!

ECA is very conveniently located for me. I mostly walk there, but free parking is nice when I need it. The staff is friendly and professional. The trainers are a pleasure to work with. The gym is clean.
All good, no complaints.

I joined ECA after my 30 day trial in January because of the classes, cleanliness and location. I really liked the newer equipment and modern feel to the facility.
It wasn’t until this past month that I started to love going to ECA. I ran into Michael, promoting ECA, while walking my pup at Greenlake and he explained how they are trying to build relationships with their clients and help them obtain their fitness goals as best they can. He gave me and some friends a free week in ‘FitLab’ (small personal training sessions offered multiple times a day throughout the week) and I was hooked.
After my intro week, I signed up for FitLab and have been incredibly happy ever since. I’ve noticed results in just a two week period. Highly recommend it — just ask the front desk to try it for a week.
In addition, I can personally tell there is a shift in the staff from when I first joined. They are very helpful, excited to see you, and if you give them the opportunity to get to know you/​help you with your goals I guarantee that you will feel the support and accountability from the team at ECA!
Only reason I did not rate a 5 is because of the small locker rooms and membership terms. You are committed to 6mo –1year contract, and no option to cancel (even with a fee). Other than that I am very please with Emerald City Athletics as a whole.

Overall, I couldn’t wait for my one year contract to be up. The entire experience here from start to finish was over the top sales-​focused. The staff was pretty pushy and there was clearly a quota that needed to be met for the trainers. I had a few friends come in with me to try the gym and they continued to receive calls from the gym months after they visited and expressed they weren’t interested. I cancelled my membership because my husband and I moved (they wouldn’t allow me to cancel early even though I won’t be coming in because we moved across town) and even while I was canceling they were trying to sell me into staying.
Apart from the convenience of this being a few blocks away from me, the facilities are clean and the weights and machines are still new.
The classes were OK. Barre was pretty weak and that was one of the main selling points they told me about. I didn’t expect the caliber of the barre studios I’d previously been going to but the instructors seemed like they were still learning themselves. A few of the others were fine but nothing I was excited to come back for.
I understand the desire to have a successful and thriving business but the gym and the offerings available should be able to speak for themselves without an aggressive sales pitch. Additionally, for the price, other gyms in the area have better classes and more comprehensive facilities.

BF and I tried the 30-​Day trial here since this gym is conveniently located. Of course, this wasn’t possible until we went through an extensive «tour» of the facilities as a part of a rather lengthy sales pitch to join on the spot, which defeats the purpose of a 30-​Day trial. But hey, a gym’s gotta make its money. We politely declined, and said we would like to try out the gym first.
First things first, this gym is very nice. It’s small, but it’s well-​kept and equipment is never broken. Weight room is a bit lacking, but it has the very basics. Sadly, a step squat rack is your only option if you want to squat. The mirror doesn’t go all the way to the floor, meaning you can’t check your form when you’re squatting. Fun stuff. There’s also no real space to do ab workouts on a mat. You just kinda have to claim your space in the middle of a walkway in the weight room, or walk your ass to one of the classrooms on the other side of the gym. It’s strange.
But every con I had for this gym was basically overshadowed by the fact that it was almost always empty. An empty gym is a serious victory in my book, so it made my experience here pleasant. However, we did not end up joining because dues were ridiculously expensive. $ 199 initiation fee and somewhere around $ 60+ a month? No thanks.