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Olympic Athletic Club offers the best variety of group exercise classes such as aerobics, Pilates and yoga all for no additional charge to their members for Seattle and the surrounding areas. In addition to basketball, volleyball and swimming they also offer FREE childcare! Their health club's cardio equipment includes treadmills, stepmills, bicycles, recumbent bicycles and elliptical machines. Additional benefits to OAC members include the running club, ski fit classes, on-site skincare and massage therapy, CPR classes and more! OAC offers 3 choices for membership which makes it both valuable and affordable for an individual or the entire family's fitness needs! We also have excellent weight loss programs designed for your personal fitness goals. Call for a free 15-day trial membership or come in today - 206-789-5010.
I have been a member of Olympic Athletic Club for over a year now and can honestly say I have never been more satisfied with a gym. I have tried about all of them in the Seattle area, and have always quit within the first couple months. What keeps me at Olympic is first and foremost the incredibly friendly and helpful staff. I always receive a warm greeting when I come in, and any issues that have ever come up have been dealt with immediately in a pleasant and personal manner. Their customer service is impeccable. Second, no where else in the area will you find such a complete health club. They have a pool, public and private hot tubs, a sauna and steam room, tons of cardio machines and several weight rooms. They also have a large class selection with something for everyone. I personally love the intense water aerobics. Also the club has the charm of an older building, but is very well maintained. The locker rooms especially are checked at various times of the day and have always looked spotless. The club is spread out over three floors, which gives it a more comfortable, homey feel. It is also very family friendly with childcare, kids classes, and open swims for everyone. I have never had the problem of being unable to do what I came for. There is always space in the pool and open machines. And finally, Olympic has TONS of parking. They own several lots all within a block away. I would definitely recommend Olympic Athletic Club to anyone interested in finding a great place to work out in the Seattle area. You will definitely get more than what you are paying for.
Posted 08/03/09 | Report Abuse
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This place is not clean; not horribly filthy like others have suggested, but the locker rooms do tend to encourage you to shower at home.The facilities and equipment are dated. Parking is extremely inconvenient...half your workout involves walking back and forth between the gym & the parking lots. Forget about the pool unless it's late at night or when you should be at work.However, my primary motivation for writing this was the staff. I ran into a billing issue recently (my bank made a mistake and it took them a while to fix it). My initial motivation for joining this gym was that it was locally owned and if I ran into problems it'd be easy to talk to someone who'd be in a position to help. Well, no one ever returned my calls, and the "accounts receivable manager" was horribly rude and continued to bill me even after I'd told them to stop. Verizon & Comcast were much more understanding about the same issue. Eventually I paid them off & quit; it beats being hassled by the collection agencies they were threatening me with.It just astounded me how the entire organization refused to even speak with me; no one returned my calls, no one even knew what was going on. LA fitness has a beautiful facility not 4 blocks away; I don't understand how given this and the current economy they can continue treating their customers like crap.
Posted 05/18/09 | Report Abuse
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Wow,
I was shocked at the multiple horrible reviews. I have always wanted to own a club & always loved the atmosphere at OAC.
Anyone know about the ownership, profit, future club competition, etc.?
I have the capital but may need some $ help/partners
Posted 01/07/09 | Report Abuse
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This club offers a lot of benefits -- many classes, lots of weights, sauna, steam room, pool. But, it is needing some maintenance. I belonged to it years ago through a trial membership and then found it recently a bit rundown.
Posted 09/19/08 | Report Abuse
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But now, it is dated, old, and tired, not to mention filthy. I have been a member for almost a year, and will soon be quiting, as my numerous inquiries/complaints about cleaning have been ignored. Forget about aesthetics, it is very important to have clean facilities. Showers that backup with standing water, cloudy hot tubs with visible dead skin on perimeter (two skin infections for me to date) a steam room that works 1/2 the time, red mold in shower stalls, FILTHY air vents, air purifiers. Are the towels bleached? I can't say I've ever smelled a hint. If there is a place to use bleach, it would be at a healthclub. After my second skin infection I asked how often the hot tub is chem checked. Still don't have an answer, or ever witnessed a single check being done. Sauna is old and barely functional. The 'deep' cleaning that is supposed to happen Saturday nights is nothing more than vacuming and changing toilet paper rolls. Often, even vacuuming hasn't taken place. I've complained about equipment needing service, to no avail. I'm left asking why I would spend $62/mo for unsanitary conditions, very poor customer service, and mediocre equipment, facilities. I'm honestly not sure what gym the folks who are giving good reviews are going to.
Posted 11/26/07 | Report Abuse
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Olympic Athletic club has got it all. From yoga classes, to massages, swimming classes, and nutritional advice. Do what I did, and check out the website, hook up a 7 day free pass! Check out the sites, and see if you don't like it. Staff are friendly and they know what they're doing. They're not pushy like other gyms I've been too in the past. My husband enjoyed open basketball courts.
Posted 05/22/06 | Report Abuse
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The OAC is a great little neighborhood gym in Ballard, perfect for those of us who don't like corporate gyms. The atmosphere is nurturing, almost, and while the gym building winds through a whole block's worth of building, you'll eventually figure out where your yoga class is. OAC has a pool, some covered parking, machines, a great staff, a wide offering of free classes, and fabulous locker rooms complete with (at least for the women!) carpet floors, curtained changing stalls, and a girls-only hot tub.
Posted 01/20/05 | Report Abuse
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I've been a member for several years now and recommend Olympic to most anyone. It's not perfect, few places are, but it's pretty good.
They have a wide variety of machines and equipment. Since the building is an old hotel, you do a lot of walking and take a lot of stairs to get from place to place. But who cares -- last time I checked, both counted as exercise.
The con that kept me from giving a 5 star review is that much of their non-mechanical equipment seems to be reserved for sessions with trainers or in a class, like medicine bals (ha ha, this site won't let me add the extra "l"), which are only downstairs in the crowded free weight room, resistance bands, punching bags, etc. I'd love if they (gasp!) got rid of some of the older cardio equipment and made a space for working with items like this.
Childcare is relatively easy to obtain and kids love it. In over 3 years of going 3-4 times a week, I've NEVER seen a child who looked under age 13 on the equipment or even upstairs unless they were taking a class, so I don't know what that one reviewer is talking about.
I like it there. Given it's popularity, so do most people.
Pros: Lots of equipment, nice environment, convenient location, straightforward dues and membership
Cons: Parking situation is bad, would like more non-mechanical cardio equipment
Posted 07/09/08
I have belonged to multiple health clubs and Olympic is by far the best gym I have ever joined! Currently, the biggest perk for me is the childcare. I have two kids, a three year old and a six year old, and they both love going to the Kids Corner when I work out. The manager, a former school teacher, does a great job of training the staff and making sure there are plenty of things for the kids to do. There are always lots of activies provided, and they usually bring home an art project. The area is also very clean and organized. I feel better about spending time away from them since the area is so safe and secure. I also have both children in swim lessons, and the older child has just started racquetball lessons.
I love the locker room. It's very clean and relaxing, and the steam room is great. I also appreciate that everything I need is provided (shampoo, body wash, hairdryers, ect.). The front desk is friendly and helpful.
Since joining, many things have been added such as cycling and new strength equipment. They recently purchased new treadmills and elipticals, my favorite stuff.
I would highly recommend this club.
Posted 02/19/08
No AC in summer, old equipment, and the shortest pool in th universe. Pretty disappointing. I know they're remodeling, but this gym is modeled on a hotel work-out room. Bleh.
Pros: Other members seem like real people
Cons: Facility
Posted 12/02/07
I find that the people working here are borderline snobby and definitely not friendly and welcoming. Seems like there are always several of them standing around talking to each other at the front desk, yet very rarely do they say hello when you arrive. I recently asked for an extra towel when I checked in, and was pompously informed that I couldn't have one. My MAIN concern with this gym is the lack of upkeep on their equipment. The main draw for me was the steam room, and the steam room has been out of service for probably over a month now. Very frustrating. Also, they post that children under 13 are not allowed in the upstairs locker rooms, but on several occasions, I've seen children way under 13 in there. Or often playing on the elypticals and bikes on the exercise floor. Very distracting when you are trying to get in a good workout.
Posted 11/04/07
For a gym that advertises "Open 24 hours", I find it very surprising that they close before 8 on the weekends. The below comment about the steam room and other equipment is very true. The difference between this gym and another one in Ballard was the steam room and a big sauna which really enticed me. It hasn't been working for a long time and the only thing the staff can say is that "its being looked at". Also, the fact that we pay a fairly high membership rate and can only get one towel (sometimes too small to cover half a normal size woman's body) is ridiculous. Not to mention that the 1 in 4 of the towels that are given to me smell like they haven't even been properly cleaned. I suggest they use some bleach to really clean their stinky, old towels.
Posted 11/04/07
To be fair, the work out rooms has nice equipment although some machines seem to be Out Of Order for a long time. The hours are great for people that want fflexable hours with their work out schedule. Child care is easy to get into and well run. My kids enjoy their time there and you can send snack which is nice. On my tour they market the Gym as being very client and community oriented with plenty of parking in the heart of Ballard. Most of the staff is friendly and responsive. My biggest issue is that on one evening visit I parked in one of the Gyms well lite parking lots and when I came out to leave, I my car was locked inside the garage. The staff memeber at the desk informed me that while she had a key to the garage it would cost $75 to get my car out. She also commented that the rule to charge $75 was "stupid". The hours on the garage are difficult to see and the gym staff made no effort to locate the owner of the car before they locked it (there was all of ten people in the gym). I had to walk home at 11pm at night (over 20 blocks). I called and left a message with management the next day but never received return call. I have seen the same thing happen to other unsuspecting members since that time. They occasionally announce overhead that the garage will close but I have been there on nights when they do not make any effort to alert members. It seems pretty excessive and not a well thought out policy.
Pros: Hours
Cons: Parking
Posted 06/19/07
Love this place. Towels available. Many different rooms for cardio workouts & plenty of equipment. I have been there at many different times of the day & have never had a problem getting equipment to work out on. They have TV's mounted on the wall, just bring your headphones & plug in. Many classes to take. Pool if your interested. Friendly staff. No loud announcements. No selling of personal trainers or diet supplements. Never had a problem finding parking. All ages of members and a comfortable gym environment. Check it out!
Pros: great atmosphere, plenty of equipement. Friendly staff. Open 24 hrs.
Cons: Not pricey but not cheap.
Posted 08/17/06
My husband and I moved to Ballard about a year ago and immediately checked out Olympic Athelteic Club. I was pleasantly surprized to see such a wide mix off ages. I immediately feelt comfortable working out there. In the year I've been going to OAC, I have never had to wait for a piece of equipment. Some classes can get crowded (Ab class), but most are easy to get into and the instructors are accomodating and knowledagle. My husband loves the fact they have raquetball. Many people are drawn to the salt water pool. It's the perfect gym that's full of character. Although they are located in the heart of Ballard, they have 4 lots availalbe for parking. No matter how crowded they gym may be, I've always been able to find a place to park.
Pros: amenities, family friendly, historical building
Cons: a little pricey
Posted 06/05/06
This is the only Gym I've been to that hasn't been staffed by a bunch of Barbie yo-yo's at the front desk, who want nothing but to sell you a bunch of fat burning pills, etc.
As said before, this place is just about going and sweating. If you've got a question they're very helpful. Otherwise just do what your here for. The equipment is in good condition, and 99% of the time up and running. There is a huge amount of variety. I especially like that this club has both raquetball courts and a descent pool. Not many gyms that I've seen can accomadate so many peripheral activities. I highly recommend.
Pros: No hard sales freaks, Raquetball, pool etc., atmosphere
Cons: none
Posted 11/12/05
This gym literally has it all! Childcare, parking and then pilates, yoga, swimming and spinning. I highly recommend this gym.
Pros: price, parking, childcare
Posted 11/03/04
Olympic Athletic Club offers more than most gyms in town including a pool and a ton of classes. The people are super nice. I love the juice bar too. They even have massage services...WOW! And it's open 24 hours a day.
Posted 03/23/04
This is a gym for getting fit, not picking up people or worrying about how you look. It's sooo Ballard. I commute from Queen Anne to avoid the QA health club dress up scene...
Pros: easy parking, not a meat market
Cons: closed sat night!, not cheap
Posted 08/18/02
"Never join this awful company! I "three day canceled" my membership after ..."
