Planet Fitness Gym Review | Gym & Health Club Reviews

May 2, 2008 on 7:47 pm | By Matt | In Gym & Health Club Reviews |



The Planet Fitness Health Club Chain Promises a Less Intimidating Gym Experience, But Do They Deliver? And At What Cost?

Gym/Health Club: Planet Fitness
Location Reviewed: Northville, MI
Hours: Varies by location; many locations 24 hours

Ratings (1-4 Scale: 1= poor, 2= fair, 3= good, 4= excellent)

Cleanliness: 3
Weight Training Equipment: 2Image of Planet Fitness Logo
Cardio Equipment: 3
Fitness Knowledge of Staff: 1
Amenities: 1
Overall Facility: 3
Price/Value: 3
Overall Rating: 2.2
Planet Fitness Review

First, let’s be honest: gyms and health clubs can be intimidating places, especially for a beginner.  If you are overweight, out of shape and trying to live a more active and healthy lifestyle, being surrounded by really in-shape people can either be an inspiration or incredibly demotivating.

And because everyone’s goals are different, most gyms will attractive a diverse group of people, from hardcore bodybuilders, to power lifters to soccer moms and teenagers. This of course varies tremendously from gym-to-gym, but in general, gyms are a microcosms of the rest of society. And like the rest of society, we have to live with each other and get along. Period.

Gyms can also be a magnet for all kinds of stupid and annoying behavior, from high school kids loitering around the bench press and flexing in the mirror, to middle-aged “bodybuilders” in striped clown pants grunting loudly with weights that don’t really warrant that level of exertion, to rude patrons who needlessly bang weights around or leave their equipment strewn across the floor behind them after each exercise like a Tsunami of sweat, testosterone and ripped Gold’s Gym shirts.

So when Planet Fitness says it wants to change that and make gyms a little less intimidating for average people, the fitness populist in me says “it’s about time.”

Before we go any further, however, a quick disclosure.

I’m currently a member of the Northville, Michigan, Planet Fitness. The Northville location used to be an excellent premium, full-service gym called “The Water Wheel Health Club.”


Two years ago, the owner converted it to a Planet Fitness. I stayed on primarily for the location and convenience. This is not the first gym I’ve belonged to (I’ve been a Powerhouse member in the past and have spent a fair amount of time in other gyms over the years), so I have a pretty good feel for how different gyms stack up against each other. 

While my review discusses some specific qualities of the Northville Planet Fitness location, it still is part of the overall Planet Fitness chain, and is subject to the same corporate policies as other locations. So the general experience is probably consistent with other Planet Fitness centers, with some exceptions that I discuss below.

The Planet Fitness Philosophy: Judgment Free Exercise

Planet Fitness, based in Dover, New Hampshire, is one of the fastest growing fitness chains in the country, with new locations sprouting up every day. In 2006, Planet Fitness acquired Joe Gold’s (of Gold’s Gym fame) World Gym franchise, which certainly jumpstarted their recent expansion. To date they operate around 260 Planet Fitness locations in 23 states.  

So here’s the concept of Planet Fitness: Create an inexpensive, clean, low-frills fitness center that caters to beginning exercisers by creating a “judgment-free” gym. Emphasize machines over free weights, and enforce a code-of-conduct among members that discourages some of the more intimidating behavior you might find in a more hardcore gym.

So far, so good.

What To Expect at a Planet Fitness Center

Here’s what you should expect to find at the typical Planet Fitness gym:

  • No squat racks
  • No dumbbells over 70 lbs (in some gym locations this may go up to 80 lbs)
  • Limited barbells (often only two to three bench presses)
  • Prohibition on use of chalk for heavy lifts like deadlifts
  • Preference for machines over free-weights
  • Higher ratio of cardio machines versus weight and resistance training equipment
  • No group exercise rooms
  • A dress code that prohibits certain articles of clothing like bandanas, skull caps, jeans, boots, do rags
  • No cell phone usage on the floor
  • Ban on grunting, swearing and “psyching-up” rituals
  • Ban on excessive noise (like banging dumbbells or dropping weights)
  • A Giant Purple “Lunk Alarm” light in each major area of the gym that the staff will activate when someone breaks the code-of-conduct.

In theory, many of their policies make sense.

The cell phone usage policy is one that I wish more gyms would embrace, since there is nothing more obnoxious than listening to someone blather on about their colonoscopy at the treadmill next to you or pace around the free weight room on their Nextel talking to their girlfriend.Image of Planet Fitness Elliptical Machines and Treadmills at Northville Michigan Location

Also, discouraging excessively loud grunting and dropping of weights is also something more gyms should consider emulating. It’s rarely necessary to do either one of these activities to work out effectively (although, just to be fair, there is some evidence to support that grunting does assist in exerting more force during certain lifts.)

 The dress code is a bit silly, since if someone wants to dress like a pirate and wear a do-rag, it’s not really your gym’s job to play the role of fashion police, as ridiculous as you may look. Your lack of dates will probably help you learn that faster than a Planet Fitness staffer or an alarm on the wall.

What About The Planet Fitness Lunk Alarm? 

It’s this controversial “Lunk Alarm” that has gotten the gym most of it’s attention, both favorable and not-so-favorable. 

Planet Fitness defines a “lunk” as anyone who engages in disruptive or obnoxious behavior in the gym (dropping weights, swearing, grunting, etc.) or someone who “judges.” 

The “judges” part is interesting, because clearly Planet Fitness itself pre-judges its customers on how much weight they can lift or how serious they are about their training. The heavier you go, their theory seems to suggest, the more likely you are to be a “lunk.” The correlation is thin, at best. But it works for their marketing and it makes things much more black and white for the gym staff.

It’s also arguable that the term “lunk” in Planet Fitness’ eyes is really a code-name for “bodybuilder” — a clientele they clearly do not cater to, even if those bodybuilders are polite in the gym (which, believe it or not, they often are.) Indeed, the gym deliberately limits its free-weight equipment to deter bodybuilders from joining the fitness center.

The Planet Fitness ”Lunk Alarm” is applied as a form of social pressure to essentially embarrass anyone who exhibits these behaviors, either intentionally or accidentally (which does happen some times.)

It’s a high-pressure, highly-public form of humiliation that’s intended to enforce the gym’s code of behavior. Whether you approve of the Lunk Alarm, or think it’s an obnoxious, heavy-handed tactic of social control, will really will depend how far you think gyms should go to publicly-enforce codes-of-conduct among their members. There are probably more subtle ways to weed out impolite behaviors in the gym (like maybe just taking someone aside and suggesting that they take it down a notch), but this level of subtlety doesn’t have as much mass marketing appeal as a big purple light.

To Grunt or Not To Grunt?

The Lunk Alarm and the Planet Fitness practice of revoking memberships of people who violate the gym’s code of behavior hasn’t come without it’s share of controversy. In 2006, the New York Times picked up on the story of  Albert Argibay, a bodybuilder and corrections officer, who had his membership yanked for grunting during a particularly heavy set of squats. Image of Planet Fitness Weight Room in Nuagatuck CT

Management called the police, he was escorted from the gym, and he filed suit against Planet Fitness for defamation. Whether Argibay’s suit has merit is unclear, but the New York Times article does do a nice job of exploring some of the issues raised by Planet Fitness’ desire to micro-manage their members behavior so closely

Use of the “Lunk Alarm” also seems to vary based on the particular Planet Fitness location and whoever may be on staff at that time.

Some Planet Fitness locations and operators are less zealous in their use of the “Lunk Alarm” — and some locations have never used them. However, the “Lunk Alarm” is ever-present at any Planet Fitness franchise, looming over the gym like a great big purple reminder that if you stray to far from the Planet Fitness “philosophy”, you’ll be instantly called-out … and maybe kicked-out.

For some people, even those of us who find some of the idea of less grunting and posturing a good thing — the Lunk Alarm seems a bit over-the-top. It clearly has been a great marketing gimmick for the Planet Fitness franchise, and even the negative publicity it has garnered for them seems to help them further position their gym as a place for “regular people.”

What To Expect From a Planet Fitness Facility

Despite the lack of amenities that more upscale gyms and health clubs offer, the Planet Fitness facilities themselves are generally clean and well-maintained.

Because this is a relatively new chain, most of the equipment will be new or only a few years old. If you are looking for things like towel service or little perks in the locker room, like private lockers, this isn’t the gym for you. Some locations have even removed the omnipresent bathroom scale in the locker rooms, ostensibly to discourage people from not only judging each other — but apparently even judging themselves.

Most locations also offer tanning beds for those of you who want a little fake and bake with your workout. Customers can pay for use of the tanning beds by session, or if they upgrade to the Planet Fitness Black Card, they get free, unlimited tanning including in their monthly membership. This seems to be a particularly popular membership perk among high-school girls, who appear to be joining Planet Fitness in droves (at least at my location) more for the cheap tanning, than to stay in shape.  

The chain also recently added coin-operated “massage-chairs” like you find in the mall to many of their locations. Again, with the Planet Fitness Black Card upgrade you get free use of the massage chairs to help you work out those kinks that you acquired from your Judgment Free workout. It also helps with digesting the free pizza and bagels they serve you once a month.Image of Planet Fitness Gym in Northville Michigan

Be forewarned also that if you have an aversion to the color combination of purple and yellow, you’ll pass on Planet Fitness purely on the aesthetics. The chain has ensured that the colors permeate the entire gym, from the custom paint jobs on their resistance machines to the walls, carpet and floors. I personally don’t have a problem with it, but some people may find it kind of garish and distracting.

What To Expect from the Equipment at Planet Fitness

Again, because most of the Planet Fitness locations have opened in the past 2-3 years, the equipment itself is typically new and in good shape. The franchise has some fairly strict rules around what types of equipment their locations  can and can’t offer (more on that in a second), but the operators are given some leeway when it comes to other equipment that they provide, especially cable machines.

For example, at the Northville, Michigan Planet Fitness that I based this review on,  they feature a dozen expensive, high-quality FreeMotion Fitness strength machines which are very effective at emulating a free-weight workout on a cable machine. 

In terms of variety, you’ll find most of the standard basic pulley-and-lever resistance machines, as well as a smattering of other cable machines, including the standard cable-stack stations. You typically won’t find multiple-installations of the same machine, nor some of the variations on machines that you might find in a Golds Gym, Powerhouse Gym or Life Time Fitness. This may vary from location-to-location, however. 

Be aware, also, that the franchise purposely limits the amount of weight available on these machines. Again, the point here is to discourage heavy lifters (aka, “lunks”, apparently) from joining the gym. Advanced trainees may find themselves quickly hitting the maximum weights on a lot of these machines, which means if you want to continue progressing, you’ll either have to figure out a way to put additional stress on your muscles through slower-reps, more reps or higher set volume, or switch gyms.

Planet Fitness also offers a light-weight 30 minute circuit workout.Image of Planet Fitness 30 Minute Workout Area

This consists of a series of stations with lever-and-pulley machines for each major muscle group. A green light tells you to start performing the exercise, and a red light tells you when to stop and switch machines. This is actually not a bad approach for beginners, and it takes some of the guesswork out of ordering exercises and choosing rep and set ranges. So while it’s not for me, or other more experienced members, it is a nice feature for people who are just getting started.

What About Free Weights?

If an extensive variety of free weight equipment is what you crave, you’re probably not going to love Planet Fitness.

They generally limit the number of available bench presses to three (less, in some locations), ban squat racks at the corporate level for all franchise locations, and limit dumbbells to 70-80 lbs. You won’t find traditional chin-up bars or T-Row Bars, either (although they may have a assisted pull-up station which is an acceptable substitute.)

They also seem to deliberately limit the amount of plates available for barbells and the Smith Machine to discourage heavy lifting.  At the Northville location, you’re prohibited from using barbells for standard exercises like deadlifts, bent over rows, cleans or standing military presses. This seems to be a standard practice across all Planet Fitness locations. The size of the weight room at my gym is also limited, which is a bit ironic, because based on how crowded it usually is, it’s apparent that there is a demand among clients for more free-weight options.

For a beginning or intermediate lifter — and most women — the lack of weights above 80 lbs probably won’t be an issue. However, if you are serious about your training, it’s likely you’ll eventually max out on their weight selection. You can always switch to barbell moves, where it’s possible to pile on more weight, but in terms of dumbbells, you’ll be dead-in-the-water.

That Missing Squat Rack?

The lack of squat racks should be a concern to anyone who is trying to get a well-rounded workout.

Squats are fantastic compound exercises that almost everyone should incorporate into their workout, regardless of their experience level. They prohibit squat racks because they believe it encourages “lunks”, but it really does a disservice to their clients. Planet Fitness seems to believe that a Smith Machine is an acceptable replacement for a squat rack, but Smiths are among the most dangerous machines when it comes to encouraging injury, since they have a tendency to force you into unnatural planes of motion and place unnecessary stress on connective tissue.

Again, because there is some variation in equipment from location-to-location, you’ll want to take a tour of the facility before signing up to see if it will meet your needs. You’ll also want to consider where you expect to be in terms of strength eight months from joining, since you may find yourself outgrowing their equipment or weights.

Cardio Machines

If pounding away on a treadmill or elliptical machine is your cup-of-tea, you’ll generally be happy with Planet Fitness.

The chain tends to have a fairly wide-variety (and large number) of cardio equipment, including elliptical trainers, treadmills, stair-steppers, and recumbent bikes.

In terms of entertainment, most locations have a series of big-screen TVs that you can plug into and share with other exercisers. At the Northville location, they also have some cardio units with their own built-in entertainment centers, which can come in handy if you aren’t interested in watching another episode of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” with the rest of the hamsters in the cardio room.

Aerobics and Specialized Classes

Planet Fitness does not offer aerobics or specialized group classes like pilates, kick-boxing, Body Pump, or yoga. So if this is important to you, you’ll need to find another gym, or supplement your Planet Fitness membership with walk-in classes offered by other gyms, the YMCA, or a local community rec center.

Gym Staff and Personal Trainers

Some Planet Fitness locations may have independent personal trainers available if you need one, but they are not included in the membership package, and they typically don’t keep trainers on staff, even for hire.

Also, don’t expect to get much of an orientation from the staff showing you how to use the equipment. When you join Planet Fitness, you are pretty much on your own in terms of figuring out what to do. The staff is primarily there to scan people in, sign up new members, give prospective gym members tours of the facility, schedule tanning bed appointments, walk around to make sure people aren’t grunting, and depending on the location, activate the Lunk Alarm.

This isn’t as much of an issue for people who are already experienced at weight training, but for beginners, it’s critical.

Also, it’s important to know that their staff is not necessarily trained or certified in the fitness field. Since they are primarily hiring people to check clients in, the staff doesn’t have to have any fitness expertise or experience to work at Planet Fitness. In other words, they are just as likely to work at Wendy’s, as they are at Planet Fitness. Remember, this is McExercise, not the fitness equivalent of dinner at Spagos.

I personally have some issues with the lack of basic instruction on use of gym equipment at Planet Fitness, especially since they deliberately try to appeal to “average people” with little or no exercise experience.

There is a legitimate concern about safety and whether Planet Fitness, for all of it’s talk of empowering people to improve their health at their own pace, really has “average Joe’s” best health interests in mind. Clearly their emphasis on keeping costs down is behind their lack of trained staff, but it’s questionable whether they are really doing their novice clients any favors by skimping in this area. At every gym, you see people performing exercises incorrectly or with ineffective (and often dangerous) form, but this seems to be even more prevalent among the Planet Fitness clientele at my gym.

The Planet Fitness Gym Clientele

Obviously, the clientele at any given Planet Fitness gym will vary based on the location and how aggressively they enforce their “No Lunks” policy.

In general, expect to find a lot of casual exercisers, quite a few people with little experience in the gym, a ton of teenagers (since the $10 a month membership fee and tanning is appealing to this group), and a smattering of people who are serious about their fitness training.

The lack of certain basic free weight equipment will naturally limit the number of powerlifters, serious bodybuilders and even more experienced fitness buffs (male and female) that join the gym. It is possible for an advanced trainee to get a pretty good basic workout with the equipment available at Planet Fitness, but again, you have to get creative, especially without the squat rack and weights that exceed 80 lbs.

At the Planet Fitness that I belong to, the management is reasonable and does a generally good job at running a good shop. I’ve never seen them use the Lunk Alarm, and they take a more one-on-one, individual approach to enforcing the gym’s code of conduct with people who may occasionally slip up. I appreciate this, since I don’t think gyms need a bunch of wanna-be fitness Torquemadas running amok in the weight room. I do know that some people have had their memberships revoked for repeated violations, but this is probably the exception, versus the rule.  I hated it when they removed the squat rack, but I adapted (although I wish it were still there.)

Complaints About Planet Fitness

My two biggest gripes have less to do with the equipment and more to do with a desire to see the chain do more about discouraging certain behaviors not from “lunks” but from their “Average Joe” clients.

The first complaint is that Planet Fitness could do more to educate their new members on basic gym ettiquete.

It’s not unusual at my location to see people leisurely camping out on equipment and benches (I’ve even repeatedly seen a guy reading the newspaper between his sets on the pec deck), hovering around your bench waiting for you to finish, not re-racking weights, or jumping in on a piece of equipment between your sets without even asking if you are done or if they can work in. 

While this behavior isn’t unique to Planet Fitness, it’s ironic that the chain focuses all of it’s attention on gross violations like grunting from “lunks,” but doesn’t hold its other members accountable to the far more common violations of simple gym etiquette.

My second gripe concerns the proliferation of teenagers at my location — especially in the already congested free-weight room. 

I fundamentally have no issue with teens wanting to workout and weight train (and actually think it’s great), but there seems to be a lot of loitering going on, and very little weight lifting among this group. And because Black Card Memberships allow you to bring in a free guest, I suspect there is a lot of doubling-up going on among ’bros who bring their buddies in gratis.

With limited space in the free weight room, and limited equipment like bench presses, the teens have a tendency to not only overcrowd the free-weight room while they watch their buddies pump iron, but they also round-robin on the benches which can tie up the equipment for better than 30 minutes without a chance for anyone to work in.

Again, these experiences may be unique to my particular Planet Fitness location, but it’s a product primarily of their drive to sign-up new members without providing any coaching on how to behave in the gym — which, of course, runs counter to their whole marketing pitch about creating a more respectful environment.

Perks: Free Pizza, Bagels and Candy?

In addition to the free tanning and Shiatsu massage chairs that come with a the Black Card upgrade, Planet Fitness offers three other perks to all of their members: free pizza once a month, free bagels once a month and the ever-present jar of purple Tootsie Rolls at the front desk.

Yes. I’m not joking.

When you join Planet Fitness to get in shape, once a month they reward you for those 300 calories you just burned on the treadmill with a nice 500 calorie slice of greasy, cheap pizza from a local pizzeria.  Or how about a giant, high-glycemic carb bagel to set you on your way to great summer abs? And when you’re done working out each day, grab a couple of purple Toostie Rolls loaded with high fructose corn syrup.

This whole thing would be laughable if it wasn’t so absurd.  I can understand providing some kind of “treat” to your customers every once in a while, but outside of serving fried chicken or corn dogs, I can’t think of two more unhealthy foods to offer.  A better approach would be to provide some type of healthy snack for their members, that helped them get an idea that eating better can taste good as well. Why not wraps, high-fiber protein bars, or even a healthy version of pizza?

How Much Does a Planet Fitness Membership Cost?

Setting aside some of the limitations of the gym, there is no doubt that Planet Fitness offers one of the lowest monthly membership costs in the industry.

The basic package is $10 per month, with a one-time $59 start-up fee. The membership also is month-to-month, so if you move or decide to switch gyms, you’re not locked into paying-off 12-month contract. The worst that would happen is you if you left is that are out your $59 start-up fee. The basic membership is exactly that — you get use of the Planet Fitness facility (but not the massage chairs or tanning beds) for yourself. And of course, you get that free slice of pizza and bagel.

For the basic membership, you’re looking at about $180 dollars a year. This is a great value for someone who is new to the gym, because it allows you to get started with minimum financial commitment.

The Planet Fitness Black Card option is $19.99 and doesn’t have a start-up fee. However, it DOES require a 12 month minimum term, so if you need to cancel your membership, you’re going to have to ante up the balance.

The Planet Fitness Black Card

The PF Black Card  (the $19.99 upgrade with the 12 year contract) does comes with a few perks:

  • Free reciprocal use of all Planet Fitness Franchise Locations
  • Unlimited use of the Planet Fitness massage chairs
  • Unlimited Planet Fitness guest privileges (so you can bring a spouse or friend along with you for free)
  • Unlimited tanning
  • 1/2 price cooler drinks
  • A Planet Fitness T-Shirt

The biggest value to the PF Black Card membership is the guest privileges, since it’s nice to be able to bring someone along for free without the high charges usually associated with day passes at other gyms. Also, if you happen to travel a lot to cities with Planet Fitness locations, the ability to workout for free is nice.  Finally, setting aside the health concerns of regular tanning, the free tanning alone makes the upgrade worth it, since a typical tanning package from a tanning salon would cost you around $20 a month itself. 

With the PF Black Card upgrade, your total cost of membership for a year would be $240 dollars.

Additional Planet Fitness Black Card Perks

In terms of the other perks, the 1/2 price cooler drinks isn’t that impressive, because their selection has been deliberately limited so as not to appeal to bodybuilders, serious fitness devotees or powerlifters. You won’t find protein drinks, but instead a pretty weak selection of Gatorade, bottled water and Vitamin Waters. 

The massage chair is okay. I sat in it once when they first got them to try it out, and have never used it since.  At my location they don’t seem to be used very often (except by the staff), so this just feels like another Planet Fitness franchise gimmick to make you feel like you are getting something more with your membership. Looks good on a marketing flyer, though. 

Finally, the Planet Fitness T-Shirt isn’t anything to write home about — it’s your basic Beefy-T with a big “Planet Fitness” logo on the front (with the PF “Thumbs Up!”) and some marketing blather on the back about how being a black card members has it’s perks. Basically free marketing for Planet Fitness, provided anyone would actually want to wear this monstrosity of a T-Shirt. I cut mine up for cotton rags to wash windows with.  I’m sure there are plenty of other, more creative uses for this. 

Be aware that Planet Fitness loves to run their regular membership package and the PF Black Card upgrades as “limited time specials.”

I’ve seen the same specials being run “for a limited time only” with an actual date for when the promotion ends, only to see that deadline continuously extended in perpetuity. So if the staff tells you this promotion is about to end and you need to make a decision now on your membership, there’s a good chance that the exact same promotion will be running two months later should you return.

Should I Join Planet Fitness?

Like any decision you make, whether Planet Fitness is the right fit for you, will depend a lot on your experience in the gym, your health and fitness goals and your budget. If you are just starting out and are concerned about investing in a gym membership that you may rarely use, then Planet Fitness makes a lot of sense.

Also, if you find yourself feeling intimidated by other gyms you may have visited that are filled with hardbodies and chiseled abs, Planet Fitness might be exactly the environment you need to start getting in-shape, at your own pace, without the attitude and additional pressure to fit in. 

However, if you are a beginner and are hoping that the gym staff will give you extra guidance on how to structure your workouts, use the equipment and develop a healthy diet to support your fat-loss and exercise regimen, it will be difficult to find that level of support from your typical Planet Fitness location. Remember, you get what you pay for, and at Planet Fitness, that’s typically a clean gym, a bunch of cardio machines, some basic weight training equipment and not much else.

For experienced trainees or more serious bodybuilders or power lifters, Planet Fitness will probably drive you up the wall. 

Buyer Beware: Not A Gym For Everyone

If you are looking for a hardcore gym, don’t let the cheap price entice you in. You’ll be singled out fairly quickly as a “lunk” — especially if you subscribe to the “grunting helps you lift more weight” camp — regardless of how polite you otherwise try to be.

Setting aside whether this is fair or not, Planet Fitness clearly doesn’t want you there, and they’ll remind you of this every chance they get with their goofy “Judgment Free Zone” slogans and purple alarm. Save yourself the mental grief and just head back to Powerhouse, which has a better selection of equipment, anyway. You’re not going to change Planet Fitness, no matter how much the rebel in you tries.

Making The Most of Planet Fitness If You Decide To Join

That’s not to say that you can’t be serious about fitness and weight training and still take advantage of the low-cost and basic equipment that Planet Fitness offers.

Personally, I’m a back-to-basics guy, and aside from not having a squat rack, I’ve managed to continue to progress fairly well even with some of the equipment constraints Planet Fitness has placed on me.  Even without the squat rack, there are plenty of ways to adapt your workout to continue making progress.

In some ways, I kind of like the challenge that comes with having to work under less than ideal equipment conditions.  Kind of like the soldiers in Iraq who make barbells out of broom sticks and sand-filled water containers. I admire that ingenuity. 

For example, performing walking lunges with 70 lbs dumbbells would challenge even the heaviest of squatters. Sometimes I think we’ve grown spoiled with all of the fancy Plate-Loaded machines and working with limited resources forces us to change things up more often — and that’s always a good thing.

A Niche Product That Some People Will Love

I also suspect that women (even females who take their weight-training very seriously) will generally find Planet Fitness a pleasant place to workout. It doesn’t have the same “meat-market” feel of a Crunch or LifeTime Fitness, and the weight room will likely be more inviting to a woman than the one at Golds. And because women aren’t typically going to max out over 80 lbs, the dumbbell weight restrictions are less of limiting factor than for men.

Bottom line is to know what you are getting into … and not getting at all. 

You have to admire the marketing chops of Planet Fitness, since they clearly understand that if you don’t stand for something … you’ll stand for nothing at all.

Regardless of your feelings for their heavy-handed tactics, there is no doubt that they are appealing directly to an underserved market segment that will likely respond favorably to their pitch. And with more big fitness chains fighting for market share, their angle will probably work. Just understand this before you fall in love with their $19.99 price tag …. it does come with lots of strings.

Planet Fitness Update (9/12/2008)

After publishing this review of Planet Fitness, the manager (Dan) of the Planet Fitness that I belong to pointed out a few things that I wanted to pass along.

Since my goal here was to provide a fair and accurate assessment of what to expect at Planet Fitness, there are a few valid points that deserve some additional attention. Rather than going back and changing the original review, I’m going to deal with them here. I’ll let you make your own conclusions.

First, in terms of the age of equipment at Planet Fitness (and I have seen a fair amount of complaints from other members at Planet Fitness locations around the condition and age of equipment), I’ve been told that all Planet Fitness locations are required to update their equipment every five years. Take-away here is that if you are considering joining Planet Fitness, you should check with the management before joining to see when their last update was.

In terms of the apparent deluge of teenagers loitering around at my particular Planet Fitness location, management tells me that Planet Fitness Black Card member guests must be at least 18 years of age to use the gym, and they are required to sign a document stating so. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to use the equipment.

Practically speaking, this hasn’t really resolved the issue I have with the groups of near-teens dominating the little equipment available as they do whatever it is they are doing — but this is really has to do with not having enough available equipment to accommodate the new members they are recruiting. Add some more equipment, and I really don’t care how long you sit on the bench press between sets or how many of your buddies are cycling in.

Planet Fitness Cooler Drink Discount for Black Carb Members

Management points out that the half-off cooler drinks for Planet Fitness Black Card members are a great deal if you take advantage of it. If you drink 10 drinks a month, you basically gain back the difference between the Black Card membership and the normal membership cost in savings. I’ll buy that, but my complaint about the cooler drinks has less to do with the discount (which I actually think is good) and has more to do with the drinks that they offer.  Selection is limited to Gatorade and recently — energy drinks like Rock Star. There’s not a single drink available in the cooler that provides protein, so they aren’t particularly useful post-workout. I rarely use this benefit for that reason. Add some protein drinks like Isopure in the cooler and I’ll change my mind on this. Also, what’s the deal with the Rock Star energy drinks? They are basically nutritionally-empty. I could think of a dozen drinks that would be healthier for your members.

The Infamous Planet Fitness Bagel and Pizza Nights

The management of my local Planet Fitness says that the free pizza and bagel nights are a “member appreciation” perk that is intended to show that “we are all human and pizza and bagels are okay in moderation.” Okay, I get this. People can have cheat meals and still hit their fitness goals. I don’t eat clean 24/7 and readily admit that. That said, I still  maintain that one of the responsibilities of a gym or health club is to encourage people to understand that there are healthy options out there besides bagels and pizza. People have plenty of opportunity to eat crappy food all day long outside of the gym, they don’t need a “Planet Fitness” member appreciation pizza nosh to give them permission to eat junk food. They are probably doing it already. So let’s not pile it on more. If there is one place that you should not be greeted by fast food, I’d argue it should be a gym or health club. I’m still not convinced on this one guys.

Why In The World Does It Seem Planet Fitness Corporate Doesn’t Want You To Contact Them?

Since originally posting this review, I’ve had a number of questions from people about various Planet Fitness policies.

My local Planet Fitness has been great about clarifying things when they can, but sometimes, there are questions that are best answered directly from Planet Fitness corporate.  For instance, there was a complaint from a South African about their local Planet Fitness posted in the comments on this review. I suspected that this was a gym not associated with the Planet Fitness franchise in the U.S. — but there was no way to confirm with Planet Fitness themselves because they do not (as far as I can tell) provide any method on their website of contacting corporate directly. Perhaps I missed it … and if I did, please correct me here. This is unfortunate, because if the reader’s comments had nothing to do with Planet Fitness US, I wanted to make sure this was clear.

I’m going to give Planet Fitness the benefit of the doubt here and chalk this up to an oversight. But based on some of the negative feedback (along with plenty of positive, to be fair), one has to wonder why any company would not provide a direct, and immediate method for its customers to provide feedback online to them? I would hate to think this is to avoid having to deal with negative feedback. Several times I have asked Planet Fitness CEO Mike Grondahl to respond to certain questions from readers here, and I haven’t heard back from him (despite knowing for a fact that he is aware of this review, since he has commented here once already.)

If you’re going to run a business, you’re going to take the bad with the good. I’ve found in my career that most people are reasonable when it comes to issues they have with companies, so why does Planet Fitness.com make it so damn hard to contact them? I just don’t get it.  Maybe Mike Grondahl can provide a reasonable answer. We just need to hear it. So what is it Mike?

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282 Responses to “Planet Fitness Gym Review | Gym & Health Club Reviews”

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  1. 282
    Bill Ross (1 comments) Says:
    November 25th, 2011 at 1:46 pm

    Ok so the new business model of corporate America for the last few years has been what I term empty box marketing. The theory I have goes that companies have figured out that if they decorate and empty box with enough pretty ribbons and bows they can sell it as effectively as real goods and services. People think they are buying something special when in fact it is just an empty box.I bring this because I just left a Groton, CT Planet Fitness. Now I travel a lot and have been working out for 34years. I have been to every sort of gym imaginable from an all-women’s “Curves” I talked my way into for a day to Venice Beach gym where the pro’s workout.I have never been to a gym where I felt I was intimidated and in fact at everyone without exception I have found pleasant helpful enthuiastic members as the majority. I am a very fit 52 yo but not a real big guy and I pretty much just go in, keep to myself, do my work out and am polite enough to re rack my weights, not hog machines or leave gear lying on the workout floor for others to trip over, clean my sweat off the equipment and I don’t wear offensive clothing that lets my private parts hang out. Today I was finishing up and stretching when the gym manager came over and pointed out that I was wearing a head rag. I have been for the last 3 days now. That is not allowed under their marketing banner but I see guys wearing watch caps everyday now that it has gotten cold so I looked around and pointed at the 500+lbs of weight someone left on the leg press a small women was struggling to unload so she could use it, the 200+lbs left on one of the benches with no one around, the dumbbells left on the floor, the 3 guys wearing watch caps and asked “so those things are ok and a head rag to keep the sweat out of my eyes is ‘judged’ unacceptable?” and pointed to the giant No Judgment Zone Sign painted in garish purple letters across the wall of the gym. He looked at me, blinked a couple of times and said “It’s gym policy”. Now I can understand some basic etique policies as the one I practice above and slamming weights is damaging to the floors and equipment and is not necessary for fitness nor is screaming loudly but when you overlook the basics and focus on extreme policing of the harmless like a head rag or a little grunting or sounding an obnoxious alarm at every lttle clank well…I just caved and left. The machine is just too inane to deal with on a holiday. For the first time in 34 years I left the gym feeling more stressed than when I got there. Planet Fitness is truly an obscenity in the world of fitness. Fortunately there are a great many worthy business competitors who stick to the basics.

  2. 281
    Work & Eating Out at Lunch « SACKrifice Says:
    November 23rd, 2011 at 8:59 am

    [...] mile time.  They calmly understand my greatness and they walked away.  GOD, what are we… at Planet Fitness on the first Tuesday of every month???? Share [...]

  3. 280
    brandon (3 comments) Says:
    October 13th, 2011 at 3:54 pm

    love it sore as hell an some cute girls in ther

  4. 279
    Kaitlin (1 comments) Says:
    October 13th, 2011 at 9:17 am

    I have to say so far I am loving PF. I go to one in York, PA and it is very clean and quiet. I just started working out to prepare for a major knee surgery. When I first got there, one of the trainers took me to every machine I could do, and showed me how to do them. She told me how many reps to start with, and when to up my weights. I was only there for 1 hour from 2:30 to 3:30, but I noticed that the staff cleaned the front twice in that time. They also cleaned the locker and bathrooms at least once.

    This is my first time ever going to a gym, and I am a little overweight. I am having no problem going 3 times a week for 1-2 hours. There really is not that many people there when I go, so most of the machines are opened. For $10, it is a good investment for me.

  5. 278
    Renee (1 comments) Says:
    October 4th, 2011 at 3:42 pm

    Very upset with customer service, especially at the Landover location. My husband and I have been trying to cancel membership for over 3 months! No one gives the right information and now I have to travel over 2 hours just to make sure our membership is cancelled! They would not even give us a refund for the annual $29 charges that we should not have been charged in the first place! This place is a rip off if you cant cancel via phone, fax, or  internet! Such an inconvience!!! Go elsewhere!

  6. 277
    Jay Duncan (1 comments) Says:
    September 28th, 2011 at 8:53 am

    Planet Fitness has created a work out environment which exactly what they claim they’re trying to avoid.  They claim that they’re the no judgement zone and have no critics, but one look around any planet fitness shows this to be a very flase claim.  They have lists of things that they don’t want you to wear, say, or do.  That by it’s very defintion is a list of judgements and criticisms.  Unless you want to follow a very strict list of behavioral and dress codes you can very easily fall outside of the Planet Fitness policies and face any number of consequences, that is punishments, for not being a Planet Fitness drone.  You might get yelled at, you might have the lunk alarm go off (which is the ultimate is being judgemental and criticizing), you might be asked to leave or you might have your membership revoked.  Planet Fitness reminds me of the way the Nazi’s justified their activities with propaganda and cult like claims of doing good, while in reality they only did bad things.  Even the planet fitness commercials have a very heavy and distinct pejudicial judgement and criticism of  groups of people who they have improperly stereotyped.  It’s a reality that you’ll find jerks in any group that spoil things for everyone and actually behave like any given stereotype, but the Planet Fitness approach of portraying bodybuilders, powerlifters, and basically anyone into any amount of weight lifting as a bunch of stupid, loud and obnoxious people, is not only false and inaccurate, but is also a very judgemental, critical, rude, prejudicial and nasty approach for Planet Fitness to be doing to people.  Even little old ladies with no gym experience at all have commented that the commercials had an offensive slant to them.  In short, the Planet Fitness environment is a very intimidating one that makes you wonder which of their numerous policies you’ll end up inadvertantly conflicting with next.  They produce the feeling of someone staring at your every move looking for something that they have “judged” to be undesireable.  What’s next for Planet Fitness policies?…racial profiling?

    Just like anything, nothing is all bad.  Planet fitness does have some good points but they’re very few and trivial in the whole scope of things to do with pleasant experiences.  By far, the Planet Fitness experience is a very unpleasant one.  The two biggest pros are that they are a clean facility and they are typically quite cheap compared to many places.  Although it’s not hard to for them to be cheap when they hardly let you do much.

    The bad aspects of Planet Fitness is best presented as a list.
    1) Very Judgemental and critical of many people
    2) Restrictions on water bottle sizes, but allowing as many little bottles as you want to equal as much water as you can fit in one large bottle.  Who are they to tell me how much water I should drink?
    3) Large lists of dress code violations
    4) Prejudical commercials
    5) Insulting posters to anyone who lifts more than 5LBS. worth of weight.
    6) Staff members that don’t know what they’re doing.  Although work out knowledge is most often cited, they are also a number of complaints that the management of the facilities are often done in a very poor manner that plays favorites with people and let’s big issues slide while pestering people about trivial things.
    7) Limited amount of equipment
    8) Restrictions on the amount of weight you can lift
    9) Lack of promotion of good gym etiquette.

  7. 276
    R.C. Hegeman (1 comments) Says:
    September 12th, 2011 at 3:01 pm

    I am a 62-year-old female member of Planet Fitness in Oneida, NY. I just joined a couple weeks ago as a “white card” member under their $99 deal that ended August 31. This particular location DOES have a personal trainer on staff, and you don’t have to pay extra for an appointment with him or to join his group workout sessions. On my first day there, it was the trainer who showed me how to use machines I was unfamiliar with, and he was very patient. He also took the time to show me how to use some of the machines to work particular muscle groups and improve core body strength. I have arthritis and some nerve damage in my arms, and he showed me how to use the machines in ways that would give me desired results with the least amount of pain. In fact, all of the staff at this PF location is friendly and appears knowledgeable, and has never failed to help when I’ve needed it.

    For a woman who wants to use a gym to focus on cardio exercise, toning, and achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, Planet Fitness is ideal. It’s no-frills, and doesn’t have all the “bells and whistles” that other gyms have…and that’s good! I highly recommend it. I’ve never seen teenagers loitering or hanging out at this PF location…the only school-age person I’ve seen working out there was a young girl exercising to regain strength after a leg injury. Otherwise, it’s mostly middle-age adults and seniors during the middle of the day, which is when I go there to work out.

  8. 275
    j s (1 comments) Says:
    August 9th, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    Gym experience was positive, but after the first monyh my retired wife and I realized it was too far and too inconvenient.  So we didn’t return.

    The fine print in the contract says
    By submitting this agreement, you have authorized the club to bill your bank account or credit card for your monthly dues
    and
    To cancel your monthly membership and stop the monthly billing on the 17th of the month, the club requires written notification by the 10th of the month delivered to the club in person or preferably via certified mail. Memberships cannot be cancelled via fax, phone, or email.

    I realized they had been billing my checking account for the monthly membership.  I called to cancel.  Can’t do it.  I was told I can send it by mail.  Did it.
    Now I’m told my contract said it had to be done in person or by certified mail.

    They called my home phone to tell me that.

    READ THE FINE PRINT!

  9. 274
    Stephanie (3 comments) Says:
    August 3rd, 2011 at 11:48 am

    I have had mostly positive experiences with Planet Fitness. Granted, I’m nowhere near what someone would call a “lunk,” but if you’re looking for a good environment to get in your daily cardio and some moderate weight training, Planet Fitness gets the job done. I will say that not all locations are as bad as some of these reviews claim. My location in Fishtown - Philadelphia, PA is relatively new, and as such it is clean and well-organized.

    My only complaint is that sometimes the staff perform their daily cleaning duties perhaps a little too diligently. By that I mean that you could be running on a treadmill and a staff member will come to the machine next to you with a bucket of smelly pink cleaning solution and start cleaning. It’s really hard to breathe while running with chemical fumes wafting toward you. This only happened to me twice over the course of a year, but I was appalled that the staff thought that it was an acceptable thing to do. On the other hand, you can be sure that the machines are clean.

    I am having a hard time believing some of these reviews, probably because some of them are so inflammatory. I have been to multiple PF locations and none of them have appeared dirty (let alone filthy), the lunk alarm goes off infrequently, and the machines are in good working order. If that’s what you’re looking for in a gym, Planet Fitness is a good value. If you’re looking for fitness classes, training or certain machines better suited for heavy lifting, it is simply not for you. I, however, am a happy customer.

  10. 273
    James (8 comments) Says:
    July 25th, 2011 at 11:00 pm

    I been working out with my wife for 11 months… both black card members mostly for the tanning. We go to the location in Albuquerque ( ladera ) recently they got a new “manager” at night he must be 20 / 22?? all of sudden after 11 months he has been telling us all the different rules we are ” breaking” yet the young kids hanging around the “gym” are all doing the things they ask us not to do. As a business owner of seven stores in Albq, I am a pretty good judge of people. He seems to be on some kind of power trip. He has no leadership or concept of business. He is there to make us customers happy and have a reason to stay at the gym he is getting paid by. With out customers like us who stay and pay the monthly fee on time there is NO job! He has no training on fitness, no management skills. While reading this blog on PF I see we are not in violation of any rules just some “kid” trying to push us around. Well note to owner consider us gone and taking as many people who will listen. Owning seven stores we know many, many locals. My biggest complaint is that the gym is always hot they have a thermostat and I have yet to see it under 80 degrees…. Even after we complained….. My next letter will be to turn them in for a unsafe environment to work out in…. Good luck to this owner as I see his short sightedness costing him business….

  11. 272
    Chris (9 comments) Says:
    July 13th, 2011 at 10:32 pm

    I believe the no du rags rule, is to prevent one from getting them self caught in the apparatus.

  12. 271
    Maristela Black (1 comments) Says:
    July 8th, 2011 at 9:24 am

    I just got my membership in Planet Fitness.

  13. 270
    George (4 comments) Says:
    June 18th, 2011 at 11:51 pm

    Planet Fitness attend new location: Homestead, Florida

  14. 269
    George (4 comments) Says:
    June 18th, 2011 at 11:49 pm

    As a beginner I do enjoy planet fitness. First week I had a “fitness trainer” giving me a work out plan for 1 and 1/2 months. I’ve been following it religiously, it’s been only 4 weeks I’m seeing a huge differences in my body and definition.

    Some of the de-advantage that I receive from the fitness trainer. Is when I ask him if they measure body fat, muscles to see if in 1 and 1/2 month I can measure progress. Is there a boot camp? His answer was no, this gym doesn’t provided that.

    Advantage - I really enjoy the average joe status for the gym. I’m a very skinny guy. I went to a local gym, I felt really insecure people would laugh at me, smirk or make a smart comment how weak I am (huge bodybuilder guys). Transfer to this gym, I been working out 5 x a week for 4 weeks. (new personal records, if I go for one day I would miss 4 weeks). Same guys transfer to PF, only seen them once possible went back to the other gym.

    Also, in 4 weeks I’m seeing my body getting define quickly. I don’t want to get bulk or huge. All I want is to be define, sculpture, and refined. Hopefully, I can do this in PF since that all I want.

  15. 268
    joyce sandler (1 comments) Says:
    June 8th, 2011 at 12:55 am

    the gym souds great  it called my attention with this code of conduct they have someones may think is excessive but it looks good to me, seems to be good workout in a “peaceful”  place and i like the most what they do about the cellphones, really people nobady needs to know about your private life while we’re trying to relax workingout

  16. 267
    Christine (1 comments) Says:
    June 1st, 2011 at 5:36 pm

    PLANETFITNESS  SUCKS I HATE THIS GYM!!!! I’M NOT FAT AND I STILL FELT UNWELLCOME THERE, AND I’V BEEN HAVE MORE CRAB TRYING TO STOPE MY MEMBERSHIP THER THEN I HAVE EVER HAD ANY WHERE ELS IN MY 29 YS OF LIFE THEY CAN ONLY TELL ME THAT THE LAST PERSON I TALK TO HAS BEEN FIRED AND THAT THEY HAD TO FIX ALL HIS CRAP + THEY SAID I SINED THE PAPER SO I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER.. SO WHAT I WANA KNOW IS WHAT IS THERE JOB THER IF WE’R  HAVE TO REMEMBER ALL THE SHIT THEY TOLD US 12 MONTHS AGO THE JUST HAVE TO STAND THER DOING NOTHING! I HAVE A LOT MORE I WANA SAY IF SOME ONE FROM PF CAN EMAIL ME…. ASAP. THEY DID’NT WANA GIVE ME ANY #’S TO TALK TO ANY ONE OTHER THEN THEM AND I CAN’T SEEM TO FINDE ONE ON THE SITE! 

  17. 266
    Lisa Mathison (1 comments) Says:
    June 1st, 2011 at 9:38 am

    The staff is rude and very impersonal. I called and asked what I needed to do to cancel my membership and was told to come in and fill out a cancellation form before the end of May. When I went in on May 28th to fill out the form I was then told that because I didn’t come in by May 27th to fill out the form I would be charged the $39.00 membership for the next year. They took no responsibility for giving me incorrect information. I will definitely never go back and recommend that anyone considering it to make a smart choice and find another gym. I try to tell everyone I know about my bad experience so that they can profit from my bad experience.

  18. 265
    Rob (2 comments) Says:
    May 24th, 2011 at 12:43 pm

    There is a new facility that was just built in my area which replaced a Gold’s Gym. Since my old gym closed I’ve done my cardio in the form of running the streets and using a TotalGym in my basement. I considered joining due to some of the harsh snow storms we’ve had which render running very limited at certain times. After taking an “informative tour” led by the local high school employee who knew nothing about anything, and reading everyone’s comments I feel this is nothing more than a membership grabbing factory. I have done other research (like I do before purchasing anything) and reviewed thier policies/business practice which is another story in itself. Thanks to all who left comments….if it reaches one person you’ve done your job

  19. 264
    Andrea Holcomb (1 comments) Says:
    May 18th, 2011 at 2:07 pm

    I am a current Member of Planet Fitness at the Kernersville NC location .
    During the Month of may you had the Susan Cole Breast cancer foundation special running .I inquired information by one Manger on how I could support this foundation . I then was told by her that I could purchase the Tshirt for ten dollars .The following week I came back in the morning to purchase two T Shirts one for me and one for my Daughter witch is also a Member .I then got told that I am not able to get these Tshirts .Well at that time I asked the Manger that was  there that morningand she replied  that this is for New Members only .Because of my requiring an answer to why this was a discriminating factor to new Members only I got threaten that my Membership will be canceled….so I left this matter alone only to see that the following week  the T Shirt were able to be bought then  when I  got turned down prior   …Bewafales me to all get out .
    I have been going to this Gym pretty much since it has opened.Many times I find the staff just chatting and not attending the gyms need  …filling up paper towel holders making sure the Tanning Beds are cleaned ect …Today .this morning the Manager on  Duty  passed an empty paper towel holder for your Members to clean the machine with  twice once when she was entering the back then then again when she came out. After a few minutes of me waiting and hoping she would fix the problem I look to the front desk and see she is chatting it up with a coworker that also has passed this empty paper towel holder .I went to the front desk and told her that that paper towel holder was empty and that she and the coworker have passed this situation twice and if she could rectified   the problem ….I returned to continue my work out ..The Manager came up to me and I was told that my membership was canceled imidiatley and that I need to leave the premises now or she would call the police .
    My question here is …is your staff properly trained to understand their function as employees of a Gym ??.Is this normal to get your membership canceled when you address the obvious …and get threatened to leave or the police will be called on you .I am just asking .There also was another member there that talked to me in the gym about the same problem and she said she would address the staff on leaving when done with work out .Wondering if her membership was canceled as well or was it just mine ??
    Hoping to get an answer here soon .I am having a feeling that I will call channel 12 with this to investigate to see if all members are threatend in this Matter !!!!

    Also my Membership did get canceled and  I never got questioned about any of these incidents that ac cured.
    So again …When you complain about dirty tanning Bed and empty Paper towel holders …and a staff of 4 behing the counter either chatting or playing quarters is this standard procedure to get threatened to  get escorted out with the police ???

  20. 263
    bob (4 comments) Says:
    May 14th, 2011 at 2:08 pm

    “The first complaint is that Planet Fitness could do more to educate their new members on basic gym ettiquete.”

    I’ve been going to several locations for a while now, and by far the most irritating thing is all the popping of chewing gum. It’s absolutely epidemic, especially at the Charlotte Whitehall location. Even a lot of the “men” do it. I’ve heard many people gripe about it, and on one occasion after a guy in the locker room was overhead griping about it by some thin-skinned gum-popper, a fight nearly ensued. It is a far bigger problems and a lot more irritating that cell phone usage (rare) or banging of weights. Gum should simply not be allowed, I think. At the least they should put a sign on the desk stating that it is a rule violation (and that it’s rude and shows a serious lack of class and character.) If there were another gym in the area that forbid this, I’d go there instead even if it cost more.

    I’ve personally complained to Whitehall about this, including by email, and have heard others do so as well. Doesn’t help.

  21. 262
    Matt (183 comments) Says:
    April 15th, 2011 at 7:16 am

    Hi Charles,
    I can assure you 100% that I am NOT being compensated by Planet Fitness. I have tried to be fair and balanced in my assessment of PF. Sometimes I will jump in and provide my perspective on other people’s comments — especially when they seem to stray into areas that just become silly. In other words, I try to “moderate” so that the discussion stays focused and doesn’t go too far off track. If anything, I am actually quite critical of Planet Fitness, but I just present it in such a way that I don’t come off as a meathead with an axe to grind. My readers should also know that since writing this review, I canceled my membership at Planet Fitness. I did this because I continued to be troubled by the double-standard behind their philosophy, as well as because of some of the silly policies I started seeing being enforced at my local Planet Fitness … for example, asking female members of the gym who were in excellent shape to wear a sweat shirt over their sports bra/top because it “intimidated” the less fit members of the gym to see their exposed midriffs.

    I encourage everyone to share both their positive and negative experiences and critiques of Planet Fitness. This is really the best way for people to decide for themselves whether this gym is the right fit for them. I hope you’ll share your list with our readers, Charles.

    Thanks-
    matt

  22. 261
    john (12 comments) Says:
    April 6th, 2011 at 10:58 pm

    i love planet fitness

  23. 260
    teegal (1 comments) Says:
    March 27th, 2011 at 2:01 pm

    My husband and I are both PF members. We signed up for the black card membership. I called before we actually signed up to see if there was anyway I can sign up for the black card membership for me and my husband the only problem is that we can’t go at the same time because we have kids and so one of us has to stay home with the kids while the other one goes to the gym. They told me that I couldn’t do that because we would both have to be there at the same time. So, I decided to sign up for the black card for the both of us because of all the “perks” that you get with the black card. And man was it the wrong thing to do..lol. The massage chairs are a complete JOKE. The massage chairs at the nail shop are a whole lot better. I called to see if there’s anyway I can downgrade my membership and they told me I would have to pay $116.00 to downgrade. I don’t use any of the “perks” and I’m wasting $40.00 a month on this stupid membership. It’s not like I’m asking to cancel my membership from the gym I just want to downgrade it..ugggghhh. Also my friends and I joined the gym so that we can motivate each other and we have a friend that’s fit and is working on becoming a personal trainer so he was helping us out with different workouts to do and etc. I found out recently that the mangaer spoke to him and told him that he can’t help us anymore because “people” were complaining and that he’s taking away from their trainers doing their job..WHAT? There are no trainers there when we go and we go @ around 11pm. There is only one guy there at the front desk checking people in and there are maybe 10 people in the gym while we’re there. So, I don’t see what the big deal is.

  24. 259
    Derek (1 comments) Says:
    March 24th, 2011 at 6:39 pm

    People really like to complain I see - I agree with Lisa Weber, if you know how to workout probably then you can get a great workout at PF. I was going to NY Sports Club for the longest, and when I was there I was benching the 100lb dumbbells. Then I moved to where I had a PF, and was upset at first that their db only go up to 60, but let me tell you I changed my workout around to work with what PF has, and I feel healthier and stronger then I ever did before!!!!!
    Quit bitchin people and learn how to workout!

  25. 258
    lilenforcer24 (2 comments) Says:
    March 15th, 2011 at 4:37 am

    Good Morning,

     
     
    I go to the gym located in Germantown, MD. I have several complaints that I would like to see addressed. For starters, I was in the parking lot at 6:58am on March 13, 2011, and there was no one inside of the gym. When calling other locations, they were opened. A staff member didn’t get in until after 7:15am. This really cut into my cardio excercise time due to the fact that I needed to attend Sunday service at 10am. The lockers in the women’s locker room are completely filthy. Pictures were provided with this email as proof. They have lots of dust in them. The showers are constantly filled with hair and the shower curtains have massive soap scum. The shower curtains are constantly hanging and the rings are all over the floor of the showers. The machines have constant pet hairs and mud. The fans don’t work properly.
     
    I don’t like to complain. But this gym has become my second home. I utilize this gym for about 3 to 4 hours, six days a week. Because I am serious about my training, I would expect that your staff members take their workplace seriously. I know that things can never be perfect, but there should be several staff members alerted to some of these areas on a constant basis. Fans should be on everyday for good circulation. I don’t want to feel disgusted when I come to the gym. I want to feel as comfortable as I can considering the punishment I put my body through.
     
    The fact that you serve pizza and bagels on certain days is an insult. All the carbs involved make me want to hate coming into the gym on those days. I try to burn as much calories as I can and to see that type of food laying there is a total turn off. There should be better food ideas that can be appealing to a gym setting. Fresh veggies or fruits can be substituted. And the tootsie rolls on every table and counter, really?
     
    I hope that someone can take running these types of gyms more seriously. I work hard for my money and I don’t want to waste it away on a place that I am not happy with.
     
    Many thanks,
     
    Current Member

      4 Attached Images












  26. 257
    lilenforcer24 (2 comments) Says:
    March 15th, 2011 at 4:35 am

    Good Evening,
     
    Today as I walked into the gym, the same staff member that I complained about opening late on Sunday, March 13, 2011, at the Germantown, MD gym, approached me and stated that I could not have my bag on the floor. I placed my bag in my locker in the ladies room. Minutes later another member came into the gym and placed his black book bag on the floor. This member was in the gym for approximately two hours. The same staff member passed him several times, while showing new visitors around and while standing in clear view of the front desk, but did not approach the member about the black book bag on the floor. I have provided three different pictures of the different machines the member was working on and where the black book bag was placed. As other members entered the gym, the staff member did not approach them to remove their bags off the floor. I feel I am being targeted after placing a complaint about the staff member’s lateness. I should not be targeted for any reason. I have my payment deducted faithfully out of my checking account. The complaint I made regarding the opening of your gym on time was legit. Before this all occurred, I emailed your office last night regarding the inconveniences. I have yet to receive a response. Your gym is not equipped with certain handle bars, bands or exercise balls that I utilize during my workouts on a daily basis. I am a clean person. I keep my things neatly in my small draw string bag. I clean the machines before and after I use them. The first set of fans in the gym are not working. Circulation is important in a facility that people utilize to exercise.  It is incredible to see that your staff members would act in such manner. If rules are going to be enforced, they should be applied to every member that walks into the gym no matter race, color or gender. I am being retaliated against and I am feeling very uncomfortable in a place that I spend other than my home or work. I take my workouts very seriously. I don’t want anyone to interrupt me unless there is an emergency. I would really appreciate if the right measures be taken based on my complaints.
     
    I would really appreciate your attention with these matters.
     
    Many thanks,
     
    Current Member
     

      8 Attached Images
























  27. 256
    Charles (1 comments) Says:
    March 10th, 2011 at 8:01 pm

    OK!!! Is it just me or does anyone else think MATT is being compensated by PF. He seems to concur with all positive comments. Yet refutes or has an explanation for ALL negative comments. My negative comments are coming soon but I am still compiling my list. And my location has only open for a month or so. (Southfield, MI)
    So PF is horrible and now reading the other complaints  I so regret signing up.

  28. 255
    Tom (2 comments) Says:
    February 9th, 2011 at 2:18 pm

    Well I just signed up for PF and I have to say the only thing I am really upset about is the free shirt.  It wasn’t even offered to me when I got my card.  The other thing is that I would have liked to talk to a trainer since I just had a major surgery and there are certain things I can and cannot do, but it seems I am on my own to figure out the equipment.   Other then that here is the contact info:

    CONTACT INFORMATION
    If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding Planet Fitness privacy policy and/or practices, you may e-mail us at info@planetfitness.com or write us at

    Planet Fitness
    26 Fox Run Rd.
    Newington, NH 03801

  29. 254
    ten nay (1 comments) Says:
    February 6th, 2011 at 12:39 pm

    thanks alot , super helpful

  30. 253
    Jen (4 comments) Says:
    January 31st, 2011 at 5:49 am

    have you seen the new commercials?? And they still call themselves a judgment free zone??????????

  31. 252
    Jen (4 comments) Says:
    January 31st, 2011 at 5:48 am

    Avoid this place. The ceilings leak, theirs mold on them, the help loves to gossip, their is way too much drama and a friend of mine had the worst experience ever in a gym there. Had nothing to do with working out either. Too much drama, gossip, jealousy, and backstabbing. Go to Golds if you want to get a real workout in.

  32. 251
    Sally (3 comments) Says:
    January 18th, 2011 at 3:44 pm

    I think the new commercial is a joke. You don’t welcome the type of people who started this gym business, and it sure seems to be judging them. Not a Judment free zone as I found out after I had to go because someone” didn’t like me anymore” I felt like I was in high school. So if you do join, stay the h away from the employees and work out and leave. But if you are a serious bodybuilder, go to Golds.

  33. 250
    KJinAK (1 comments) Says:
    January 18th, 2011 at 4:48 am

    Just cancelled my PF membership. two days later I noticed I was charged the $19.99 monthly fee.  I called to find out how I can be charged for the next month when I had cancelled my member ship. The guy imediately turned in to a smart ass and said, “billing goes out on the 10th, if you quit in that time period, you’ll be billed for the next month. Its in the contract.”  so it takes at least 8 days for PF to electronically charge the credit card. interesting cause when I first signed up, payments showed up damn near instantly.  When I asked about this the only replay was “if you don’t like it, you shouldn’t have signed up.”

  34. 249
    Jesse (2 comments) Says:
    January 12th, 2011 at 7:38 am

    @Julie W
    The cancellation policy is super simple. It’s listed on your contract and you can always ask an employee. When you want to cancel either walk in and cancel or cancel via certified mail BEFORE THE 10th of the month in which you want to cancel.
    The reason you are having trouble is because you didn’t cancel and you ended up with a balance. Just pay yer balance girl and cancel, geez. It’s only 10bucks.

  35. 248
    mike oxlong (1 comments) Says:
    January 10th, 2011 at 8:34 pm

    well let me tell you straight up what planet fitness is its a bunch of fags who cant train anywhere else because there are scared of being judged by powerlifters or bodybuilders haha what a load of shit planet fitness is the most biased place out there and a bunch of scam artists i cant believe they even function as a buisness nation wide like jon said get real people dont use this shit hole of a gym because if you do your either a homo or a smuck because if you are a real lifter dont be fooled by there talk and or there shit just take a second to walk into that gym and look and see the atomsphere and music and people and you will know that this place is horriable and if your where unfortunate to have fallen into there trap and stole your money im sorry but now the best thing you can do is spread the word and bash them fitness fags good and help hinder there Clientele and try and drive out this gym and bring in real gyms people can train at and not lunk alarms and bullshit like that

  36. 247
    Pf gym | Honeste Says:
    January 9th, 2011 at 7:15 am

    [...] Planet Fitness Gym Review | Gym & Health Club Reviews from Answer …The Planet Fitness Health Club Chain Promises a Less Intimidating Gym Experience , But Do They Deliver? And At What Cost? [...]

  37. 246
    msd (1 comments) Says:
    January 4th, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    I just saw the add on tv for Planet Fitness and I was totally disgusted.  It portrays a very muscular adult male repeating the phrase “I pick things up and put them down” over and over as if he is mentally very slow or retarded, and then being ushered out the back door because he is not welcome there.  I can’t believe anyone would think this is funny.  What are the advertising agents for this company thinking???

    Shame on them.

  38. 245
    Chalmer (1 comments) Says:
    January 4th, 2011 at 2:29 pm

    To whom it my concern
    I have been a client of Planet Fitness (PF) for quite a while and use the facility on regular basis. One of the premier things I like about the facility is its cleanliness and up keep of the equipment, the employees do a great job there.  The overall attitude in the fitness center is very good; the judgment free thing is a good concept.   I, as a client, like the fact that there is proper clothing worn by patrons and staff.  Now there are a few things that have changed recently and they have not gone unnoticed. 
     First thing is not being able to keep a gym bag with me in the gym while working out, that has gym equipment in it. I could understand if it was a big garment bag, those need to be in the locker room.   
     Second I have noticed that the presence of professional trainers is no longer readily available.  I understand that professional trainers are not part of your organization but their advice on training and nutritional questions can no longer be answered without leaving your facility and going to their offices next door in the strip mall.  The arrangement and presence of the trainers was a bonus (free to Planet Fitness), one of the reasons why I chose to train in your facility (I see this as a loss for all).   
     Third, this has got to be one of the lamest excuses I have ever heard.  Removing the Olympic style flat bench and incline bench because they make too much noise!  We were told this by an employee that appears to have been moved into a supervisor roll.  COME ON!  This has left three smith machines and three bench machines to handle all your customers.  This probably won’t affect members during non-peak hours but during peak hours, you have cut the customer’s chest training capabilities by 1/3 and have affected a multitude of other training used on the smith machines.
     I did some home work First I called Broken Arrow since it’s the closest. I was told they never put those types of benches in because they are not promoting body building and it was a corporate decision.  (now that sounds a little better). Since the things I have pointed out are less than believable, I picked at random from the PF website and called Austin, TX. and Anaheim, CA.  Neither of these two PF’s have heard anything about removing the benches and have them in use. 
     I also took the time to read the reviews on the internet. WOW less than flattering!  With this latest change you are going to have a few problems.  You’re going to lose customers, a very few but they are customers and they also carry a lot of word of mouth to non members who are considering joining a fitness club.  That does go along way!!!!
      I suspect this will be tossed to the curb like the other 150 plus complaints that are posted on the internet.  But there is something I learned after 20 years in the Air Force.  When there is enough documentation good or bad things will change.  Now I have added mine to the list. 

     

  39. 244
    Nicole A (1 comments) Says:
    December 30th, 2010 at 11:16 pm

    Today I was going to join Planet Fitness online…I’m SO glad I read the reviews first! There’s a whole website page full of negative reviews about this place! I’ve seen WAY more bad reviews than good. The price is a big eye catcher, but I really don’t feel like being embarrassed for accidently making a noise that they find to be “against the rules”. The cost seems great, but it’s not worth the trouble to me. I’m a beginner and if I accidently make noise with the weights or something I’d rather not be punished for that. I’ve also read about a lot of contract problems, being charged too much, rude employees, and many other issues that Planet Fitness has. I’m SO glad that I decided not to join. I would rather pay 60 dollars a month at my old gym and feel comfortable, not like I’m walking a thin line for trying to better myself. The training caught my eye as well, but that clearly isn’t as it seemed either. I would like someone to guide me and give me pointers, especially being new at this.

  40. 243
    Ravic (1 comments) Says:
    December 30th, 2010 at 7:38 pm

    Some of the other sides of “Planet Fitness” include:
    1. Untrained and rude personal
    2. Idiotic rules: friends can’t wait in the waiting room
    3. Dirty contaminated equipment: provided sprayers just spread mess around
    4. Zero to none weight loss.
    5. Multiple security problems
    6. Using UV light - cancer hazard.
    My advice for 2011 - skip it. There are some better places around.

  41. 242
    James B. Jefferson M.E.S. C.S.N. C.P.T. (1 comments) Says:
    December 20th, 2010 at 8:58 pm

    Dear Mike Grondahl
    You are a compete Douche Bag.
    Your Franchise is a joke and you are not getting anyone in shape you are just babysitting them and hurting the Personal Training Industry that helps keep people safe. I can not wait until someone drops dead in your club because they were not monitored professionally. Then you will lose money and that is all you care about your FAT BASTARD
    Go to hell your asshole.

    Posted by James Jefferson M.E.S. C.P.T. C.S.N. at December 21, 2010

  42. 241
    paul b (1 comments) Says:
    November 26th, 2010 at 10:56 pm

    First of all.. this is a business… these smaller gyms are set up as a money maker… they offer a low cost membership to entice people. every year, especially after the holidays, people join a gym… they generally go maybe 3 or 4 times and thats it, but the gym owner keeps collecting the monthly fee, if you desire to cancel, then you pay a fee, but you figure, well, i might start agin, so you keep the membership… the owners laugh to the bank… when you see an empty gym,. they are actually making money… they have maybe 600 memberships, but maybe 10 percent actually show up… this means little wear and tear on the equipment and little need of employees.. thus, the perfect money maker!!! How do i know this…. i am a friend of one of the owners!!!

  43. 240
    debbee palmer (1 comments) Says:
    November 11th, 2010 at 5:09 pm

    I’m OUT!  I have been there less than a month.  The staff was not friendly, in fact, they were downright unprofessional at times.  There is no referral program and when I inquired about this, they said, “we will ‘make note’ of it in the system”.  Really?!  what does that mean.  But the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back for me was when they allowed someone else to sign up under my account WITH MEMBERSHIP FEES COMING OUT OF MY CHECKING ACCCOUNT WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.  I absolutely WILL NOT give my business to anyone that treats my financial information lightly. 

  44. 239
    marie (1 comments) Says:
    November 5th, 2010 at 2:11 am

    I agree with most of the comments I have read. Been working out 3 yrs, and it was all i could do to keep my membership. Alot of office politics, and if one person doesn’t like u look out.   Place is good for the price, as long as u don’t ruffle any feathers. I actually interviewed for a new location, and he told me basically it is for newbies, people with no experience in a gym. Thats the mentality he said you will be dealing with. Also seemed down on using smith machine for squats. If its all u offer…….   I will say that u get what u pay for. If u can deal with it, its worth the money. If not, join a “real Gym” I do agree why offer a black card membership, then grill people over who they bring in and why. It is hard to tell who is training, under the radar, and who is helping a friend. Why should it matter, all they want is a cut of the money you make if you are an outside trainer. I see people getting away with it, but they watch some of us like a hawk. And yes if its hot as all in there cause the ac isn’t working right, I am gonna workout in my sports bra, and so far no complaints. Although the other location said its unacceptable. Well they should see what some of the women wear to workout.They could be streetwalkers. Its all a matter of what yu are willing to put up with.

  45. 238
    Mindstamina (1 comments) Says:
    November 2nd, 2010 at 9:00 pm

    To the poster Matt who wrote this article.  You are clearly a geek who has never lifted more than 20 pounds. Grunting is NECESSARY when bench pressing lots of weights or doing squats or leg lifts.

    To say most gyms should enforce this rule is idiotic and you are ignorant at best. Lifting heavy weights put massive stress on the body and any type of extra "pump" needed to help the person lift heavy and go through the motion of lifting heavy while the body goes through such stress would be really helpful.

    Glad you have a good gym like PF to run on your threadmill with your matching headband and spandex while discussing the show "Gossip Girls" with your gay male friend or girlfriends.

    SMH.

  46. 237
    ms treated (1 comments) Says:
    October 30th, 2010 at 4:15 am

    I have been a member a long time and could write a book about my experiences there. My advice is just go in, work out, and don’t befirend the staff. It will cause u nothing but grief. There is def. a pecking order in there. i am looking for another gym.

  47. 236
    smb (1 comments) Says:
    October 11th, 2010 at 6:29 pm

    Ok, if this helps people decide since I did not go through reviews when I joined, lost $132 because they overcharged my credit card even after cancellation, they refuse to accept my cancellation because I cannot reproduce my cancellation form after 10 months or so when I came to know about it thanks to one time $32 charge they put to my card to renew my membership for next year, otherwise they would have kept charging small fee every month which most of us would probably miss. Location Overland Park, KS

  48. 235
    g dey (1 comments) Says:
    October 8th, 2010 at 10:22 am

    This article shows that a good review can generate years of productive comments. I think that Matt is very correct about Planet Fitness’ lack of interest in being contacted. I was loudly berated by what apparently was a long-time club employee for trying to take advantage of a published ‘unlimited’ benefit for Black Card members. There didn’t seem to be any interest at the local club in correcting what appeared to be an ongoing attitude problem. Logically, Planet Fitness should be concerned, because a club which does not want members to be intimidated by other member behavior should avoid allowing members to feel abused or intimidated by people that they employ.

    Like Matt and other commenters, I could not find any way to contact anything above club level of the company to discuss this kind of problem (a non-trivial problem because a ‘nationwide’ membership does cost about double that for a single club).  I went to the extreme of providing full contact information and a description of the problem in the franchise info contact section of the website, as this was the only possible place to ask for a followup (I presented the problem as a franchisee-selection issue; suggesting an alternative franchisee for that area). Even that kind of desperate approach elicited no reaction at all.
    I hope that reviewers continue to hit this point with respect to Planet Fitness; I have belonged to several multi-location clubs, and find the Planet Fitness approach to be a bad sign, and potentially even dangerous for both the corporation and its members.

  49. 234
    jon smoot (1 comments) Says:
    September 30th, 2010 at 4:12 pm

    hahahaahaha this planet fitness is so funny like really anyone who is any kind of a lifter would not step in this gym this place is a joke they should call it planet fagness non intimidating atmosphere please im a powerlifter a real lifter ill go in and throw chalk scream and curl your 80 pound dumbells and make the fitness homos who are in there that weigh 110 pounds soaking wet with a neck that looks like a stack of dimes wet themselves haha what a joke this is this kind of place makes me pissed off because it gives lifting a bad name

  50. 233
    Grace (3 comments) Says:
    September 2nd, 2010 at 9:57 pm

    If you are looking for a clean gym, Planet Fitness in Knightdale is the way to go.  Apparently, they vacuum all day long.  If I go to exercise at 10 am, they are vacuuming.  If I go to exercise at 8 pm at night, they are vacuuming.  I know.  For most of you, this would not be a problem, as you are listening to your music, tv, etc.  However, I sustained a hearing injury from a noise blast and am unable to endure the vacuuming from 30 minutes to an hour.  When I explained my situation to the guy at the receptionist desk, without looking up from his calculator, he simply replied, “we have to vacuum.”  Then, I inquired if it would be possible to call ahead and make an appointment for vacuum-free exercising.  He handed me the manager’s card.  Does anyone out there have a R2D2 style commercial vacuum they could offer PF in Knightdale at a deal?  No doubt they could cut their vacuuming time in half if they quit using the Dirt Devil with a 1″x11″ head.  The company doesn’t want noise from “lunking”, but vacuum noise is supposed to be an enjoyable background noise while trying to relieve stress.

  51. 232
    JOEY YOUNG (1 comments) Says:
    August 28th, 2010 at 10:16 am

    There is ONE and only ONE answer to every single question anyone can post about P.F., and it is also the answer to EVERY SINGLE criticism that a P.F. faces.  Are you ready?

    Answer: A Planet Fitness gym makes more profit than any gym franchise available, and its corporate office makes more profit than any chain in history.  So, tootsie rolls or not, teens or not, returned phone calls or not, squat racks or not…..if you want to make ROI from a gym, you build a Planet Fitness.

    The more you accept that as an answer, the less questions you will have.

  52. 231
    John (12 comments) Says:
    August 19th, 2010 at 11:11 pm

    The fitness franchise Planet Fitness has not been all that impressive to me as it moved in a few blocks from my office.  First of all the exercise equipment is not well kept and the facility is really dirty.  I have also found that the fitness staff is not very helpful at all.  I am considering the YMCA as it is a larger gym with much more to offer than Planet Fitness.  Maybe there are better franchise units around the country. 

  53. 230
    Jacquie - Orlando, FL location (1 comments) Says:
    August 17th, 2010 at 4:22 pm

    I found the Belle Island Orlando, FL location to be full of snobs. Especially the staff. They were all rude as could be. My trainer was a half hour late for a 6 am session and never even apologized - like my time was of no value at 6 am. Her advice was horrible on food. I know nutrition and she didn’t have a clue. The standard eat more meat jargon you expect from someone clueless on healthy eating habits. If you don’t know what to say shut up and don’t say anything.  The staff stands at the front desk inspecting people as they walk in. How about a hi how are, so glad to see you? I am canceling my membership after two months which is a hassle in itself. I emailed the manager to tell him why and got some generic reply about how his staff is very nice instead of I am so sorry to hear you feel that way.

  54. 229
    Melissa W (1 comments) Says:
    August 14th, 2010 at 1:27 am

    Joined Stuart, Florida location as my home location and use the Palm Beach Gardens location once a week.  I am very happy with the kind and friendly staff, clean gym atmosphere and congenial guests.  I am very happy to have taken advantage of the black card status so that I can use both locations and tan, at a low monthly price.

  55. 228
    Ann (1 comments) Says:
    August 9th, 2010 at 10:02 pm

    Planet Fitness is the greatest thing to come into my town.  Prior to PF, other facilities charged enormous fees that were not affordable to those on a budget.  I don’t care about pools and saunas, just a place to burn calories.  Planet Fitness is awesome!  I lost over 40 lbs and maintained it for the past three years.  It is a comfortable place with plenty of televisions to choose from, music for those that do not choose to watch television, tons of machines and a friendly environment.  The best thing is the very low price for what you get.  I think they are losing money from me.  I go very often and get more than my money’s worth.  So glad PF came into my neighborhood.  I love it!  And so does my health.

  56. 227
    Laura P (1 comments) Says:
    August 9th, 2010 at 11:08 am

    The lunk alarm works for expired memberships too.  Ashame that they couldn’t have notified me in advance that I was getting close to my annual renewly but a very cocky teenage employee told me it wasn’t their job, I should have paid more attention.  And they have no corporate office number to call.  I have joined another gym.  Very large, local business, and many more opportunities for a good health plan.

  57. 226
    Matt Andrews (1 comments) Says:
    August 5th, 2010 at 5:47 pm

    I just stopped by my local Planet Fitness on Albuquerque’s Westside.  The location is close to my house and just opened a week ago.  While the place looked great(why wouldn’t it, it’s brand new), I got a very strange feel from the salesman showing me around.  When I asked whether I could pay a fee to try the facility out for a few days, I was informed that this would not be  possible.   The sale person informed me that corporte did not allow for this because of the already low cost of $10/mth plus a one time start up fee of $20.  He stated that if I didn’t like the gym I could just cancel my contract and only be  out the $30.  My gut instinct told me: “no way, dude”.  So, I stated that while I understood that this was  a great rate, why was it necessary to go thru all the paperwork and process of cancellation when a two day pass would be sufficient to know whether the gym was right for me.  Afterall,  what a hassle to have to sign a contract and then cancel it just a few days later.  I clearly empasized that people don’t like signing contracts just to try a facility out.  At this point the salesman became quite “cocky” and extremely defensive/unprofessional  stating that. “ Planet Fitness” must be doing something right since it had 25,000 members that had no problem with this.  I told him that what works for 25,000 members may not work for me.  At this point, I cut the tour short and said goodbye.  What is it that they are trying to hide and/ or is it that they know you WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CANCELL SO EASILY.   So, then I come on line to check out possible complaints and am not surprised(remember my gut feeling) to find out about cancellation/billing nightmares from current/former customers.  No thanks, Ill pay way more each month for peace of mind and quality service.  Planet Fitness ABQ, we’re on to you.  Noone is going to tell me I have to sign a contract in order to try a facility out.  What u should have done was  asked me  to sign an injury waiver for a two day pass.(THAT U WILL NOT OFFER)  Be very cautious, unscrupulous business practices  have no place here.  Never sign a contract with the promise that you can just cancel two days later.  You have got to be kidding me!     

  58. 225
    Grace (3 comments) Says:
    July 17th, 2010 at 9:12 am

    If you are looking for a clean gym, Planet Fitness in Knightdale is the way to go.  Apparently, they vacuum all day long.  If I go to excercise at 10 am they are vacuuming.  If I go at 8 pm they are vacuuming.  I know.  For most of you, this would not be a problem as you are listening to your music, tv, etc.  However, I sustained a hearing injury from a noise blast and am unable to endure the vacuuming for 30 minutes to an hour.  When I explained my situation to  the guy at the receptionist desk, without looking up from his calculator,  he simply replied, “we have to vacuum.”  Then I inquired if it would be possible to call ahead and make an appointment for vacuuming-free exercising.  He handed me the manager’s card.  Does anyone out there have a R2D2 style commercial vacuum they could offer PF in Knightdale at a deal?  No doubt they could cut their vacuuming time in half if they quit using the Dirt Devil with a 1″ x 11″ head.  The company doesn’t want noise from “lunking,” yet vacuum noise is supposed to be an enjoyable background noise while trying to relieve stress. 

  59. 224
    Rulus (1 comments) Says:
    July 15th, 2010 at 10:06 pm

    I joined the one in MetroWest, Orlando, Fl.  BIG MISTAKE. Do yourself a favor.  Spend a little more and join a real gym.  The staff and management are rude.  And god forbid you have an issue, cause they will cancel your membership quick.  That’s their idea of customer service.  Good luck on contacting corporate to express a complaint, or the owner of they gym, cause neither the management of staff will supply you with the information.  They have so many rules that you have to follow, It feels like working out in communist russia. Here is the number to Planet Fitness Corporate 603-750-0001

  60. 223
    valerie (2 comments) Says:
    July 13th, 2010 at 12:15 pm

    I have been a member of PF for over a year now.  This gym is perfect for me, it has the right equipment for what I need, great price, and great location.  The one thing that I don’t like are some of the members who use this place.  It’s just pure lazyness for someone to not wipe off their machine after they use it, I would hate to see what their house looks like.  Another anoying thing is when you go to use a spray bottle to wipe down the machine you have to send out search and rescue to find one.  This is because the members are too lazy to go get one, use it, then put it back, instead they want to keep it with them the whole time they are at PF.  Just plain lazyness. 

  61. 222
    kathy (2 comments) Says:
    July 11th, 2010 at 7:51 pm

    The Planet Fitness in Waterford, Mi. is terrible. It is always dirty. The employees are rude, they would rather sit and talk with their friends than help the customer.
    When I first staterd a year ago they had a wonderful staff. When they changed managers it has gone down. I’m not renewing my membership.    I would not recomend this place to anyone I know.

  62. 221
    Concerned Confused and SCARED! (1 comments) Says:
    June 22nd, 2010 at 10:29 am

    Long story short - This morning I noticed a Planet Fitness by my new home in Casselberry Florida so I threw on my sneakers and went to join.  I filled out all the paper work, paid and got my member number.  A young girl employee turned on the tanning bed for me so I went in.  The bed shut off so I went to the front desk.  A man told me I was already a member with a balacne of over $100.  I was very confused and asked from when I was a member.  The man stated from January 2009 and I laughed and stated I was living over seas at this time.  I politely asked him to see the manager and a short bald man came out to the front.  He didnt introduce himself to me but I asked him if he had a moment to sit and figure out the mix up with me.  He showed me a picture on the computer (which was blurry and far away and looked nothing like me) and said “this is you.”
    I said it was not and I was out of the country when I became a member according to them.  The manager walked into his office and I followed.  I pulled out my passport and asked him to please look at the departure date on the pass port and the arrival dates and he refused.  He told me he wasnt stupid and I was lying.  I picked up the phone and called my mother.  I asked her to please confirm to the manager that I was infact not in the United Stated when he says I signed up and she did and then asked me if I was ok because the manager was ranting on and on.  I told her I would call her back.
    When I got off the phone the manager durring his ranting called me a “bitch” and said why would be believe my mother wasnt a liar just like me.
    I asked him for his name and he refused to provide me with it.  I pushed for it and he took a stop closer to me and said I better get out of  there before I pissed him off more and something happened.
    I took a card off the corner of his desk and hurried out. confused and scared!!!
    His name is Floyd Moore and he is the manager of the Casselberry Florida Planet Fitness.  I understand he was probably confused himself but I provided him proof that I was living in Europe at the time he was telling me I signed up.  He didnt care what I said and was rude, out of control and threatened me.
    I am not only reporting him to corp but to the police for the threat he made to me and because if someone really signed up at his gym back when I was out of the country then I guess my identity was stolen?

    STAY AWAY FROM THAT PLANET FITNESS AND FLOYD MOORE.
    JUNE 22 2010

  63. 220
    Joe Random (1 comments) Says:
    June 21st, 2010 at 8:09 am

    I have to say, I can agree with just about all of your points and thoughts. Gym ettiquete is important and cleaning up your gear for the next person should be standard. From this article and from others I have read recently I get a very bad picture of this chain of gyms. At the same time, I think I’ve gotten extremely lucky at my local PF because I have not experienced a lot of the things I’ve read.

    We have a core of us that workout in the early mornings and we lift very heavy every day in the three big lifts and the auxiliary muscles. Minimal noise and mess because we ARE nice guys who DO want to get along with those around us. We control our weights both up and down, and while we may strain and exhale as we push our limits, we are not screaming like morons. We even use a chalk on deadlift day and we go to lengths to keep it contained and thoroughly clean up after ourselves. Maybe it’s because we are there so early, or maybe it’s the person working the desk (a great person, and probably the point on which we are the luckiest), but we get along fine with PF…so far. ;) (Notice I’m not going to identify where I’m working out.)

    My main reason for using PF was the “24-hour” nature of it. I needed a place that was open for more extended hours. If I had another choice I would certainly consider a more non-judgemental “Non-Judgemental” gym. Like I said, I think my crew has gotten lucky and like anything else, your mileage may vary.

    Good review!

  64. 219
    Current Member (1 comments) Says:
    June 17th, 2010 at 2:05 pm

    I’m a current member and for the most part, the worst time to go is between 4pm-9pm when everyone gets off of work/school.  And I do feel that since the price point is so low, it is accessible to some of the wrong crowds….it does feel like I have died and gone back to the projects on weekends…..so I just plan my gym time around early mornings or really late nights……other than that, no complaints for the cost.  The local YMCA was $45/month and not so great either.  It would be a trade from the ghetto for the senior citizen home….and they (senior citizens) hog machines just like the ghetto folk…..  I once spent a while waiting on the Smith press bc some 90 yr old wanted to catch up with his bridge buddy I guess…….  Not too many oldilocks at PF which I dig.   Love old people everywhere but at the gym and on the road.

  65. 218
    Aubrey (1 comments) Says:
    June 15th, 2010 at 8:14 pm

    I’ve been at PF in VA Beach for about 3 months. I must say I absolutely love the gym, the staff, and the environment. Everyone seems very respectful of others and follows the rules. Since I’ve been going to PF, I’ve heard the lunk alarm 3 times. When it goes off everyone kinda just laughs. It’s not anything to take too seriously.  The entire gym is very clean, and the locker room is spacious and cool. I’ve lost 60 pounds this year, and I’m still going, and I like the simplicity of PF. Obviously the price is appealing. Other gyms in this area are around 60-80 a month which is way too expensive. The location of the gym is also very convenient. My suggestion to anyone who is thinking about getting a gym membership is to check out all of the gyms in your area. Settle with the one that best suits you. If you are an aspiring bodybuilder…work out at a gym that is geared more towards bodybuilders. If you just want to get active, lose weight, and tone up then PF could be great for you. Also, try to realize that people’s opinions are based upon their preferences and their expectations. Most people only write reviews when they have a bad experience, so you have to check things out for yourself to make a fair decision.

  66. 217
    Maureen (2 comments) Says:
    June 14th, 2010 at 7:51 am

    The PF I belong to is in Scranton Pa.  It is so hot in there, the temperature usually registers at around 75 or 76 degrees. The young snide female manager refuses to admit there is a problem and dismisses each complaint.  We don’t know where to turn for help. It’s a heartbreaking situation.

  67. 216
    Sydney (1 comments) Says:
    June 12th, 2010 at 3:18 pm

    It is very obvious to me that it depends which location you go to - I have a black card and use both Stamford, CT locations. The staff is truly fantastic at both locations, everyone is beyond nice and knowledgeable, and they are constantly wandering around cleaning anything in sight that needs it and they are only a few feet away if you have a question.
    There is rarely a machine that’s broken but it is clearly marked when they are, leaving plenty of others to use. I do not go to the free-weight section but the weight resistance machines and cardio areas are never packed full of people (unless it’s a weekday around dinnertime). I always get to be on what I want to be on and never feel rushed, plus the weight resistance machines have weights that go over 180 lbs. There are some seriously beefy people that work out right next to the newbies and I’d say in the four or five years I’ve been a member, I’ve only felt uncomfortable once.

    (My gym had protein drinks btw, the last time I looked.)

    I feel bad that some of the commenters had such bad experiences, but I have consistently had great experiences which is why I stick with them.

    Shoutout to all the employees at Harborview Stamford!

  68. 215
    Domenic Aragona (1 comments) Says:
    June 7th, 2010 at 8:38 pm

    I’m a member at the Aston Pa. location, after returning from  vacation discovered renovations had taken place. The treadmills and related equipment are now located closer to the entrance where the machines used to be and the machines are now located along a block wall. The new layout appears to make better use of the floor plan except the elimination of an aisle that was lined up with the locker rooms, a minor inconvenience! A major problem is the machines now face a block wall which which does not promte motivation! I feel confied and not part of the workout atmosphere, the machines should be facing the treadmills. I asked several other members about my observations and three agreed and one did not mind.
    I hope this situation could be rectified.    thankyou

  69. 214
    J Lantor (1 comments) Says:
    June 1st, 2010 at 10:04 pm

    I will be cancelling my membership the day that it expires.  I joined the gym in August of 2009, with two black card memberships.  Well, June 1st has come, and our credit card was just debited $85 for an annual fee, even though our 12 month membership is only 9 1/2 months old.  No invoice or reminder was sent to let me know that I was going to be charged that.   I remember when I joined that I was specifically told that an invoice would be sent.   I was told that even if I cancelled my membership today, the day that the fee was charged, I would still have to pay the membership fee for the following year.    Terrible gym if you can’t get there during banker’s hours.  Gym here in Albuquerque is dark and very uninviting.   I have not set foot in that dark, dirty gym since October 20, 2009 and when I tried to reach the corporate to complain, all I hit are brick walls.  I have never heard of a company who refuses to listen to their clientelle.  For this reason, I have been and will continue to tell everyone I know to run far, far away from ANY Planet Fitness…… and even that is not far enough.

  70. 213
    Sarah Jane (1 comments) Says:
    May 14th, 2010 at 9:23 am

    I also suspect that women (even females who take their weight-training very seriously) will generally find Planet Fitness a pleasant place to workout.

    Uhh, no. Women who take their weight training very seriously like to squat and deadlift, which apparently one cannot do at PF. We also need the same spinal stabilization as men do for heavy lifts, i.e. Valsalva, which could possibly result in, horror of all horrors, a GRUNT.

  71. 212
    Julia Dean (1 comments) Says:
    May 14th, 2010 at 8:23 am

    I am not happy with Planet Fitness. I joined the Madison Heights,MI when they opened. They have so many members I could not get on the equipment I wanted to use and have had to leave the gym several times!!!
    Beware of their cancellation contract terms!! My bank info
    changed my account was closed. 2 months later Planet Fitness billed me. THEY SAID UNTIL i CAME IN PHYSICALLY OR SENT A CERTIFIED LETTER WITH PAYMENT IN FULL INCLUDING THE $10.00 A MONTH LATE FEE!!! THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO BILL MY ACCOUNTANT AND I COULD NOT CLOSE THE ACCOUNTANT UNTIL IT WAS PAID IN FULL.
    I DON’T KNOW IF THIS IS LEGAL!!! ANY ATTORNEY’S OUT THERE? HOW ABOUT A CLASS ACTION SUIT? THEY THINK BECAUSE THEY ARE SO CHEAP PEOPLE WILL PAY FOREVER,IN CASE THAY WANT TO GO TO THE GYM!!!
    THEY DON’T CARE IF THERE IS ENOUUGH EQUIPMENT!
    IT’S ALL ABOUT THE $$$$$$$ FOR PLANET FITNESS!!!!!!

  72. 211
    Dave (5 comments) Says:
    April 13th, 2010 at 1:42 pm

    I have been a black card member of Planet Fitness in Sunrise FL and have NEVER received a T-Shirt, most of the tan beds are broekn and they are so crowded you must wait hours to use one, I have never even SEEN a massage chair?!?!

    I joined about 2 years ago and am no longer under any contract but they keep billing me monthly.  I no longer live in a city with a Planet Fitness (moved about 6 months ago) and have tried to cancel and was told that I needed to send a notorized letter certified mail to the headquarters.  When I said that was reduculious they threatened to put me into collections.
    This gym is underhanded and sleazy.

  73. 210
    steven mason (1 comments) Says:
    April 9th, 2010 at 5:05 pm

    Problems with planet fitness this is one of the letter I sent to corperate..
    To whom this may concern, I work out at the Planet Fitness at the Henderson location in Nevada. There has been many complaints from my wife about two particular older male staff members that work there. One the other hand I love working out there and have had no complaints untill today. Working out on the smith machine I set it up like I normally do every time I go there.( not knowing there was a rite or wrong way) this time rite when I was going to bench press the owner came up to me yelling, as I almost dropped the weights on myself I sat up to see what was going on. The owner said, “ you need to turn this bench around” I said that I have been doing this way for many years and did not see anything wrong with it as long as I was not making any kind of noise. Then if that wasn’t bad enough he asked three guys next to me, “Which way does this bench go?” they complied but after he left everyone that heard the conversation just shook their heads. Very pissed off at the situation I just left not knowing when I would be back. There is a proper way to say something to someone and obviously this guy had a problem. I have never bitched about any establishment, but now that I realize that some of the staff at this gym are !!!!!!!!, I think this is an issue that had to be brought up.  

  74. 209
    Rich Herndon (2 comments) Says:
    April 5th, 2010 at 11:10 pm

    Tulsa OKLAHOMA Planet Fitness Is One of The Tackiest Fitness centers I’ve ever been apart Of. I’ve Been there a Full YEAr this MONTH . The First 9 months Was Ok , But the last 3 Months has Been Trash Everywhere , Mud, Locker Rooms Filthy and I’ve COMPLAINEd Time after Time, and NOTHINg Has Been DOne . This Has Continued to CONTINUe ………………………I’ve Mentioned this to several people and memebers of STAFF. .SOMEONE Needs to Do SOMETHING ABOUT this ISSUE N O W !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! New Members Come to work Out with their Butts hanging Out, and memebers Come Stinking terribly LIKE Rotten ONIONS Constanlty ———-Stinking up the ENTIRE SHOP. plus Somedays the WHOLE BUILDING Smells Like Rotten DIRTY BUTT. And When I Say Something , . The Fitness center Continues to Be Just as Trashy and Smelly day after Day . ***********This is Either going to CHANGE or I’m CHANGING GYMS………………If anyone needs to Speak with me My number is 918-949-9804    I Go To the GYm At Different  Hours  . Sometimes at  Night , Sometimes In the Mornings  , and Throughout the Days , and This Seems to Be  …….The Same thing AROUND the CLOCK.  The GYM Has Clean Days , But I’ve REALLY Noticed Hear Lately Alot . Trash , and Really Tacky , Filthy , Out of ORDER  THings (NEEDING) addressed

  75. 208
    Rich Herndon (2 comments) Says:
    April 5th, 2010 at 11:05 pm

    Tulsa OKLAHOMA Planet Fitness Is One of The Tackiest Fitness centers I’ve ever been apart Of. I’ve Been there a Full YEAr this MONTH . The First 9 months Was Ok , But the last 3 Months has Been Trash Everywhere , Mud, Locker Rooms Filthy and I’ve COMPLAINEd Time after Time, and NOTHINg Has Been DOne . This Has Continued to CONTINUe ………………………I’ve Mentioned this to several people and memebers of STAFF. .SOMEONE Needs to Do SOMETHING ABOUT this ISSUE N O W !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! New Members Come to work Out with their Butts hanging Out, and memebers Come Stinking terribly LIKE Rotten ONIONS Constanlty ———-Stinking up the ENTIRE SHOP. plus Somedays the WHOLE BUILDING Smells Like Rotten DIRTY BUTT. And When I Say Something , . The Fitness center Continues to Be Just as Trashy and Smelly day after Day . ***********This is Either going to CHANGE or I’m CHANGING GYMS………………If anyone needs to Speak with me My number is 918-949-9804

  76. 207
    Christian Quiroz (1 comments) Says:
    March 29th, 2010 at 8:03 pm

    I am here with my co-worker from planet fitness and we think that PF is a great place not olny to workout but also to be part of the staff. everybody here is friendly and only want to see our members accomplish their goals.  we do everything possible to provide a great environment meaning our facilities are spotless due to our great cleaning crew that comes in 5 times a week. we have great bonds with our members, since most of them are regulars. if you have any doubts come find out for yourself 

  77. 206
    Cari (1 comments) Says:
    March 16th, 2010 at 9:13 pm

    I am a personal trainer for Planet Fitness & I must say that every PF is to have one personal trainer on staff to instruct the group training aside from working as a sub-contractor in personal training. I spend 32 hours a week at my PF doing the 4 training classes offered: Design Your Own Program, Upper Body, Lower Body & Abs, & PF 30 min express. Design is the first class to take where you’ll learn the basic in & outs of gym etiquette. My style is I’ll go over some info in the beginning explaining stuff then start them out on cardio & finish up with showing some machines to start a basic workout. From there, each member can decide if they’d like to take the other classes to add on to the machines or do the rest on their own. Perhaps this isn’t the case at every PF but it is their philosophy. & yes, as a personal trainer it’s not the dream location for a highly progressive bodybuilder etc… but I enjoy the fact of passing on my knowledge to those who don’t have a clue & seeing people walk in feeling lost & within no time they’re become gym rats and are happy to have a place to call their own!

  78. 205
    Lora Lazur (1 comments) Says:
    March 9th, 2010 at 7:58 pm

    Use to belong to the Northville, Mi PF but I’m not going any more because it’s too dirty and the staff is rude. Just couldn’t take it anymore. Transferred my membership to the Westland facility and it’s super clean and staff is always friendly. I’m there to stay.

  79. 204
    jaded (1 comments) Says:
    February 20th, 2010 at 2:07 am

    The PF I joined actually had required group training sessions covering cardio, uppe body and lower body workouts as an intro to the gym  The trainer was a college student studying fitness.  (Location in CA) so it probably differs from location to location.  They also has handy graphs to tell you the busiest times for the gym.

  80. 203
    Chantille (2 comments) Says:
    February 19th, 2010 at 4:59 pm

    don’t even dare to get membership with planet fitness….they have on the windows big and large NO CONTRACT, just $15.00 monthly…….WOW……so i told myself, i can waste $15.00 a month and join this.  I don’t have to join as my company ****tech in SSF has several gyms but just wanted to get membership here so that when i am in SF i can just hop in.  but ever since i joined, never did i enter that place again.   now, i relocated somewhere in the midwest so i have to cancel but the manager told me to pay the whole year i SIGNED A CONTRACT.   THE MANAGER IS BULL AND SHE LOOKS LIKE A BULL…….WTF!!!!  I told them to go to hell and send me to collection I don’t care.  

    BEWARE YOU GUYS…DO NOT EVER JOIN THIS FITNESS…PAY A LITTLE MORE TO GET SOMETHING DECENT.  YOU WILL BE WORKING OUT LIKE SARDINES HERE…

  81. 202
    Chantille (2 comments) Says:
    February 19th, 2010 at 4:59 pm

    don’t even dare to get membership with planet fitness….they have on the windows big and large NO CONTRACT, just $15.00 monthly…….WOW……so i told myself, i can waste $15.00 a month and join this.  I don’t have to join as my company ****tech in SSF has several gyms but just wanted to get membership here so that when i am in SF i can just hop in.  but ever since i joined, never did i enter that place again.   now, i relocated somewhere in the midwest so i have to cancel but the manager told me to pay the whole year i SIGNED A CONTRACT.   THE MANAGER IS BULL AND SHE LOOKS LIKE A BULL…….WTF!!!!  I told them to go to hell and send me to collection I don’t care.  

    BEWARE YOU GUYS…DO NOT EVER JOIN THIS FITNESS…PAY A LITTLE MORE TO GET SOMETHING DECENT.  YOU WILL BE WORKING OUT LIKE SARDINES HERE…

  82. 201
    rich (2 comments) Says:
    February 18th, 2010 at 2:08 pm

    about 2 months ago, got blood work results from doctor,  he informed me that i had to start working out or die young,  being a police officer in Philadelphia, that was not what i wanted to hear.  i use to work out at other gyms years ago, and was not really happy there.  had to sign contract and work out on their hours of business.  i was a pretty muscular guy but never like being around sweetie people that left the equipment wet with their sweat, and all that yelling and grunting was just stupid.   will i guess you can figure out i stopped going (but still had to pay until contract was over)…so luck be with me, i seen a planet fitness commercial, 1 dollar to joint and 10 dollars a month with no contract.  i quickly went on your website, took a tour and sign up.  i was very impress at out clean everything was, especially your locker rooms and showers.    it’s a middle age crowed like myself, and no one is yelling, swearing or grunting. everyone is just working out, very friendly and very respectful of the equipment and individuals working out.   my only complaint is some of your t.v.’s the sound is very poor,   everything else is perfect.   also i love your hours (open 24 hrs) now i can work out on my schedule.  thank you………..

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