I tried LA Fitness in Lake Success NY on a three day pass I printed from the company's web site (www.lafitness.com). At first I was impressed by the sheer size of the facility, the largest of any gym I have seen, and at least 2x the size of Equinox's flagship location at Columbus Circle.
Group Exercise: Offer 108 classes per week, the most of any gym I tried, from morning until lunch time and early evening till 10pm. Classes range from yoga, spin, boxing, step, pilates, cardio kickboxing, belly dancing, abs, latin dance, and water workouts (in the pool). I tried a circuit class, which easily accommodated 50 people. This was also the largest fitness studio I have experienced. The class was challenging and incorporated about 7 stations.
Amenities: The locker rooms were simple and clean, with large showers, but lacking in amenities (no towel service, hair dryers, cotton balls/q-tips, or lotions). There is also a kids club that is open during group exercise periods.
Cool feature: Long hours - the club is open 5am - midnight on Mondays, 24 hours Tues-Thurs, and Midnight to 11pm on Fridays. In addition to the sea of cardio equimpent and weight machines there are also at least four raquetball courts and two basketball courts.
The price: $150 initiation fee and $65 per month. Technically there is no commitment, but you need to pay for your first and last month and give 60 days notice if you want to end your membership, which in effect ties you up for 4 months.
The bad: I have never encountered such a hard sales pitch before. On my first, and what turned out to be only day there, my membership consultant tried very hard to convert me to a member on my first day. When I told him that I wasn't ready to make a decision yet, he indicated he wanted to introduce me to his boss, so that in case I came back and he wasn't there, I'd be taken care of. Instead I am greeted by someone akin to the mob boss, who tried to shake me down to join. When that didn't work, he tried insulting me and my inability to make an on the spot decision to join his gym ("Did you drive here? Well, when you drive, you have to make lots of quick decisions"). I was completely turned off by the tactic "I don't like a hard sales pitch" and grabbed my bags to go. At this point, the mob boss reassured me that they didn't have me tied to the chair, softened his voice and walked me out the door. Too bad they felt the need to try so hard that they completely scared me away. I probably would have joined once I got done trying out all the other gyms as they had more to offer than Equinox at half the price (granted though they have no locations in NYC).
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