Gold's Gym - Dupont Circle

Olivier Yorulmaz 4 months ago

Gold Star Gym absolutely earns its name. The facility is spotless, the equipment is modern and well-maintained, and there’s enough variety to build serious strength without waiting around for machines. The atmosphere is focused but welcoming, which makes it easy to train hard without feeling judged. The staff is professional, attentive, and genuinely supportive. Whether you’re a beginner trying to find your rhythm or someone chasing performance goals, they take the time to help and create a motivating environment. What really stands out is the energy. It’s not chaotic, not overcrowded, just a place where people show up to work. If you’re serious about progress and want a gym that supports that mindset, Gold Star Gym delivers.

Selena A a month ago

I am giving this place one star for the ease with which I was able to cancel. They only tried to upsell me and get back in at one point in the process. I am also only giving this place one star because I have to. During the process of cancelling (all online and with no one to speak with) I was led to believe that the buy out was $100 with a final charge of $42.39 due on June 5, 2026 (for a gym membership I have had on pause for months now and not used following a heartbreaking year which included work I once loved at the Kennedy Center). Instead I go traipsing through junk inbox to find a receipt for $184.78....which was not what was on the screen anywhere when I hit submit to pay my buyout. And now I have an email back from them which suddenly explains everything that was nowhere on any screen at the point of buying out my gym membership. WORST COMPANY EVER. Do not be scammed by them. I understand gyms are hard to cancel and can be expensive but what is quoted should not almost be doubled and you have no idea about it till after you have paid. So just be warned that if you intend to quit this place before you contract runs out, you will be paying more than you think when doing it online. And you will have to do it online because they do not want to talk to you on the phone. Conveniently none of them are around for that talk. (Oh and Gold's---I won't be taking this review down like the one you intimated me into taking down when I first joined.)

Zaskia Torres 5 months ago

TaMon Hendricks did a fantastic job during my pre-training session with my Gold’s Gym membership. If you’re looking for a personal trainer, I highly recommend asking for him. As a woman, my fitness goals were very specific, and he was able to meet those niche goals in just one session. I learned so much and we went through all the workouts I wanted to focus on. He’s very patient and kind, but also tough in the best way to make sure you’re getting the most out of your training. He’s a wonderful coach and truly cares about helping you improve. It really enhanced my experience at the gym knowing I now have someone I can go to with questions and feel confident that I’m training correctly. Highly recommend!

Steven Martin a month ago

Gold’s Gym is a mixed bag overall. The facilities are generally nice, the equipment is newer, and there’s pretty much every machine or piece of equipment you could want for a solid workout. The staff is usually good and attentive, although some employees could be a bit more engaging. It wouldn’t hurt to look up from your phone occasionally and greet members when they come in or leave. For the most part, the gym checks the major boxes, but a lot of smaller details fall through the cracks — details that I would expect a well-managed gym to handle without issue, especially at this price point. One major issue is the air conditioning. There are times when the AC is either broken, turned off, or simply not strong enough to keep the gym cool. I often have to go to work after the gym, and even after taking a cold shower, I’m still dripping sweat again by the time I leave the locker room. Most of the recurring problems are in the locker room. Out-of-service lockers and long-term locked lockers can make it difficult to find space for your belongings, especially during busy after-work hours. The showers also look like they haven’t had a proper deep clean in a while, with visible residue on the walls and ceilings. I’m not expecting a full deep clean every day, but at least every couple of weeks there should be a thorough cleaning crew addressing these issues. I don’t personally use the sauna, but I’ve heard multiple complaints about it being out of service for days or even weeks at a time. The most frustrating issue, however, is the regular stocking problems. It doesn’t happen constantly, but there have been multiple occasions where I’ve arrived and been told there were no towels available. Quite frankly, that’s unacceptable. I pay for towel service and structure my day around being able to shower at the gym before work. When towels aren’t available, I have to rush my workout and go all the way home to shower instead. A gym charging nearly $100 a month should absolutely have an emergency towel supply in case deliveries are delayed. The shower product situation is also consistently frustrating. I don’t expect luxury products, but I do expect basic functionality. Too often I’ll get into the shower and find one or more dispensers empty. Even worse, I’ve had times where the conditioner dispenser was filled with body wash instead. When I mentioned this to the front desk, I was told the gym refills the bottles manually and that eventually the “conditioner” bottle would be corrected once the body wash inside was used up. That response honestly made the issue worse. It’s not rocket science to refill and label products correctly, and it gives the impression that no one is regularly checking them. These dispensers should be inspected and restocked at least once or twice a day. Equipment wipe stations are also frequently empty, whether because supplies aren’t being ordered properly or staff simply aren’t being asked to refill them regularly. While that may seem minor, it leads to sweaty equipment being left behind for the next person. I know all of these issues individually may sound small, but together they add up. If this were a budget gym, I’d probably be less critical. But for nearly $100 a month, the things I’m describing feel like basic expectations, not luxury requests. I’ve attended this location for years and plan to continue going, but I finally felt it was worth bringing these concerns to management’s attention and mentioning them for potential members. I genuinely hope the feedback is taken seriously and that improvements are made.

Emily Friesen a month ago

My experience with this gym was not a good one for several reasons - however I’m hoping that by leaving a review I can help out the customer to have a better experience should you choose to go here- don’t make the same mistakes that I did! So for my own mess up and role in this I will admit that I may not have fully understood everything before I signed up, truthfully it felt like all the information about being a member was thrown at me all at once, also with an invisible pressure to hurry and sign up before the deal is gone (I understand that this is a business tactic and is very standard so it’s on me to not absorb that pressure) however, I made it explicitly clear that I did not want to be under contract and was promised by the sign up guy that it’s no contract gym. From the start I was clear about my expectations for a straightforward monthly membership. This gym requires 60 days advance notice to cancel and they collect your last month’s dues upfront. This means you’re financially locked in even if your needs change, with payments continuing during the notice period. The sign up guy insisted it isn’t a contract, however, it feels designed to make leaving difficult and expensive (along with last month’s dues up front). I didn’t appreciate the sign up guy’s attitude when we disagreed on this, he told me that he told me this up front and I stated that I was aware of that, however the way it’s presented is confusing because he is insistent it’s not a contract and I didn’t realize it until after the fact. From my experience, a truly no contract gym would allow you to cancel at any time and just pro-rate the remaining amount. This does exist, and I’ve done this with two separate gyms where I’m from. Issue #2 was that the price for the membership changed 3x. It started at $29.99 biweekly, when I want to use a cc I was told this price jumped to $32 and some change (ok, I thought in the moment, but why are we adding cc fees?) and then when I received my bill it was $34.44 bi-weekly. My biggest complaint about this is that when I brought it to the gym’s attention, I was given a lecture on taxes and how they work and how the price was obviously the pre tax price, and I should know that anything that requires purchase will have taxes (I’m aware of this, btw). From my perspective, you should tell the customer the total price, don’t sneak in taxes and credit card fees after the fact to make the number more appealing up front. It feels a bit deceptive, and it didn’t make me feel confident in their transparency or business practices/gym policies. Ultimately, I decided to cancel my membership. Be sure to read the full contract before signing (and other reviews), and know exactly what you’re committing to. Okay facility (bathrooms were a mess whenever I went in there but otherwise okay), and go from there.