Any input on Lifetime Fitness? archived

It was great, but after a year I found the cost prohibitive. Also, while the pool outside is fabulous, it is too crowded most days in summer to expect a chaise lounge and they charge extra for guests...$25 per day in summer, to use the facilities..

I have been a member since February 09 and even though I said I would never join because of the distance, I have been going consistently about five times a week. It's probably the most I have consistently have gone to any gym in my life (and I have practically always have been a member somwhere for about 18 years).

I love the classes and also enjoy working out on the equipment. The childcare facility is great for my kids and overall when I go it's not just a workout but a nice escape.

I wouldn't put the pool in the equation for joining. It's a nice extra. I do enjoy the pool if I am by myself and in the morning (which is rare) but it is crowded and it has a TON of rules. It is nice that it opens earlier in the season than Maplewood, and my kids do take lessons year round there.

I have been to both gyms and they are pretty much the same to me. You can go to either one.

Georgie with the childcare do you literally just show up and drop them off or do you need to plan ahead the day before for the class you might take, and sign up the kids. Also is there just a play area for them or is there a place they can read or do homework. (I do plan to visit the place, just wondering though).

I have never consistently gone to any gym and no matter how much I say I'm going to exercise I never do...one of the reasons being the kids complain. If they love to go and have different options for themselves then it would be worth it I think.

In my opinion, I think the childcare is ideal for kids 2.5 - 7 or 8. Around eight I could see kids not wanting to go and really never see anyone older than that. There is a computer area for kids to play games, and a back gym where they have some playground games. I am not sure if it's quiet enough to do homework though. When you do tour it keep in mind that during the week in the late afternoons/evenings the childcare is pretty quiet. Mornings and weekends they are a zoo.

You pretty much drop them off. Unless you need the baby area, then you have to make an appointment.

georgie - you hit on a big problem that I have. Between the ages of 8 and 12, there's really no proper childcare. They don't want to go because it's to babyish and frankly there are no activities for the older kids. Also they're not allowed upstairs to work out on the machines until they're 13. This is really a problem for my (big for his age) 11 year old, who is physically big enough to work out on the machines.

I ended up cancelling Lifetime for this reason - I can't go with my son and I can't leave him at home on his own. It ended up being very expensive for what it was.

That said, it's a lovely facility and well maintained.

Interesting...my kids are 6 and 8.5 (girls) and I'd really need them both to WANT to go or at least not mind being there for an hour or so. I'll obviously need to take them with me to visit the place though sounds like even if my older one likes it the novelty might wear off pretty quickly.

My son would use the indoor pool while I was working out. He was ten though.

Great facility. Been members since almost the beginning. Go 95% of the time to Florham Park, on occasion to Berkeley Heights.

My son is now a high schooler, so no experience with the child care or issues about what facilities he can/cannot use. (kids under 12 are restricted from the main exercise area on floor 2).

The new policy is no guests at all on weekends (to prevent overcrowding). Each member gets 8 guest passes a year. However, you can't bring the same person more than once in (30??) days. So a repeat visit within (30??) days would cost $25.

Have not found the pool overly structured -- but then again, no little kids. If we go at a peak hour, say 2 pm Saturday, I have a couple of chairs in the trunk of the car if needed (for pool side).

I have not been to the Berkeley Heights club during summer weekends, don't know if its any more or less crowded. But when I've been there during the week, it seems a little less packed. I get the impression that that facility is a bit more directed towards local employers/employees -- so it might be a different mix of people.

Can well recommend Lifetime.

/p

Thanks Pete.

Anyone know what the enrollment fee is? right now the promo is $0 enrollment fee (but still pay $99 admin fee) and 6 training sessions (2 now, 2 at 6 months, 2 at a year). I'm trying to figure out whether I rush there with family before Thursday to decide (knowing I won't get there for a week b/c I'll be away) or forget rushing b/c enrollment fee isn't too much more $$ and just suck that part up.

Also both clubs are 24/7...and that really means if you wanted to work out or swim at 1am you could? (I know no classes would be going on!)

I didn't pay an enrollment fee. Its a frequent enticement.

You can workout at 1 am but you can't swim at 1 am. The pools aren't open 24 hours (even for adult lap swim). The lap pool hours today for e.g. are 5 am to midnight.

We have found the gym to be great for rock climbing, swimming and basketball with the kids. I will be playing squash with my neighbor there. But for early morning workouts, I still end up at the JCC - Lifetime is too far for a quick workout.

It's a beautiful facility, certainly. We have belonged to Florham Park since it opened and are deciding whether to drop our membership. The outdoor pool is insanely crowded on weekends - elbow-to-elbow in the water and no place to sit unless you are there at opening to stake out a chair. On weeknights they pull everybody out for 20 minutes an hour, and close the snack bar pretty early. So unless you time things perfectly, with small children it is tough to use it on a weeknight.

The indoor pool is wonderful, during family swim hours, *but* children are not allowed to use it between Memorial and Labor Day, which I find extremely irritating. (Adults have dedicated lap pools inside and outside, as well as access to both leisure pools.) The family locker room is way too small (six changing rooms, maybe?) and frequently has wheeled bins of towels barreling through.

The class schedules are pretty heavily geared towards families with a stay-at-home parent. The childcare is fine, IMO, for sturdy preschoolers on up. The spa is pleasant. The adult equipment is lavish and never crowded. The cafe is often closed earlier than the posted hours (like 6pm on a Sunday evening).

The website (for things like checking class schedules or family swim hours) is the single worst consumer-focused website I have ever experienced. Does that matter? Well, it does the third time you schlep an excited preschooler out there and fight through the family locker room to find out family swim hours have changed, swim lessons are cancelled this week, or your younger child can't go in because there's a new rubber-pants rule and they sell them in the cafe, which is closed.

We joke that they are very, very good at explaining why they can't give you what you thought you were paying for. Of course that's the gym model to some extent. There are certainly some things they do extremely well, so I would just recommend thinking extra-carefully about when and how you mean to use the club.

Agree with everything elsie mentions above.

You should have a 14 (or 30) day full money back trial period. Try it and see if it works for your family.

Thanks for the continued comments. I think I will not make a rush decision before 7/15 since as Boomie noted that's a common enticement ($0 enrollment). I've been looking at the class schedules today to see, if I was a member, which class I would attend each day and would my kids go with me. My husband also plans to go but he might be one of the 1am people. The pool was never really a factor to me since I belong to the Mwood pool and for some reason never think about swimming except in the summer. But the info provided by Elsie is something I'm sure they wouldn't have told me at the visit and if once my kids know a pool is available they'll want to be in it.

I was viewing Lifetime as a place the whole family could go for 1.5 hours ,everyone doing their own thing and loving it...then i'd be more motivated to go. But if my kids think it stinks then I will never get there - better to just join the one on Springfield.

Definitely alot of thinking to do!!

I enjoy Lifetime and my kids do too, though they are younger.

I agree that their Web site sucks, as does the tiny family locker room. My biggest beef about the family locker room, though, is only 2 bathrooms! Really? It is the only place you can take opposite-sex kids in to use the bathroom and there are 2 whole toilets.

I don't take my kids alot, though. Sometimes in late afternoons we hit the pool, and I don't find it too crowded, but this is during the week. My husband is not a member, so we don't typically go on the weekends.

It is also nice during the winter for them to have an indoor space to play, or the indoor pool.

All things considered, I love the classes their and I think it is the best gym in the area.

Even at age 9-10, my daughter was OK in the childcare if she could get one of the computers. The little guys love it. Not having to pay extra each time you use babysitting is also a major advantage over other places in the area (as is the existance of any childcare for school age kids).

My now-11 year old loves the outdoor pool because of the waterslides (making it preferred to the S.O. town pool, I'm afraid, so we've let pool badges lapse, but may get them again for playdates)

I just quit my member ship at Lifetime in Berkeley Heights.

My biggest complaint was the loud music. I like to watch TV shows on my I-pod while I do cardio and listen to music on it when I am lifting. The music in the gym (which was awful to begin with) was so loud that I literally could not hear my I-pod.

I didn't like the daycare very much either. The people who run it are very nice but for toddlers all they do is set the kids in front of the TV. Some of the programming that my two year old was subjected to was completely inappropriate.

Add to that the idea of driving 18 miles every day (over 6,000 miles in a year $600 in gas for my car) was a big turn off.

Lifetime Fitness the thought of it makes me hungry and sleepy

my family of 6 recently joined lifetime in florham park. we joined primarily for the pool facilities and fitness classes (yoga and pilates) for me. my 4 kid are 8 and under and they love the child center (apple computers, climbing maze and child gym) as well as the outdoor pool with the water slides. we have not used the indoor pool yet because of the summer. for the outdoor pool, we have only been there during the weekday and it can get crowded during really hot days.

the biggest draw is the facility is well-kept and clean. also, they provide towels which are helpful. the few yoga classes and pilates classes i've been to are excellent. it also helpful to have free babysitting while you workout.

i agree with the posters above about the numerous restrictions which make it difficult to plan the day when we have many varied interests (mom, dad and 4 kids). for example, if i want to take a yoga class, i have to plan around their swimming classes or free child organized activity. also, kids under 12 cannot use the jacuzzi, saunas, gym, etc. which my kids love to do. my kids also love to do laps and they can't go to the lap pool which are for 12 and over. the climbing wall has limited open hours (after 5pm) which we tend not to miss as we like to go during the day.

i also find that i don't like how the swimming classes are organized. instead of paying for at set number of sessions, they automatically bill you monthly. you have to give them a month's notice to cancel. i don't like to give up this control over payment.

overall, we like it so far and try to go there at least twice a week to make it worthwhile. it is at least a 20 minutes drive for us so we really have to plan the day around going to lifetime (i want to take a yoga class at noon, kids have no lessons then, let's go) rather that the preferred drop by quickly for a workout/swim. i think this is the biggest downside for our family.

i think it's worth going on the tour and see for yourself.