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Provided by Citysearch
more than just a place to work out. interesting crowd
Posted by YuSa on 12/11/2008
I'm a female, early 20s and I found the people who go to Golds gym very interesting. There are a lot of locals, my fidm classmates, and some guys from usc. Just keep in mind that this is downtown L.A. so the people there act like they're from L.A. Read: friendly? maybe. creepy? maybe.
The staff there is really outgoing. I'm not that attractive but even the first day I went this salesguy (Jerald) was totally hitting on me and even invited me over to his place! Too bad he's small, in more ways than one :(
While some people might think this is really friendly, this is just not my type of thing... your call.
I would still recommend Gold's gym if you're outgoing and are the adventurous type rather than the shy type. It's definately an interesting crowd there.
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Provided by Citysearch
Good Facility, bad crowd
Posted by leomac13 on 01/06/2008
Gold's has great machines all around, but it may be that quality which brings it down. one starts to wonder who this gym is catering to. The place is in downtown so you'd think its for the professional crowd (and that notion is definitely confirmed past 5:00 when lines are not uncommon until about 10.) So if you go any other time of day you encounter the vulgarities inherent at an inner city gym. The loud grunting, heavy weights slamming against the ground and a floor littered with un-racked bells all add up to a certain "macho" factor that makes working out just annoying. Basically, you get a a bunch of guys with lots of time on their hands and the gym turns into a hang out. Gold's gym is known for being the "weight lifters" gym, but seriously, when you get members who are bigger than bulldozers routinely messing up the place thats too much. If I were in charge I would raise the rates just a little bit in order to streamline the client base. I personally would not paying more for a place with a better crowd.
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Provided by Citysearch
Fails Downtown Dwellers
Posted by bbes10 on 05/27/2007
Until gyms like Golds and 24 Hour Fitness learn that downtown Los Anglees is more than for businesss 9 to 5ers, they will continue to lose opportunities for new members. I was all over the idea, until I got about 9 of us from a loft builidng downtown to guest pass it as an initial experience; we discovered the gym closes at 5pm on the weekends and 24 Hour (what's with the name anyway?) closes at 6pm. Try LAAC or a hipper club-face it guys, 20,000 new residents can't be wrong.
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Provided by Citysearch
Well-equipped facility, lots of options
Posted by cufflink44 on 11/30/2006
I'm an older guy who's been a member of Gold's Downtown for about 4 years now, and I'm generally very happy there. Excellent free weights (beautiful brand new dumbbells and fixed-weight barbells as of Fall '06!), good machines, a variety of cardio stations. If you're into classes (spinning, yoga, . . . ), there's a lot to choose from. Boxing ring too, and a large, attractive pool. Plus free towels.
The clientele is a nice mix of USC kids, older execs, hard-core bodybuilders, and men & women just looking to lose the flab and tone up, in all sizes, ages, and races. Not much "attitude" either on the part of members--unlike, say, Gold's Hollywood. (As in most U.S. gyms, members are generally neither friendly nor unfriendly to each other; it's more a matter of, "You leave me alone and I'll leave you alone.") Every so often you get the "gym pigs" who leave barbell plates scattered all over the floor and never re-rack, but most members are fairly considerate and well-behaved. The staff is friendly too.
The only drawback is the usual one: during the after-work rush it gets pretty crowded, and you sometimes have to wait to use the equipment you want. At these busy times, the "regular" locker room is often jammed and uncomfortable. (There's an "Executive" locker room that's more money and requires a key to get into; I've peaked inside and it looks nice. But hardly anyone seems to have sprung for it.)
I'd like to see some additional equipment (like a 4-way neck machine!), and sometimes the recumbent bikes I use for cardio aren't always maintained perfectly. But those are minor complaints. If you're looking for a fine all-purpose gym in Downtown L.A., Gold's is hard to beat.
By the way, parking in the adjoining structure is free but not unlimited--you get 3 hours. That's generally sufficient for most people, but if you have a long workout and then would like to grab a bite afterwards in the food court outside the gym, you may find yourself over-limit.
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Provided by Citysearch
Best Workout
Posted by waistdeep on 12/11/2002
Gold's Gym--Downtown is true GOLD. Awesome equipement, great staff and trainers, fiendly members, never too crowded. Great mix of atmosphere, people, and equipement to sweat on.
