TLDR
Cons
-Unhelpful, rude staff that provides no noticeable value to members.
-Severe lack of free-weight equipment relative to demand and use
-Very crowded. You will wait for equipment, your workouts will last longer than they need to via wait time
-Poorly maintained and old equipment
-They want your money without meeting their end of the deal. They simply don't care about basic accountability or ongoing member satisfaction.
Pros
-Custodial staff keeps the place clean
-If you like weight machines, there are a lot of them
-There are multiple fitness options such as raquetball courts, a basketball court, and a small lap pool
I have been a member of LA Fitness in Stuart since February 2019, and can say with confidence that this is a churn-and-burn operation. I have had very few experienced that exceed an average standard, the vast majority of which sit comfortably in poor to well-below average. while I could give several examples of frustrating experiences, I'll stick to my most recent experience that involves what is their most glaring deficiency, their staff.
LA Fitness Stuart is a large facility, with a good range of activities and options including a pool, basketball court, cardio machines, group fitness area, machines and free weights. While they offer a lot, demand amongst members seems to be most high for the free-weight area and group fitness. I can't speak for group fitness, but the free weight area is overcrowded most of the time, with a major scarcity for the few things that people use. 40 LB dumbbells are one of those items, and they only have 3. Not 3 pair..... 3 total.. so effectively, they have one pair of 40 LB dumbbells for a gym with close to 800 members. They have as many usable 40 Lb dumbbells as they do 120 LB dumbbells. Now I'm not saying we all shouldn't aspire to be more swole to throw around those 120s, but in the meantime, there is not a linear demand among your gym going population for all dumbbell weights. 40 LB dumbbells are used a lot more than 120LB dumbbells and if you need them, they will be missing, or you will wait because someone else will be using them. This phenomenon is in full-effect for other weight ranges as well, but at least some of the other more in-demand weights are not present in an odd number.
I brought the odd number 40Lb set to the attention of the member service desk months ago. I was told that they will "look into it". Nothing changed. I then spoke with the member service manager who said she would talk to the equipment manager. Weeks went by, still 3. I mentioned the issue 3-4 times more and was met with the same pass-the-buck apathy, with no signs of effort or progress to fix the issue.
Yesterday I went to the desk because the place was a mess. Plates were left on unused equipment, lying on the floor, and equipment was misplaced, while 3 members of the staff and one guy I don't even know worked there behind the desk in a wife-beater, were socializing amongst themselves. This is definitely a trend at LA Fitness Stuart. I was admittedly visibly annoyed, and asked how many of them were standing around not doing anything. I was approached by a guy who said he was the general manager of the club. He commented the cause of the messy, disorganized state of the gym was "you guys, the member's fault, for not putting equipment back when you're finished with it. We don't go around hiding equipment on you" and the standard theme of it being another manager's responsibility for the 40LB dumbbell 3-pack and that it's "corporate's fault". It is true that there that there are definitely some rude members who never return their equipment, but this is not a satisfactory explanation from a general manager. In the middle of my conversation with the GM, one of the desk staff interrupted, saying that he had to ask him a question. When the GM asked him what it was about, he said "just something I gotta ask". He was clearly trying to bail the GM out from what he perceived to be as a petty complaint with an annoying member (me). I asked the kid if it was urgent, and he smugly responded "kind of" This is where I decided for sure that I wanted to cancel my membership, which of course, the GM couldn't do himself, and I was told I had to wait until the next week. read more