Beautiful venue, but the experience was extremely disappointing. I hosted my daughter's quinceañera here, and unfortunately the staff made the event far more stressful than it needed to be. They were rude, unaccommodating, and repeatedly interrupted us throughout the night to remind us about wrapping up even though there was no event scheduled after ours. It felt like they were rushing us out the entire time. Initially, we booked the venue when talking to the coordinator that we would be allowed to have our service dog there. The staff was questioning why our service dog was at the party and we have had that conversation already & the coordinator said it would be okay. On top of that, the projector screen was positioned in a way that blocked the stage, and we were told we'd have to pay extra to use the stage even though the issue was due to their equipment being broken before our event. It was unreasonable and frustrating. Overall, the constant interruptions and lack of professionalism from the staff overshadowed what should have been a special celebration. The venue may be beautiful, but the service completely ruined the experience. read more

STAR Center - Recreation Centers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I went for an event that I commented at. I've never been there before. It's a huge area! I wish more people know about this please. They have events and stuff also read more

Don't go here. Sure the space is great, the center is clean, the parking is wonderful. And that is it. The staff here for private events are the worst. Firstly, front desk flat out told me no, we couldn't set up the chairs and tables early even though the room wasn't in use and it would cost us extra. Okay, you can't set up early, no problemWhen father came, they told him "well maybe, it may cost extra, we will have to see." Interesting how the answer change for a woman versus a man? Flat no for me and oh we will see for him? Service for the room. The family had reserved the south room with the stage and projector. They had it part of their package as they were going to project a video and wanted the stage for the live band... tell me why they told my friends family "we will have to charge you extra" to get the projector fixed that my friends family paid for?? Why are you telling us you are going to charge us for something you are supposed to provide? Make it make sense? Because we lost that space on the stage the band had to perform on the floor taking space from our dance floor... they refused to compromise/accommodate us for the lack of the thing my friends paid for. We had no dance floor, we had barely any space which we would have had if we actually had the stage. No one really danced, it killed the vibes of what was supposed to be a beautiful coming of age celebration. Honestly, the space may be gorgeous but the service is so atrocious that you shouldn't come here. read more

Great facilities from Parks Tacoma, they offer kids and adult classes such as Karate, Kendo, Chess, and more. read more

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We love Star Center! This is such a beautiful facility. They offer classes through Metroparks, other classes, memberships to use the exercise equipment, rentals for birthday party space, and even an indoor/outdoor play area for kids. On the property there is also SERA soccer field and Boys and Girls Club. Everyone is so friendly and inviting, as well! read more

STAR Center - First Kendo class - Recreation Centers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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They have some fun events sometimes but most of the time they are private and nobody is allowed inside during them and the staff is kind of rude read more

I worked for Metroparks Tacoma for 4 years. I brought my kids to Star Center tree house to play. I will say I'm very disappointed in how they are running things in here. The kids are required to take off their shoes but parents aren't required which makes no sense. I see adults walking around in their big outside shoes while little babies and toddlers crawl on the floor. How is that sanitary ? And these adults in here doesn't have common sense either. I definitely won't be coming back. read more

Brand new community center from Metro Parks. They have a fitness center and they offer classes for adult and kids. Things like yoga, cycling, pilates for adults. They have fun dance classes and things that I can do with my toddler as well. Free childcare throughout the day while I'm working out. The kid area is so much fun, and I guess they're planning to build an outdoor covered play area later this summer. I can only imagine that they're going to start offering even more once membership goes up and they begin to hire more people. read more

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I used Star Center as rental space for my baby shower for 80. I'm very picky and hard to please, yet Star Center exceeded my high expectations. The contract signing process was very straight forward. The staff member I worked with Chris walked me through the entire process step by step and was very available for my million questions. Pricing was reasonable and payment options are flexible. The week leading up to the event he gave me a courtesy call to let me know he would be out of town the day of my event and made sure all final details were taken care before his departure, which is was very thoughtful and professional. The day of the event I worked with Peggy. She was friendly and professional and her and the Star Center staff were very attentive to our needs. I appreciated her staying on top of time for us, even when we went over time she didn't hassle us but simply notified us of our options. When it was time for clean up she was helpful as well. Concluding the event. Chris quickly followed up and the remaining deposit was returned. The Star Center team was awesome! It's always great to be able to enjoy a large event you host without logistical problems. I'll be back! read more

STAR Center - Recreation Centers Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

My new hot spot! I like S.A.I.L. My new exercise group. Instructors start and end on time. They are very welcoming. The staff have been accommodating, informative and nice. I wasn't anxious as I usually am with a new group. Did I mention, the place is organized and it's clean! Thanks to the staff. read more

Very accommodating for a wedding! Definitely would recommend for any wedding or large event! Main room holds atleast 300 people. Customer service is outstanding and they were there to answer and assist with any questions! read more

I have been watching this Center transform from the ground up and was super excited to attend a wedding venue here. My daughter attends the neighboring Boys and Girls club and she was able to attend the grand opening and raved on how nice the facilities were:) I patiently waited until the wedding to visit. Beautiful exterior and interior, I don't really know were to start but to say that if you are in the area, you must visit:) read more

I brought my one year old here for a play date. The facility is clean and beautiful. The children's play area is fantastic, though we were under the impression that they had a toddler only area---they do, but it is a room with no padded floors and a small climbing wall. I think they must have some toys that go in there, but nothing was set up when we were there today (a Saturday, when you'd think it would be prepared). I might be overly critical because I've worked in licensed child care for many years, but the atmosphere inside the play structure was chaotic and uncontrolled. It looked like there were a couple birthday parties going on, with parents and kids coming in and out into the play area, and about three staff working. Two were painting faces by the door, while one wondered around & sat in the rocking chair and talked with the others. Older kids were absolutely out of control, knocking over the smaller children, screaming, brawling each other, and running into everyone. I saw the male staff member break up one fight, but the majority of the supervision fell on the parents in the room. I signed in when I arrived, but I forgot when I left and no one stopped me--which raises a serious red flag for safety in my opinion, as I walked out holding a child. I'm sure I would never use their daycare service. Zero supervision and too much walking in and out with no greeting from the staff. Oh, and the front desk staff person was sweet but painfully slow--answering questions, talking on the phone, and helping others while I stood there wrestling a toddler who just wants to run around and explore. Also, when we left there was a group of staff behind the front desk hanging out and talking about getting margaritas. I'm no prude, but really guys? Overall, I was unimpressed. This review has 3 stars purely for the beauty of the place and it's cleanliness. If I was basing everything on my experience in the play area it would receive one--maybe two--stars. read more

The STAR Center is a fantastic community gathering space! The building is new and clean and LEED certified. The bathrooms are well maintained and the shower stalls are private, but spacious. There's the urban playground for kids with it's complex maze of indoor equipment and friendly staff. Parents can take off their shoes and play with the kids or drop them off for an hour and work out in the well-equipped gym. They gym features treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, rowing machines, free weights, etc. All of the aerobic machines feature individual TV's and iPod connectors. Members can also purchase a "smartfit" key which can be plugged in to track your work out progress. The STAR Center also has a large commercial kitchen, various meeting spaces. There's always some event taking place, but it never disrupts the regular gym/playground access. Members are issued an ID card which is scanned for admittance into the gym and used for security purposes in the children's playground area. read more

This Center is truly amazing. It's brand new just opened in May 2012, and has state of the art everything. they have a gym to die for, the rowing machines and bikes actually generates energy for the building! the way the roof is built the rain comes down a column and feeds into the plants and ponds on the grounds. We will be holding our holiday party here and you can not beat the prices, the rooms etc. I can not find anything negative to say about this facility .The staff really goes out of their way to meet all of your needs. Oh and I can't forget to tell you they have music lessons, ballet lessons, the place is a MUST see. read more

Star Center is a community based center located on 66th Street. The center offers personal fitness instruction as well as group classes. The instructors are well educated in their field and make the workout enjoyable, fun and profitable to those of us wanting to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Come out and join us....you won't regret it. read more

Somedays you get a greet or a hello when you walk in and past customer service desk and sometimes you do not get a hello or goodbye when you leave also. It all depends on who is working or what kind of mood they are in. Some will turn their heads when you leave to avoid wishing you a good day even when they are not busy.Just wish they had proper training in this stuff.As for me I love to say hello but have a hard time with making eye to eye contact with them as I do not believe they are trying hard enough to make eye contact. Some do and a lot do not. So to me this would not be family friendly or customer friendly in this sense. Of coarse when they are serving other customers they should be excused. Update: Management has contacted me and says they will correct this problem . This is really the only problem there was and the facilities are great so I am changing my one star to a 5 star rating. Thank you Star center read more

So this isn't your "typical gym" that you would find a bunch of meatheads and obnoxious sales people... I really love the gym here- I normally shy from most gyms because I hate that atmosphere... All of the equipment is new, the gym is clean, cool and quiet, and the staff is very polite.. They have an awesome daycare center that has pretty good hours and some really fun toys for kids of all ages to play on and there is a sub way inside(the star center is a community center) The only reason why I wouldn't recommend this would be for the really heavy lifters/olympic lifting... they have free weights and bars but its not ideal for people that want extreme lifting. Overall I love this place :) read more

I discovered the Star center several years ago after attending a wedding that was held there. There were fairly newly opened at the time. I noticed they had a gym, and awhile later inquired. When I first registered, I did not get a tour or even an explanation of the offerings. So, when I registered, I was signing up just for the gym, and at their rate, it was extremely reasonable and within my budget. After almost a year, I attended a free trial class, had a great time, and one of the members told me I should come to one of the other classes. Told them it wasn't really in the budget, and she was the one who told me it was free, and part of the Star Center membership. Awesome! I have been a member for 3 or 4 years now, I LOVE the fitness classes. There are some frustrations, no way to make everyone happy :) . The staff is very pleasant. The shower area is not user friendly, and fortunately for me, I live close, so this isn't a huge deal. I have found an entirely new life style through the various instructors/trainers and incredible people at Star Center, and overall, I highly recommend this facility. read more

This place is awesome very friendly staff clean facilities and never overly crowded like other gyms i love this spot

It may be pretty, it may have high ideals, but this place is a mess. Everyone is really nice, but no one knows what they are doing. I signed up after I was given a schedule of all the swimming activities that were available. It was mid-month, so the charge was pro-rated. A friend used me as a reference the same day, which would have given me a free month. I was told that I would be charged the membership fee on the first of the month, and if I didn't have the money on the 1st, my membership would be automatically cancelled. I was not charged on the 1st. I wanted to sign up for the orientation on the special weight machines, but no one knew how the computer worked. I went to a low-intensity aerobics class, where the instructor showed up 15 minutes late, and the group turned into a complaints session about people's kids by the final cool-down. The Mt. Tahoma school pool was under maintenance, so I was told to use the Eastside pool. The Eastside pool had a sign posted, stating that Star Pass holders weren't accepted for the water exercise classes. I went back to the Star Center to let them know that their pool schedule handout was misleading. The staff called the athletic director and told me that the water exercises at Eastside had been cancelled completely. The athletic director knew this, and didn't communicate to the staff -- or the members. The day before the Mt. Tahoma pool opened, Eastside started charging Star Pass members full rate for everything but Open Swim. I went back to the Star Center, let them know, and asked for the new schedules, at least for the Mt. Tahoma school pool. The staff had nothing. A gal took my contact information, and I received a call later. I was told that there was no schedule handout, and then the caller rattled off the schedule. So I cancelled my membership on September 15th. The next day, I saw an authorization on my bank account for the dues for September. I didn't understand why I was being charged 2 weeks after the 1st, and the day after I cancelled, so I called and spoke to someone in Billing. They told me that it was a glitch in their computer system, it doesn't batch properly, that all new members are not charged on the 1st of their first month. Then I was told that it was all going to be fixed by a new computer system in "about 6 months," and it's not a problem, except for new members. That night, I checked my bank account again, and saw that an additional authorization had been added to my account, so there are two from the Star Center now. During all of this, I remained pleasant. During all of this, no one even offered apology or would recognize that there was actually a problem. read more

Star center park is not good. Last Thursday someone broke into my car window and stole my purse. We need more security in the the parking lot or at least fix the homeless situation. It's not safe for our cars or our children. Although I like the park the owners need to fix the homeless problem. read more

The only reason I am not giving this place 5 stars is the shower/locker situation. I love this place and have enjoyed using the gym on an almost daily basis. I have used the center as a meeting place and have participated as part of a non profit in some of the community events there. The people who work there are all fantastic. I've enjoyed the classes I've participated in and the price is more than reasonable. I am seriously considering cancelling my membership however. The center fails as a commuter gym. Because of my schedule I am needing to switch my workout times to early morning. However, the shower/dressing/locker situation is intolerable. The Shower/changing stalls are tiny. There is not enough room to negotiate changing after a shower inside the stall, but you essentially have no other choice. The lockers are outside of the bathroom/shower/changing area so you have no choice but to take ALL of your belongings into the shower with you. I attempted this twice and will never do it again. Taking my bag filled with my work clothes, hair dryer and all items necessary for me to get ready for work after my workout INTO MY SHOWER is not reasonable. It is also impossible to deal with items like stockings, dresses, dress slacks, etc inside a wet phone booth of a dressing room. Not to mention the fact that there aren't enough hooks to keep your items off the wet floor and the 'bench' is not sturdy or trustworthy. I hate that I have to leave a place I really like because of something as minor as a shower. However, its not minor when my choices are to either stop going to the gym or go before work.... read more

I first came to the STAR Center as a volunteer for a community event. I must say the facilities were very nice and clean. They had the workout rooms, event space, an auditorium, and even a Subway inside! Outside they have an open space with a play area for children along with some paths that circle the grounds with benches. It is one of the nicest looking community centers in Tacoma for sure. read more

This fun and modern building has something for everyone. From dancing classes to a gym there are numerous activities for you to participate in. I am not a member ( I wish I was!) but I have been here many times for free, to take tours and participate in free activities. The STAR center (FYI stands for South Tacoma Arts and Recreation) has activities such as a kids indoor playground, gym, yoga classes, piano classes, music and dance studios, subway restaurant, weekly farmers market, cooking classes, personal trainers, and youth involvement . If you like getting involved in your community, working out, and many classes, you'll like the STAR center! Chris read more

Great fitness center and great classes!!! Lots to offer for kids and adults. With regular free events that are so fun with kids of all ages. read more

We reserved a big room at the STAR Center for an important announcement of our community organization. It was outside of our normal budget, but it would have been worth it if the event went smoothly. When we arrived, their staff asked if they could take some of our tables and chairs for another event, which put us in an awkward position. We had a series of 6 speakers and 2 videos as part of our presentation, but halfway through the second speaker the audio system failed, and their staff couldn't fix it for the rest of the event. We cancelled the two videos, and made do with our speakers shouting to the group, but it was definitely disappointing. I asked for a partial refund after the event because their audio failed and they couldn't fix it, but they only offered to refund $30 of the $730 price tag. Needless to say, we won't be using STAR Center again. read more

New and beautiful, we rented out the kitchen part and it was fairly cheap. We had hundred of cheesecakes, haopia slices, pies to bake the kitchen is Large with a lot to offer. We loved cooking our stuff there. read more

Alex is awesome! The facilities are gorgeous!! We have a Sunday service at 11 am and the staff for the pasy two years have been very kind and generous to us. My friends have also had their weddings here! Their playground is great for kids and I love that I live close to their tennis courts! read more

Spotless fitness center, with modern equipment, at the best price in town. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the free weights are really lacking. There is no rack or cage for squats, just a Smith Machine, and no way to bench press unless you want to drag a bench over to the Smith Machine. The only place to do deadlifts is an awkward corner where I keep bumping into the drinking fountain. I'm willing to put up with this because the price is right, the building is beautifully maintained (also private showers and changing rooms which always look clean to me, although I shower at home), the staff is nice, there's never any wait for any of the equipment, and since it's a publicly owned facility there are none of the shady business practices/used car salesman tactics that you sometimes run into at private gyms. I'm hoping they'll get some of the kinks out of the fitness room and expand their free weights set up. I think the group fitness classes are still hitting their stride, hopefully as membership increases they will offer a little more variety. I'd love to have the option of taking a yoga class during the day, (most of the daytime classes are geared toward seniors) but the classes that I have tried have been great. read more

Do not rent any of the facilities here. They charge you a fat 'cleaning fee', which they will not refund, even though we left the place far cleaner than it was when we got there. There was leaf debris and dirt on the floor from the renters that had used the room that morning (we were afternoon), debris and dirt we cleaned up when our function was over. We put away the tables and chairs, wiped up the floors, and made sure the place was spotless, but they kept the $140 cleaning fee, even though they didn't lift a damn finger cleaning the place. Take your business somewhere it will be appreciated, and you won't be ripped off for services never provided, because they weren't needed. read more

I just want to give a big negative shout out to the Star center in tacoma for ruining my sons birthday party. I called them a few days ago to schedule his party and they said no problem there was a spot available for my size party and time. And they would call me back that day to get everything set up. They never called back that day. I called the next day and was told the room was no longer available. Because someone came in and paid for my spot? I was never told I had to pay upfront.And they only have the big room available for $60 more. And I dont think that is acceptable. I called them back and said could I get that room for a discount? or you guys honor the original price? and they said no there is nothing we can do. Wow so disappointed in this place. read more

I love this place has helped me transform from 275 down to 200. I have been able to train to complete 18 half marathons. Love all the instructors che, Paula, ebony, Alex. Love personal trainer Reilly. Plus others I am forgetting. read more

I recently joined the star center gym and I absolutely love it! The staff is amazing and so helpful! The group fitness classes are awesome and have wonderful instructors! there is onsite childcare for a very reasonable price at the amazing treetop playground! and my son loves it there! They have an afterschool sports program that is great too! My 6 year old son has taken soccer and basketball so far and he starts flag football next week! The sports program is very reasonably priced also! My family and I love the STAR center! read more

So, I WANT to love this place. I feel that this is a great community center, and I want it to be awesome. But, unfortunately it isn't... The "gym" isn't much more than a elipticals and treadmills, plus some fancy-looking machines called TechnoGym (basically nautilus equipment). But in my second visit, while trying to adjust the height of my seat, a random guy came up to me disgustedly and explained that it was broken, and hadn't been fixed in 3 months. I also overheard 2 members complaining about how they used to love the place, but now no one who works there seems to "care anymore." I also was going to purchase an add-on key for the aforementioned TechnoGym equipment this evening, but the lady there couldn't figure out how to enroll me, and there wasn't anyone else there who knew the schedule for my consult. Plus, the other lady working there was loudly complaining that she wasn't able to give another couple behind me a tour because she was "running billing, and there was a lot of people's money waiting to be processed." All in all, I've only been a few times, but I will not be back. read more

I am an out of shape gym idiot, but I will tell you what I know. I have been a member for a year or so. It is conveniently located just west of S. Tacoma Way at S. 66th Street. Plenty of parking. The Star Pass is at or below other memberships in the community, but they offer so much more! I could learn so much more about the wide variety of equipment, if I could manage to get there more often. The hours are 5am weekdays (later on the weekend) and don't close until 9pm, (so it's me not them). With your membership, you can access several pools in the area. Bunches of fitness classes are free (Zumba, yoga, shred, spin, etc...). The place is always spotless, and the staff is very kind and helpful. There's a bunch of child oriented service (daycare, etc) that I will never use, but it's fun to see the kids having fun there. They have meeting areas that you can rent, in quite a variety of sizes. I know there is a Boys and Girls Club, tennis courts and a dental clinic on the property. Makes me feel good to support community with my membership read more

My kids love it. Their indoor play area is fantastic. Everything is padded. They can really drain their energy level there. It is like a playground, but it is inside. They have such a great time. The reason I give it a three star is due to the adult "gym" area. While they paid great detail in the child areas, they lack heavily in the adult area. The gym area is small and lacks a lot of equipment. I had thought about quitting the Y and going there until I took a tour and saw how small and the fact they didn't have a lot of stuff for me to use. They do have cool stationary bikes that create electricity for the building, but everytime I take my kids, I never see anyone using them. Neat concept though. There is areas that can be used for meetings and conventions, I have no idea on pricing as I would never need that so I have never checked the prices. The people that work there are very friendly and they have a Subway in the building. read more

I would NEVER recommend having any type of event here! My baby shower was hosted here over the weekend and I was very disappointed. I was NEVER informed when booking my venue that they were having a "Kid Free Day" inside the Star Center at the exact same time.. Due to this event along with the Farmers Market the parking for my guest was complete chaos. My event was scheduled from 12-3 and even at 11:54 the "manager" Matthew was making us wait outside the door as are time would start "as soon as we walked inside" . After being disappointed with lack of parking you would think 6 minutes walking into the room early, that mind you was vacant, would not have been a huge deal, however he did state multiple times that if we payed more $$$$$ we could enter the room those few MINUTES early. He was EXTREMELY rude and did not consider my feelings in the matter at all. You would think with the lack of communication about the added events and parking he would have been more understanding.. All he kept explaining was "district policy" ! Well district policy should have also included letting your customers know parking issues/events that would be taking up parking causing issues with your event.. But I guess as long as they have my $$$$ nothing else matters. We had stopped by the office a week prior to my event asking about the added event taking place and EVERYONE there knew nothing about the kid day? Kinda crazy!! I will say the party host / help we got during my baby shower was greatly appreciated. The male and female who helped were amazing! This was suppose to be a happy event to celebrate my soon to be arriving son and at 8 months pregnant MATTHEW made my event awful from the beginning! He was all about the $$$$$$, wanting to charge for 6 minutes early to walk into a vacant room and have us stand outside? We had the room cleaned and were out a half hour early and although weren't required helped the host pick up all the chairs and get them on racks to be put away. The room was spotless and the host signed off that everything was in perfect condition and we were good to go. Lets see how long it takes to get back my deposit back! Again I will NEVER do a event there again and I encourage future guest to be very careful to check all events going on at this venue when booking your special occasion! I have never seen a lack of compassion / rude customer service by a "manager" in my life. All "Matthew" was good for was barking orders to the host to not go in there until exactly 12 to help set up my event. read more

unfriendly staff at front desk .They do not greet you by saying hi when you enter building .Can understand when they are busy but when they are not you try to make eye contact to say hi or by they seem to turn away. 60% of front customer service front desk this way does this and the other 40% will try to say hi when not busy.When you walk into any good business you will be greeted .This will bring back the repeat customer.ALSO i find the gym is always cluttered with weights and gym parophenilia small portable like jump ropes and excercise mats ,etc are thrown all over the place. It can be quite messy and cluttered read more

begining Kendo: Mondays at 6:00 to 7; the art of Japanese swordsmanship