Club Experience

Included in your new membership is one Best Start Workout™, which is a complimentary session with a Personal Trainer to set you on the right path. The goal of a Best Start Workout is to help develop your ability to work out more effectively on your own.

Here is what you can expect during your 50-55 minute Best Start Workout:

• Meet the Personal Trainer that will assist you during your workout.
• Your Personal Trainer will ask you some questions about your exercise and eating habits. This information will help your trainer (and you!) estimate how many calories you need to burn every day to start losing weight. Check out our calorie burning calculator to get a head start!
• Talk about your goals. Your trainer can help you create a plan that fits your needs.
• Then, you’ll work out! Yes, this is the fun part. You'll have a dynamic, interactive workout with your trainer, full of exercises you can do on your own. Typically, you'll spend 10 minutes warming up with yoga moves or walking on the treadmill, 25 minutes learning new ways to strengthen your muscles, and 5 minutes enjoying a deep, rejuvenating stretch. Whatever the routine, you'll come away feeling like you learned something.

Working out with a friend is a great way to stay committed to a workout program. We encourage our members to bring friends to check out the club.

If your friend is interested in becoming a member with us, simply ask a Bally Team Member or General Manager for a guest pass, and he/she will be happy to show your guest the club and discuss our membership programs, prior to your working out together.

Guests who choose not to receive an introductory membership tour are required to pay our guest fee, whether they have a guest pass or not. The guest fee for Bally clubs is $10, with the following exceptions:

• Guest fee is $15 for San Francisco, New Jersey (excluding Maple Shade, Deptford, and Brick), Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington D.C clubs.
• Guest fee is $25 for Bally Sports Clubs at Penta and Worldwide Plaza in New York City.
• Guest fee is $30 for The River East club.

It is our company policy to clean the clubs throughout the day. We also employ an overnight service that provides a thorough cleaning of our facilities, especially the areas that we cannot fully address when members are using the club.

In addition to our cleaning efforts, we provide disinfectant spray and paper towels throughout the club for members’ use. We strongly encourage members to bring a towel for use during workouts. We want you to have a clean environment and a great workout experience at Bally. If you find an area of the club that needs to be cleaned, please contact the General Manager so the issue can be addressed. Please also feel free to contact us anytime.

For your General Manager’s contact information, please visit your club’s profile page.

We try to provide the latest cardio and strength equipment available from the top fitness manufacturers like Star Trac Fitness, Life Fitness and Precor.

If there is a piece of equipment you would like to see in the club, please contact your General Manager with your suggestion.

For your General Manager’s contact information, please visit your club’s profile page.

Ask a Bally Team Member in your club for assistance if you are unfamiliar with any of the equipment. We want to be sure you are safely operating the equipment as intended by the manufacturer. Follow all instructions and posted signs on how to operate fitness equipment.

Please refer to our Rules and Regulations for details. We want you and your fellow members to have a positive and pleasant workout experience. Please follow the below guidelines:

• General
  • Members and guests are subject to the control and guidance of the club’s staff.
  • Please follow their instructions while in the club, for the comfort and safety of all our members.
  • Please limit your cell phone use when in the club, using a low tone of voice. Cell phones are not allowed for use in the locker rooms. You cannot take any pictures or videos in the club or locker rooms.
  • Present your membership card for entry every time you enter the club — even if you know the front desk team member well.
  • Wear comfortable appropriate gym shoes and clothing. No jeans or street clothes are allowed.
  • Follow the Rules and Regulations as set forth in your membership agreement.
• Equipment
  • Please follow all instructions and posted signs carefully. Use equipment only in a manner intended by the manufacturer.
  • Please don't save equipment for a friend.
  • For your safety, never move or modify equipment.
  • Limit your workout time to 30 minutes on all cardio equipment if others are waiting.
  • No free weights or loose equipment may be used with any mechanical equipment.
  • Please re-rack your weight equipment after using.
  • Do not bring in your own equipment.
  • Wipe down your equipment with disinfectant spray (provided) after using; we strongly suggest that you bring your own towel as well.
  • Do not use equipment if you are taking any medication that causes drowsiness or have any medical condition which makes such use inappropriate.
  • Where applicable, sign up for cardio equipment during peak hours. Please contact your Bally Team Member for your club’s guidelines.
• Locker Room
  • We recommend that you do not bring valuables into the club. We’re not responsible for lost or stolen items.
  • Please be mindful to limit your water usage while showering.
  • You may use your lock to secure your belongings in the locker room. If you bring valuables into the club, we recommend you ask the front desk about our available lock boxes.
  • Don’t leave your belongings locked in the locker overnight. Lockers are for daily use only.
  • We accept no responsibility for items left behind.
• Group Exercise Classes
  • Enter the studio for your scheduled class only after the preceding class has finished.
  • Please leave a comfortable amount of space between your workout area and that of your fellow class participants.
  • Please enter the class on time. If you arrive within 5 minutes of the start time, please set up at the back of the class.
  • Please abide by your club Group Exercise class sign-up procedures (where applicable). Please contact your Member Services Representative at 866-402-2559 for your club’s guidelines.
• Pool, Steam & Sauna
  • Please abide by all posted Rules & Regulations in our wet areas.
  • Please shower before using the pool, whirlpool, sauna or steam room.
  • For your own safety, never use water on the heating element in the sauna, as we use electrical devices and this activity could pose a fire risk.
  • Wear proper swimming attire at all times.
  • Shower shoes or sandals are recommended in all wet areas and no other type of footwear is permitted.

Bally is a club that welcomes both men and women. We strive to make all our members feel comfortable in our clubs and offer an appealing set of amenities that help support all types of fitness goals.

We try to play upbeat music with a broad musical appeal. If you have any concerns about the music or videos played in the club, please contact a Bally Team Member or General Manager.

For your General Manager’s contact information, please visit your club’s profile page.

Your Kids Club privileges depend upon the type of membership agreement you have with Bally Total Fitness. Please review your specific membership agreement for a complete explanation of your Kids Club benefits. Some membership types include Kids Club access, while others offer access for a fee. Length of stay in the Kids Club is limited to two hours per day. Parents or guardians must remain in the club at all times, and children will be released only to the parent or guardian who acommpained the child to the Kids Club. Each child’s admittance to the child care center is on a reservation basis only. Kids Club hours, size of nursery, permitted ages and fees vary club to club.

Use our club locator to find a link to your club’s profile page for Kids Club details. Or stop by and speak with the Member Services Representative at your club.

Club amenities, including Kids Club, vary by club location. Use our club locator to find a link to your club’s profile page for Kids Club details for your club. Or stop by and speak with the Member Services Representative at your club.

The minimum membership age to use the club with a parent or guardian is 12. The minimum membership age to use the club without a parent or guardian is 16. Someone at least 18 years old must make the actual membership purchase for a minor in club. Memberships can only be purchased online for someone who is 18 or older.

If you see a safety or security issue in the club please contact a Bally Team Member immediately so the issue can be addressed promptly. Never hesitate to report something that just doesn’t seem right to you!

You can find the name and contact information for your General Manager (GM) on your club’s profile page. Feel free to stop by your General Manager's office or call or email him/her when you need to. If your matter is urgent, please contact any Bally team member who will be happy to assist you.

The General Manager (GM) oversees most activities in the club, from your membership questions to club maintenance issues, so you have the best workout experience possible. If you have questions about the club or its policies, just ask your GM. The GM is also the best contact for speaking with family members or friends who may be interested in a Bally membership.

The Fitness Manager is the fitness guru in charge of the Personal Training program and all Personal Trainers at your club. If you have a specific question about equipment or your workout program, or if you need help with an exercise, just ask the Fitness Manager at your club. They don’t just supervise trainers, they are there to help you, too!

Personal Trainers work one-on-one with our members to provide motivation, coaching and guidance. Their passion is to help you get results. They tailor each program to their individual clients based on their wants, needs and fitness level. There are usually several Personal Trainers at your club throughout the day. If you see one who is not working with a client at the time, feel free to ask him or her questions about your workout needs or schedule an appointment. You can also view classes that are offered regularly and take advantage of our workout tools online. Additional charges for some services including Personal Training, specialty classes and Kids Club.

We try to set our temperatures in our clubs with the following guidelines:

We set our temperature standards in accordance with the American College of Sports Medicine’s* guidelines. If you think your club is not within these guidelines, please contact the General Manager.

*American College of Sports Medicine’s Health/Fitness Facility Standards and Guidelines, 3rd edition, 2007, page 57, Supplement 9, “Effects of Various Temperatures on Human Performance”.

No, not at this time. We recommend that you bring two towels, one for your workout and one towel if you plan to shower at the club.

We strongly encourage all members to use their workout towel to wipe down the equipment after exercising, for sanitary reasons and as a courtesy to other members. We also provide disinfectant spray and paper towels throughout our clubs to help keep the equipment sanitized between cleanings.

Pack your gym bag with the following items below to have a successful first time workout.

• Your membership card.
• Workout Towel – to wipe down the equipment you’ll be using.
• A lock to keep your belongings safe. In some clubs, we have token-operated lockers. You can purchase tokens from a machine in the club and use them to access a key in the locker. It's best, however, to have your own lock. We recommend not bringing valuables into the club.
• A water bottle.
• Gym clothing and appropriate gym shoes if you’re not already wearing them.
• Toiletries. We have soap in our locker room showers that can also be used as shampoo, but you may want to keep travel-sized toiletries in your gym bag
• Swim suit, appropriate shower shoes or sandals and a towel if you intend to use wet areas.
• Do not bring your own equipment.

If you haven’t already, sign up for your Best Start Workout™ with a Personal Trainer —it’s included with your membership. During the Best Start workout, your Personal Trainer will teach you how to use the equipment and show you an exercise program appropriate for your goals. You can ask questions and learn more about how to use the gym. You can also create your own workout plan based on your individual goals and expectations!

If you decide to get started by yourself, use the following guidelines:

Find the equipment you want to use: Almost all of the Bally clubs are organized the same way: Cardio machines, weight machines and free weights are grouped together. If there is no sign-up sheet for cardio machines or if they are all in use, simply wait until a machine is free, and be respectful of those waiting ahead of you. If you'd like to try a machine but aren't sure how to use it, ask at a Bally Team Member for help. Please follow all instructions and posted signs carefully.

Or find the class you want to take: You can also try one of our Group Exercise Classes, which are geared for all fitness levels. On the day of the class, arrive early so you can find the room and gather the equipment you need. It's also helpful to introduce yourself to the instructor. If you've never taken the class, the instructor can show you beginner modifications. Work at your own pace, and be mindful of any medical conditions you may have or medication that you’re taking. Additional charges for some services including Personal Training, specialty classes and Kids Club.