Life Time Athletic

25 Connell Dr, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922, USA

Address:	25 Connell Dr, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922, USA
Phone:	+1 908-665-5911
Site:	lifetimefitness.com
Rating:	3.8
Working:	4AM–12AM 4AM–12AM 4AM–12AM 4AM–12AM 4AM–12AM 4AM–12AM 4AM–12AM

Location

Photos 81

Reviews 4

J. Scott

GREAT FACILITY BUT STAFF NEEDS TRAINING: Ive been a member since it opened in Berkeley Heights and Ive enjoyed my experience there for the most part. Its clearly a great facility and I have no complaints about the upkeep. It offers everything I want in a gym and then some. The fees are high. And they do tend to nickel and dime their members. It is frustrating at times because they are so busy trying to get new members that it does sometimes feel like the existing members are pushed to the side and not treated with as much respect and consideration as they should be. My biggest issue, however, is with the staff. For the most part they are simply unfriendly. There are a few people at the front desk who ARE friendly, helpful and greet you with a genuine smile. However, once you get past the desk, the sales people are stoic and acknowledge you or say hello, the women who work the activities desk are hot and cold (mostly cold) and the trainers barely acknowledge you. I was told by someone that the trainers are supposed to say hello to members if they come within 5 feet of them. This is clearly not happening. The only time a trainer says hello is if they are looking for new clients which is not often. I could say hello and have a conversation with a trainer one day and the next day they pretend they dont even know you. Its bizarre. Im not saying Lifetime should be like Disney World but there should be a considerable amount of effort dedicated to training staff so that members feel like they are welcome. After all, we are there to feel good. If by any chance the new management happens to pay attention to reviews, please consider this. Make your members feel welcome. A member (especially one who has been around a while) should be called by name or at least made to feel like they are in a place that has positive, happy, friendly people around. When the friendliest people are the members, and the staff walk around with sad faces all the time, you have to wonder if they are miserable or if they just dont care. Either way, this one thing would make a tremendous difference in the way this club is operated.

Beth Battinelli PhD

The facility is beautiful and all of the staff are warm and enthusiastic! I surprised my husband with a membership for Christmas and we have been enjoying it since; its perfect for us to go together but be able to do our own thing. I have been enjoying classes while he perfers to do cardio, resistance and weight training using the recommendations of his trainer. When you first join you are assigned a trainer who introduces you to the equipment and designs a training session based on your goals. You are also given credits, Life Bucks ( I think thats what they are called) to use for more training or other services - spa services, for example. It has only been a few weeks, but we both love LIfe Time. The pool and hot tub are great and so are the locker rooms. There are plenty of amenities besides towels including: bodywash, shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream and razors, Qtips, hairspay, hairdryers and deodorant. The suana and steam rooms in the locker rooms, but there is a co-ed suana in the pool area as well. There are lots of programs for families with kids, but since my kids are grown, I have only seen children in the pool area. They seem to have a nice childcare program that encourages creative expression with art projects; some cool examples of things kids made are displayed on a table on the way to the womens locker room. While the gym is energetic and warm in a friendly way, The Yoga Studio is an oasis that is warm in temperature as well. I have gone to aqua classes, barre, yoga and had an introductionary pilates session. I am very impressed with all of the instruction as the approach consistant and complimentary to the other classes. The content is solid. There are so many free classes! I am looking forward to the Rock Climbing wall where they have everything you need, even shoes! Before I joined, I thought only reservation I had about Life Time was the cost. Price is. Ot discussed over the phone, so I was afraid I couldnt afford it. The truth is you have to see it for yourself. For me, the cost of the gym compared to our medical insurance deductable is a bargain.

Lisa S

I have been a member in Berkeley Heights since the facility first opened. I use to love it. Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, it has deteriorated and let me explain how. When I first joined, the facility was pristine. There use to be an outside service that cleaned the facility. Now management expects the instructors to clean the facility, including the parking lot. Yes, I have several friends that teach there. The bathrooms are not well kept like they use to be. The facility use to have great dance classes. No more. The yoga teachers are ok but I am fortunate that I learned from the previous teachers who really took time out to teach proper form. The evening classes have been significantly reduced as if they no longer want to have members that work during the day. Monday - Thursday there were multiple classes until 9 PM, starting in 30 minute intervals in three different spaces. Take a look at the schedule now. It is not easy to locate the one page schedule on the website and I truly think this is because the reduction in classes is only seen on the one pager, thus it needs to be difficult to find. I have heard from staff that they force the staff to attend "mandatory" meetings but then tell them that if they get someone to join, they do not need to attend a particular meeting. That is how mandatory the meetings really are. Not a good marketing plan in my opinion. The dues continue to rise although the promise was that they would not, yet the service has dropped in value and existing members are not appreciated. The only service that has held steady is the cafeteria. I have gotten many people to join this facility. Many are now gone. I and others have complained to management. Management just listens and then does absolutely nothing. I would not recommend joining this facility. It use to be worth the money but now is not. I am seriously thinking about visiting a competitor in Summit. It is important to note that other locations may not be as bad. I am speaking only regarding the Berkeley Heights location.

Brian Corsi

Pretty solid gym. The price is pretty aggressive, but you do get a lot. Ive used the trainers here before. When I worked out with the experienced trainers, it was a great experience. I go to 3 classes during the week. I find the workouts to be challenging and a great use of the time during a lunch break. Classes are well attended, but not too crowded. Some of the barbells have some serious wear and tear, but nothing that prohibits their use. The cardio equipment is diverse and plentiful. My only complaint with the cardio equipment is that they are setup parallel to the windows instead of toward the windows. The view would be preferred. The free weight section is pretty good. The weights are plentiful and go beyond 150lbs per dumbell. The price of membership does not weed out those who workout on top of the weights though. The machines are all pretty new and in good working order. I think I have only seen 1 or 2 machines down for maintenance. The showers are pretty good. They did a big refurb a couple months ago which cleaned the grout etc. Some of the shower heads were put back in crooked and there is some messed up grout, but overall its pretty nice and well equipped. Again, the facility cant change its members. Guys leave towels on the floor in the showers or on the benches (there are plenty of places to put them in a bin) its rare for people to rinse out the sink, and other things you cant imagine people do in their own house. There are pools, a salon, cafe and childcare, none of which I use so I cant comment on.Overall, great gym but pretty pricey.