Equinox San Mateo - San Mateo, California

Ellen

I read a really detailed review here that wasn't flattering but I thought oh it's Equinox, I'm sure it's fine. I'm here to tell you that this particular Equinox is not fine. Or maybe it is just "fine", but seeing as you're paying more than $200 per month you're going to want it to be more than fine. I was an equinox member from August 31 - October 1 2024. In that time, I went to the gym 8 times.

Here is my feedback:
1. The front desk at the staff are not helpful. I heard from another staff member that many people were being trained and they were new. But the front desk staff literally pointed me in the wrong direction to the class I was supposed to attend. This made me late enough to enter the class after it had already started. In addition to being unhelpful/inaccurate, I will also say that I observed front desk staff to be unapproachable. When I was trying to talk to them and waiting at the counter, they were all just chatting with each other.
2. All the best things offered at Equinox cost more money. Yes, more money than your monthly membership fee. I had a great experience trying Pilates with Kayo. She was super meticulous about helping me have good form. My PT session with Maria also went well. I would consider paying for both of their services outside of the equinox branch.
3. The workout classes have too many people in them to be effective. I've attended several barre classes. I also signed up for a weightlifting class. At all of the classes, the instructor is in a large room with a large amount of people. They're good, but they're not good enough to do what's impossible aka help each individual person have good form. They also were not on the lookout for newcomers or ever ask if anybody had a preexisting injury they should know about. (This especially was important to me as I was just starting to work out after having a baby.) I consider this standard trainer etiquette and it isn't observed at Equinox. I also was never welcomed to the class as a new person or welcomed back as a regular attendee so if you're looking to make friends or build a community, then look elsewhere.
4. This doesn't really signify to a gym experience, but while I'm at it and paying $200+ per month, the foyer and staircases look industrial and tired. It's not giving "luxe", "high end", or "exclusive".
5. The contract pricing structure is predatory. It's also not very upfront. It locks you in for a monthly billing cycle for twelve months (a whole year) and the only way to get out in that time period is if you can provide proof of a new address. This is what is on paper, but in practice I was able to get out of my contract. I spoke to the Assistant General Manager Diana and even though I had proof of another address, that became unnecessary. She did try and make it right with me but I had already been burnt out trying to like it and being directed the wrong way in the facilities by unhelpful staff was the final straw. I did have to CC the General Manager Cody before Diana finalized my cancellation.

I've heard the San Francisco Equinoxes are better. I toured the Palo Alto Equinox years ago and it left a positive impression on me which influenced my decision to try the San Mateo Equinox. But after my experience, I am in no hurry to try Equinox again.

Oh and one final thing. The thing that triggered this essay. When I cancelled my membership, I asked to be unsubscribed from any and all communication. I asked for my details to be deleted from their records. Guess who just received an email asking to come back for some free trial this evening. All in all, not a great experience.

Kelly M

In general, the club has a good variety of classes and equipment. However, I do have issues with female rocker room. I have issued a complaint a few times, but I thought I would share it with others.
Cleaners in female rocker room are not very nice. They exchange body lotion when you are using it. Happened multiple times. Also, whenever I go to use sauna, when I put a clean towel in a shower room with multiple other vacant ones and come back after 10 minutes, the towels are gone. This also happened multiple times. I commented cleaner once, asked not do that when it is not crowded and when someone is using sauna. They said it is the rules that they need to check. A cleaner starts inspecting rocker contents one by one when there are a few people using the rocker. I understand they are just doing their work. However, I see other part of the rocker room/ shower room being left dirty with hairs and trashes. The cleaners are just not attentive enough to notice that someone needs to use the rocker room uninterrupted, or needs a clean towel after sauna and shower. There are many other places to work on in the rocker room, as someone else commented. Most importantly the cleaners do not understand what it takes to make someone feel cared or welcomed. Maybe there is a rule that they have to check shower rooms and change supplies. But recently I just feel not pleasant with my experience and it only keeps happening. I think customer experience is most important in a club like this so I hope the club will consider improving it.

Alicia Stroud

My younger sister quit her membership because their fitness manager(Dillon) was making her uncomfortable w/ his repeated advances toward her. Not only was she sick of trying to avoid this horn dog but was sick of the “bro” atmosphere he created on the gym floor with a few other “bro” members & trainers. It’s like a frat house.

Elizabeth Chang

Phenomenal classes and love the rooftop pool! The cell service is a bit spotty in the basement where the equipment is, which is my only gripe. There’s street parking or a parking lot in the back where your parking can be validated.

Nate Klebanov

I've been a member of Equinox for about 4 years, and was primarily an All Access Member based in New York City. I visited the San Mateo location on occasion while visiting family, and it was dated, but management was responsive and equipment worked as expected.

I recently moved to the Bay Area and switched to Single Club San Mateo. The new management team here is unable to fix major issues in the facility. The air conditioning has been broken since I returned in Late May. I was in regular contact with management, who reassured me that it would be fixed in short order. They provided a gift card, which would have been appropriate compensation if the issue did not persist for another month+. It is now July, and the air conditioning unit still does not work in the cardio area. This is a basement gym, in the summer season. The team has sent out no member-wide communication regarding timelines for the "final fix", and the cardio area remains warm and damp with no airflow.

The men's locker room regularly has no towels. The lockers are dated and require you to bring your own lock. The leg press machine broke weeks ago and has not been fixed. Random pulleys are also broken, and debris and water leaks fall from the ceiling in the dumbbell areas. There appears to be no team onsite making sure equipment works.

I would gladly cancel my membership if there was any other luxury club in the area, for now I am stuck paying $200+ a month for a basement swamp with broken equipment. I've been hesitant to write a review but after hearing complaints from many other members in club, I decided this should be made public. I hope corporate gets involved as soon as possible, as it has become clear the local team is unlikely to handle the issues within any reasonable timeframe.

Update: I have reached out to the concierge and management multiple times yet issues still persist. A/C is still out in the cardio area, machines are broken, the ceiling is molding and collapsing. Also of note, management replies to my emails about a week after they are sent, sometimes after serious problems are mentioned to them. For example, I notified the assistant manager that a broken machine hit me on the head during a workout and she responded a week later that it was working (clearly it had been fixed in the interim). Any problem is blamed on a “facilities” team or a “cleaning” team.

Update: A/C has still been out on and off, and a lot of the equipment is broken, damaged, or excessively worn. Not worth the price, decided to cancel. Not the same offering as any other Equinox location.

Jen D

Gym smells strange and is very small, underground with no windows. One of the ‘trainers’ walking around was pretty creepy and continuously hit on me while I was trying to work out. Overall not a good experience.

Grupo Above

I worked out at this gym for awhile and I can say that if you are looking for a luxurious experience this gym may not be the right one for you. The gym smells like $#%% and there’s no air circulation there. If you’re spending 200 dollars on a gym membership it has to be at least clean and fresh. They make you sign a one year contract cause you’ll find out later it was a bad decision and there’s no way back.

Nicole D.

I would give it 5 stars but the Earthbar they allow to operate here is a sad waste of space. It is rarely open and even when it is, no one shows up to take orders. The “grab and go” options are super limited. Equinox, get them to operate or get them off your property. One of my favorite parts of working out at equinox- getting a smoothie after a midday workout. I will NOT be coming back to San Mateo anymore because this Earthbar location is horribly unreliable. Disappointing.