Colorado Athletic Club - Boulder
Reviews
I love this gym! Not sure what else I could possibly want - great classes (including great yoga classes too), plenty of machines, good "feel" (comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, not like a warehouse), sauna/hot tub/steam room, indoor and outdoor pools, friendly staff...I'm in gym heaven!
Been a member since the day the doors opened so I guess I'm as qualified as anyone to review... The Good. Some nice high end club touches in the dressing room. Good up to date classes and equipment. Outdoor pool esp. in the summer is key especially if you have kids... The Not so Good. Gym should be a bit bigger as the floor gets crowded during busy times. The price. Family membership seems to keep going up (though I'm locked in to my original rate). The turnover rate in childcare and at the front desk is incredibly high. Feel like you barely see the same people for more than two or three months at a time. My Take. If I was signing up today at the more expensive rate I might choose a different option. Boulder Rec Center, YMCA, etc. But it depends on what you want. I need treadmills and weights and I can get that almost anywhere. I will say that the childcare has been excellent from Day 1 (named "Blast") and being able to drop your two young daughters off and not worry for two hours is a huge bonus. But my oldest (8 years old) is outgrowing Blast (8 to 9 years of age seems to be roughly the magic #) and come labor day that might be the tipping point in us choosing a different (read: less expensive, option)
This is a great family gym with good classes and awesome facilities including a salt water pool and saunas. It is however pricey.
I've been a member of CAC Boulder since October, 2012. It is not cheap. They have raised the monthly fee each year, just in time for the anniversary of my membership. For prospective members, know that my monthly fee as of November will be $115 for an individual membership. Yes. That much. I am a member primarily for the classes, which have a decent distribution over the week for Pilates and yoga. You do pay an additional fee for reformer classes. The Pilates instructors seem to be under some pressure to increase attendance of the equipment classes. I've had three different instructors abruptly leave after 3-4 months when their reformer classes didn't fill up. This gives the impression that the managing corporation, WellBridge, is putting more emphasis on revenue generating equipment classes than maintaining a quality rotation of instructors. With the current pattern of membership cost increase (~10% in two years), I am reevaluating my membership. On the plus side, cancellation seems straight-forward. There is a form to fill out and a one calendar month notice. Take a hard look at your alternatives before joining. YMCA, RallySport, Mountain's Edge, Boulder Recreation Center, or others may all be viable alternatives, depending on how you use the gym. One Boulder Fitness has dropped most of its classes as of Fall 2014, and Flatiron Athletic Club, which is under the same management, seems to have done away with most of its yoga and Pilates classes (and instructors). Choose wisely.
Very Good, Clean and all inclusive. From Wine bar to indoor/outdoor heated swimming pools and hot tubs this place is great.