Balance Gym Foggy Bottom

This is a true community gym! I signed up for a short term membership while in town for a conference/vacation, and it perfectly suited my needs for lifting heavy sh*t and a friendly environment. Miss D is an absolute joy. I'm grateful that she was open to chatting with me every morning I can be a bit much , and I loved watching her interact with other members. She was constantly warm, friendly, and encouraging. I read a few comments about the equipment here on Google. I agree that the equipment is a bit haphazardly placed, but I also saw very few members contributing to the maintenance and organization of the equipment. When we are members of a gym community, it is our responsibility to leave equipment in a place and state that we found it or better. I hope that folks read this message and choose the courage and confidence to be part of helping Balance be the best it can be The gym is located in the lower level of the hotel, so it's a bit hard to find, but there are always friendly hotel staff around to help. Their fridge is stocked with all the best caffeine and protein supplements, and they have a good selection of protein bars as well. Overall, I found the facilities to be clean and well suited to any strength or cardio program I wished to perform. I'll be working out here again anytime I come back to D.C. Thank you, Miss D, and thank you Balance community for the welcome and inspiration to kick butt every morning!

3.5 months later: the equipment has not even been pretended like it’s going to be getting fixed. The staff here gives absolutely no regard to the people who lift here regularly. I am honestly ashamed that I keep paying for this membership… that is going to have to change. Anyone searching for a gym? Go literally anywhere else…

Excellent staff, courteous and helpful. Good facilities. The only shortcoming tome is that the pool is designed for 3 lanes per the lines at the bottom but the divider on the water divides the middle lane into two equal ones thus creating four lanes making the two lanes in the middle a bit tight although not unreasonably.

Really enjoy coming to this gym. Everything is always very clean, and the staff are friendly. It can be a little tricky to find it since it’s entrance is through the Fairmont, but would definitely recommend to anyone who is looking for a gym in the DC area.

Gym is fine but my wallet and keys were stolen from the locker. The lockers were abominable before but at least they locked. The new lockers are completely unreliable and you have to look for one that locks. For many, though, you pull hard enough and they just come right open since the locking mechanism is just cheap metal barely in contact so it can just slip open.

Love the gym, but they haven’t fixed their one and only leg extension machine in 2 months… I Pay THIS MUCH!?!? To not have ONE functioning leg extension for that long? Myself and several other people have made complaints multiple times and they keep insisting on a new part coming. Well 2 Months and over $200 of mine gone that could have just bought one myself at home UPDATE: 7/30- STILL NOT FREAKING FIXED!!! They "fixed""" the machine one time looks like they literally pulled a handle off another machine and glued it on there so big shocker, still no machine. I am 2 steps away from leaving this gym- the single and only good thing about this gym right now is its location. Changing review to 1 star. If they do not fix this soon they will be losing a huge amount of customers.

I HATE HATE HATE this gym! It is the absolute worst. Half the gym is closed off for stupid cross-fit training. While the other part looks like a drunk person tried to place the equipment. Its all in weird place that doesn’t make it sense. There is a Golds gym opening up at the end of August. Jumping ship the second it opens.

Great gym with even better staff! I went to this gym weekly for a little over two years and have been really happy with my experience overall. It’s a small but well-appointed gym. Lots of cardio machines, a pool, and plenty of lifting equipment - 1 bench press station, 3 squat racks, and 2 platforms one that also has a squat rack. I mostly came here to lift in the mornings and it was never too crowded. I didn’t attend many group classes, but the ones I did were small <6 people and well-run! The cherry on top is the top-notch staff. Miss D at the front desk is so friendly and welcoming, as are all the trainers I’ve chatted with. I’m only leaving Balance because I’m moving, and I’ll honestly really miss it!

I have been part of this gym for over 10yrs - the leadership of the gym has created a community of fun, informative and welcoming. The coaches are smart, engaging and will always answer questions. Never once have I felt that the classes CF included were beyond me or that only the 'cool kids' could participate. Thank you Balance for changing my life!