Gold's Gym of Woodbury, Minnesota: Review

Located in a former Best Buy store location, the Woodbury Gold's Gym is a large, new facility with updated, well-maintained equipment. Because it was located in a former "big box" retailer spot, the parking lot is huge--finding a parking spot is never an issue, even during busy periods. This gym is open 24 hours during the week (the club opens at 5 AM Monday mornings and closes at 10 PM on Friday night). Weekend hours are 6 AM to 8 PM.

All the cardio equipment is sectioned off in its own designated area, dubbed the "Cardio Theater." Recent DVD movie releases play on the movie theater-sized screen, in closed captioning. An extensive group fitness class schedule is available, with classes held at all hours of the day. These classes include BodyStep, BodyPump, pilates, and fitness yoga. Fee-based classes are available and include belly dancing, kids yoga, Muay Thai kickboxing and parent/child swimming lessons.

Child care is offered for kids 6 weeks to 13 years old and has plenty of entertainment in the Kids Club, including climbing equipment, puzzles and books. Also available in the Kids Club is the Xrcade, a virtual reality exercise game where children can learn dance moves, practice martial arts, or play boxing.

The Woodbury Gold's Gym staff is welcoming and helpful. The personal trainers can be spotted on the workout floor, and are willing to answer questions. Group fitness instructors are friendly and entertaining. Nutritional coaching is also available for an extra fee. This service helps members eat the right foods to reach their fitness or weight loss goals.

Amenities:
Cardio machines
Weight equipment
Child care
Locker rooms
Juice bar
Nutrition coaching (additional fee)
Basketball court
Volleyball court
Free weights
Group fitness classes
Fee-based group fitness classes (additional fee)
Personal training (additional fee)
Sauna
Tanning (additional fee)
Yoga studio
Indoor pool

Membership information:
Gold's Gym members can select from various pricing tiers: A $10 daily rate, a $10-25 monthly rate and a $250 yearly rate. All membership options, expect the daily option, require signing a 12-month contract. Gold's Gym frequently runs pricing promotions during the year. All memberships are paid via monthly electronic checking account debit or charged to a credit card.

Contact information:
Call the gym at (651) 259-6200 or visit their website: http://www.goldsgym.com/gyms/index.php?gymID=1222