Reviews of The Arena Club (Gym)

Carole Durfee

I was very much impressed with The Arena Club. The staff are fantastic and everybody is there to help you. I did sign up for a year but I also signed up with the arena RX program which is wonderful so far Trish is amazing I encourage anybody to come in and talk to one of the sales people and learn more about The Arena Club thank you for having me

Kevin Parlett

Worked with Zack E. to sign up. He was awesome, had all the information I needed and found the answers to some of my more obscure questions. The amenities are amazing and my family has loved the time we have been there. The access to daycare while I work out has also been very convenient as well.

Debra Lozoskie

Is it in the best interest of the Arena Club to cater to the outrage of one member over the safety of a hundred members and staff? Now there is no music allowed in the pool area. The staff and other members witnessed behavior that should have a zero tolerance. As a member I want to be ensured that when I am in the club working out that my safety is their number one priority.

Jason Holder

This place is amazing! I come to Aberdeen for business and will always use the Arena for my workouts!! Friendly staff, very positive environment, tons of solid, high quality equipment...I wish we had a place like this in my town in Alabama!!

Cindy Matthai

Staff, trainers and facility are all top notch! Highly recommend.

A A

Definitely worth the money. Great staff and facility.

Michael Myer

The pool is nice during the summer, and the staff is fairly friendly. The real kicker, however, is the 30 days of billing they require if you try to end your membership, even if it is after you've met your obligation for the last year. There really is no excuse for it other than to continue grabbing into your wallet. Frankly I will be happy to be free of their nonsense, and I would warn anyone thinking of joining to really consider for a moment their archaic fee structure before choosing The Arena Club over any number of cheaper, equally nice options (do not let them fool you into thinking they are any better than the YMCA in Bel Air).

Michelle L.

Worst company ever. Got tricked into a membership by one of the reps and was not informed that I was bought into a contract with this company. Ended up moving a month later to find out that I "couldn't" cancel my membership because I was tricked into a year "contract". Ending up not being able to pay for my membership, and they would not work with me, etc.. went all the way to collections to me being sued for the collection cost of the membership owed. Don't come here, stay the hell AWAY. Worst experience of my life.

Anthony Bush

Very clean and friendly staff. Plenty activities for the whole family.

Alana Lenhart

Been a member for almost 12 years!! Love the staff!! I have 5 kids and all of them have grown up at the Arena club, the nursery is the best at caring for children of all ages and mine love it, the classes are amazing and the pool too, summer camps, private training or group training , they have it all, it’s the best gym in town, I would highly recommend for any family that’s looking for a great family gym and more!

Jason Yarbrough

Hands-down the best club in Harford County if not in the state of Maryland. Absolutely stunning facility with stellar pools (4 in total.) This includes 2 waterslides that will make your kids summer. The group fitness instructors and classes and high energy and focuses on ALL fitness levels. Childcare is trustworthy, kind md caring md special kids programs included with your membership. There is truly something for everyone!!

Maegan Weisberg

Management is awful. Pools are always being used for swim team. Church services on Sunday and the parking lot is insane. Members can't use the trampoline park or the rock wall unless it's a special day. Personal training classes upstairs so members can't use that area. Horrible customer service.

Ashish Upadhyay

Unfair and Shameful Business Practices by a local business We are a longtime resident at the Harford county with family membership at the club for several years. This year our son who goes to college was home for the summer. I asked the business to add him to the family membership for 3 months. To my surprise and utter disappointment I found that we would have to keep him on the membership for full 12 months. Doesn't matter that he will not and can not use the facility for the 9-months! Doesn't matter that the rest of family (3 members) will stay on the contract commitment. I can understand that as a small business they would like to secure annual commitment and that their pricing may be build this way but none of it applies in this case or provides any rationale. Except that the business owners really do not care about building a relationship with the very community that they are dependent on for business. All they seem to care about is how to extract $$$ from members even if it comes at the cost of predatory, unfair and customer unfriendly business practices. It is sad but should not be surprising for such businesses to lose their customers to larger, faceless, non-local corporate who show much more customer friendliness and offer lower cost options. With Planet Fitness, Anytime fitness and many other national chains setting up show in Harford county, it will be tough for businesses like Arena Club to remain viable with such unfair practices. I am just waiting to ride out my contract period before quitting the club for good and never to return back. The whole experience left a really poor taste. AVOID.

Claudia Sotelo

I only use before and after care and I am very pleased , kids are always active and motivated to practice swimming and sports but unlike YMCA the high cost of this service does not give your child a membership plus when the schools are closed you have to pay extra for the care, YMCA does not charge extra for snow days..........:(

L8ning H

The arena club is, in my opinion the best fitness sports club in Maryland. They have personal trainers that will understand any problems you have and will fix them. Your training sessions are private and no information is released from any training program you are participate in. They have treadmills, bikes, elliptical, weights, pool, basketball court inside and outside, volleyball field, water slides, and a sauna. I love the service that the staff provides. Keep up the good work AC!

Jon D

Good selection of equipment, though the advertised WiFi is almost not existent.

Kimiya Schott

We relocated from Columbia, MD area and we're looking for a gym similar to Lifetime fitness. We thought Arena Club had a similar feel minus the restaurant. We enjoyed the pool during the summer but the hours are horrible. The pool is open late during the week and closes early on the weekends where every other pool in the area is open. Most people with children and normal work schedules would prefer to stay at the pool later on the weekends, makes zero sense. On top on that, they boast this trampoline area but you can barely use it because of restricted hours. Then they have church on Sunday's in their gym, which we are paying for but can't use. It's just ridiculous. Our kids love jumping but we end up having to take them to the jumping place in Harford Mall, on Sundays since we can't use the jumping facilities at Arena club half the time. Not only are they over priced, in order to join they make you commit to a year contract, with no options to get out unless you relocate or have a medical condition and then they make you pay a $200 fee! Things happen to people at anytime, it's such a rip off that you have no option to cancel outside of these 2 things then they ask for more money! We were at Lifetime fitness, which was way nicer, had a restaurant, free classes, pool, etc. for half the cost and the option to cancel with a 30 days notice. They are loosing people because of this 1 year obligation. They say that they do it because they want people to commit to their fitness goals which is bs. People will work out if they choose to and half the time you're paying for a gym and not using the facilities. They do it for money bottom line. Do not join this club. Join small gym and one of the swim clubs in the area or the YMCA.

Daniel Robertson

We've been doing our evening work outs here and we are glad about that. They are always friendly and willing to help us if we need anything. Fair prices for good service!

Natalya Esaulenko

We went there for a year. I definitely think it's overpriced. We paid $180 for a family of four (me, my husband and 2 kids), which is relatively a lot of money for a family gym. I really think for this price you should be going into something more modern and updated. The lifeguards are super strict. They keep telling you what not to do constantly as you are in the water trying to enjoy the time with the family. This annoys a lot of people. My child got hurt once at their daycare. Some members are super rude and cocky. Overall, I don't think you end up getting what you pay for. Oh and the 1 year contract is a must with them, too, and $200 early termination fee if you cancel without giving them a 30 days notice. It's just too much.

Steve Taylor

I have been a member here since the club opened and have had nothing but positive experiences with the facility and staff. The personal trainers Meghan Thornburn, Nicole Bosley Smith and Adam Snow Bramski have helped me to lose over 50 pounds and add lean muscle so that at 52 I am in the best shape of my life and more confident than ever. I am indebted to the Rawlings for their committment to excellence. This is the third club I have belonged to and, by far, the finest.

Patrick Clark

this is just a subsidiary of John Carroll high school.

Terry Elzin

-Front desk staff and Instructors are knowledgeable & extremely friendly. -Locker Rooms are not staffed, the floors are perpetually wet from swim teams and swimmers. -There are no classes on Fri afternoon & no challenging classes on Saturday & Sunday after 9 a.m. so if you want a really good workout and you are not an early bird this is not the club for you. -They offer free hot yoga but if you work during the week you must be in the gym by 7:30 a.m. on Saturday to take advantage of it. -Machines and cardio equipment are kept in great shape but if that is your main focus pay $10 a month and go to Planet Fitness.

Eden Sweden

Newer member, helpful staff, clean workout areas, locker rooms are sparkling every time I have gone in. Personal trainers are top notch. They also provide services to watch smaller children and supervised play for children a little older. My 3 yo loves going to the gym as much as I do!

Insanecamo

The water here is always oddly warm and foul tasting, not sure why, but I really enjoy it! I love playing in water, and going down that EPIC water slide, the feeling of being high up in the air and quickly going down a slide with water carrying me along is AMAZING!

Samantha Husemann

I was referred by a friend to throw a party here for my son, beautiful place but very unsatified with the staff and how they host a party, they made our party awkward and very rushed. I will not be booking a pool party here again.

John Sliger

Recently, my wife & I joined the Arena Club. We have found all the staff to be very friendly and helpful. My wife had 2 personal training sessions with Nicole and she is an awesome teacher. My goal was the "hot tub" as I have a bad knee and back pain at times. I was instructed on the machines and enjoy the workout. I also always warm up as I have been instructed. I exercise in the therapy pool, head to the hot tub and get into the sauna. The newly decorated locker rooms are great. Also I really enjoyed breakfast on the day of the 10th Anniversary. I look forward to doing some classes with my wife, especially Yoga Flex!

Kyle J. Britt

We loved the club while we were members, but then we moved away and had to cancel our membership. They still charged our card after I was told we were cancelled and after I changed our credit card number they apparently called my bank and got the new number. I haven't lived in MD since June and they just charged my card again for the biweekly amount.

J Meyers

I signed my child up to play with one of the sports teams at The Arena Club. They overcharged my account and I have been attempting for this to be corrected for days. At this point I am being bounced from voicemail to voicemail. Extremely poor customer service.

P Vogt

I started going to the Arena club through the physical therapy and joined the RX membership, I really enjoyed it and the therapy pool is awesome, but their rates are to expensive and can't afford to continue because of the price. My RX membership expired and have not received one phone call or a message, if I wanted to continue, I guess they don't understand when people have surgery and have medical bills to pay and I don't like the fact there is only one option of them automatically taking money out of your account...I don't do any automatic withdrawals from my account. With that being said it is a nice club but just can't afford it. It is what it is.... they offer discounts to certain people, but if you don't fall in that criteria oh well, you pay full price.

howard mitchell

A disappointment for my grandkids this summer, arena supplies basketball in the pool but if someone gets splashed or bumped with a ball kids get called out, if they try to play games in the deep water and someone gets splashed they’re called out, basically just get into the “rec” pool and don’t move, also not enough time allotted for the trampoline considering how much you pay, and speaking of what you’re paying, don’t listen to dabney when she says there’s only a couple openings left for the summer! After paying way too much I got many emails offering great discounts if I would join, wish dabney would have been honest and offered even one of those discounts!

Paul Gschwind

This review is for anyone looking to book a party swim event at this club. The facility has reasonable accommodations for a Kid's Birthday swim pool party. However, the experience falls far short for a satisfactory review. Their policy states that food (Pizza/ect) needs to be purchased through the club, and you are not allowed to bring in your own. Understandable, so you think they'd be on time with planning to have your order ready in a desirable time during your 2hr event that costs $290 (plus cost of food). Thought wrong, my experience was they were not ready, and food only was provided about 30 minutes after the 2hr event was supposed to end. We were informed their partnered carryout (Pat's Pizza) only put my pizzas in the oven 20 minutes before the end of the event. When I demanded a reasonable resolution such as a partial refund or discount on a future event, they offered to refund 2 of the 3 pizzas ordered and paid for beyond the $290 fee. That was a poor attempt to resolve my family's frustrations. After the 2 hour mark from the beginning of the event, still no food. Then, they offered for my family who now have been dressed in dry clothes for almost 45 minutes expecting food to be allowed to go back swimming. They clearly have not tried to get dressed again into cold wet clothes. We announced our frustration, and they then offered to refund 3 of the 3 pizzas we paid extra for ($42). My thoughts was this still is not a valid attempt to resolve my family's frustration with the clubs lack of management, and meeting their commitment of providing food in a timely fashion. I had a unsatisfactory discussion with the manager on duty. She dared to then throw it back in my face that this event was a rescheduled event, and I had no real valid right in stating my frustrations with the club failing to meet their committed time of providing my expensive pizza (3 lg = $42). My attempts to reason with her did not end well, and my whole family and friends will definitely forgo this Club on any future family events. In the end, they only provided a refund of the $42 (full price of event with extra Pizza $331 before refund). For this amount of money, I would feel the club would like to save face. To reassure us that they are sincere with their apology for the inconvenience, and hope any of us would do business with them once again. Please do yourself a favor, and avoid this club. Customer satisfaction is definitely not a strong suit for them, and I have had delightful experiences at the Bel Air Athletics Club and the YMCA for winter swim parties at a comparable cost. Ultimately, I can truly say that I left the events at other clubs as a satisfied customer.

Connor Lomis

The Arena Club is a fun place to work out. I am a 15 year old boy, and I can workout here with no problems at all. This is the first place in the last two year that I can go out, and not get yelled at saying I'm too young. On top of that, the other things besides the gym are just as nice. The indoor field is outstanding and has many activities for adults and children. The pool is great as well. It has two slides, a great area to move around, a outdoor basketball court, volleyball area, and all around is a great place to have fun and relax. The trainers are outstanding and help you so much! The staff workers are always nice, friendly, and when you need help there always there for you. The Arena Club is AWESOME!!!

Sean McCaffery

My wife and I have been members of the Arena Club for over a year now upon moving to the area. The gym offers good space with an excellent selection of cardio, strength training, and free weight equipment. Having TVs on the treadmills and elliptical machines is a great feature! The indoor field area is also a great space to use when it's not hosting sports camps and training sessions. I have had the pleasure of working with a personal trainer, Jack, while a member. The variety of traditional work outs coupled with unique "on field" training utilizing similar equipment and methods that the pro athletes use really makes the personal training work the money and is a great variety. The locker rooms have been updated and the facility in general is kept clean and well maintained. Like any gym, it can get crowded in the evenings, especially at the start of the new year, but in general I've never had a problem with not getting on equipment or lack of space. Great place and worth the investment!

E

The Arena Club continues to impress me with the myriad of improvements to the facility. The new bike studio is amazing as is the customer service. It is wonderful to be greeted by name upon arrival. And the trainers and staff are top notch. It is a bonus to have this level of exercise facility in Harford County.

Linda Andriolo

I have been a member at the Arena Club for a couple years, and I enjoy using it very much. It's a very clean club and offers something for just about everyone. While using the pool facilities and cardio equipment, I have developed many friendships with both other club members and the friendly staff. It's a fun place to be!

Children W

Excellent service pools are great equipment is top notch

Eric Levison

Myself and my family have been members for years. The staff is very friendly, the pool is amazing, and the work out facilities are top notch. Our kids love the new trampoline park, and climbing wall as well.

Yana Taran

Tried to throw a birthday party for my kid at this place and the customer support was awful! The lady responsible for kids parties never called me back, never answered my email. I waited for two weeks. Left messages and nothing! This is very unprofessional. We wanted to try this club out but now will go somewhere else.

Allison Bell

I’ve been a member of the arena club for about 10 years and just love it. The classes offer a great variety, live the instructors, the pools are wonderful for the whole family not to mention all of the programs offered for the in the sports factory and the indoor trampoline park. I highly recommend this gym!

Karen Klein

Disgusted with how one of the managers acted with an employee that showed up late this morning. Not even in her department. The poor colored boy was ruching trying to get signed in because he was late. I signed in after him and when I got down to the therapy pool I see the same lady who helped him so quickly and nicely, yell at him for not being on time. I didn't catch her name but she was wearing a light blue shirt had blonde-ish short hair in a ponytail and I saw her in the nursery department. the boy looked so scared as it was early in the morning and the first thing he hears is an older woman teller her guts out at him. He couldn't had been that much older than 15. I believe that if she is not the manager of the aquatics department, then that she shouldn't be allowed to stick her nose into it and if she were to have a problem to take it up with the aquatics director. I saw her treating what she believed to be a member so nicely and friendly, then less than five minutes later so rude and made him look incompetent. Is this really how The Arena Club treats its employees? At a FAMILY club?!?! I am utterly disgusted and disappointed that this woman had the right to belittle an employee who probably is also a member since he works there, and treat him like he is nobody. If I were to change one thing about arena club It would be how they treat they're employees. This is not the only occasion I've seen this same woman belittle an employee. Another time was when she was yelling at a life guard just doing her job for no reason. She was on break and this manager lady I guess was concerned that she didn't feel there was enough lifeguards on duty. I definitely will not allow my daughter who wanted to teach swim instructing here work here if this is how the employers will be treating they're employees for little mistakes. I had a chance to talk to the colored boy who was yelled at today and he explained to me that it was all his fault because he was late, and when I told him I would write a complaint and bad review he said not to because it was his fault not her's. Now I agree that it was his fault that he was late, but I do not agree with how that manager dealt with the situation in front of the whole pool.She did not treat the poor young boy with any respect, and he gave her all the respect he had, I can tell he really cares for his peers and looks up to them. I can tell that she is unfit from managing her own division, that she feels that she needs to butt her nose (excuse my language) into every other division that she can. I can also tell she does not have the best interest in dealing with children or with anyone in a club that is supposed to have a safe and welcoming and loving staff. I feel that if this lady is not relieved from working here AKA fired, that the integrity of the arena club will go down as a whole. I am giving this review two stars because although the management is not good at all, the employees really love their job and try their best to make The Arena Club look it's best.

Carla Amos

We love everything about the Arena Club. Use it all the time!

Ashley McMillen

I’m only giving one star so I can leave this review! I wish I could give zero stars because of Dabney. Dabney is the most unprofessional person I have ever dealt with. She was rude and condescending while reviewing the club with us. She single handedly almost caused us not to join. If she was gone the membership would go way up. She kept talking about stomping her feet and flipping her hair to get her way at the club- why would you say this to someone?? She also told my wife to ‘say thank you to me’ bc she felt like she was doing something to help us. The only way we joined was with the agreement that she have nothing to do with our account, but she continues to send email and Try to call us. We have had other employees agree with us about her and how horrible she is! Do yourself and your gym a favor GET RID OF DABNEY! This is an excellent gym with a substandard employee who is giving them a bad name. Please do not take this review lightly- we had not posted anything through the issues listed above and many others, but after the most recent incident we couldn’t ignore it any longer.

Robert Castagnera

We have been members for many years, much of the time paying and not using.We like the club so much that we don't want to give up our membership. Parking is great, and for the most part we find the club to rarely be crowded. The facilities are nice and the staff is friendly. One thing that disappointed me recently was that my wife and I were very interested in enrolling in the Golf fitness class offered during the winter. We inquired at the front desk about this class in the late fall. At first the staffer wasn't aware of this program, but seemed to find it saying it doesn't start until winter, so when we came back after the New Year we were informed that the class only had one opening left and that they couldn't accommodate another participant. We asked to be contacted if an opening occurred, but never heard from anybody. In retrospect I think the first inquiry we made should have resulted in the staffer taking our names for a wait list until the golf fitness class opened up. Someone should have contacted us to see if we were still interested.

StylnFly

They have awful management, claim to be a Christian organization. Don't recommend working for this completely two-faced organization.

P Brennan

While the facility at the Arena Club is ok - not great - It is crowded with equipment and extremely noisey. Their membership practices are an abomination. Forcing people to contract for a one year period is ridiculous at the onset. I guess the management is truly only after one thing- MONEY - and a pretty hefty amount as well on an annual basis. Oh and by the way if you decide to cancel your membership and you are 1 day over the 30 day required notification (another ridiculous price gouging practice) you will have to pay for the entire next month. They have never heard of prorating- after all that would be a fair business practice and we wouldn't want that to creep into the Club. I feel sorry for their employees, they have no authority to adjuticate a customer complaint - just tell you how sorry they are. Don't go there!!!

Brent Szwalla

Very friendly staff. Great facilities. Only issue is being in the military, they don't honor your orders when you leave, you'll owe a months dues no matter what you do. I was a member for almost 2 years and had to pay even though I live in California. 2 stars

Kathleen Solomon

Arena Club is a 5star gym with something for everyone from kids programs to group fitness classes. The staff treats their members like family and are always welcoming. I have been going to the Arena Club for years now and am so thankful to have found such a amazing gym.

Elizabeth Leonardo

We have been going there for two years now, really nice place , friendly staff. The problem is that they are doing church services every Sunday and it is a obstruction every Sunday with them setting up for their circus. The parking lot is crazy, teachers are complaining about noise interrupting classes and we have to answer our kids questions about what those people are doing there. Yes we could avoid Sundays but for us that is the family day together, plus it is just ridiculous having to deal with that going to the gym. It is not going to be long till they start to try to convert people to they religion since they have a billboard up and seems they are there to stay. Going back to bel air athetic club.

Jen Kennedy

This place is not compassionate at all definitely not worth the money. I was supposed to be on medical leave and they keep trying to charge me.

Bob Amos

We've been members of The Arena Club for over three years, and we plan to continue. The facilities are top notch; well maintained, clean and high quality. The staff members are awesome -- from reception, to teachers, coaches, lifeguards,and daycare. Programs are well done. Daycare makes it extremely convenient and daycare staff are professional, caring, and super friendly. Preschool teachers and facilities are excellent. We highly recommend the Arena Club!

Darlene Burton

Thank you for being so accommodating!! You place is amazing!!

abby s

Was followed around by strange blonde woman.

P Sheward

Great environment for all levels of fitness, clean, and well equipped. Member for several years, equipment is well maintained, and refreshed regularly. Great family pool and family environment. Top all of that with the best trainers, and instructors in the area.