Worst customer service ever. We play Saturday morning basketball from 10-12 every single Saturday. We are continuously kicked off the court by entitled parents. There are 40 adults there to play basketball , and we are kicked off for 2 people. It's unbelievable. We have lost countless guys for this. It is absolutely ridiculous. If you expect customer service, go somewhere else. All they want to do is up sell you trainers and programs. Stay away! read more

This place is fantastic. It's a huge facility with anything imaginable. If you can't get it done here, you're not trying.

Awesome gym!!!! Large, clean and had everything I could ever need. Wish this place was in every town I traveled too.

I am originally from Cincinnati, and am currently in DC, but feel compelled to write how much I miss Lifetime's yoga classes! I have tried yoga classes in some of Cincinnati's and DC's best studio's, where the monthly fee is upwards of $100/month. Even at those studio's, where the speciality is yoga, I still missed Lauren's classes at Lifetime. Plus, at Lifetime for the same price you'd pay for a yoga studio, youre getting the perks of tons of other high intensity classes, a pool, clean locker rooms, and new equipment. It's really the best value you can find. I miss Lifetime's yoga classes everyday, and if I ever make it back to Birmingham renewing my membership will be the first thing I do! read more

A little crowded but staff and members were great. I went at Peak time so crowd was to be expected. I did get my workouts in. Equipment was ok just one lat pull down machine was a little sticky read more

Lifetime is more than a gym, it's like a resort and is worth the money you pay for their membership. To start with, It never gets crowded, because of their size and number of exercise equipments, and you always have several free treadmills, exercise bikes and other equipment available to use. There are so many group classes to choose from from 5am to 8pm. They also have 3 swimming pools (2 indoor and 1 outdoor) along with a poolside bar (it doesn't get better than that!). They have tennis courts, basket ball courts, as well as a cycling and running team. They also have an amazing yoga and pilates studio with several yoga/ hot yoga and pilates classes all day. In addition to this, they have an on site Life spa and cafe. You get free lifetime points when you join that you can use towards the life spa and other services like personal training. There is so much more to the gym that I have probably not covered like information about Lifetime Kids studio. Overall, its the kind of gym that makes you excited about working out! read more

Great place to workout especially if you need childcare and group classes! The price fits the value

I like this place for the availability of equipment and classes (I've tried yoga, hiit , mixed cardio classes all are great) but why does it smell so bad upon entering (like sewage?). Also they need to make their water fountains have cold water. Lastly, I would recommend for the cycle classes to offer cycling shoes on loan (my tennis shoes are I guess bulkier than cycling shoes and it kept hitting the machine making me feel not safe). read more

Huge space, but still limited weight equipment (4 benches and 3 squat racks) so after work things can get very crazy. Giant open space in between the cardio and weights area, which adds a lot to the feel. Biggest issue? $89 read more

THE best gym in Birmingham. As someone who has lived all over the country, I have been a member of MANY large-scale gym chains: Gold's, Equinox, LA Fitness, etc.. And if I haven't been a member, it's likely I've tried it out with various passes or during my travels, including NY Sports Club, 24 Hour Fitness, Crunch, Plantet Fittnes, etc.. In summation, I feel I have a very credible and non-biased voice in reviewing each of them and I can honestly say this gym exceeds almost all of them. It's service and equipment is only matched by Equinox; however, the membership fee of LTF is less than half that of Equinox! The equipment is plentiful and always in working order, as maintenance is quick to repair any reported problem. Equally important is the cleanliness of the gym. While some gyms inconvenience their members by cleaning at peak hours--creating hazards with vacuum cords (**cough**cough**LA FITNESS**)--this gym manages to keep the place spotless without creating such obstructions and always prioritizing our use of the space first. It shouldn't go without mention, too, that the design of the space is very motivating! Most importantly, though are the people. Not only can I avoid the most obnoxious of gym stereotypes (aka the singers or 'better-than-thou' Narcissus types), but people I do see here are friendly and supportive of all fitness levels. The staff, too cares more about the member than the dollar earned. If you don't believe me, just ask for Membership Advisor Brandon. He embodies the personality of the club that I so positively describe! While I cannot speak much about the fitness instructors (as I have only taken one private session), I can say that simply as an onlooker, they are still proving that very experienced gym-goers as myself can still learn from them. Again, this the best gym in Birmingham and the perfect place to start 2017. ...and in that time it took to write, I am pretty much finished my cardio! Lol read more

Beautiful gym and would have provided more than 3 stars if they were committed to their word. Below is the email that I sent to the General Manager of the Birmingham location and it has been 10 days and still no response. This is an example of the lack of commitment and customer satisfaction provided. Hello Mr. Tim King, I am reaching out to you for assistance with the cancellation of my membership. Please understand my frustration and know that I am not trying to be ugly but only expressing my dissatisfaction with some services that the center offers. This has been a great experience but also one that I have been frustrated with. Let me give you a brief history. I joined the gym for the summer camp and the possibility of becoming fit. Well the possibility did not happen and I knew that it was chance it would not. That is due to my lack of motivation so the membership was mostly for summer camp. Early in the summer, my son was coming home upset about the swimming lessons and he was whining that he failed the swim assessment and he was a failure because he had the black wristband. I did not know the story behind the whining and swimming issues so I contacted Brittany, Brandon and Rio. Brandon offered me $150 in Bucks and 2 meal vouchers to not cancel and stay another 30 days for the inconvenience but never received the all the bucks or the vouchers. I only received $65 in Bucks last month because the 50 was included in the sign on package. And of course, with the extras I was like sure I will continue my membership. And then when I spoke with Rio she informed me that I could not get the money from camp back due to the camp spaces were blocked off. And I understood that. Then I spoke with Brittany Swartz (swimming) and she said we will continue to work with your son on swimming and he will be able to swim once the classes are over. Well classes are over and he still cannot swim. The only person that held to their end of the bargain was Rio. Both Rio and Krissy were exceptional to work with. If my son had a bad day or just needed them to check on him, they did so and communicated back with me. Then today, I called to cancel the membership (so the August funds do not come out of my account) and I was informed that even though I pay month to month I still have to give a 30 day notice. I am not saying that I was not told this and I clearly did not read it. Yet this has made another sour taste in my mouth. I am asking you to waive the 30 day notice and allow me to cancel as of today. Summer camp is over for me and there is simply no need for me to come to the gym. Overall I am very disappointed that I did not receive any response back. Whether the gym decided to help me with the monthly membership fee or not, I expected a simple response. I guess my middle class money was not sufficient enough to get a response back. Money makes the world go round, huh. read more

Honestly a horribly managed club. Broken equipment, warm "cold" water fountains, dirty equipment, a permanently broken pool, and nobody cares. read more

I think everything offered by lifetime is fantastic. I wish I had time to do all the things they offered. I'd say if there is a fault in anything here it would be the congruency of the staff. It does feel corporate but this isn't a negative bc I'm not going for this reason. I personally like the facilities offered. I use the kids academy, pool, yoga lessons and hot tub. read more

Before moving here, I worked out at Equinox. Equinox is not in Birmingham area and Lifetime is at least 20 times larger than Equinox (facility size) so I signed up right away. Unfortunately, the customer service here is terrible. I don't think Lifetime provides trainings for their staffs, because they are unaware of Lifetime deals and packages, services they currently offer, and they treat customers who have concerns very harshly and unprofessionally. When I was confused about LT bucks, they were supposed to assist me but they blamed me for not knowing. The 3 or 4 times that I had called to ask simple questions, their phone manners were very rude. Lastly, it's VERY DIFFICULT to cancel the membership here. I had to stop by 4 times just to get hold of someone to cancel my membership. If you already know you'll be a long-term member here and will be using the gym to only workout in solitude, sign up here. But I would sign up somewhere else. read more

Canceled my membership today, never coming back. Worst customer service I've ever experienced.

There are a lot of great things about this club, the facilities are nice, the trainers are great. But there are 2 things you always remember about a place, your first impression and your last. There many business practices here that are not handled well and poor customer service. This is one of the most expensive clubs in Birmingham and when you do cancel it, they will charge you for 2 months. That is their policy for "cancel anytime". Be aware of that going into it. After filing a complaint with the BBB and speaking to upper management, I was told a lot of it was due to "Growing Pains" where they didn't call me back. For what you pay for membership there, they should go above and beyond. They also will not return phone calls from management or other departments. When we first joined , we were given "LifeTime Bucks" that could be used for services like swim lessons, tennis lessons, ect. But when we called to schedule swim lessons, we got a voice mail, we left a voice mail but never received a call back. After going in and talking to the aquatics desk, they said they were too busy to call people back. And this was coming from the girl that was almost too busy to talk to us at the desk because she was talking to another employee about her boyfriend. After talking to the employee we were told that it would be almost 2 months before we could schedule a swim lesson. Which in this case would cause our LifeTime bucks to expire. So DO NOT be swayed by the promise of LifeTime bucks to be used on services because you may not be able to use them for the things that the sales person sells you on. We were also promised $200 in LtBucks after 60 days, but this was not given. After talking to the management he said the sales person made a mistake and it was 6 months. I would of given this a lower rating but there simply isn't one. But it is worth a higher rating for trainers there, they were all great but it is sad that they are working for a company with such poor customer service from the membership side. Don't just take my word for it, look at the Better Business Complaints for their corporate office http://www.bbb.org/minnesota/business-reviews/health-clubs/life-time-fitness-in-chanhassen-mn-13193/complaints they have over 500 complaints, which is crazy! When comparing this membership to the YMCA in Birmingham, the Y roughly half the price. Great customer service, great people. Not as new and fresh but they actually call you back and you can schedule swim lessons very quickly. I have heard a number of other complaints when it comes to the sales side, so make sure you get anything they say in writing. Also negotiate the best rate for your membership because they are willing to negotiate. There is a reason they don't post their membership fees online or anywhere, they give different rates all the time depending on what you negotiate. Also when I went to cancel my membership in person, I had to wait almost an hour to talk to someone. Maybe if they would return calls, I could of scheduled a time. But when I talked to management about them returning calls, they said they were just too busy to rely on that. I run a small business with about 5,000 users, we manage that with about 2 employees and we call everyone back. They have 300 employees at this location and less than 10,000 members. I think they could improve. So be careful and don't get sucked in because they will not treat you with the respect that a customer deserves. read more

CAUTION: If you plan on joining be aware of their cancellation policy. I cancelled in October yet I am still getting charged for the entire month of November. Again, I am canceling my membership before the next month yet they are charging me for another month. The entire time they try to convince you to "freeze" your membership. It's such a scam and clearly money is their motive, not customer satisfaction. I am not the only one complaining and switching gyms. read more

This place is a MILL. When you call LF and press # as a MEMBER, you get prompts for dept's and finally, usually, asked to leave a message 90% of the time. When you call and press # as NON-MEMBER, you get a live attendant EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. This is very telling of LT's committment to their MEMBERS. They're committment seems to be creating memberships and then...well, nice facilities, but that's about it. Beautiful pools, when they are open, because they are constantly closing them due to kids pooing in them. They make it look pretty from the outside and provide nice equipment. ***Tennis Program rocks***. MOST OF THE LIFEGUARDS ARE RUDE. EVEN RUDER MANAGERS. We recently rented the facility (7 months in advance) for an evening event for 225 people. We were told tables and chairs would be included in the facility rental for our catered event. We were offered decorations for an additional fee. Reo, is responsible for the complete and utter debacle that LT presented as our venue. Because of Reo's failure to make calls, return messages or do any sort of follow through, two weeks before my event I was scrounging for centerpieces. 5 days before our event Reo had failed to rent seating and called to say they may not be able to find enough seating so close to our party date. She blamed her coworker for that and then tried to muscle me into agreeing to take responsibility for renting them myself, because her coworker had not written tables/chairs into my contract, although she had been present for meetings while her co-worker was training her and explaining the arrangements for our event where Reo would order the seating and how much she would need. I nearly fell out. Reo could only tell me not to worry, because everybody loves her and knows how fabulous she is at her job. (WHAT?! CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS EXPERIENCE!) Needless to say the eve of our event started out as a complete disaster. The party was from 7-11. The first guests arriving jumped into action helping me to help these LF people who had not finished setting up our tables, the buffet line or the cocktail and hors d'oerve area. Nor after several requests had they brought ice in to begin chilling the beer and wine. The bounce house still sat deflated on the ground at 7:15 and was 7:30 before it was ready for our guest's children, only because I found them outside chatting with one another and asked them to please get it going. Shawn, the new customer service lady(yeh, great) rudely let me know that it would ONLY take 15 minutes to get it ready-I said great, then let's get that going NOW as our party has already started!) Tim King, the manager, and Shawna, the cust service person were not only disinterested in the failure of their staff...Shawna and Reo, 2 managers, were two of the emplyees on hand and responsible for the failures at our event. I suspect that Tim King is part of the problem. It makes sense that he begins every conversation apologizing for his lack of ability to return calls or look into the matter, because he had human resource emergencies that kept getting in the way of his taking care of us. Tim King, you ARE one of the HR issues-our problem was all HR related and you are just as big of a liability as is Reo and Shawna. Shame on you. And when we complained, we were told by Tim he'd have to look at the video and would get back with us in 5 days; he never did, it was only because we kept calling him that he was able to say 'I looked at the tape and didn't see nothing' after 4 weeks on non-action and thinking if he ignored us we'd just go away. They're all about luring you in and taking your money, but if you have a complaint, they're deaf. read more

I am not a member but I go as a guest and I used to be a member. The reason I give a bad review is because the basketball courts are always dirty and dusty which means they are really slippery which makes playing a game not enjoyable at all you worry more about falling than playing. This was one of the main reason I quit going. They are the one of the most expensive gyms in Alabama just sweep the courts twice a day. If you are going here to play basketball don't, go to the UAB recreation center not only are they cheaper and have 4 basketball courts but they clean the courts every day. read more

Not a good family environment. at lifetime fitness it's all about money, not values. Not member satisfaction. Only places worth your time is the spa and cafe. read more

I've had ongoing issues with billing at Lifetime. Last July I had to change my old bank account to a new bank account. I personally went up to Lifetime and handed my new debit card to the lady at the front desk. I told her that I no longer have my old checking account and to please update my account to reflect the new bank account information going forward. She wrote everything down in front of me so I assumed that it would be handled. August went by and September and I received a notice in the mail that I've not paid $30.00 for August and September. (I had my account on freeze and I agreed that $15.00 would be drafted from my account every month) I called Lifetime and explained that I gave my new bank account information to the lady at the front desk. I gave my bank account information again to the Lifetime representive over the phone. I thought the issue was fixed until on February 1, 2022 they charged my debit card $89.00. I've not been a member with them since last year. Please be careful when choosing which gym to go to. It's not been a good experience. read more

Great gym the problem isn't the gym but the pool. Parents don't follow the rules for the little ones and it ends up with the pool or pools in some cases being closed for everyone. The pools being closed effect everyone else so either they need to fined parents who cause the pools to be closed or reduce membership dues for the inability to have full access to the facility. read more

Love this place. Great facility. Great aquatics center and swim instructors. Nice indoor and outdoor pool with 2 lap pools. Equipment always functional. read more

It is an amazing gym! I give it three stars because of the lack of supervision on small children in the weight room. Women just bring their kids and drop them off to play on equipment and bother everyone. The other star lacking is the price. The price keeps going up and up and up. Other than that it is a clean facility and nice gym. read more

Top notch place to work out. They have everything, awesome staff, cool and warm pools, clean locker rooms, huge gym, tennis courts, basketball court, and even a cafe. Basically is a country club minus golf. read more

Have been a member of this gym since it opened 3.5 years ago. It offers he best facility in Birmingham and you can use other lifetimes around the country if you travel. Customer service has also always been 5 stars and employees always go out of their way to help you. Free yoga and a ton of other fitness classes are included in your membership. read more

Don't waste your time! They are only after your money and getting you on a contract and care nothing about you or your kids. Coach Chaz, the swim coach, is only interested in older kids who show up and can make him look good with little effort. He is not at all interested in devoting time to bringing up young talented swimmers. But he will not be honest and tell you that, he just continually says he will call you back and never does. And the problem of not calling people back is systemic and goes all the way up to the general manager. read more

Really my review is for LifeSpa inside LifeTime. The staff is knowledgable and the massages are great.

Has everything I need Yoga & Swimming...tennis and cardio & weight facilities are amazing...

I love LifeTime. It's really top notch. I usually workout on my own but I have taken some of their yoga classes and they are wonderful. My only issue is that sometimes the equipment isn't the cleanest (dust/dirt beneath the machines, I feel like they need a more frequent deep cleaning) and they need more of those wipe dispensers so people will be more apt to wipe down the equipment. I also wish they had just incline/adjustable benches in the free-weight area since sometimes it's hard to find an incline or flat bench during peak times. If they all were adjustable you'd have the option of incline or flat. They need more lighter weight barbells for the women in the free-weight area. I'm talking about the smaller EZ Curl and straight barbells on the racks over by the glute/ham raise. They have one 20, 25, 30 lb. Those are almost always being used so it would be helpful to have more than one of each of those. Lastly it would be awesome if they'd get a machine just for glute bridges. So many folks are doing glute bridges with barbells, free weights and I do mine with the leg extension machine. We need a glute bridge machine. read more

Brandon personal trainer is awesome. He is very professional and knows his craft well. This young man has a very pleasant attitude and I enjoy my training sessions. I wouldn't have any other trainer..... read more

I was a member of Golds for years and I grew sick of it--no towels, cutting classes, rude desk people, and it is simply dirty. So I decided to join Lifetime. The membersales person I used was super nice and went over everything. But it was frustrating since they claimed not to negotiate and I know friends who pay less and some that ended up paying huge joining fees. I ended up getting the just about all the fees waived and for them to buy out the remainder of my Golds billable time. The place is clean and parking is not bad if you get there before 5:30 PM--at 6ish when there are swimming competitions and lots of classes on a given night parking is a mess. I always find a locker and a place to get dressed. The classes are amazing. The instructors are top notch and I have never had to worry about getting there way early like I had to at Golds to get a spin bike. Never had to wait on a treadmill either. There are always towels and wipes. I also got LT bucks to use. I wanted to use a nutritionist. Sorry out of luck we do not have one. Well ok so I decide to use it on a spa service. The lady was really nice who booked it-I am using it this week. Had to book a week out--not too bad. Well I ask about booking another massage for after a marathon in the fall and the lady was like we got so and so that is leaving and we will prob be short staffed so do it soon. It seems like a lot of turn over for the services? I really do like it but it is pricey. It is worth it if you go a few times a week and use the classes and or pool. The cafe is so good-pricey again but if you want a healthy meal it is worth it. read more

Birmingham is lucky to have such an awesome gym. All the employees are friendly and professional.

The gym itself is decent but not great compared to other lifetime facilities I've been to. It's the cancelation of membership that is the problem. I joined by pressure over the phone, then got relocated without ever stepping foot in the gym. I called to cancel and they said you have to do it in person. I went in person four separate times without ever actually speaking to the right person and was there over an hour each time. I decided to cancel my visa they were drafting from and got a replacement card, separate account, all new numbers, and the charge showed up again. I went back to lifetime and waited two hours to speak to a "cancellation specialist" who first wouldn't accept no as an answer to "suspending" my account for a small monthly fee. Then gave me a really hard sales pitch and after I resisted all attempts, was treated like garbage. Mission accomplished, no more lifetime fees (at $100/month) for something I never even got to use. To my surprise I was billed again the next month. So again I cancelled my visa and opened a MasterCard with the same company, the next month, LIFETIME FITNESS DUES!!!! This company is relentless and are thieves with no morals or ethics. I've, as of today, paid 14 months of membership dues to a gym I've never been to. And they will not take responsibility for continuous billing after cancellation, and conveniently don't belong to the Better Business Bureau. There are equally nice facilities that work with integrity and a good customer service attitude. read more

I purposefully did not renew my personal training contract, but they charged me anyways. Even after it had expired. I have been trying to get my money back ($200) for about 10 days now and have yet to even get a call back. Left several voicemails and emails. Terrible customer service. read more

Beautiful facility and some of the best fitness people in the industry! They do have a cancellation policy, but all the other gyms I have had memberships with did and do and if you cancel during the wrong time in any billing cycle, you may end up paying an extra month (I know I did both at Golds and at the Y). There were growing pains at the beginning (birthing pains actually), but the positives far outweigh any negatives I've encountered. I'm thrilled we finally have a Life Time in Birmingham. Sure, they will ask you to buy additional services, it is not government subsidized nor non-profit. But they offer enough free amenities (outstanding cycle program, some of the best yoga teachers in town, tons of group fitness classes that are first class, pool, sauna, steam room, etc) to give you your moneys worth! read more

The facility is well above average. Employees are kind and courteous. Sales Assistant led me to believe the trainers were there to assist, as needed (within reason). I have found they are not paid to assist and do not care for the interruption. Although, they smile and are courteous. My primary issue is with the "locked in rate" quoted with early/beginning membership drive. I was assured the rate would not adjust.. (most important for those of us with previous locked in gym rates from 4star gyms.) PLEASE post or contact me if you have a similar issue. Attempting to have our rate issues resolved. read more

I am extremely disappointed in the service that I have received here. I live in Houston, TX and my husband and I have been members since 2011. With that said I was going to be in Birmingham for the weekend and needed to get a blowout so quite naturally I thought of the life spa. I called to set an appointment on Tuesday for Friday. When I was on the phone the person that I spoke to asked me if I was black, strange question but I let it slide. Then I was called back and my appointment was rescheduled for Friday at 3:15pm, I arrive at 3:00 and was seated and told to wait minutes later the manager walked over to tell me that I could not be accommodated at this Tim and could I come back. This was unacceptable because I have plans for the evening. They were very apathetic and condescending about the situation and I am leaving without my hair done and zero options. I don't recommend this gym under any circumstances. read more

I have been a LT member since the very beginning and I was relatively happy...at first. I did notice that the service is slowly going down (tennis, swimming lessons for children...). The quality is going down. But what I experienced today, I can not even describe! It was a busy Saturday morning, Mr. Payne's group lesson completely took up the central area of main gym including multiple exercise machines. I attempted to use the rowing machine, which was not currently being used. Payne was extremely aggravated and condescending, he told me to leave the rowing machine or if I want to use it I must pay him for a group lesson. He behaved like he owns the gym. I was shocked! I pay for membership and I can not use the empty rowing machine for 15 min! I immediately brought the incident to attention of Tim King, the manager. So far I have not received any response from him. As a physician, I found the behavior of Mr. Payne simply insane and probably supported by LT administration. read more

Beautiful, shiny facility but poor, untrained and unprofessional service. It takes forever to hear back from anyone and there is no clear and consistent leadership to guide a very young (and cheap?) staff. The outdoor pool did not open until Memorial Day weekend this year, a month later (or more) than other area pools. In addition, there is no separation between children pool and lap pool. There has been a "contamination" in the children pool an average of every other day and because of the lack of separation, the entire pool has to be closed as a result. To top it, they use a radar system that tracks thunder storms 50 miles away and leads to pool closing every time a storm is detected within that radius. In Alabama in the summer, that means every day. I think that the pool has closed 3 times out of 4 I have been there this summer. Summer camps seem popular leading to crowding of the locker room (the summer camps do not use the family locker room) and the swimming lessons are basically monopolizing the outdoor lap pool 6 hours a day. Tennis instructors are good overall but do not justify the cost of private lessons at $70 per hour ($30 more than lessons at other clubs in town). Avoid head of tennis (Ellis) who will spend more time reminiscing about his past "glory" and lecturing you rather than giving you balls and helping you developing your own skills. There is also a fitness tower right by the tennis court and the music and huffing and puffing sounds coming from it are very distracting to tennis players. So, to sum it up, if you care about a good pool and a good tennis program, do not join Life Time! read more