I'm really disappointed with my recent experiences at GoodLife Queen. I've been a member at this…read moregym for over 10 years, and over the years I've seen the quality of the front desk staff deteriorate significantly. While the gym itself has great equipment and trainers, the front desk experience has become consistently frustrating. Most (not all) of the front desk staff are unfriendly and rarely make eye contact or greet members. It often feels unwelcoming walking in. There are frequently no towels ready, which is inconvenient and reflects a lack of preparation. During the winter, staff don't ensure that people remove their boots, so the path to the change room becomes a wet, messy hazard. It's frustrating for those of us who follow the rules, only to walk through a slushy floor that isn't cleaned up promptly. I've also repeatedly seen staff making TikToks instead of helping members or maintaining the facility. Meanwhile, basic upkeep and member assistance seem to be neglected. It's disappointing to see this decline after being a loyal member for so long. I hope management takes this feedback seriously. A gym should feel clean, organized, and welcoming -- and right now, that's not the experience being delivered.

I was in ottawa for a quick business trip & I'm glad I'm a goodlife member because I can literally…read moreaccess a good gym wherever I go. It was a 15min from my hotel and the staff here are very nice and smiley! Different than the torontos goodlife staff.. definitely. The changeroom is big but I went at 9pm and it was empty - I don't know how packed this would be during a after-work rush. The changerooms were relatively clean and the upstairs was nice, quite and tidy. I liked the turf, even though it's saved for personal training. You are free to enter when there's noone in there though and it's nice and clean. Good area for stretching, mobility exercises and sled push/pulls. Downstairs is the weights area, which is a bit dingy and small. Dumbbell rack area is TINY! Who can workout in this, when there's more than a few people?? There's 2-3 squat racks and 2 benches - eh. Most people here are taking them up and not making good use out of them, so you might have to wait for 2-3 dumbasses to finish their quarter squats or bicep curls with the barbell before you can use it. My eyes can only roll so hard. Oh, also nobody does cardio in this gym so that area is all yours! Great variety of cardio machines. Me gusta. It's not difficult to get a good workout in here, but also it smells like nobody has showered. Like ever. VENTILATION PLS. It's not bad but it sure as hell ain't good.

I've had a chance to play a few sessions under Ottawa Footy Sevens and they're a pretty solid…read moreleague. My problems with the league are still there and I find their prices are still very solid. They have started offering some football sessions for beginners which is pretty neat. I don't know the prices but have had some friends who have never played soccer sign up. Their turf leagues are still pretty good prices compared to some of the other leagues. They run a league at Carleton that is a little expensive and you play on some weird carpet. You can sign up for a Carleton league directly bypassing OFS for a bit of a discount. It's a fun workout but they really need to push up competitive players/teams in the recreational divisions. Some other sports leagues in Ottawa are able to do this, I hope OFS can figure a way to do this at some point.

I had a pretty rough experience. The co-ed team had a female captain who was very rude and…read morestandoffish. She would answer everyone's emails but mine. God forbid I could not make it to the 10 pm game, she hated me after that. LOL. I am thinking this is going to be a good experience, you know as an amateur player to get the love of the game, this woman made me hate it now. I eventually broke my ankle playing tennis and emailed them/her about it, she never responded to my emails (could be my race too). BUT she did respond to everyone else (not my race) who was not going to come. So at the end of it all, I have no idea what her problem with was, she was rude and super detached. IF that is the captain then gosh I don't know about the rest of the teams. I am not sure if I will be back to the team next time but I am definitely going to request to NOT have her in my team. She is not a team player AT ALL.

I'm not sure how many people know this, but Ottawa has the largest summer ultimate league in the…read moreworld. With over 5000 members, many Ottawa residents partake in this sport that's continuously gaining popularity around the world. After many years of an organized sports hiatus, I started playing ultimate two years ago and just finished my last fall game today. It's a fun sport with many tiers for different competitive levels, so everyone can find a team they fit with. Other than its astounding popularity, I also would call this "Local Flavour" because I think it expresses some part of Ottawa's culture and appeal. For example, it's a sport that is able to flourish because of Ottawa's extensive amount of green spaces. Players travel all over Ottawa and as far as Manotick to play games. Also, ultimate frowns upon boisterous competitiveness and bluntness and embraces polite non-confrontation: sound familiar, Ottawa? In an active city with many organized teams, OCUA seems to be one of the most popular. For me, there's nothing like playing a game in a muddy field in the middle of a July rainstorm or playing at 10pm in the middle of nowhere with 20 other people who may not otherwise hang out with each other. On that note, it's also a great way to meet new people.

I have played 3 seasons with these guys and so far the best soccer in Ottawa, I would recommend any…read moreteams to sign up with RSL Ottawa, My buddy won the top scorer trophy, a nice golden boot. worth to try! and their prices? WOW! very affordable!

I just finished playing the last league , i totally loved it ! It's the best league so far i've…read moreplayed in Ottawa , the ref's are amazing !

The Rideau Valley Roller Girls are an all-female flat-track not-for-profit Roller Derby league…read morebased in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. If you're looking for an exciting and kitschy date night, take your lovely to the derby! Amazing hits, hot chicks, and yes, the sport is REAL. No fake WWE stuff. And if you're a tough chick yourself, watch out for upcoming recruiting. There may be room for more derby girls in the future.

I've only been to the Rideau Curling Club twice, and both times were for indoor roller skating…read moreevent. Parking is convenient, and facilities are clean and accessible. I would really like to return and check out the curling, as I've only ever been on the paved rink in the summer and I'm sure it's a different experience.

I'm glad Darren actually wrote about the curling part of this joint, since that was the one part of…read morethis ice palace that I didn't get to explore! I came here for my significant other's staff Christmas party and I wasn't expecting much when I heard it was at a curling club. I mean, what do you think of when you think "curling club"? For me, it's cigarette smoke filled coat rooms, freezing cold feet and seniors telling me how much I look like my Dad. Not this place! This two level building is awesome for a staff party. We walked into the main room (which is really spacious and would be awesome if you were actually taking in a curling game) which was decorated for Christmas (but not overly so), and has a nice fireplace that's surrounded by black leather chairs (it felt like a mini living room in the middle of the space - love!). There was room for about 10 tables, and it wasn't crowded at all. We had dinner upstairs, which was really lovely (read: it had another bar. AWESOME.) and the staff were absolute dolls. I don't know how they managed so many inebriated IT guys, but they were cheery and charming the whole time. I actually really enjoyed the food. They had a prime rib buffet, and for us non-meat eaters, a veggie lasagna that was basically all cheese and cream (so...delicious but super rich), steamed veggies, 2 kinds of salad and roasted potatoes. They also served dessert (strawberry shortcake) and coffee. All in all, it tasted like a home-cooked meal which was nice. I'm a curling amateur, but I'd love to come to this spot for a game. You can watch from upstairs or downstairs (in the warmth!), and as mentioned, the staff are super. I might have to suggest this for the annual Banks Family Bonspiel! Tip: We had a really hard time finding this spot since Bronson is closed at Somerset right now. It's on Cooper, which is all residential, so keep your eyes peeled for this unassuming brick building.

Great value, pretty good service overall, so I would come back here, and I ended up buying more…read morethan I expected. I found this a really solid choice and I would recommend it.

Decathlon is a Sporting Goods store from France. This location recently opened and is the first in…read moreOttawa. In fact, Decathlon only opened its first store in Canada last year (2018) in Brossard, QC. Their prices are fairly low and all their items are their own branded stuff, so don't go expecting any Adidas, Nike, or Under Armour, lol. I see it as sort of the Ikea of sporting goods. They had really cheap sportswear. I saw shirts and shorts going for $5-7. Obviously, they had clothes that cost more as well. They had lots of inexpensive yoga and weight lifting accessories too. They had lots of sporting equipment like skis, bikes, rackets, hockey sticks, basketball nets, etc. The store is really big, brightly lit and well organized. There's a cafe inside run by Think Lunch. From what I saw, selection was limited and on the pricey side. There's an indoor basketball court in the store, and a friend of mine told me that if you sign up for their membership, which is free, you can book their court for free. I don't play basketball, but if you do, you have a free place to play year-round, which is pretty cool. The store is in a big strip mall. It's right next to Giant Tiger and will be next to Adonis, which is being built at the time of the writing of this review. Same strip mall as Food Basics, Dollar Tree and Party City. Lots of free parking.