Bay Club Santa Monica
📍 2425 Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica, California, 90404
Services: Infrared Sauna, Massage, Steam Room, Traditional Sauna
Amenities & Features
About
Cold Plunge & Sauna
This gym provides a dry sauna, which members note lacks traditional wood panels, exposing hot marble walls. The steam room is a key amenity, but it has experienced extended periods of being out of order, sometimes for many months. Members report that the steam room was broken for over eight months on one occasion, with no clear timeline for repairs provided by staff. Despite the steam room being a primary reason for joining for some, the gym offers no discount on membership fees when this amenity is unavailable. The sauna's design with exposed hot walls is noted by members as a potential safety concern.
Pricing
& Policies The gym offers flexible membership options, including single-club access and a more expensive multi-club membership that allows use of all Bay Club locations. However, members frequently describe the Santa Monica club's dues as overpriced, feeling they are about 25% higher than the value provided, especially when key amenities are broken. The cancellation policy is a significant point of contention; members report being forced to pay for an additional month even with proper notice, and there is no option to pause a membership. Membership fees have also increased without corresponding improvements to the facility or experience.
Staff
Feedback on staff is mixed. Some members appreciate certain front desk employees and note that support staff are excellent, contributing to a clean environment. However, multiple reviews cite poor customer service, with specific mentions of a front desk staff member being consistently rude, dismissive, and unprofessional. Members also report that management is often unresponsive to concerns about broken amenities like the steam room, with staff sometimes cutting off members during inquiries.
Additional Amenities
The facility is a fully-equipped gym located within the Water Garden office complex. It offers professional training, group exercise classes that are described as excellent and uncrowded, and complimentary coffee. The gym provides good towels. Equipment is described as decent but often dated, with some machines frequently out of service. The locker rooms are small, can become overcrowded and unpleasant, and showers are noted for sometimes being unclean. Parking is described as great and easy.