I would advise against signing up with Marcus, personal trainer, from GoodLife St.Laurent. As a beginner, I was looking to get motivated to get back to the gym again. Unfortunately, he was such a perfectionist that he spent way more time pointing out everything I did wrong. That approach was really not what I expected from someone whose profession entails providing encouragement and motivation to people and it was certainly not what I paid for. In hindsight, I should have asked for a change of personal trainer after the first session with him but three sessions certainly solidified the fact that he is definitely not the personal trainer for me.

I would not go back to St. Laurent GoodLife for this reason and would absolutely not recommend Marcus as a personal trainer!!

i've joined goodlife in nov. 2011 with my neighbor. we always visited walkley road in ottawa. staff are great, and place is big enough. Manager Jay is always helpful, assist us when friends come over to try a class.
group fitness is great. my top 3 is body combat, zumba and body attack.

the one in st. laurent is also good, just bit further for me. the fit classes has more choices and they also have a pool...so yeah for aqua zumba.

I visited Rideau and PLEASE bring your own towel. They do not provide it, you have to purchase it for $4. Yikes.
The staff is hit and miss, sometimes you get the friendly ones, sometimes you get the "nevermind!".
Group Classes need to be revamp - nothing good from friday to weekend.

I've visited Baseline, Roydon, and Barrhaven too. No complains.

Overall, the money you pay for is worth it. You can visit any Goodlife and workout there, so there is no reason you miss the gym, unless you don't go to the grocery. Every big Loblaws has a goodlife.

I've been a member for over a year and enjoy the group classes. They've really pushed me to work harder than I would on my own.
Just be careful with the GoodLife accessories... I've recently discovered to my dismay that it might not be safe to drink from a Goodlife Fitness water bottle...

I l love going to the Goodlife Gym at St Laurent, I find the staff very pleasant and helpful. The centre is clean and very welcoming. I have been to others such as Merville,never again, staff not very welcoming
at the desk, to busy chatting with co workers not paying attention to what is going on around them. Washrooms not tidy. Rideau is also not a pleasant experience, staff not very friendly or helpful,again no interest in the clients.. Even though St Laurent is the furthest away, that is my gym to go to. It is all about the reception you receive that make for a pleasant workout. My orientation was giving by a great young lady by the name of Stacie, She was great very pleasant ,very knowledgeable. I would recommend this gym to my friends.
For me it is all about the greeting and the service which I find the best at St, Laurent,

be aware!!!! I was a member for 4 yrs. After several complaints about the facilities nothing was done about it, so i decided to cancel my membership. i put a stop payment because i heard from different people that they still continue to withdraw out of your account. I found out a couple of months later that they still withdrew from my account by changing the amount of my fee, so they were able to bypass the bank system. I could not beleive that a company of that caliber would do such a thing. i am disgusted, and angry. THAT IS FRAUD. how they get away with it? i dont know. please beleive me, they are scammers. i experienced dirty washrooms, broken equipment that took long periods to fix, rude staff and so on. think twice before you join

Love the gym. It's nice and airy, lots of machines. My question is, how much are sessions with a regular trainer. I've used up my first 12. Was going to get more sessions, but what's the cost? If it's 40 and over, what's the price for a regular trainer?

Goodlife gym is the worst gym you could possibly join. I have signed myself onto a 12 month contract and up to the 4 month mark, all they have done is treat me like dirt and give extremely poor service. They are total scammers and i would highly recommmend that no one join this gym. If your a regular joe like myself you will not be treated like a member of their gym but pretty much a sucker for them stealing your money. I feel upset everytime i go to that gym and theirs this one blonde haired worker that i extremely hate, as she greased me off everytime i go in. What person who goes to the gym to work out would like to see people look at them in hate, especially a worker. I haven't done anything wrong but exercise, and sadly i feel like i can't even do that when i get treated the way i do...this may be hard to believe as goodlife does have a good reputation but truely i believe this gym doesn't deserve to have any members at all, not now, not ever. They have scammed me so many times and all they do is try and make you forget so they can get your cash. Please do not join this gym, you won't be sorry if you decide to listen to my advice. Their basketball court has been out of order for months and months, their spas have contaminated crap inside, their showers are disgusting, their shower doors don't even close, their facility sucks.

I find Goodlife locations to be pretty hit or miss. I've been to a number that are absolutely tiny, lack equipment and have a horrible atmosphere, due to basement locations, and others, like my location in Burlington, that are airy, large and have so many pieces of gear that you never have to wait to use a thing. As well, I find that how a place feels is generally dictated by the time of day that you show up; I'm a first thing in the morning kind of girl, and on the odd occasions when I've gone to train after work, I've found the free weight section to be flooded with a meat-market testosterone atmosphere.

As an aside, I'd like to recommend my trainer, Jeff Allen - although I only see him every 4 months or so for a couple of sessions each time to re-jig my weight training program, I adore the man. He knows exactly how to relate to his clients, and is a trove of muscle building knowledge. I was so proud when I found out that he had been nominated for trainer of the year at Goodlife's 2006 annual gathering.

I agree! Goodlife Fitness is such a great gym! If you can get past the cost of the membership, then it's worth every penny you spend!
For one they have uptodate gym equiment, second their staff is just amazing. We've all been first timers to a gym and felt completely lost right? RIGHT! They have no problem answering any questions, concerns and will even show you how to use the equipment. Lastly the gym instructors are the greatest! They are friendly and take the time to speak with you and show you how to move correctly (if your taking one of their classes). Do I recomend GoodLife?

BUT OF COURSE! ; )

I love GoodLife fitness! It's great! I don't really know what to say about it other than you really have to try it. They have deals on al the time for new customers to try out a club of your choice. My personal favourites are the women only facilities, mostly found in upstairs Loblaws supermarkets. If you aren't comfortable working out in front of a lot of men then this would be a really good place to go to.

Also, some of the co-ed gyms do have a special women only section, but they are usually somewhat small. Also, the classes are great too! My top three would be Body Flow, Body Pump, and Body Combat. The music is all really great to work out to as well. You can look up class details online on their main web page.

I signed up for a personal trainer last year and lost about 55 lbs with her. Personal trianers are a tad expensive, so I had to stop seeing her, but I've almost lost 60 lbs now, and I feel great! I know how to take care of myself, and keep the weight off. It was a learning experience that will stay with me for life. In fact, I am a life time member. This place always makes me feel wonderful and I recomend it to everyone I know.