ReviewsCertainly the nicest health club I've ever visited, The Sports Club/LA offers high-end fitness facilities in the same spaces occupied by the Ritz Carlton. The club boasts a salon, restaurant, locker rooms with attendants, two, full-size basketball courts, an indoor pool, and many other features available to those who can afford the membership dues (a stay at the Ritz may entitle guests to use of the facilities).
The club's vast interior and floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor provide a refreshing escape from the crowded culture that pollutes urban life. Cardio machines that line the balcony surrounding the basketball floor below are equipped with televisions that make exercise less of a chore. Weight machines are adequately spaced to allow freedom of movement within the facility.
The difference in culture between The Sports Club/LA and other gyms in the area is due in large part to the demographics of its members. This club keeps out meatheads and riff-raff by charging astronomical fees they simply cannot afford. Even wealthy meatheads would be deterred from joining because the largest dumbbell is only 100 lbs, which is adequate for the vast majority.
Most members are wealthy (or at least their spouses are) and attractive professionals or athletes. Michael Jordan even workout here when he was living at the Ritz during his stint with the Washington Wizards. Although I did not directly observe arrogance among the club's members during my brief visits, the propensity for "snooty" behavior is higher here than other places given their elite status.
The only reason that The Sports Club/LA rates five stars is because the scale allows no higher score. If you can afford the membership, get one.
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