Downtown Retail – F Street & Vida Fitness

Doesn’t it seem like the Vida location is a little close to the Verizon Center location? are they really that busy?

Wow that Alden Shoes sounds great, even if the shoes are expensive. Their Cordovan Wing Tip Bal Oxford is going to set me back $500!

Maybe Vida can start fixing their service to existing customers before they expand.

those shoes are hideous! When is dior going to invade the penn quarter?!

just kidding!

actually, if you check Alden’s specials they are in the $250 range. other regular pricing is in the $300s which is comparable to the mid-high line at a Saks or Nordie’s. not a Filene’s $89 bargain but I’d expect a $250+ quality shoe to last a while. and they are all made in the good ‘ole USA to boot!

As a former Nordtrom manager, in a past life, I can attest that Alden shoes are worth the price- even not on sale. Also, it will be nice to have some professional service in this town- something lost on the Nordstroms here in the East.

Hey I wasn’t complaining about cost (well maybe a little), I was just checking out their top of the line shoes. As PQResident points out they have very nice looking shoes in the $200-$350 range as well.

In the end that’s probably what I’d go with, I need an upgrade from Johnson & Murphy.

I wasn’t going to post something about Vida, but another person has already posted something. They went from “hot” to “not.” There was so much promise with Vida, and they have failed to deliver. I won’t get into details to bore my neighbors, but it made it worth the extra money and time to go to Sports Club LA. In the end, they are another example of a company looking for their own short term gain. I only wish them some pain in their pocketbook until they remember to value a paying customer.

#8, I totally agree with you and have also recently cancelled my VIDA membership. I formerly belonged to the Sports Club LA and the amenities, service, classes and overal workout experience there is exponentially better than VIDA. If only getting to SCLA was not such a pain because of my new address, I’d be back in a flash.

When I had a VIDA membership, the place was consistently rather empty so I’m also surprised at this new location.

The hotel needed an upgrade to their gym and spa for hotel guests. It will be smaller than VIDA verizon center.
I’m thinking of joining VIDA, what are the pros and cons?

#10, if you know about the needs of the hotel and their guests, I have a suspicion you already know the pros and cons of the Vida at the Verizon Center…

Hi # 11, actually I was checking out local gyms with pools and was told by the hotel that membership would be until mid-April, etc. So no I don’t know the pros and cons of VIDA. I do know that the pool at the hotel would be gone. I am starting to give up on the idea of a pool. I see from Vida’s website that they are opening up a new gym at the Metrople and in Tysons corner.

#10, I’ve been a member of Vida since Sept. 2006 and while I do think they failed to deliver some of their promises (i.e., the health bar is disappointing), I still think it is a good gym, especially when compared to WSC Chinatown. I cannot compare it with Sports Club LA since I’ve never been there.

I, myself, enjoy the fact that the gym is not usually packed but not empty either. I can complete my workouts without interruption and set changes.

In addition, Vida seems cleaner than WSC, the high-speed treadmills are excellent (I’ve never experienced the kind of problems I had with the ones at WSC), and the classes are included in the gym membership price…

Until Results opens in City Vista, I do not think there is a better alternative in our neighborhood.

I actually agree with #13 – I looked at Vida when they were first opening and they were definitely positioning it as a competitor or close to a competitor with Sports Club – They had “intro” rates of $75 or $79 that were going to go to $100 a month shortly after opening.

I think that they probably over sold the services a little bit and may have disappointed some people who joined early on. I decided to join this year and I think the rate ($79) is about what they had in the beginning. I like the fact that its generally not very crowded – and January is usually when gyms are packed.

Hopefully there are enough people who joined but aren’t going that they can stay in business!

I’m a trainer at vida. Just like any new bussiness it has it’s ups and downs. Vida has some of the best equipment area and the trainers are smart and upbeat. Working at vida has been a great experience to meet people and live a healthier lifestyle.

I’ve been a member of gyms for almost 30 years. Vida is the most expensive and the worst service. You never see a manager on the floor. They have a sparse offering of classes and they are at inconvenient times or charge an extra fee. And they are always trying to upsell instead of doing something for existing members. I’ve been a member for 8 months and they still don’t know my name. Can’t wait for Results to open.

The wife goes to Vida and likes it a lot and has no real complaints. It is pricy, but a heck of a lot better then WSC. The main purpose of opening the new location is to expand the sauna and spa services since the one’s at the VZ location are pretty small.

I have found the trainers at Vida unfriendly and unapproachable. The one time I asked for help with a spot, the trainer seemed annoyed and then tried to pitch me on the exorbitantly expensive personal training classes for 5 minutes after the spot. In general, I have found the trainers and staff reluctant to offer assistance unless it’s trying to get you to join one of the numerous “additional pay” programs VIDA offers. The classes VIDA does offer as part of the monthly membership are sparse and not very good. Like #16, I have been a member of many gyms and VIDA offers the worst service of anywhere I have ever belonged.

As for the facilities, the equipment is new but the sauna and steam room are often out-of-service and the locker rooms nowhere near as nice as Sports Club LA or Sport and Health near Tysons. I formerly was a competitive swimmer and find the never ending lap pools at VIDA awkward as the water creating the current gets forced at a high rate of speed into your face.

If you are looking for a high-end gym, I would highly recommend Sports Club LA or the Sport and Health Club near Tysons. Both have pools and far better facilities with friendlier and more helpful staff.

Gosh, does anyone who frequents this board like anything about Penn Quarter?

Let me preface this by saying that before I moved to DC in 2004, I used to be a member of the Equinox gym in Chicago. All full-service gyms in Chicago have membership fees of around $125 per month. That is what I was used to.

When I moved to DC, there weren’t any real full-service gyms except for Sports Club LA, so I joined SCLA at a rate of $150 per month. It was good, but for what I was paying, it was years behind what I was used to in Chicago. The facility was old and you could tell it was built in the 80s. I know they recently remodeled, and I haven’t been in there since.

Vida is a nice place. For $80 a month, I got pretty much everything I had in Chicago and at Sports Club LA and then some. As far as I know, the only classes you pay extra for are the military challenge and the mixed martial arts classes. Is it perfect? No, but for $80, look around at its competitors. There is nothing else in the city at this price point that offers this much.

Though I guess it depends on your preferences.

A “bang salon” – WHOO-HOO!

I sadly changed my membership from Results U Street to Vida when we moved to PQ and can’t wait until the new Results opens at City Vista so we can switch back. There’s almost never a day when the first treadmill or elliptical I try isn’t working, so I have to switch to another machine — either won’t power on at all, or TV won’t power on, or TV is fuzzy, etc. At Results a broken machine ALWAYS has a note on it saying that it’s broken and will be repaired on X date (usually that day or the next day). At Vida I used to tell them about the broken machines but gave up because clearly they don’t care to repair them or even mark them as broken. I really miss the Arc runner ellipticals from Results, Vida has one kind of elliptical only. Results also has hand santizing gel everywhere, tissues, disinfectant spray — not a minor thing in the winter when the gym is a petri dish of germs. I think I’ve seen some wipes at Vida that you would supposedly use to wipe down machines, but they are infrequently and awkwardly located, and anyways not adequate. Results gets magazines subscriptions, Vida does not. Results puts out a weekly summary of all complaints and comments received and how they have been addressed. Very few classes in the morning while Results has tons. The showers in the lockerroom are also extremely awkwardly designed. Vida is not EVIL — just inadequate, in my opinion, especially when compared to a first class gym like Results.

I’m a member at Vida and like it very much, here are my complaints (as it seems some people at Vida are reading this).

1. The abs class schedule is inconsistent and sometime no trainer shows up for a class.

2. Often the TV’s on the equipment don’t work, and the upstairs treadmills seem unsteady – they rock back and forth a bit.

3. They have no standing calf raise machine.

4. They have insufficient class descriptions on their website and still have no trainer pictures up for reference.

Otherwise, it’s a good and clean gym, and only sometimes (like the week after new year’s) are all of the cardio machines occupied.

#19: Right on! There sure is a tendency for postings on this blog to fester on the negative side of things.

How about we all talk about how much we like chocolate? Or drinking? Or sunshine? That is, if we can avoid the conversation spiraling out of control in to “chocolate is fattening”, “drinking is bad for you” and “sunshine causes cancer”. Yikes.

Smiles folks!

I was contemplating joining Vida but was hesitant due to things such as the class schedule so I greatly appreciate the candor of some of the responses. Any idea when Results in opening?

I love Penn Quarter. I post criticism not to be negative but to encourage better service, response, etc… I am a member of Vida. They can do better. The class schedule is pitiful. I want them to succeed. I hope they are reading and responding.

I’ve been a member at Vida since it opened. I don’t use the trainers, and I don’t care about classes. The weight and cardio equipment are top-notch, and I’ve noticed very infrequent incidents of any of the equipment being out of service. All in all, I’m happy with my membership, find it better than WSC (and like that Vida is not underground), and think it’s a decent value.

I’ve been a member at Vida since it opened and before that was a member at SCLA since 2002 (with going back and forth between SCLA and PQ for one year). Dudley, that building was constructed in 2000-2001, so your 80’s reference is a little off. I have my complaints about Vida, but far fewer than I had at SCLA. Perhaps SCLA is better now that it has been renovated, but it was getting tired and overcrowded.

Vida isn’t perfect, but it’s good enough, especially in light of our current options. At least until Results opens.

With the rent VIDA must be paying for that prime space in the Verizon Center, I’m just shocked the gym is still in business with how dead it usually is in there. They must have lots of members paying the monthly fee but not going.

I have no data to back this up, but I suspect that most gyms make a good chunk of change off people who sign up for memberships with good intentions, then never follow-through.

I was a member of WSC at Gallery Place. Whenever I would ask a trainer on the floor a quesion (which was infrequently) they would try to sign me up for personal training) I didn’t like being hustled. I think the corporate thing is to get people to become trainers with the idea of lots of customers signing on with them. I am sorry to hear that VIDA has the same thing going on.
Does Results also keep pushing personal training to the point where you don’t want to ask a question?
When i was a guest at Sports Club LA, everyone was happy to show you how to use a machine properly etc. becuase they probably pay their staff better. They can afford to as monthly fees are higher.
I contacted Results, the new gym at City Vista also has only the Endless pools. Sigh!

I agree with most of the posts regarding VIDA. It has been a big disappointment. Vida seems to only care about money. The customer service is horrible. Vida’s founder has lots of food service experience and has been very sucessful in that industry however that does not make him a fitness expert. I personally will be thrilled when the Results at 5th and K opens. I am considering going to Connecticut and L until it does. I am currently a Vida member and was a WSC member before that. I regret going from WSC to Vida and right now I wish I was back at WSC. I also wish the LA Sports Club was more convient!

I enjoyed Vida for the most part. I have to add that when I needed to cancel my membership because I left the area, they were easy to deal with and pro rated the refund. That is certainly not true at all gyms.

Alden Shoes can make women’s styles in a custom order and some retail stores carry.

http://www.aldenshoe.com/q3.htm

#34 – anon – thank you for the correction. we’ve amended our post. – The Management