Would give 0 stars if I could. Sales staff needs a reminder on what’s legal when signing contracts. My 16 year old nephew went today with my 18 year old niece who is a member to try the gym. Not only did they force him to pay $35 to try the gym (which is usually a free service at almost any gym anywhere), but afterward they pressured him into an expensive contract. Let’s not forget he’s 16 so he needs a guardian to sign with him and his parents were not present. But of course, the sales rep didn’t care, he then pressured my 18 old niece to sign as a legal guardian for her brother. All of this being illegal. Thankfully when my nephew got home and told his dad what he signed they immediately went back and got a refund. But this is an unacceptable way of doing business especially with minors. The manager should maybe refresh sales staff on the law.

3 years ago I would rate this club a six-star. The staff was amazing and friendly and kind and always visible whereas now they congregate at the front desk socializing. The gym used to be meticulously clean and sanitary whereas now it's dirty and the equipment is often broken. Before if the equipment was broken it would be fixed in a timely fashion whereas now it seems to be taking forever and there is so much broken equipment and the floor mats are always rolled and a safety risk with people tripping on them. Even on the busiest days you can manage to get in a workout but today it's overrun mainly with students congregating around machines on their cell phones and taking selfies in the mirror. People on video calls in the changeroom and sauna, cologne stronger than a department store and equipment everywhere. It seems that the rules and regulations in place are only there for appearance and not enforced. It just seems to be getting worse as time passes and what was once a six-star gym is now nothing more than a run-of-the-mill three-star YMCA look alike. Sad

By far one of the worst experiences I've had going, well, anywhere to be honest. The gym itself is nice, with lots of equipment and great facilities. But the experience is what ruins it for me. The staff at the front desk don't receive adequate training, and are always either talking to groups of friends & ignoring you, or forcing you to sign the exact same sheet of paper 6 times because no one can find the 'sign here' line. I was let into the pool by staff while it was being cleaned once without warning, and then later told I'd been exposed to high levels of chlorine & had to scrub myself down immediately. I caught a fungal infection from their steam room. The floors in the change rooms are always dirty. It's not even open past 9 on weekends. And above all that, the community there is incredibly toxic. Change rooms are always loud and obnoxious, and I've been harassed by groups more than once about my body while just changing & minding my own business. You can pay 1/12th the price for a 24hr gym with none of this nonsense. I would not wish this gym on my worst enemy.

It’s almost 2 weeks since someone broke in my locker. It was Friday night and I called that night but I had to see manager day after. I wasn’t aware that’s “very common “ and that happens regularly?!! I think that’s something we should get told when we signed the contract. If I knew it I would still have my $200 and wouldn’t have to cancel all my credit cards and go through that! I would keep my wallet with me all the time?! It Is hard to shower with car keys, phone and wallet but I would managed somehow?! I asked question, if I was there at the moment when they (it’s not one person for sure) broke my locker would I be safe?!? Manager said yes, yes? I am thinking, how he knows?! I don’t feel safe anymore plus it’s not a fun to carry your personal stuff around?! I asked if they are aware of that is it that huge expenses to have somebody coming to locker room and making sure it’s safe??? Sometimes doesn’t feel safe at the pool area as well and there’s absolutely no one making sure people behave like they supposed to??! Very disappointed.

After coming in to book a membership, the onboarding experience was horrendous, unprofessional, and terribly handled. The specific staff member that was in charge of my membership booking was handling 4 different things at once, that I had booked in advance. Whether it be buzzing people into the pool, starting conversations with other gym members, I expected to at least get a sit down. Furthermore, when I asked if I could start the membership 3 days later the coordinator stated how I would only 5 or 6 dollars - it's not about the 5 dollars but its about showing that the company cares about the individual customer. When I spoke with the Sales Manager on the phone, he specifically told me that he 'had the authority to reimburse my sign up fees', but *saw no need in doing so*. This is extremely disappointing as it showcases how the Movati organization, despite being worth millions of dollars, can not spare $50 to compensate for a customers awful experience. Though there are some extremely professional and well spoken membership coordinators, and the gym itself is very clean and nice - it seems that for the most part from the management level, to the individual representatives, Movati cares more about the customer's money than the customer themselves. Would not recommend.

Worst location. Equipment always broken and limited compared to other locations. Water fountains are warm. Very subpar for the price of the membership. Edit: Believe it or not 3 out of approximately 5 pulley/cable stations have been out of order for almost 2 months… during the busiest time of the year!!! If I could give 0 stars I would.

This place has an ongoing issue with lockers being broken into and money and credit cards being stolen. I strongly urge other members it has happened to to file police reports so they are following up with this gym. Multiple people have had this happen and even heard two people talking about it today how their lockers were broken into and hundreds of dollars being stolen. Why is this happening regularly and nobody is doing anything about it ? With the amount of money you pay for a membership you’d think the business would be making a plan of action to stop the thieves who have made themselves quite comfortable robbing Movati members. Do better Movati!

According to the Movati representatives, my contract for the gym expired on March 25, 2020, by which time the city was in a lockdown amid a COVID-19 outbreak. Any reasonable person should have been able to conclude that if the gymnasiums are shutdown during a pandemic, then I evidently do not wish to keep paying beyond the expiration date. In fact, I had never made such a request, so the owners should have had even less reason to assume that I would want to continue paying for a nonexistent service. When speaking to a representative by e-mail, they claimed that I would have been given a notification thirty days in advance, and yet there is nothing at all from this period that indicates such a request. Even if I had formally agreed to renew my membership after the term (I didn't) making the building inaccessible, or reducing the number of available amenities when compared to the time that a membership was created, should have been a clue for anybody with commonsense to not charge individuals a regular monthly fee. Any other company I have ever dealt with would have made certain that I received such a notification in advance. Not Movati Athletic. What is even worse, however, is that they did not begin charging my account immediately afterwards. No. They waited until several months elapsed before making multiple withdrawals (sometimes THREE in a single month) which undoubtedly included periods when the city was in lockdown for an extended period of time. In other words, they began charging me for services that I was not even aware that I still possessed -- and they waited for months after the fact before acting on it. Prior to this experience, my negative reviews were generally insufficient to give me a reason to cancel my membership, and if Movati had not formally ceased operations amid the COVID-19 outbreak, I would have accepted membership renewal. I was even prepared to accept credit for the months already paid (provided that I was able to attend outside of COVID season) just so that I would not have to jump through hoops in trying to get everything retroactively cancelled. Not only was the spokesperson in question apathetic to the situation, she even told me -- on September 23, 2021 -- that not only would they not entertain anything I have already stated, they subsequently informed me that because I needed to give them thirty days' notice, that they would be going to my bank account tomorrow to withdraw another $46.99 (September 24, 2021). At this point, Movati has stolen approximately $470 from me, and it is very unfortunate that I did not catch on to their actions in late 2020 and winter of 2021. If my bank had not told me about the recent multiple withdrawals within the last few weeks (once again, their way of making me retroactively pay for services that I was unaware existed) this scheme may have gone on for a longer duration. To make matters even more aggravating, I keep requesting a receipt for every withdrawal that was made, and the representative has bluntly refused to do so multiple times in the form of ignoring my requests. I already had other contacts in my life -- one of whom recommended this place -- who left the gymnasium overtime for one reason or the other. Meanwhile, I know a few people who were trying to select what gym club they would be attending when the COVID-19 pandemic was over. Since Movati Athletic evidently does not care about its customers, I know that I will be telling such individuals to stay away from this company and its affiliates, and I would suggest that other readers who are considering membership at this location to be cautious in regards to how the staff treat their paying customers.

Every person in Barrhaven goes to this gym and they continue to pump out new memberships. You can not plan out your workout ahead of time because none of the equipment you want to use will be available. If you are trying to strength train, go elsewhere… the hefty price is only worth it if you’re doing classes regularly, using sauna and pool facilities. And of course you’re locked into a contract.

I wish i can give this location zero stars. I’ve tried to contact management for awhile..but no one ever picks up. So here’s a brief summary of what’s going on at this gym. You’ll be paying almost $100 a month to spend 20+ minutes to park. Then when you finally find a parking space, you’re greeted with an overcrowded gym where half of the equipment is broken for months on end. I have witnessed on multiple occasions young teenagers using the equipment irresponsibly and the employees don’t do anything. This poses a serious health risk but the employees that “work” at this location just couldn’t be bothered. The management of this location is just pitiful. People getting paid to just talk to their friends. This gym would rather spend money on new floors rather than fix the equipment they have. Compared to other MOVATI locations, the equipment at Barrhaven is also very outdated. I’ve been coming to this gym for years and I’m just so disappointed with the current state of it.

“Be prepared to pay your fees for 1 full year even if you die”. That’s exactly how I feel after my conversation with the manager. Me : I would like to pause my membership for 2 months. Manager : I am afraid I can’t do that as your membership is basic. Me : Okay but I haven’t been to the gym for last 3 months and I will be out of country for 2 months. Manager : I understand but it won’t be fair to our premium members. Me : I still pay a good amount of fee, about $10 less BI-weekly than premium membership. Movati is an expensive gym compared to its peers. Manager: I understand but unfortunately I can’t do that. Me: Okay, can I upgrade to premium right away so you pause my membership for 2 months? Manager: That will be a new 12 months contract starting today. So if you planning to join this club, be prepared.

The gym overall is very nice except the fact that they have sold way too many memberships for its capacity. For someone that has a regular 9-5 day job there is never a good time to head to the gym. You are either waiting in line for machines or circling around the parking lot to find a spot ( if you're lucky).The classes on weekends are a big no, you have to show up at least 20 minutes before the start of the class just to have a chance at getting a spot. I hope they shift their focus to their members instead of maintaining sales.

Corey the manager is very rude and disprectful. My elderly mother was signed up here and they had men walking into her women's changeroom, they refused her entry one time because she didn't speak English and now they froze her account during covid and they randomly resumed her account and started charging her without notifying us or our consent. This is borderline fraudulent. When I called to dispute the issue they refused to return the payment and told me that they notified on their social media accounts that there open and I should have know. Worst gym customer service in Nepean. That explains the low rating. Corey is the rudest manager I ever dealt with at any gym.

I have been going to this gym for years. In this past year they have pushed on membership numbers and the gym is always packed. I have tried working out at noon, 5pm and 8-9 pm with no difference. There is no space to park in the parking lot and you need to park across the street. Your 1 hour work out turn into 2 hours because the wait for equipment is long. On top of this there is group of teenagers who all workout together and occupy a machine for an hour. I have noticed as well there is less women working out and are staying in the women's section. Something needs to change.

The design of the facility and some of the classes are great. However, the effort staff put into maintaining the gym is minimal. For example: there are several machines in the women's only area that have been broken for over 12 months with no efforts to fix or replace them, there is also an ant problem in the women's change room.

Total disappointment!!! Dirty place, cables have been broken for the last 4 months. Toilets and change rooms stink. I wont even talk about sauna and pool. Good luck parking there. What happened???? Member for 13 years

Complete lack of gym etiquette with the cellnpgone talking and side xgatter, people will talk loudly with eachbother side by side for over 1 hour not caring about the other 100 people and personel accept this. Not a good place if tou want to work put in peace and respect.

Useless place on earth, expensive and its garbage.

PSA to all parents - if you put your kids in the playroom and they are remotely fussy they will give them screen time. I had my 14 month old in their care a few days ago and when I came to pick him up one of the staff members had him parked in front of a screen watching videos. Instead of doing their jobs they offloaded their jobs to a screen. Truly disappointing. May I add...this is an additional paid service on top of the gym membership. Unacceptable.

I am extremely disappointed regarding recent changes at the MOVATI gym, specifically related to the removal of child care services and the overall experience I have encountered as a member. Firstly, the decision to discontinue child care services, citing low utilization, has left me perplexed. I experienced considerable difficulty in securing a spot for my child, even after calling three days in advance. This issue suggests that there was indeed a demand for child care, and it contradicts the claim that the gym wasn't busy enough to support this service. Moreover, the limited hours of operation for child care facilities seemed incompatible with the schedules of working individuals, including those with a 9-5 job like myself. This raises questions about the accessibility of the service to a broader membership base. I took the initiative to reach out to the gym to express my concerns and frustrations, but regrettably, I did not receive any response or acknowledgment of my feedback. This lack of communication only added to my dissatisfaction with the overall experience. Furthermore, I am seriously contemplating canceling my membership. I initially joined MOVATI with the expectation of child care services, which were part of the package I signed up for. The removal of this service has altered the value proposition of my membership significantly. Additionally, I have noticed overcrowding issues at the south location, which raises concerns about overselling memberships and the availability of equipment, particularly the need for more than one Smith machine. I understand that managing a fitness facility can be challenging, but as a loyal member of MOVATI, I believe that these concerns deserve serious consideration. I hope we can address these issues to improve the gym's services and maintain a positive and mutually beneficial relationship between the members and MOVATI.

The facility may be good, however the sales personals are only focused to make a sale by signing-up maximum membership and don’t really care about the customers as such. In addition, the front desk staff seemed not properly trained to handle small-small new customer requests, and wasta valuable customer time by making them wait unnecessarily.

Front desk workers are young, immature and disrespectful towards customers. Showing extreme low levels of professionalism and respect towards long time members. You’d think paying there fees, they’d be able to afford better employees. Minimal service when a membership is way above the minimum. Been a member for 4 years and I was troubled to see the service and disrespect in tone of the employee. A young brown male, (for the managers reference).

Very unfriendly staff. After you read all their reviews you'd expect head office to change the managment of this place. I normally borrow boxing gloves and give my ID for them to hold on to until returning the gloves. Today I asked for a pair of gloves from the front desk and didn't have an ID on me. There was maybe 4 staff members standing there. Roby asked for my ID and I explained I didnt have it on me today and offered to give him my phone in exchange. Long story short he refused to give me gloves after me trying many times.

I was at the gym this afternoon and was appalled to see the complete lack of adherence to Movati's policy of wearing a mask when walking around the facility. When I brought this up to the attention of the front desk folks I was informed that nothing can be done about the matter. I disagree and strongly feel that if Movati's can posts notices all over the gym indicating that wearing a mask in the facility (when not actually exercising) is mandatory -they can very well go out of their way to ensure that there policies are adhered too. There are guys just hanging around exercise stations (especially in the weight sections) chatting away and no mask worn. And there are those stopping all over the place to chat with their buddies and again no masks worn. Are we in a Pandemic situation or what - and will Movati please clarify this for me and also what you plan to do to ensure that your policies are adhered to by members. Perhaps a visit from Public Health officials is due and warranted. I am concerned about my Health if others are not. I do expect a response from Movati management on this matter, asap.

Honestly if I could give this gym negative starts I would. The managers are completely useless, and they only care about the money. I had a gift card and when I went to use it they told me it expired. Not one single time was I told the gift card expires and it still had over $90 on it. How hard is it for a business to replace a gift card. Cory the manager told me as they always say “they are trained to tell you many times” and that was the end of that convo. Not only do the managers do nothing when there’s a problem, the machines and hot tub is always broken. What’s the point in paying so much for a gym membership when you essential for to walk around. Thanks Movati for being the worst gym in the world. The only reason I continue to go there is because I need access to a pool for rehabilitation. Don’t waste your money here you will regret it.

I’m certainly glad I didn’t read the negative reviews before joining Movati a couple years ago. I have been going to various gyms for over 20 years and Movati is the best I’ve encountered. I want to commend the fitness instructors especially. They are extremely well trained, engaging and motivating. The custodians work very hard to keep the women’s change room in great shape. Every time I walk near the front desk I receive a kind greeting. Bravo Movati!

Pretty unsafe that you are allowing clients to gather in large groups with no masks on. This is a HUGE safety concern. The fact that you have staff that could care less about this is very scary and shameful. This place needs to be shut down and investigated by OPH. It would be a good wake up call for them. No limits in the building and no online appointments. Trolls like Bryan Hiscocks (most likely an employee) defending them goes to show that they are sadly brainwashing employees and members. Very sad that this is happening. I wonder how many COVID cases have been hidden from Ottawa Public Health from here. Never been a member, never will.

It is interesting that this company has only responded to Google Reviews that are positive and has ignored the negative ones. This speaks for itself about their customer service. Be careful before joining this club. They are charging me and taking money from my account ahead of time for services that they are not able to offer. The gym is closed due to the pandemic, but they are still withdrawing money from my account. When I sent an email to the service desk in Barrhaven location asking them to refund me, I was threatened that my balance will be sent to their collection agency. Movati has withdrawn money from my account on January 4th during the time the gym is closed for 'future' services and has responded below that they haven't. See the screenshot and be honest when you deal with your customers.

(Translated by Google) I registered one month ago, I discovered by accident that they have a camera inside the woman only swimming pool as well in Plus the entrance for the women's swimming pool. There is no sign to mention that. I met with the management they refuse to cancel my membership, it's a one-year contract i freezed the membership, I have this option in my contract, they told me you have to find someone else to buy your membership just said isn't convenient . The frustration they never mentioned in the camera verbally or in the contract, it should be private women only swimming pool. I took part in Movati for a year, I accidentally discovered that it has a camera placed in the section that leads to the swimming pool for women only and inside the women's pool. The cameras were seen by receptionists, men or women. Thank you for responding back in my review. First there is no way anyone know that there is a camera Because it's not in the written in the contract. It was no sign to mentions there's a camera? Just recently you added the sign after i advised you. It mentioned the camera only in the entrance not the swimming pool. If it for security you can put female to monitor it. Anyone who's going to the gym and going up and down they can actually can see the women inside the women only swimming pool. You are b breaching with our privacy and faith. First, what was in the sign saying that in the camera at the entrance of the women's section was put after what I discussed with you, and what is the sign says that inside the women's pool in the camera and if to protect the members involved you can put his master watching the cameras not men, and anyone inside the gym see the stairs or As far as women are concerned, they come down in the women's pool, not to respect their privacy, not even their religious beliefs and their provinces. (Original) I registered one month ago, I discovered by accident that they have a camera inside the woman only swimming pool as well in Plus the entrance for the women's swimming pool. There is no sign to mention that . I met with the management they refuse to cancel my membership, it's a one-year contract i freezed the membership, I have this option in my contract, they told me you have to find someone else to buy your membership just said isn't convenient. The frustration they never mentioned in the camera verbally or in the contract , it should be private women only swimming pool. اشتركت فى Movati لمده سنه,اكتشفت بالصدفه انه فيه كاميرا موضوعه في القسم اللذى يؤدى لمكان السباحه للنساء فقط و داخل المسبح النسائي، ولا توجد اي علامات توضح وجود كاميرا في القسم االمخصص للنساء فقط، عندما تحدثت مع المدراء رفضوا الغاء اشتراكى وفقط جمد الاشتراك لمده 6 ،والكاميرات بيطلع عليهم موظفو الاستقبال رجالا كانوا او نساء . Thank you for responding back in my review. First there is no way anyone know that there is a camera Because it's not in the written in the contract. It was no sign to mentions there's a camera? Just recently you added the sign after i advised you. It mentioned the camera only in the entrance not the swimming pool. If it for security you can put female to monitor it. Anyone who's going to the gym and going up and down they can actually can see the women inside the women only swimming pool. You are b breaching with our privacy and faith. اولا ما كان في علامه بتقول انه في كاميرا فى مدخل القسم النسائي وضعت بعد ما تناقشت معكم، ومافي علامه بتقول انه في داخل المسبح النسائي في كاميرا واذا كان لحمايه الاعضاء المشاركين بامكانكم وضع سيده تراقب الكاميرات مش رجال، وأي شخص داخل النادي الرياضي طالع الدرج او نازل بقدر يتطلع على النساء إللى في داخل المسبح النسائي مافي احترام لخصوصيتهم ولا حتى مذهبهم الديني ومحافظاتهم على أنفسهم.

The reception staff are extremely poorly trained.

I don't expect anyone to read all of this but I agree with the majority of the negative comments below. While the overall facility and equipment is nice, their efforts consistently fall short and it's not worth the price. Classes: good variety, but terrible times. If you work regular hours you'd have to go for 6am or have limited selection in the evenings. They load up Mondays and Tuesdays, but the rest of the week is pretty empty. If there's a particular class you like, good luck finding a time that fits your schedule more than once or twice a week. I went to a class that does not require a signup and it was full, so a waste of my time. If there is any risk of a class being full, there should be a signup. Pool: small but generally empty. Had a group of guys fooling around a couple times and had them bump into me while I was doing lengths multiple times. Staff did nothing. If the pool is the main selling point for you, it's not great, but there aren't a lot of other options around. Functional training area: this is the only reason I don't give 1 star. This area is great and few gyms have anything similar. I also haven't run into any major issue of the area being too busy. Weights and cardio equipment: often a lot of broken machines. Even though it may look like there are a lot of machines, there really isn't. Only one machine for each exercise for the most part, lack of benches in the dumbbell area. There is a lot of cardio equipment, but I just run outside. A couple positives are the number of squat racks and the extra space they have with kettle bells, med balls, etc. Peak hours: DO NOT believe the staff when they tell you it doesn't get busy. Anytime after about 4:30pm is super busy which is why it's super frustrating to show up for a class and get turned away, which recently happened to me. This gym gets busy like any other. Not much you can do about that, but the staff don't need to lie to make a couple bucks by selling a membership. Staff: instructors are pretty good, but I can't really comment on anyone else. Front desk people are pretty useless, but that's standard at most gyms. Sales people will say anything to try to get you to signup and often times they make you sit and wait for 10-20 minutes before someone can meet with you. Fees/cost: The fact that you can get a membership with the city with access to gyms, pools, squash courts, classes and basketball courts all for less than half the price, it will be hard to justify renewing my membership. The only way I was able to justify getting a Movati membership for a year was because I got an old voucher from someone for a cheaper price. The price members pay to go to the gym is excessive considering the facilities and services available. I'm not someone looking for all the flashy new equipment and services, but if I'm going to be paying more than I want to be, I expect a lot more than what Movati provides.

Lots of broken equipment

The club is nice and fairly well maintained. Lot's of classes available. I'm not a fan of their marketing efforts, joining fees or contracts. Advice: - Always read the fine print on their promos. This is a little thing and in my mind it's an integrity issue. Right now they have a "Buy 1 Get 1" membership deal. The small print is more reasonable. Sign up for 1 year and you get 1 four week pass for a friend. The pass can only be used beginning Jan 11th continuing for 4 weeks. This is an awful promo!!! Why not allow the pass to be used for any consecutive 4 week period in '23? Why is Movati adding traffic during the busiest time of the year with these free passes?!?! It doesn't make sense and the consumer experience is poor. The joining fees and annual club free provides a poor experience as well. I'm feeling nickle and dimed on this one. If they need an additional $50 in annual revenue from each member simply increase the monthly fee. Lastly, the 1 year contract. If your not providing enough value to your members they will leave. If you are providing value, they will stay! There is no need for a contract. An additional note is the towel service. C'mon!?!? They are charging an extra fee to have towels!!! Nice club. Poor integrity of ownership/management. Fee for this, fee for that, fee for him, fee for her... So much potential but a lot of disappointment.

always super busy even in Covid 19 days its packed. staff is just hanging out there. Kanata Movati is way better.

Great gym but should be open until 12 on weeknights like it used to be. 10pm close is way too early. It's full capacity so it should accommodate the extra volume.

Worst gym I have ever been to. If you don't sign up for a 1 year contract they nail you with extra fees. Gyms that ask for contracts are scams. They have no incentive to provide you any value or good quality service once you're committed to a 1 year contract. They have all of the power now and you are at their mercy. Never sign up for 1 year contracts or "agreements" with a gym. I did month to month with Movati and then they hit me for extra fees since i wouldn't sign the 1 year committment. If you want customers to stay for a year or more, then train your staff and enact a culture that provides amazing value and service to clients daily. The byproduct of that will be clients that stay for years. They don't even have guest passes for friends or family that are in town to come join you for the day. They want guests to pay $20 to drop in which is ridiculous. They nickel and dime you and charge extra for towel service, as well as extra fees for some of their gym classes. They are all about the money through exploitation and unethical business practices, whereas they should be all about the money to apease shareholders by giving quality service and value so that people will naturally want to do business with them. Their membership fees are much more expensive than Goodlife, and other gyms. The only extra value Movati provides over a Goodlife or Planet Fitness is access to a pool and sauna. I would not recommend Movati to anyone.

My mother goes there for the all women's swimming fitness class. Today she woke up really early to get to the gym for the first class. Instead of an all women's class there was a Male lifeguard, which has happened many other times before. My mother changed back into her normal clothes and came back home. We've already cancelled our membership before because of this same issue with this same gym. My mother signed up again last month because she was ensured that there were more female lifeguards hired and that the all women's swim fit class would actually be an all women's fitness class. 4 times this month shes turned around and went back home. She wouldn't have signed up if you guys didnt lie again like this just to get people to sign up for an overpriced, wrongly advertised gym service. Please contact us.

Facility just ok - some days are better than others - sometimes the showers are gross with hair from someone shaving, some people don't wipe equipment or mats after using them, parking is PACKED barely any spots in the evenings during the week but I was told it will quiet down in February. Equipment in the women's section is sometimes broken for a couple of months. Facility is full especially after 5pm during the week, not much space for stretching and most equipment taken by others, even in the women's area which leaves slim pickings for the routine you may want to do. I think they need to start limiting their memberships until people quit and give 3, 6, 12 months memberships, everyone who joined got their resolutions are now going to keep the gym full until their memberships expire. The sauna, hot tub and pool are nice though.

I am so glad I did not read any of these outrageously negative reviews before joining! Best place ever! Super clean, amazingly spacious and beautiful cross fit gym in the basement! Literally a one stop shop for all your fitness needs! Further more the daycare staff is top notch my son loves going there and they even have swimming lesson for kids! I challenge anyone on the fence to go in and see for yourself, because it really is the best club in Ottawa!

Hide your phone number no personal communication. Very poor service.

The gym itself is great. but if you're interested in a gym that actually cares about you as an individual then you better go somewhere else. I've only forgotten my wallet twice in over a year of being a member there. The first time I did, the "gentleman" at the front desk refused to give me a towel, even when I urged for them to take my name down and put a note that I owe them 2.00$ for the towel. Yes you read that right, a towel worth 2.00$ and I honestly forgot my wallet and they were not willing to problem solve or even just lend me a towel, which is literally 2.00$. I guess the 2.00$ is more valuable than a long term member? Several months later, I wasnt able to find my wallet before work. I thought I could use my phone to pay but it wasn't working. I wanted to buy a shake and I felt like my blood sugar was crashing. My hands were starting to tremor, I was becoming faint/dizzy and beginning to slur my speech and have trouble thinking properly. The little teenager behind the counter lacked the problem solving and people skills and was ready to risk a medical emergency of one of its members rather than problem solve, put a note on my account that I owe them 10$. Unfortunately, some of the staff really need work on real world problem solving and people skills... However, many others are great.

I'm kind of surprised by all the bad reviews to be honest. I'm a mom of 2 who enjoys the gym and I decided to treat myself by switching to Movati from my regular budget gym. I knew going in that for all the extras it was going to be more expensive. You'd expect that when you're getting classes, pools, saunas, woman's only wings. To be honest it was actually less than I anticipated and I find the pricing fair for the economy and current membership costs right now. I booked my tour and was greeted on time by a very perfessional but also personable staff member. I was given an in-depth tour, all my questions were answered. We had some laughs. Even the sales rep who called me after online sign up was very sweet and we actually chatted quite a bit before I went in. I feel so safe there, to me that's priceless but there's also tons of equipment classes are amazing and I find the staff to be friendly helpful. I have no regrets switching and happily signed the contract. You're able to the transfer your membership if you don't keep it .

At first I was very nervous about joining the Movati Barrhaven due to the google reviews but boy was I wrong. This club is out of the world, half the complaints on here aren't even true, what I recommend for anyone wanting to join is to see it first hand. Make your own opinion and then go from there, from the second I walked in the door everyone was so helpful and made my experience so great!

Attending during the pandemic, they have taken adequate precautions. You have to pre-book your classes, which means it stops from people lining up. I wish it was easier to cancel your booking once it gets close to class starts.

I’ve had a Movati membership since the Barrhaven club opened. The place has improved since it opened with a better flow of machines, and more machines in general, but the gym needs to implement more rules or enforce better gym etiquette, especially with the younger crowd. Workouts always end up being longer then they should be because you’re constantly waiting for groups of kids to finish their exercises while having full conversations with their friends. The gym is always so busy and it will probably get worse as the months get cooler and there’s no where for these kids to hangout other than the gym, which seems to be the most popular spot for them. I have to also extend this to personal trainers as well. If you’re with a client, please take the appropriate time to rest between sets, then get going again because the gym is just too busy to be wasting time chatting. I’d cancel my membership if there was a comparable gym in the area.

This is a great gym! It is beautiful and immaculately clean. The front desk staff are very kind, helpful and welcoming. The classes are taught by knowledgeable and enthusiastic instructors. It's wonderful, no other words to describe it.

Extremely disappointed with movatis latest workout time booking procedures the staff has admitted that these procedures have jutting to do with public health or provincial guidelines. Movatis management came up with the idea of letting only 50 members per hour this is a very flawed approach both from the workout effectiveness as well as convenience for the members. It’s almost impossible to 1) register for two partners at the same time slot and 2) book for the same time slot on a consistent basis. In short, Movati aims to collect membership fee as usually but deny members the service they are supposed to have.

I joined this club a year ago after going to GoodLife for the better part of three decades. There is good and bad about this club. Good: There are a lot of squat racks, cardio equipment, and classes. There are some really good instructors for the classes as well, and they are generally super friendly and helpful. The fitness manager is amazing! Bad: Too many people during peak times, a lot of them are young people standing around, taking up room/machines, but socializing more than working out. A lot of the younger staff will often stand around behind the desk socializing instead of greeting/helping customers. Overall it's a decent gym with decent equipment, but if you are not going to use the classes or other amenities then you're probably better off going to GoodLife.

Wow. This is not the movati i know from being a Kanata member. But. We moved and this one is now closest. First. No place to park when i arrived. Then. I cut my training short because the gym was so over crowded and no equipment available. The wipe containers to wipe equipment were empty. Overall its a nice place. But nice is useless when you cant use the equipment you are paying to use do to over crowding. It also has less equipment then the other Movatis.

Be cautioned when sign up with movati. It’s not flexible at all. Once get into their contract, then you can’t get off of it or even change your plan at all until pay off a year’s fee. It’s super expensive and not worth it. Go try somewhere else.

I see that you are still charging my credit credit even though you are not offering any services. Not acceptable. I left a message twice but no one got back.

Thank you Michael and Kerstin for being flexible & understanding in my circumstance. Not sure why all the bad reviews, front staff always greets me, classes and instructors are excellent and energetic & there is plenty of functional equipment to go around. If you want a cheaper smaller gym go elsewhere, but Movati has it all.

Big thief’s in Ottawa

Movati used to be so good! They used to have more HIIT classes for clients who had regular memberships. Now they've also removed childcare. The waiting times for the machines at this location are way too long. What annoys me the most is that many machines are left broken and are often repaired in months. For the membership price, you would think that they would be on top of fixing the machines faster.

An absolute luxurious, and elegant gym to be part of! The upstairs workout area is super clean and there is a wide range of equipment to use, from cardio to weights. The aquatic (pool) area is one of my favorite ways to treat yourself after a good workout. It features a hot tub, two saunas, and a salt water pool. Reason for reduced rating: the saunas and hot tubs are frequently closed or under repair, and sometimes without notice. Wish they could have some kind of alert on their website. Overall, it’s a great gym!!

Staff that I have encountered are very empathetic and responsive to clients when they have complaints. I’ve been very impressed also on how quickly they repair broken amenities or equipment. It’s clear the managers as well as the front line staff care about making everyone’s experience positive and productive. I believe.

Don't listen to the negative reviews. Movati Barrhaven is a well-maintained gym. Its quiet if you go at the right times but busy if you go during the busier hours (when people are done work). Even during the busy hours, I can usually find a machine, go for a swim, and do everything I need to do. The pool and hot tub are nice to relax in after a workout and the change rooms are nice as well. They keep it well maintained and clean. Staff are nice and helpful. Obviously its a business like any other gym, so its important to read the fine print, but I've never had any issues. Like any business in the fitness industry, there will be services that are overrated, overpriced, or misleading, but thats the same in any industry. Overall, I would say its definitely worth the price and a great place to workout and relax.

I've been saving two day passes for a while so I could use them for a rainy day and treat myself. Apparently they don't accept them anymore, and they were not willing to make an exception for 1 day. "To many staff would steal them when they quit so we had to stop". Nice! After being a member for years, and getting these passes as part of a signing bonus.

Amazing facility, always spotless. Kids daycare is great for parents who want to get a workout in. The hot sauna is also a huge bonus!

Decent place, mostly friendly staff. Very clean and professional. People like Sadara Leclerc should just stay home if they are so concerned about "guys chatting without a mask" in their own space. Social distancing and reasonable mask use isn't enough for people like Sadara, they just complain about everything and nit pick when a 14 million dollar gym is on the brink of closing for good. They would rathar see dozens of jobs lost and investors out hundreds of thousands of dollars so they can *feel* safe, when the gym literally exceeds cleanliness comparing to any other business in Ottawa. If you don't feel safe then don't go, I assure you the vast majority of patrons feel safe at Movati. I sure do, they do an excellent job of cleaning and provide free masks. Hope you open your own business Sadara and we can come by and nit pick every by-law infraction you commit. The rest of us respect the hard work Movati employees do, and respect a private business operating at such a high standard when memberships are declining and money is tight. If you are a reasonable person with reasonable expectations, Movati is a great place to work out.

My favorite gym of all time especially women section OMG i love it

Great understanding staff and a very clean gym!

Overall Movati in Barrhaven is fine, but there is few thing they could improve...when welcoming new members there should be taken time to explain house rules reminding that other members should be respected by behaving nicely and pleasantly. Dry sauna needs some serous face lift, not to mention that should be clear rules how to behave once you enter such as not to come in naked, do workouts or be loud. Also, there is no place to put personal items such as cell phones, headphones, water bottles etc. in pool area or near by steam sauna.

Just love this place, clean, variety of classes and equipment.

Wonderful time at the gym good for health and well being !

Perfectly clean and friendly place, I'd recommend this facility to everybody.

One of the best gyms around, GoodLife does not compare. Employee's are always nice. Modern looking interrior and gym is well kept. They have some solid machines that still feel like new. Try to avoid going between 4-6pm. Only thing, sometimes if theres something needing repair, it could be fixed quicker. Five Star Gains.

Truly amazing gym. Barrhaven is lucky to have such a wonderful facility with a reasonable cost. Motivation was always my problem, but Movati gym environment is fun and relaxing which is a big plus for me. The facility's interior is luxurious and every section has been carefully designed to give it a modern look.

I am still new to Movati, but the Barrhaven location is fantastic! Aside from one hiccup with a confusion over a class location, the front staff are most-often approachable and nice. What is the top seller for me was the class times, variety, and instructors! Hands-down the best! I also love how clean the gym is kept, especially the women's change area. Such a great atmosphere, positive and fun. I am always motivated to go every day because of the environment Movati offers. Don't listen to the negative reviews, really. This is a great gym!

Great place great staff amazing atmosphere. Best location . Only thing is they charge u a 25 cents for a glass of water ? Smh

If you are inquiring about signing up at this location, I highly recommend asking for Sang. He wasn't pushy at all and was extremely professional and kind.

I've always had a good experience at Movati ever since I signed up in 2019. Then again, I do ask a lot of questions to make sure that I avoid any unpleasant surprises (like what the other reviews are saying). Unfortunately their prices slightly increased after the pandemic (but every business did the same, so I'm not surprised).

Excellent spacious place but the booking 3 days in advance is not feasible as 1. many slots get taken away fast! 2. Something comes up after 3 days on the time of booking which makes me cancel my slot 3. Its really annoying

Unlike smaller gyms, Movati provides more service, beautiful settings for workouts and multi rooms to spread everyone out.

Big gym and the staff is nice

Went back in today after reopening. Lobby flooded with people because you must show your QR code (again) to enter. These are rules by the government not Movati - don’t lose your mind on their staff like everyone else was - everyone trying their best to adjust. Finished my workout and lock was stuck and had to get it cut. GM came and fixed the issue quickly and made me feel welcomed even though the lobby was still flooded. Thanks movati and good to be back!

Great athletic club/gym where you can spend a whole day and not even run out of things to do or get bored. Equipment were plentiful and the change areas were clean.

Following all covid procedures! Ive been to a lot of gyms in my life, this one is by far the cleanest. Especially now! And their machines work! Been to a lot of gym where a lot of machines are down and out for a LONG time, this isn't the case here. Pre-covid, my whole family had a memebership!

First day, went well. Staff were friendly and not pushy. Facilities are clean and enough space between stations that you are not bumping into one another. The atmosphere is comfortable, if a bit too trendy for me. Very nice place all in all. It is more expensive but not nearly as expensive as I anticipated. Honestly, I wasn't going to even go in because I expected it to be much more expensive. Fairly reasonable actually! Don't regret the membership so far.

Spacious, clean and friendly! There's no pressure if you can't right now. And I appreciate the women zone.

Too crowded & need maintenance. All the hooks in both pools are rusted. The ear plugs are not refilled. There’s residues in the water fountain…

Don’t have a joint plan for family member like husband and wife. Fees are on higher side and that is also for 1 year contract. 🤯

As of December 31st 2023, 1/3 (one third) of ALL gym machines are broken/out of service. 3/4 (three quarters) of ALL capable machines are broken. Some of these machines have been out of service for MONTHS. This is ridiculous? I’m laying 100$ a month for this?!? Where is the repair guy? Did he pass away or something? This place has gone downhill so fast. Guess what happens when an already busy gym has a 1/3 of their equipment broken. You guessed it, makes it all that much harder to workout. You suck

This car belongs to two personal trainers inside this gym. They are both physically fit and use the treadmill for hours. Yet, they are using disability parking lot. One elderly woman asked them not to park there. The lady personal trainer wiped the ground over this elderly woman. Very shameful!! Stop parking in a disability parking if you are physically fit.

My ongoing experience at this gym is nothing short of a disgrace. The lockers are a sorry sight, hanging off the hinges with up to three hooks missing inside. The men's dry sauna has been falling apart for months, and the staff seems oblivious to any repair efforts. The toilets were clogged at 5 AM, missing toilet seats as the cherry on top of this embarrassment. Downstairs, the water fountain was out of order, and a multitude of machines upstairs are left unrepaired. To add insult to injury, there's a consistent absence of shampoo and body wash even in the morning – the dispensers always shamefully empty. It leaves me questioning the competence of those running this place – perhaps Stevie Wonder is at the helm?

I'm not sure if the managers/staff are incompetent at this location... this facility needs lots of maintenance, lockers are broken missing doors and hooks, 6 cable machines are still broken its been 2 months... all of the TVs are full of dust, they have 4 people standing at the front desk just talking to each other doing absolutely nothing, the trays to put wet boots on aren't even clean yet there is 4 people at the desking doing nothing. I'm paying a premium for what exactly??? This is ridiculous. Can the owner please respond??