The other day, I went to a spin class at the Equinox in Woodbury. And, as soon as I was off the bike, a maintenance crew came in and cleaned wiped it clean. Now that’s impressive. I remember at NY Sports Club in Oceanside how the spin instructor used to beg the participants to clean their bikes as a courtesy to the next user.
I also notice that the manager, Louis Cohen, is practically everywhere. Every time I turn, I spot him out through the corner of my eye. I personally don’t know how he does it but he knows everything that is going on and his staff respect him. I found that pretty impressive too.
The other thing that I find interesting is that not only does Louis know everyone’s name but the people at the front desk greet you by your first name. That makes you feel good.
Don’t get me wrong, everything isn’t peaches and cream there. The last couple of times, I’ve had negative experiences. For example, I took a “special” zumba class, which was more like a “cheerleading” class than a zumba class. And, the other day, I decided to take a weight class. When I walked in, the room was packed. I asked a few people what we needed but no one seemed helpful. Immediately, that put me on edge. I went up to the instructor and announced to her that I was new to the class. She told me, in front of Louis the manager, that I should look at what others were getting. Louis saw my face and said, “come on Hilary, I’ll help you.”
He really was a help and even told me that the 360 (mini trampoline) needed air. He filled it up and returned it to me. He was very nice.
However, within 10 minutes of the class, I was standing on the 360, leaned the wrong way and the next thing I knew I was projected off, flew through the air and hit my head against the back wall. I landed on the floor in incredible pain. It felt as if I had a migraine and a throbbing isolated pain at the same time.
Although I was on the floor with my head in my hand, the class continued. Some of the people around me stopped working out to find out how I was doing. Then Donna, the assistant manager, came in the room and quickly took me out of there. She got ice and brought me into the pilates room to lie down. The pain was still throbbing but I was able to talk. I told her what had happened and she was sympathetic and nice. A doctor who was taking the class followed us and told me that if I didn’t pass out, I would be okay, “just take some advil, go home and rest.”
I stayed at the Equinox for about a half hour before I decided to take a shower and go to work. As I was leaving, Louis called me into his office. “You okay?” he asked.
I told him I was. He asked if I wanted to see a doctor, which i didn’t. He also asked if there was anything he could do. I told him I would be okay. I went to get a coffee and one of the delicious breakfast protein shakes that I am addicted to and when I went to pay, the guy behind the counter told me Louis took care of it.
As I left, I couldn’t help but think that Louis, Donna, the front desk staff and the maintenance crew really know how to provide valuable customer service. Even though those classes weren’t the best, there are tons of others that are great there, including Tripp Doherty’s spin class!
Related articles
- Feeling it at the gym (hilarytopper.com)
- A Runner’s Diary: When Am I Going to Run? (hilarytopper.com)
