Swell Athletic Clubs

Jennifer Barker

Was visiting SB and went to Swell. I went to the Killer B class and it was awesome. They have a knowledgeable trainer, provided a workout plan, and the circuit style blew away my typical workouts. So much better. That said, I am coming back off of a long break and I was nervous it would be too hard. The beauty of the Killer B program was I was able to do it at my own speed and difficulty level. The Swell facility itself was great. Used to sauna, the steam room and the ice bath. Great gym space generally but the Killer B space and program is awesome.

Nicole Emmons

I am a member and I just want to start out by listing the positives of this place— the people that work here are SO sweet and the place is always incredibly clean. Their facilities staff are incredibly hard working and kind and do an amazing job keeping the place looking great. I am a bit disappointed in my experience here for the following reasons: -Price. This place is far too expensive for what it’s worth. And upcoming price increases are upsetting especially when previous members aren’t locked into a deal as we missed MANY facilities that were not open due to Covid yet continued to pay full price. -Facilities. From no laundry service during almost all of Covid, laundry machine breaking, and facilities like jacuzzi and spa seemingly constantly closed, it is definitely something to improve upon when you’re paying roughly $2,500 a year to go here. No nice products in locker rooms (for this much I’d be expecting high quality name brand products, not stuff that gives me allergic reactions) -No enforcement of mask “policy.” no one wears a mask. Even at the height of Covid. Not only that but people are constantly up in your six feet maskless which is frustrating when you work with high vulnerability individuals. Also a bit saddened and disheartened by the way upper management treated an elderly woman who was inquiring about the mask “policy,” per the Independent. I will continue going but primarily because this is the only facility within walking distance with a steam and sauna and an amazing array of athletic equipment ! But to emphasize again- high quality employees that give 100% to make this place beautiful.

Shawn Banks

Clean and open air outdoor workout areas. Front desk and sales staff are all very professional and personable. I'd still be a member if I didn't have memberships at other clubs around town and home workout equipment.

D Hart

My husband and I just bought a house in Montecito and wanted to get our in-town gym lined up. We've had memberships to other private clubs everywhere we've lived, and wanted to see if SWELL was as good as some of our local friends said it was. We've learned to always ask current members what their experience is, and try out a week or so before buying a membership....mostly so that we don't get a membership and then constantly complain about it. We signed up separately and staggered our 3-day passes, to test the water of how the staff treated us, and if their sales pitches were different. Our overall experience was a mixed bag: -Whoever is in charge of the pool chemicals is doing an excellent job--not overly chlorinated and no hair, bandaids, etc. floating around. We politely asked to share lanes with swimmers of similar speed, but there seemed to be a dramatic edge about territory that we're not accustomed to. We're used to masters swimmers who know how to shared lanes. It wasn't enough of an issue to annoy us, because we'll probably open water swim join local masters, anyway. -We sat by the pool all 3 days we worked out, and were sandwiched in between a group of loud millennials playing music on their phones who said they weren't members but were just using the free 3-day pass to sit by the pool during a hot weekend...and several long time members who complained for a half hour about how a third of the lounge chairs had been missing for over a month, but not replaced yet by Scott. It indicated to us that the quality of the members is probably in decline--and the long time members are annoyed about it, and the non-members/new members are clueless about private club etiquette. I don't envy the drama management must have to put up at this time. -Despite anti-harassment statements on the front of the pool locker room doors, I got hit on by two drunk guys in the hot tub who had their pitcher of beer sitting on the edge of the deck. Full on comments about my bikini before I even got settled in. Neither were members. That didn't happen when my husband was around...it's 2019, so no surprise there. Just wish that staff would cruise through once in a while and make sure that beer isn't on the edge of the pool, or guys getting drunk, or loud music playing, or towels laying all over the place. -The front desk staff seemed to be generally stressed out, overworked, and annoyed at being asked to help with locker issues, juice bar requests, and membership questions. IMO, that annoyance seeped over to how members vs. non-members were treated. -The biggest draw for us was the sheer number of equipment areas. We didn't have to wait for weight benches, machines, or padded spaces for basics like lunges. We could work out barefoot in some areas. The outdoor equipment over the pool is fantastic. The olympic lifting area was a huge plus for my husband, and plenty of TRX zones were great. -I got zero sales pitches during or after the 3-day trial, but my husband received several. -Several members we spoke to said they had been members for 10+ years but were increasingly annoyed about membership over the last year or so (decline in quality of people and a high turn over in staff). We liked the fitness areas an amenities, but we'll probably wait for a year or so and see if the overall moral and cleanliness of locker rooms improves before we buy a membership. The Goleta location is too much out of our way for a daily trek.