The Wave Aquatic & Fitness Center

Lynda Rowan

Best place to do therapy

Jack F

The Wave is an oasis for Whitefish retirees and tourists. If you are living in Kalispell, Halfmoon, Columbia Falls or any of the surrounding area, you are not the ideal clientele. However if you have recently moved to the area, this is the place for you! They like to charge an exorbitant ( by Flathead county income levels) amount just to be able to be ‘initiated’. why this costs almost $200, on top of an extremely high monthly rate, I’m not sure. This is a non profit, but don’t worry Whitefish retirees. They don’t skimp on the frills. There is plenty of art, leather sofas, and random flat screen TV’s to make sure you know where your money is going. There is state of the art equipment, brand new weight machines. I’m not sure what was wrong with the old ones. They worked fine. However, the new ones count your reps for you. So if you forget to count to 12, the top of the line machine has a digital display. Forget your water bottle? Don’t worry, The Wave sells them for literally $37 dollars. I’m scared to ask why, but they also have a huge display of designer sunglasses for sale. They are full price, because The Wave doesn’t believe in discounting anything. When you are retired, you can take advantage of the many fitness classes offered during the work day. But if you get off work after 5:00 pm, sorry. Maybe come take a class during your lunch break. They didn’t mention this at joining, but towels are an extra $50 fee. Was a pleasant surprise that it wasn’t $100. And since you’ll be asleep by then, The Wave also closes at 8pm on weekends. There is usually parking available in between the Denali’s, Lincoln’s, and Mercedes with Texas and California plates that are waiting for new registration. They do not offer a sliding scale of membership cost based on income. The Wave is for the community of Whitefish, particularly those who are staying in AirBnbs and those that own them. If you have to ask, you can’t afford it. UPDATE TO MANAGER RESPONSE 9/2 Mr. Owner, Since you did not leave your name, just a response with plenty of excuses, I have updated my original review. The fees are way out of line. Check the neighboring community gyms, outside the Whitefish Wave bubble. There is a surprising lack of designer displays, overpriced water bottles, and art in their gyms. More importantly, they have fees that are more in line with the average folk’s income. Other gyms don’t have a pro shop. And for good reason (no one buys there). I guarantee you that your prices for Oakley sunglasses are not lower than Sportsman’s Ski Haus, despite your claims. Thank you for shouting out my old beat up vehicle. Glad there are other people in similar cars that are stretching their budget to join this non-profit. The scholarship form seems to be well hidden on the Wave website, so thank you as well for making it public. It also seems to be very rigorous, but I am sure most eligible recipients will not mind waiting the 3 weeks it takes for approval. As for your comment about us average people spending more money at bars and on cell phones, I can assure you I spend less at the bar than at the Wave. Comparing a cell phone bill to a non-profit ‘gym’ would be like comparing apples to oranges. Lastly, during the extensive and extravagant remodel, the floors of the racquetball courts and basketball courts have been heavily damaged. They moved metal equipment on the delicate courts and have left them deeply scratched. I hope that our membership fees will cover the repairs, or maybe the water bottle and sunglasses sales will. See photos.

Patrick Danahy

Nicest, most well rounded gym I've ever been to

Shubhadeep Bhattacharya

As a guest user, I found this place clean and the staff were super helpful.