Dear West Seattleites,
Wow... there's good news, great news, then there's REALLY great news...
We've been cleared to reopen the club for general use starting Monday, August 10th!
What does that mean?
It means that we're almost back to fully functional and you'll be able to jump back in the pool for a swim, use your favorite machines, and hit the treadmills again just like before the pandemic!
While there will be a few minor limitations (see below), you'll be able to start getting back to your fitness routine and hitting your health goals.
CLUB HOURS
Monday-Friday: 5am-11pm
Saturday-Sunday: 7am-8pm
NEW SAFETY GUIDELINES
Masks Required - unless you are exercising vigorously, Social Distancing
Masks will be required to enter the club and must always be worn as you make your way to your exercise area. If you are exercising vigorously you can remove your mask, but you must put it back on as you move to another area. We will be extremely strict with this requirement so please be respectful of this requirement. We ask that you use the 6-foot rule social distancing guidelines as you move about the club. While exercising vigorously we ask that you try to stay 17 feet apart. We will be blocking off equipment and restricting class sizes to ensure that everyone can adhere to these guidelines.
Club Capacity
With these new capacity rules, we will be needing to require that members both check-in and checkout of the club. We will be extremely strict with this new policy since we cannot exceed a certain amount of people in the club at any one time. Check-in and check-out may take slightly longer so please be patient and plan accordingly. We'll continue to improve this process to make it smoother and more efficient, so we appreciate your understanding and willingness to make adjustments as needed to work with us through this process.
Class Sizes
Regarding classes, each studio has different capacities so some classes will have class size limits that are different. For now, we will no longer require reservations to come to a class since we do not think we will have capacity issues but that could change if we see that people are not able to enter classes.
We will be revising the class schedule significantly since many instructors have advised us that they are not able to return to teaching. Not to worry, we are actively seeking replacements and may even supplement our in-person schedule with an online schedule. Looks for some exciting news on that later this month!
Pool Use
Thankfully, our pool can be used for both lap swimming and aquatics classes. There are some restrictions for lap swimming and classes, and we will have monitors in the pool area reminding people of the capacities. Again, since our pool is so large, we do not anticipate any issues with exceeding the capacities, but we may need to revisit if this becomes an issue.
The following areas are currently closed:
- Hot tub, steam room, sauna.
- Locker rooms will be closed. We ask that you please use the shower on the pool deck for showering before you enter and after you get out of the pool.
Locker Rooms
The locker rooms will remain closed for your safety. However, there are plenty of free day-use lockers available and we will have family changing areas available for your personal use.
Towel Service
As our top priority is maintaining your health and safety, we will be asking that all members bring their own towels to use for the time being. We will be pausing our towel service temporarily, but we will inform you when we're safely able to resume this service.
Member billing
We realize that we owe many members a 15-day credit for March and as a result, we are going to allow all active members free use of the club for the rest of August (21 days). Beginning on September 1st, we will resume membership billing. We realize that not all of you are comfortable returning to the club right now and to accommodate you we are offering you a free membership freeze until you are ready to return. Normally there is a limit to the amount of time you can freeze your account, and there is a small fee to freeze your membership, but we feel it’s important during these unusual circumstances to provide members with this zero cost, unlimited membership freeze option. This way you do not need to cancel your membership or be required to pay joining fees when you return.
Kids club – Now offering kids camps
The kids club is being revised to become kids’ camps. There will be one camp leader for every 5 kids allowed. This will be by reservation only and will cost 7.50/hour/child. The kids will be grouped by age and will be socially distanced from the other groups in the kid’s camp room. Fortunately, this room is large enough to accomplish this but please be sure to enroll your child in a camp before you come to the club since we cannot guarantee that there will be a spot available for your child.
This has been a long process, and like us, I'm sure you're excited to slowly see our city rebound from this difficult time. We all still have challenges ahead, but we're beyond excited to get to open our doors once again to our amazing West Seattle family.
It has always been and continues to be our privilege to help you build and maintain a healthy and happy life. No matter what we face moving into the future, I can promise you we'll carry our responsibility to our members proudly and completely. As part of the family, we're here for you.
Looking forward to seeing you back in the club again soon!
Sincerely,
Dan Lehr
V.P. of Operations
West Seattle Health Club
Updated Risk and Liability Waiver
Before resuming workouts at the club, we are asking that all members complete the Updated Risk and Liability Waiver along with a series of pre-screening health questions before using the facilities. Please complete the following waiver.
What our Members Say About our message above
"In the midst of all this negativity, fear and uncertainty, I have still observed some awesome acts of kindness and restoration in humanity. I'd like to give a shout out to West Seattle Health Club. An hour after the initial announcement of our city's lockdown, they notified members that we would NOT be charged and if we paid dues for March, it would be pro-rated back to us when the club re-opened. They did this proactively and not due to public outcry. This is somewhere I'd gladly keep paying dues to quite honestly - the staff is amazing! Places like LA fitness and 24-hour fitness have not even addressed any issues and even shut down their customer service line. Remember these things when the lock-down is over!"
Bre
"Thank you for this response. WSHC is a model for integrity and community and I’m grateful to be part of it. I will use the time to do some online training so when classes resume I will have some new moves and material!
Stay well and thanks for all you do for the staff and members!"
Rhonda
"What a great email! You answered all my questions. Thank you so much!!
We love the WSH club.
Jorji
"If this thing extends beyond the 31st and you end up closing for 1-3 months please don't hesitate to communicate to us members about how you all are doing. If paying my membership dues in April and May when you are closed allows you to pay your staff and not close permanently I would potentially be interested in continuing to be billed knowing the money is going to support your employees. Zach Broten has done me right for about 6 years now (I was his first client when he got his first training job at Vision Quest) and I want to make sure you all are ok, too."
Nate
Where you belong
The West Seattle Health Club is a locally owned and operated, full service health club conveniently located just off the West Seattle Bridge in Seattle on Andover Street. Our 56,000sq. ft. club offers members a wide variety of amenities and options including a 7 lane, 25 yard lap swimming pool; a 45ft tall rock climbing wall; 3 floors of cutting edge fitness equipment; over 85 different fitness classes per week, dedicated women’s only workout area, safe and secure childcare and on-site, professional spa services, as well as a café and member lounge, to name a few.