BAC Caters to Downtown Market; Opens New High-End Workout Floor

I used to enjoy working out at the BAC but switched to a different gym due to the ridiculous sales pitches that members are subjected to. I got so sick of having to listen to it just so I could get my membership card back when I wanted to leave. I can only assume that's not part of the new, upscale, private wing.

Not my style but I bet the suits will love it.

"BAC has spent $1.5 million upgrading the 38,000 sq.ft. facility, including a newly completed $225,000 upgrade to the club's locker rooms and showers."

They overhauled only the women's locker room. For the men they only installed new showers. The men's locker room is the same scummy room it's been for years.

@300miles Agreed. That men's locker room was always pretty nasty.

Its nice to see a Buffalo company doing well.Find space and Move your offices back downtown.

The downtown BAC is {deleted}. They should have taken that $300k and uh, I don't know, purchased some new equipment for the weight room? It's absurd that the BAC takes all of the old crappy equipment from all of the other locations that get remodeled and then throws it in the downtown location. I guess I'm supposed to feel better though because they buy three new treadmills every ten years....

All of you negative posters take a look in the mirror and ask yourselves if you can afford to be critical of a physical fitness facility. mmmmm didn't think so. closing your mouth is the first step. So many negative, unhappy people going to the gym these days.

Downtown makes sense you drive in to work, pay for your parking, walk over to the club walk back to your car and go home. Wish they could do that with a grocery store.

I agree with MFM, I was a member of the downtown BAC for the summer when I live on Main St. a couple years ago. I did the 3 months/99 dollar deal. The equipment was very average at best and the men's locker rooms were pretty scummy/rundown and the rest of the building was kinda dumpy. I remember being very underwhelmed by the treadmills but the weight equipment was ok. But the worse part was the hard sell, I couldn't get a time there w/o being accosted to join. The should have used the 1/4mil to make the whole place a little nicer.

DOC, it's hard not to be negative about the BAC once you've been a member. The downtown facility truly is a dump and the staff is required to hound you about "addt'l memberships for your friends and families". I'm much happier with my current gym.

The men's locker room could use an overhaul but other then that I love working out at this BAC facility; close promximity to work as well. Note sure where all this other negativity is coming from; it's a gym folks not a day spa..

When the BAC tells Buffalo Rising that they've renovated their locker rooms, I don't think it's overly negative to point out that the Men's lock room has not been renovated in decades. It's just correcting the facts.

The new elite workout room is really nice for those that can afford it. But it would also be nice if the BAC fixed up the rest of the gym where most of the members are allowed to go... at least up to the same basic level that they renovated the Transit Rd and Niagara Falls Blvd BAC locations which have been renovated several times.

There's a big difference between a day spa and a dirty gym.

Pull-ups and push-ups do it for me.
P90X!

Actually the BAC did do a ton of work in the MENS Locker room you un-educated negative low lifes. One of the reasons that the Downtown area suffers is from people that have nothing better to do than sit around and put down any positive growth that may happen in this city. Get a job! If anybody knows anything about doing business in this city they should be proud of what the BAC is doing. I have been a member for 27 years at the Downtown club and have not been let down once! It is a great gym and very clean and updated too! Go check it out, you will love it!

I am not a lowlife at all and I'm sorry to say that the Men's locker rooms at the BAC are gross and have been for quite some time. Anyone can go in and see it for themselves.

I am currently a member at the Downtown BAC and a business owner myself and nothing bugs me more than when others complain about that bathroom. I personally know what it takes to renovate a part of a building here in Buffalo. Once you get past building permits and the historical soceity you are left with a huge headache and fees that seem to never end. If you read the article about the leasing permit for the BAC and that once the lease was extended they not only put hunderds of thousands into the womans locker room and new treadmills for the cardio room but they added the Ellicott Club and what a great idea for those who are serious about their excericse. They having a cleaning crew around the clock there because whenever I'm there i even see the trainers cleaning the machines!!! Dont compare a club that owns their building and the club that rents their building. Do you improve your rental unit or do you improve your home? Think with your head people and just know that BAC is the greatest gym in the Buffalo area and the Downtown location is helping improve the city.

We are not lowlifes, we just expect a decent locker room for our annual fee. What work have you witnessed recently in the Men's Locker room? I read in an earlier post that the showers were redone. Great. The rest of the room is a pit. I wouldn't put a bare foot on that floor if you paid me.

LI2Northpark,First every locker was totally replaced. Second, why are you putting down a facility that is making huge strides in this city? This is a positive article on a business! Why are you making it negative with a bunch of untrue comments? It sounds like your not a member of the BAC but a competitor. Pony up some real advertising dollars or if you are a member go somewhere else. I am very happy at the club. And stop putting down all of the positives that are happening in the city. Its true, people like you make this city where we are.

I'm a member with the Downtown bac, and have nothing but great things to say about the club. The facility is clean, the staff is very helpful, and they are continuously making improvements. I thoroughly enjoy being a member at the BAC.

I am not a competitior at all, just an ex-member and I stand by everything I said.

I workout at the BAC all the time. The trainers and salesmen are obnoxious and uncomfortable. Many of my lady friends, have relocated to different gyms due to the constant harassment by salesmen, trainers, and other people working out there (Its bad at times).

The only reason I work out there is it is close to where I work.

I was a member of BAC for about 8 years, but quit about 2 years ago. I was also irritated by the constant up-sell by the staff and being solicited by personal trainers who weren't supposed to be soliciting on the floor.

I also agree about the equipment, it is old and definitely not the state of the art as they claim. There are a few pieces of circuit training equipment that are new, but by and large the majority is old and often in need of repair. The locker rooms are indeed nasty and in need of repair at the Downtown and Niagara Falls Blvd locations. Most of the renovations over the years have been cosmetic in nature, new carpets, move around the same old equipment, paint the walls, etc. I find this contradictory for a company that claims they are focused on SERVICE and CLEANLINESS, as two of their three core values.

Although the BAC boasts 12 locations, six of them are for women only. Men are not allowed to work out in those facilities, so they effectively have four locations in the Buffalo area and two location in Rochester that are open to all. The four in Buffalo are pretty spread out, so you effectively can work out at one or two of the facilities even though they claim that you can work out in any of their 12 facilities.

For the most part, gyms are a cash cow for the owners, especially when you consider the incentives provided by insurance companies and the national health care plan.

I prefer Average Joe's Gym, and whatever you do, stay away from those ba$tards at Globo Gym.