Like a lot of people, especially in the gay community, the closure of gyms has been especially hard do take during the lockdown. But for patrons of Gold’s Gym, it will go on much longer.

Like all gyms, the doors on its locations have been locked since last month, but the Uptown and Preston Center locations won’t be reopening, members are finding. Last week, the company sent letters to affected members.

“The COVID-19-related closures have caused us to reassess the viability of some company-owned Gold’s Gym locations,” the letter said, leading the company to permanently close 30 facilities across the U.S., including the two in Dallas. (Franchise-owned Gold’s, including others in Texas, are not presently affected.)

This is especially notable as well because Gold’s, while founded in California more than 50 years ago, is now headquartered in the gayborhood. This means there is not an open Gold’s within the city limits of its base of operation.

One member, however, was not entirely surprised by the announcement, as he had observed the Uptown location having problems even before the quarantine: Broken (and never fixed) equipment, unrepaired leaks in the ceiling and policies that seemed self-destructive, such as high membership fees and a resistance to negotiate.

Before the lockdown Erik Vasquez “decided to look for another gym — Lifetime, 24 Hour, etc. You could go [to them] for less in fees and get more amenities.” Before doing that, though, he asked the management to try to meet the other deals. They refused to consider it, Vasquez said. They also would not rebate any fees already paid during the shutdown

Still, he is sorry that Gold’s will not be an option in the area anymore. 

“That part of town is walkable for all Uptown residents,” so the departure of the gym is a blow, Vasquez said. “You grow an attachment to a place when it becomes part of your routine, and Gold’s was no exception. There were several employes there that were very nice and who I appreciated seeing every morning. It’s sad that I will never have a chance to say goodbye.”

— Arnold Wayne Jones