Washington Athletic Club, Seattle

Words/ Louis J Christen III

Image/ Washington Athletic Club

The American Club has reciprocal relationships with many great clubs around the world. I would like to tell you about the Washington Athletic Club in the heart of downtown Seattle Washington. I am frequently in Seattle on business and my wife and I have made the WAC our home away from home in Seattle. The hotel and fitness and restaurants are all together in a grand old building in Seattle, convenient by walking to shopping, museums, Pike Place Market, and most all Seattle city activities. They are on a relatively quiet and safe street in the downtown area and they have a helpful presence at the front door with bell service and a security desk. Once we are checked in, we feel we are recognized right away by the door staff and for being a city club, the security is unobtrusive but high level. You need your key or membership card to ride the elevators so the rooms and the facilities floors are protected.

The hotel facility is a great value with their “Premier” rooms comparing very favorably by all measures to any of the major or boutique hotels in the downtown area. Spacious at 405 square feet with a fantastic bathroom, their beds are among the most comfortable of any hotel I have stayed in. The rooms are large enough to include a comfortable desk and a large round table that is great for reading the paper in the morning with breakfast. The WAC has a total of only 109 rooms so it feels small and intimate. And the pricing there, though it moves up and down with the seasons as all Seattle hotels do, is always a great value to the rest of the major downtown hotels.

And the fitness facilities are amazing – 5 floors of the building are devoted to their fitness facilities – as they say, “Athletic” is their middle name. They have an indoor pool, indoor track around the basketball court, a breakfast and juice bar, and 3 floors of fitness equipment – there is a dedicated men’s floor, women’s floor, and a unisex floor with all the aerobic machines and weights you could want. I have never found the facilities overcrowded. There are fitness classes from early in the morning for the downtown office people that start at 6AM and Emily says the instructors are great. There is a small day charge for guest use of the classes but you can go to as many as you want each day.

I am not able to pass on any first-hand information about the spa and beauty facilities but their website lists massage, hair and make-up, and nails services so it seems full service! And the restaurants – there are three dining venues in the club and my favorite is the bar (of course!) – great pastas, salads, and sandwiches and this is our first and second choice most of the time we stay there. I wasn’t knocked out by their high-end dining venue, but that is maybe because Seattle has so many great restaurants. For breakfast, they keep it simple with egg sandwiches and fruit smoothies at the breakfast bar that is attached to one of the fitness floors. Again, for Seattle, prices are very reasonable.

So give it a try! The ACC front desk will be happy to provide the introduction and “Member in Good Standing” letters to the WAC and I am sure you will enjoy the experience. This is a great city Club!

 

For more information, please click here to visit their website.