FITNESS SF - Mid Market — Attraction in San Francisco

My short time at Fitness SF was filled with headaches, deceptive and negligent billing practices, and long waits. I now understand why none of my roommates and friends in the city are members of Fitness SF. The cost of the membership is nowhere near a concern compared to the actual management of this business. For my schedule and my health, Fitness SF was not a good fit for me despite its proximity, and I recommend that any prospective members reconsider signing up.

I first signed up at the Mid-Market location in January 2022. I had never considered personal training but was ultimately sold when the sales manager kept emphasizing the personalized and customizable nature of the training sessions. One thing to note is that new members must pay upfront first month’s dues as well as last month’s dues. If you plan on any changes to your membership, be it cancellation or freezes, you must notify the gym 15 days prior to the start of the next month. I purchased 4 personal training sessions for $500 and then chose my membership start date to be May.

I emailed the membership team to move my start date to June and they agreed. However, I was still charged by them for the month of May and was never informed of this until I checked my statement. When I reached out by email for a refund, I was instead offered a credit for another month in lieu of a refund for a charge that should not have occurred anyway. Finally, upon my insistence for a refund, they agreed to refund me.

This month, I had hoped to use up my personal training sessions. My goal was to master the correct form for a bunch of exercises I wanted to learn. When I came in for a complementary FIT session, I had a very clear idea of what I wanted my sessions to look like and which exercises I wanted to learn. The trainer assigned to me, enthusiastically agreed to my wishes and said she could conduct the sessions how I’d like them conducted.

However, when time came for my first two sessions, it was clear the sessions would not go how I wanted in almost any way. The training sessions, no matter which trainer you do them with, are very structured, as in 10 minutes for a warm-up, 40 minutes for the training, and 10 minutes for cooldown. Despite the exercises I wanted to learn, my trainer wanted to assign me a strict program with the number of reps and sets that she decided fit. In my first two sessions, I did not get to choose which exercises I wanted. In the middle of my second session, when I asked to do an exercise that we had agreed to the session before, she outright said no. I was confused because I was sold on the fact that I would have control of my own personalized session. When I mentioned to my trainer how she had agreed to how I wanted the sessions to go, she deflected and ultimately refused, suggesting I find a new trainer. I tried to get some clarity from one of the sales reps. I had to ask for confirmation if I was charged for January when I restarted my membership and was shocked to be told that I was charged despite being explicitly told otherwise.

I decided to throw away my last two sessions, as I could no longer stomach the business practices of this establishment. Looking back, for the flexibility and availability of equipment I was looking for, I regret choosing a small company in favor of bigger players like 24 Hour Fitness, which I have now chosen over Fitness SF because of how accommodating they where when I wanted to freeze my membership as well the ample equipment available to use during the...

This is the best gym in the area hands down. The short version: This gym is spacious, clean and has everything you need and want from a gym - classes, cardio, weights etc. The real reason why you want to go here is the people. The average gym person that walks through the door is friendly, kind, and considerate and its all very intentionally driven by the staff.

Long version: This gym is basically a fitness oasis. You get a bunch of natural sunlight from all the windows so you don't feel stuck inside a torture box. It's the kind of place that gets you pumped before you've even begun to scoop a bunch of pre-work out into your blender bottle. If you just need a space to pump and feel good, this is the place. The atmosphere is friendly and encouraging, with everyone focused on their own workout. High fives and fist bumps are readily exchanged, workout tips are shared freely, and there's a genuine sense of camaraderie. It's like everyone's on the same team, working towards their own personal best. Personally, I built a powerful positive feedback loop by making friends with everyone at the gym, including the staff, and like I said earlier: the reason you go to this gym is because the people here, specifically the staff, who are all amazing.

The staff here is the epitome of approachable expertise. The first person who will greet you with a big smile is Crystal, whose contagious energy and genuine kindness will immediately make you feel at ease but also excited to work out. Crystal is a chameleon at the gym, equally adept at guiding you through your initial sign up journey, putting even the most nervous gym newbie at ease with her easygoing charm. Underneath the hat and hoodie though, is a powerhouse of fitness knowledge and incredible athleticism.

The diversity and knowledge wielded by the rest of the trainers here is incredible. Each trainer here is an alchemists, transforming sweat into sculpted physiques and motivation into burning ambition. I was stuck at the same plateau for a while until I started training with Ryan. Now every other week or at least every month I hit a new pr.

I could write an even longer review here about the trainers, but at the expense of time, I'll leave you with this: trust Crystal. She'll hook you up with the right trainer that is right for you. Your body type, your goals, your vibe, your skills and abilities. And if you're one of those people who goes to the gym and thinks you don't need a personal trainer, you're either already an athlete with the physique of a greek god or you need to eat a slice of humble pie and learn from one of these professionals.

If you're stuck in the "decision" phase of your fitness journey and you're unsure about the commitment, signing up and cancelling is pretty easy. You pay for the first and last month of membership upfront. But maybe if you swing by, catch me by the squat racks, say hi and make some friends, you'll create that same positive feedback loop I made a year ago, and you'll discover the boundless physical feats you can forge with your body just by showing...

TL;DR -- Clean. Nice equipment. Not nearly enough weight equipment or room to move. Remove some of the cardio stuff. Beware of crappy digital locker system.

Good weight equipment, but there isn't enough of it. There is a ridiculous amount of crowding in the mornings and evenings. Folks doing deadlifts in every open corner of the gym. All the squat racks and platforms taken, one of the four being reserved for trainers/clients only. I find it commonplace to have to sit and wait to use a bench, rack, or platform every morning that I go to work out.

It's exceedingly clear by the lack of crowdedness in the 'cardio' area (I don't think I've seen more than 15% of this equipment being used at once in peak hours) that the folks who use this gym are in it for the weight equipment and racks/platforms. There are at least 40 cardio machines filling a vast space in the back of the gym that could be used to help relieve the intense crowding in the weight room. Get rid of half of them and use the extra space for more barbell equipment. It's what your members want.

Another issue is the amount of space and the digital lockers in the locker rooms. Two small square rooms encircle an oversized bench in each, surrounded by a ton of lockers that rarely open when you want them to. I'd say 40% of the time, I need a front desk person to open the digital locker for me because the code I entered mysteriously doesn't work anymore. Maybe 6 people can stand in front of their locker before you are touching shoulders with the dude next to you. There's not much that can be done about this because that's how the rooms were built, I just mean to warn you.

Overall I somewhat regret leaving Crunch for this gym. I thought that because there were more racks and platforms, it'd be easier to find room to do some barbell training, even at peak hours. This unfortunately isn't the case. Even though there is typically less of this sort of equipment at Crunch locations, there are also less people using them. Expect to stand around and wait to use this stuff because it's getting more and more popular.

Really though, folks. Get more weight equipment. Remove some cardio. Just look at where the crowds are....