Crunch Fitness - Sunnyvale — Attraction in Sunnyvale

Crunch Fitness Sunnyvale: Great Value for the Experience

I first joined Crunch a little over a year ago, after my all-woman gym closed down on El Camino (the rental space got purchased by a gymnastics company). I had loved my all-woman gym because it was clean, safe, the workout classes were great, and they had a sauna and steam room in the changing area. I was resistant to joining another unisex more commercial because I had had a bad experience with 24 Gym. Crunch was ANYTHING but this bad experience with 24, and in all ways good.

I have been pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness, the friendliness of the staff, and the range of machines Crunch offers. The bathrooms are pretty clean and they do have lockers (you have to bring your own lock though, my all-woman gym had the locks on the lockers that you would program code with each use). While the gym can get busy, there seems to always be enough room on the cardio machines. I have the premium membership where I can bring guests with me (without them having to pay a guest fee) which I really LOVE, makes it less inconvenient when a friend or family member in town wants to join my workout. I have yet to take a class, but the Yoga and TRX classes look really fun.

There is great value for the experience because with the premium membership you can go to any Crunch gym AND you can bring a guest with you (no guest fee usually gyms charge $20 per guest). They also have a partnership with shopping app called ShopBoss that allows you to get cash back on purchases (up to 6%) with promotional partnerships such as SouthWest airlines, clothing companies such as Forever21, and more. I really like this feature because it makes it more of a lifestyle feel - a gym that is harmonious with more than just fitness areas of my life. I really like that.

The only improvement I am really wishing for is a dry sauna to be added in the locker rooms (as bringing in shoes and gym clothes into dry sauna can breed bacteria). They have a tanning bed area and massage machines which are nice, but I don’t know how often people use tanning beds anymore with the health risk; people (including myself) seem to be a bit more health conscious and aware. I think a sauna would be in more alignment with the customer and I hope they add this improvement (a feature I really miss from my previous gym). I really do like the massage machines though so I don’t think they need to get rid of them. The tanning beds, I could give or take. A nice feature, but I think there are some better, more health aware, machines and features they could offer that will add even more value to the membership and customer experience.

Otherwise, I have been very pleased and the Crunch platform makes it possible to have a gym membership alongside another speciality membership (such as a barre studio membership, hot Pilates membership, etc). The cost value is really great and it is refreshing to see a gym be more aware of cost and be approachable and maintainable for many incomes; as so many gyms charge ridiculous fees that feel much too expensive for the cost value. Crunch’s platform and customer experience makes being fit and healthy much more maintainable for a long time to come (lifestyle). It empowers its customers to make healthy choices. I hope to see more Crunch gyms open up in the area and make healthy lifestyle accessible and affordable, as it should be. Thank you CRUNCH for all you do. I am a true...

October 23, 2023

Dear Crunch Fitness Manager, Officer, Agent or Principal,

On October 23, 2023, after my workout, (at roughly 6:45 AM) I went to the front desk and asked to cancel my daughter’s membership. Her name is XXXXXX XXXXXXXX (xxx) XXX-XXXX. She resides at the same address and as of this writing, is a minor. The woman at the counter asked if I just wanted to remove the card on file. I said, “sure”. Then as I thought about it, I said, “would that mess up our account”? She looked confused and said, “well, you will have to change the card”. I said, “well then, no, we don’t want to cancel the card, we just want to take her off”. She said, “Well, you have to send an e-mail to cancel her membership”. I said, “We didn’t need to send an e-mail to sign her up”. I said that “Paul” had canceled for us in the past and she said that he wasn’t supposed to. I said, “Well, I don’t have an e-mail”. She said, “Well, get one”…condescendingly. I said that I would cancel mine and my wife’s membership as well and we have been members for two years. She wasn’t moved by this.

I am writing to you today to inform you that I wish to cancel my daughter’s membership as well as my own. Effective immediately. The relevant information, including names, phone numbers and addresses, are above. I don’t appreciate doing business on single-sided, manipulative, terms and I would sooner pay 5x membership fees to avoid such interactions. All they had to do was cancel my daughter’s membership and if there is a fee, charge us whatever fee and that would have been the end of it. They didn’t have to be condescending and I shouldn’t have to jump through any hoops to cancel her membership.

If I am charged for another monthly dues/fees for either myself or my daughter, I will see you in small claims...

Crunch Sunnyvale is a good, inexpensive gym that offers good value & energetic, fun environment at a convenient location. The crowd tends to be very young, the equipment is quite new & coaches are excellent (you pay extra for that, of course!).

On the downside, the gyms has no frills - no pool, not even towels (can't complain much at the price!). The maintenance tends to be spotty & the members sometimes leave benches & treadmills sweaty after use. Billing policies are sometimes questionable. The management is quite unfriendly & very hands-off - that has its pros & cons.

My biggest gripe - They added a new membership level at a higher price. That’s cool, but they did it just by removing some classes from my membership level! So my “Peak” membership that was promised to have full access when I signed up, isn’t really the same Peak anymore. I can’t access the HIIT classes that I could do before!

When I asked about the change, all I expected was a polite "Sorry to break any verbal promises we made before, but that is the new policy... I wish I could help you!". Instead, the manager rudely told me that the contract allows the management to change any facilities without notice, and I should leave if I don't like the change. What a way to treat someone who's spending $3500 a year at the gym & got many of his friends to join up too!

In summary, join this youthful cool gym for its value & the coaches. But be warned that the manager can be super rude, and the membership terms can...