The Fitness Loft — Local services in Columbus

You don't have to be in New York or LA to get the best of boutique fitness centers. The Fitness Loft offers everything from steady-state aerobic to HIIT workouts. Machines. Free weights. Classes. Open gym floor. Two large group studios. Licensed professional trainers. A nutritionist.

ALCHEMY The ground floor of The Fitness Loft hosts Alchemy, a juice bar and cafe. Owner Alexis is a Registered Dietician who specializes in delicious healthy eats, many of which are vegetarian (acai bowls; quinoa, kale, almond, brussel sprout salads; sandwiches; fresh smoothies), as well as fresh, cold-pressed juices and an expresso bar.

THE ENVIRONMENT The first thing you notice when you walk upstairs to the first floor of The Loft are the 2-story ceiling and walls of floor-to-celing windows. The light and expanse give you an automatic psychological lift. The air is fresh. Machines have been placed with sufficient distance, so that you never feel right on top of the person who may be running, cycling, or skiing next to you. There are two HUGE third-floor studios, well stocked (weights, balls, equipment) for fitness classes and RPM. Lockers are programmable. Showers are private and spacious. Bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, the workout floor are spotlessly clean.

THE EQUIPMENT The owners - The Jeffs May (Jr and Sr) - have made a huge investment in Technogym's state-of-the-art equpment. Aerobic machines can be found at the windows, with a view, and in more private locations on the third floor. The Wellness System technology is compatible with FitBit, MapMyFitness and FitnessPal. Aerobic equipment is completely programmable and cloud based, allowing you to plug into your own auditory and visual worlds. Each member can purchase a cloud-based fitness fob, which automatically tracks your goals and the performance of each session, for those who are seriously training or those who simply don't want to maintain written records.

THE FITNESS CULTURE The Mays have invested (with a long-term view) in the quality and number of on-site trainers. Individual expertise ranges from working with those who are true athletes-in-training to lower-intensity fitness clients. Each new member is offered a professional baseline fitness assessment, which includes aerobic and flexibility capacity, basic lipid bloodwork . All of this can be uploaded to the fob, along with your trainer-recommended program.

THE SOCIAL CULTURE Members are very polite and stick pretty much to themselves. Present are a range from 'young, fit and beautiful' to 'retired, not-so-fit, but dedicated to longevity and a healthy future.' Those who work up the sweat of significant exertion always wipe down their equipment with disinfectant towlets from numerous dispensers throughout the gym. On-site trainers are always training new members. Trainers who are not working with a client are friendly and make themselves available to help or answer questions.

CLASSES Cycling. RPM. Pilates. Yoga. PiYo. Body pump. Boot camp. Synergy. Insanity. Beginning weight training. Running club. You get the idea: A wide range, with an appropriate level and intensity for everyone.

ACCESSIBILITY The Fitness Loft, located on the second and third floors, is accessible by...

I had a similar treat as another review by Madlen Connor. Diana's last name is McDonald. Before I go on, I am 70 man. On September 24, 2025, while taking a break on a stationary bike, I got a phone and saw it was from my doctor.

I look around and no one is near me. Yet, as I was talking, Diana McDonald, got within three feet of my face. She says, no using the cell phone in the gym. I put up my finger to my face and say, please let me get my bag and I will leave. She yells, your voice is traveling all over the gym.

If anyone knows, all gyms blast music. She gives me a dirty look and yells go down stairs. I got in the elevator and found a space on the third floor, twenty feet from two members. All of a sudden. Diana McDonald comes up to me and says you can't use the cell phone in the gym. Her desk is on the second floor off in a corner and I am on the third floor.

Ms McDonalds yells your voice is booming all over the gym. I smiled like you have to be kidding me. She then says if I see you using the phone in the gym, I will cancel your membership. Ok, I say. She goes downstairs and I took the elevator to the first floor to get away from this hysterical woman. I go outside.

After a fifteen minute break, I go back in and continue my workout. I asked her if I could speak to the manager. She says I am the manager. I thought, it is no wonder this place is very empty except from 5 to 8 pm.

So after an hour of working out, I go outside away from the employees, which seems to have a higher turnover than McDonalds. I come back in and pass my card over the electronic device. The man says your membership has been canceled. Excuse me. The manger Diana McDonald canceled your membership.

I asked him what the owners name was. He said he didn't know. OK. I have to my things from the locker. I say, do you want to escort me? No. I go upstairs, get my things and head towards the exist. All of a sudden, I see the man staring at me. I asked you don't trust me. He says, I got to make sure. I said, I am a senior citizen and I would expect more respect from you and this place. He laughs.

I am planning to send a letter to the owner whose name is Jeff May. Most companies want to keep loyal customers, but this is not the philosophy of the manager.

Before leaving, I asked for a copy of the rules and regulations. To my surprise, there is nowhere that says not to use cell phones in the facility.

I don't think the owner knows that his manager is hurting his bottom line. When I was talking to the manager, I said, I am a senior citizen and thought I might get some respect. She snarls and says I am a senior citizen.

OMG. I think why does the owner Jeff May have a senior citizen running his facility? I swear, tell me I am wrong. But doesn't a smile work better if you want to...

I’m a dedicated and experienced lifter and I was a member here for about 1 year. Overall I had a good experience. Lots of great equipment and plenty of space for body building and CrossFit styles. There is also a huge selection of cardio machines if that’s your thing. Everything is kept very clean and everyone does a god job of putting things back. Equipment is high quality and pretty new. While they do have everything you need the selection isn’t great. If you’re looking for a place to do any Olympic style lifting or powerlifting this a not your gym. They do not have any platforms and in fact as it’s a loft you cannot drop weights.

The staff here is fantastic (shout out to Donovan) aside from the personal trainers. While I don’t use personal trainers, I can tell from observation that they really don’t know what they are doing. I even had an incident with one that was “training” a beginner to superset on 3 different machines, one of which I needed to use. After waiting a while I finally started using the machine because they had been away from it for 10 mins. They came back over and the personal trainer, Ron, wanted the machine back, going as far as threatening me with membership termination and pestered me for the next 5 mins about it. Quite unprofessional.

The flow of the lifting area works well though I have to say the space is not utilized to its fullest extant. The gym I’m at now has half the space with probably twice the selection of equipment. Also, when a machine breaks they can sometimes take quite a while to get it fixed. They charge $100 per year extra for an equipment fee but rarely reinvest.

The overall vibe of the gym is nice but also feels very big box. The locker rooms are top notch and they even have a sauna. Can’t speak to the quality of the showers as I never used them. This gym is kept very clean and towels are always kept stocked.

I can’t speak to the type of lifters that frequent the gym in the afternoon as I go at 5am. Early in the morning there are a few good people in there that go hard, never ran into any “gym bros” but most are not very serious about their fitness and there are also a few ego lifters in there. Hardly anyone uses good form or gives maximum effort.

Overall I would definitely recommend this gym if you’re not a serious lifter. Keep in mind they have limited hours and are closed all major holidays and even some not major ones. If you’re a serious lifter you can definitely do better but it’s still a great gym...