Orangetheory Fitness — Local services in Oakland

UPDATE -- I quit Orangetheory 2 months ago.

I have been a member of Orangetheory for almost 5 years and recently moved from Pleasanton to Oakland. This Montclair studio is my new home and I'm really enjoying the coaches and energy. The coaches and front desk staff continue to show that they care and are invested in their members. My only gripe about this studio is that some members don't respect others in the class when it comes to leaving the equipment when their specific block is over. The number of times that I've had to wait an extra few minutes (after the coach has told the class to switch stations) standing behind a treadmill while the person before me ends their session is ridiculous. I'd really appreciate the coaches pushing members through to their next station and reminding folks that their are 30+ other folks in the class who deserve an equal workout.

I also want to make a note - not about this studio - but about Luisa... who seems to be in some sort of leadership role with the local Bay Area OTF studios. Frankly, her behavior is concerning me because I have frequented the Pleasanton, Dublin and Montclair studios over the past 2-3 years and I've now seen 3 OTF staffers crying while she talks to them. Coaches across the Bay Area have left studios because of her leadership, which has impacted me as a member. I walked into the Starbucks next door to the Montclair studio a couple of weeks ago and I noticed Luisa sitting with the studio's manager at a table. Luisa was very animated and the manager was crying. I'd like to share some feedback for Luisa as a member and woman in Corporate America - please learn to be a better leader. Your actions are being noticed outside your workforce and they're impacting members/customers in a negative way. Also, if you are going to have a tough conversation with your staff, please have them in a private space -- not in public. I do not think I need to explain my...

I signed up in February for a month membership after a free class. I learned the hard way you're basically signing up for two months, since if you want to cancel, you can't do that till the next billing cycle-so you'd have to cancel right away when you sign up. That's the catch. Once I signed up, all the text communication and support would cease and would take a week until someone got back to me. They got my money so who cares about customer service anymore. It's May and I am still getting charged. is the whole OTF one big SCAM?

It's always packed as they don't have enough classes during the day or weekends and you have to plan weeks in advance to reserve your spot on the calendar if you don't want to rely on the day-off-good-luck-getting-in-last-minute-after-being-on-the-waitlist. Also the 8-hour cancellation policy is ridiculous, because if you get injured or feel sick in the morning, you're losing the class unless you've subscribed to unlimited and then those people don't even care about canceling on time, as their classes don't count. You have to battle the parking and come in and wait to see if not enough people show up. It's best to buy individual classes, if you're a WORKING PARENT, because it could be impossible to make it there even twice a week. Not a place to relax, as it's loud, fast-paced and often confusing, you really have to pay attention to the coach's instructions non-stop. Brandon was a wonderful coach though, 5 stars to him. Giving it 2 stars for the management...

The folks at OTF Montclair have been nothing but the best since day one! I was skeptical about the theory at first but decided to give it a try and have been at it for two months straight. Although it's the same three blocks - treadmill, water rowing and weight training, every session is a new adventure and I've never not got a good sweat in.

But more importantly than exercises are the people who staff the place. Initially I had a little hiccup related to payment and thought I was gonna have to haggle back and forth but I was pleasantly surprised and appreciative when all it took was a few text in less than a day to remedy the situation.

The front desk team is always bright and bushy-tailed in the morning when I come in which sets an excellent tone and creates a positive culture.

Most of my classes are with Coach Danielle. She's very intentional about checking in 1:1 and making sure we know what muscles we're working and that we maintain good form with all the exercises. Combined with the monitoring system, it's like having a highly personalized trainer! With all that being said, the difference maker for me is the vibe Coach Danielle creates with her playlist which leans towards the hip-hop side. It definitely sounds/feels like a party and helps get that extra...