Bakar Fitness & Recreation Center at UCSF Mission Bay — Local services in San Francisco

I never imagined I'd have to write a review like this, but after repeated incidents and a shocking lack of accountability, I feel compelled to speak up. At this gym, there’s a member who regularly blasts loud music from a speaker on the rooftop area—despite multiple polite requests and formal reports from other gym-goers asking for basic respect in a shared space. Rather than enforcing any reasonable noise policy (or even acknowledging common courtesy), management has repeatedly excused the behavior, citing “no official rule” about rooftop music. What’s worse? Those who report the issue are being punished. Instead of addressing the offender, the gym suspended a reporting member—sending a loud and clear message: they will protect the rule-breaker and penalize the rule-follower. This is not just poor customer service—it’s a clear failure of leadership and community care. We don’t need a sign that says “don’t play disruptive music in shared workout spaces,” just like we don’t need a sign saying “don’t show up to the gym naked.” Some things are common sense. If you’re looking for a gym that prioritizes your comfort, respects community standards, or takes member concerns seriously—this is not the place. Until there’s an apology and an actual accountability system in place, I can’t in good conscience recommend this...

Staff does a great job on keeping the gym(s) organized and clean at all locations.

Would like to see staff address members when staring at their phones while sitting on equipment.

The lack of gym equipment is laughable. Especially at Bakar, even before the flood (pools above the gym floor?) and covid; appears to be $12m facility w/$32 worth of weights. Appears most of the budget was spent on cardio and sub-standard cable machines.

Sure UCSF outwardly advertises having pools, but the absence of the lap pool @Parnassus and the circus @Missions pool on the weekends due to the restricted hours is off-putting. Due to the fact the members are still being charged full price for memberships but only getting...

I've been a member here for about a decade, and I love it. This information is probably dated, but after doing a survey of gym options, I concluded that Bakar was the most fully featured fitness center that did not employ questionable tactics like exorbitant joining fees or onerous contracts. (The JCC is a comparable option for people living on the west side of the city.) I probably regularly use less than 10% of what it offers, but it's nice to have two swimming pools (including one outdoor rooftop pool), a climbing wall, 4 squash courts, and basketball courts — in addition to the usual exercise equipment — in this three-level facility, which also provides a 6-story parking garage with...