Planet Fitness — Local services in San Francisco

This location used to be on Sansome in SF and the only improvement since they moved to Montgomery is that it’s slightly (although slightly is an understatement) bigger and now has hydro massage beds….and it’s still the worst Planet Fitness I’ve been to in the US (I travel so I visit other locations frequently). If you’re curious, here’s why:

1. there are many “club rules” for members but hardly any are enforced. I’m actually here now and it’s packed. There is someone next to me with a duffle bag on the floor where others can trip and super setting so using multiple pieces (dumbbells, cable machine, and bench) of equipment at once while super busy and others are clearly waiting…..yet I’ve overheard staff telling another member to get off the phone in the locker room as if that is high priority.

2. almost every week day after 5, there is a group that often congregates around one of only two smith machines. They come in a group of at least four or more and trade off with each other. This makes the machines they’re using unusable to anyone outside of their group for an extended time, sometimes this is hours. I’ve given up on my exercise routines because this group has taken over machines. Now I try to go as soon as the gym opens solely to avoid this group.

3. There isn’t enough equipment or space for the amount of people. Like everywhere else in a City, it’s crowded and the space chosen for a gym is truly appalling. There are only two smith machines, which is the most sought after equipment and you can bet money it will be taken if you go during prime hours. They also don’t have a lot of equipment other PF locations have (no kettle bells, step up, ropes, etc)

4. I’m sure there are other PF locations that do, but this is the only location I’ve been to that is not 24 hours. Because this is already a tiny space that is frequently busy, especially after 5pm, this makes it even harder to get your workout routine in.

5. They close for every.single.protest. I get looking out for employee safety, but they have closed when only 20 people were a block away. This happened several days in a row during some protests recently

6. I’ve seen roaches in other downtown locations, but I see at least one every visit to this PF.

7. The tanning beds (especially the lay down/flat bed) is absolutely the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen. You can see dirt, grime, and a plethora of dead bugs trapped between the bulbs and plexiglass. These beds have removable plexiglass and there is legitimately no reason for it to be gross. It’s truly a health hazard.

8. All talk, no action. I see responses to reviews asking people to speak with management, although this seems to be a generic response that is copy and pasted across many reviews which shows me that there is no genuine interest/concern from management to begin with. Normal management heavily monitors reviews to take into consideration and improve. Here I’m seeing reviews from weeks ago, months ago and a few even a year or more ago complaining about all the same things I’ve mentioned here. It’s not shocking that things have not improved, just disappointing.

9. As others mentioned, no ventilation. This was an issue at their old location and people complained about it, but it seems this was not something to consider when selecting the location on Montgomery. It’s also hotter than the old location because there are no windows to open. To be fair, it’s common for homes and businesses to not have AC, but this is the first SF gym I’ve been to that has no AC and now it doesn’t even have natural ventilation that helped their old location a little.

Because this is San Francisco and everything is already expensive, this is seen as a very affordable gym…but it feels like they’re exploiting the low costs in exchange for poor amenities. I hate that this is the location I have to call my home gym and I only look forward to Planet Fitness when I go to any location other than the San Francisco location.

The only redeeming quality about this gym is the staff is so nice...

I've been a planet fitness member for a month and have visited 3 different gyms around the USA. To be very frank, this might be the least "bubbly" one. The lighting and industrial ceilings make it seem kind of dungeon-like and dark contrasted with the typical colorful aesthetic most planet planet locations have. Second, the equipment here is also less than the average plant fitness. No hammer machines and only 2 smith machines. The layout of the gym is also quite odd. I think it would have been smarter to put all the cardio machines downstairs and the machines/cables/DB's upstairs but I digress. Lastly, there's no music being played in this gym so if you do make noise, it's pretty much heard by everyone which is ironic because it makes me feel like I'm being judged for my heavy breathing in a "judgement-free zone". Lastly, the hours on the weekends are also odd. They shut down at 3pm on Sundays even though right before closing the gym was packed so the demand for longer hours on the weekend is definitely there.

Regardless of all of these complaints, the PRICE ALONE makes this a 5 star worthy gym. I'll get into why I'm giving this a 4 star soon. Back to the price.. it's the same cost here as it is nationwide. Unlike Crunch, 24 Hour, pretty much every other major gym in the country, Planet Fitness does not adjust price here. That means you pay the same in SF (most expensive city in the USA) as you do in Jackson, Mississippi. $10 a month, $22 for blackcard, and this place even has a $15 option for no commitment which most PF's actually don't have. That's great for visitors compared to the Live Fit Gym less than a mile away which charges $20 per visit and $135 for monthly with less equipment but with a barbell rack.

Now there's one major problem this PF has and should address and it's the ventilation. You'll notice that there are fans throughout the gym because there's no air circulation going on. This means that you'll be working out in close to 90 degree heat during the winter and I haven't even thought about the summer (although summer in SF isn't until October). I can see this being an actual health hazard. I know it might be pricey to install an AC unit throughout the gym but the cost of someone passing out in the gym could be higher. The upstairs floor is much hotter than the downstairs as well. This also causes much of the equipment to be sweaty.

If PF fixes this ventilation issue, I will gladly change this...

Alright, where should I start? The Planet Fitness located at 417 Montgomery Street in the financial district of downtown San Francisco is the new location of the previous Planet Fitness at 350 Sansome Street. Whoever the owner of this Planet Fitness is, really needs help. They need an adequate social media and communications team because the inconsistency in their messaging is ridiculous. This Planet Fitness has announced its new location (417 Montgomery Street) for months before the grand opening. They sent members several emails, raising our excitement about the new location, only to discover that every time the new gym was “supposed” to open, it got pushed back. The unfortunate thing about the poor communication is that they “grand opening,” was pushed back four (4) different times before it opened. The new gym actually opened on Monday, March 2 at 4:00 pm, as you can imagine for all things Planet Fitness, it was subpar. It was subpar because, the gym renovations weren’t complete. That’s right, on the day of the grand opening, electrical and maintenance crews were still working in the gym. Several of the machines were covered with dust and debris, along with contractors doing work in every area of the gym. Now, let’s talk about the potential it has. The new location (417 Montgomery Street) is two (2) levels. The men’s locker room is upstairs and the women’s locker room is downstairs. Additionally, there are elliptical machines, the 30 minute workout area, and some machine weights. Downstairs has several different ellipticals like Stair Masters, Treadmills, and Stationary Bikes. There will also be a tanning area, but, it was still under construction. Overall, the new look is better than last gym, the branding is more produced, and the colors are vibrant. The new gym even has a few more free weights and machines to choose from. Overall, the best thing about this planet fitness...