Berkeley Ironworks

It is the best of the Touchstone gyms in the immediate Bay Area (least worry @ having car broken into, knock on wood)...but really wish there were less children...makes climbing area too crowded and dangerous (they run around unattended). Would be AWESOME if there was a kid specific gym so all kids from GWPC and BIW could be aggregated into their own area. Like at a local school or something.

I've been a member for 15+ years, and I love the place. At $75/mo it's a great value - you get world-class climbing and bouldering, excellent weight and aerobic equipment, and a variety of free exercise classes like spinning, abs, yoga, and cardio-boxing. I've always found the staff to be very helpful and friendly.Of course I have quibbles. The locker room and showers are spartan. The quality of the route-setting has declined a bit over the years. The computerized waiver system, and the web-based class signup system, use irritating 3rd-party software. But these are minor issues.Some of the negative reviews here are off the mark. You can't walk in and expect a personal belay class. You can't expect a lead test on demand during crowded times. Yes, there are kids on weekday afternoons but they don't cause problems. Etc.

I went here as a guest with a friend who has a membership and really enjoyed myself. The bouldering and rope climbing definitely provides a nice workout and while it may get busy inside, folks are generally very polite. Their is also a gym attached with a variety of machines. My friend who is the actual climber said the variety of routes was a bit lacking in comparison to a couple of the other climbing gyms in SF but I think he generally had a good time.

Walk in this weekend with my wife to see the place.At the desk :- "Could we have a look ?"- "No"Though is was a joke, but the girl behind the desk was serious.No crowd, no special event. I just can't get it...All is said.

How could anyone give this place anything less than 5 stars!? Great gym, great staff. I wish it wasn't so crowded sometimes but it's not a big deal. Great to see so many folks being active.

I have been a member of Touchstone gyms for over 5 years and I don't even climb! I love the great mix of people: very eclectic across a range of backgrounds. Not hoity toity and not Hoi poloi. Great equipment from oly lifting to treadmill. It can get SUPER crowded in there and the kids class often gets in my way, but I am a grumpy old man ;)hoy poloi

Very disappointed by the staff. I have been a touchstone member for over 4 years and stopped by to visit iron works from Fresno metalmark but my slightly discounted membership would not allow me to climb for even a few hours. I suggested upgrading my membership or turning in my unused monthly guest pass but the staff couldn't handle it. I am not in Berkeley very often so all I wanted was to climb for one after noon at your gym.

I've belonged to a dozen gyms over the years, and Berkeley Ironworks is the only great gym I've ever been a member. The staff is awesome, all of them. The facilities, all of it, are kept in top condition. And everyone who goes there seems to be in a good mood, all of the time!

Great gym. Lots of options, friendly staff. Grades seem a little soft and they make you bring your own lead rope but otherwise it's phenom.Edit: 5/14/15The bouldering is rather stout compared to the TR stuff. 5.10s feel like 5.9s and 12a feels more like 11c/d but maybe I'm just misguided from my last gym. Comparatively the V4s feel like V6.Gets crowded on week nights but they more than make up for it with long hours 6am-11pm some days! And with a great variety of classes and fitness equipment included in membership

Joined about 3 months ago because i wanted to start rock climbing. Walking distance from where I work, so I get to do a quick lunch workout 3 to 4 times a week. Parking is a problem during lunch time (sometimes need to wait 5 minutes in the parking lot before somebody leaves), but after 6PM, can use neighboring business lot so night time parking not a problem. Great climbing gym of course - plenty of boulder problems and climbing routes for all ranges of abilities from beginner to advanced, even a couple of cracks. Staff pretty friendly and helpful when you get to know them. At least one new section of problems and routes every 1-2 weeks to keep things fresh and interesting. Wished bouldering wall was higher. Wish they had some kind of hourly signup system for belay partners for people who don't have regular climbing partners. Pretty good spinning class that I tried one time, treadmills always available, not too many weight machines, but plenty of free weights and all kinds of bars. Cool things that most gyms don't have: campus board, four different kinds of finger boards, olympic rings, climbing rope. Old school changing room and showers have really low flow/water pressure. Gym smells like a high school locker room, but you get used to it in a couple minutes