FITNESS SF - Oakland

Tl;Dr - it's a decent gym with upgrades on the way that you can do a lot with, but you'll be around some people with poor gym etiquette; they can smell so bad you'll need to leave when they're in the gym. For the base level membership, this gym is well worth it, with some non deal breaking frustrations along the way.It's a gym. It has gravity and things with mass for you to lift and get strong. Good variety of equipment, space is SUPER tight. Been going here for a little over a year and been able to get most of the things I need. They're currently upgrading to a turf area, which is the area of greatest need, so you can do carry exercises as well. Trainers are decent, some are better than others. Front desk staff is great. 80% of other members are fine.The biggest issue is the other 20%. Their gym etiquette isn't that great. Some people use 4 or 5 machines for circuit training during busy hours, some of the older patrons get really pushy or verbally aggressive when they want to use equipment you're on, many people walk within inches of your barbell when you're mid lift. Worst is that some of the patrons have such horrible body odor that you can smell them from 10 feet away and you can't workout near them in a small gym, some of the patrons smell so bad you can't be in the free weight area when they're nearby, which really ruins a lift.

Great class based gym that I would recommend to anyone looking to get and stay in shape. They keep the classes fresh which keeps me motivated to get up everyday at 6AM.

I have been working with Nick, a personal trainer at Fitness SF, for a few weeks, and it has been a great experience. Having worked w my fair share of both good and bad trainers over the years, I can truly say Nick has been a pleasure to work with. He is a consummate professional: on time, focussed, and meticulous w/ recording the sets/reps/weights to track progress. He also checks in on me during the week to see how I am doing. Definitely recommend working with him if you're looking to invest in personal training.

The gym was half decent at best, but not worth the rate. I got more out of my membership at planet fitness.The issue for me was the cancellation nightmare. I attempted to cancel in January, but since I’m unable to find the email I sent them back then to show o did request a cancel, I was charged $400 without going to the gym once over 2-3 months. I would have gone if I knew I was still going to be charged for this.Most gym memberships I have dealt with are easy to cancel. And happen when you ask. I thought this gym would have great customer service. I was wrong.

Excellent. Has all the machines, & they replace & update them frequently. Classes are infrequent so the large room w/mirrors is usually available to do whatever you want, including use the otherwise super-expensive row machines. They also have tons of Hyperice percussion massagers for use.

Great for the price. Does the trick. It’s clean and well-equipped. However I have two complaints. The group class room needs an overhaul in my opinion. It’s an awkward space, poorly lit and cluttered. Gives a bit of a dingy feel. Also the company should really get their computer system working. It somehow deleted me, so the employees told me that corporate would handle it, but nothing happened for months. Then I basically signed up again but the password creation didn’t work so I now haven’t been able to access my new account. They let me in with my name but it’s just annoying enough to spur me to write a review about it. Employees acted unsurprised and like this was an ongoing issue. It’s probably just as annoying for them to have these conversations 20 times a day and have to type in everyone’s name manually 🙄

This place is less fancy than some of the other locations (I'm looking at you, SF Transbay). No bidets, no solid wood bathroom doors with plantation shutters, no dry bar, no steam ironing closet, no free mouthwash, no ear swabs nor heated towel racks here. You must bring your own lock (heaven forbid!). Some of the machines have screens that don't turn on, or the display has snow or other irregularities. That said, it is full of awesome people and is at a beautiful location by Lake Merritt. If you run or walk the lake, you could follow it up with a gym session. Check in is easy with the QR code, staff are kind and friendly. The showers have been upgraded to marble tile, with rainfall shower heads, which are gorgeous. The water can take a while to heat up, but it's worth waiting for. Other patrons are kind and respectful. Just because it has fewer amenities I give it 4 stars, but it's still a great gym.

I came here on a Thursday morning just for a trial day and was very pleasantly surprised with my experience. The gym makes incredible use of its modest footprint, and in my opinion, does not feel cramped. There are plenty of free weights and machines to appeal to lifters of all levels. Free weights include two sets of dumbells up to 100s, kettlebells, three olmypic benches and several flat benches, two incline benches, two full cages/olympic platforms, and tons more. There is plenty of capacity at cardio machines, group fitness room, and stretching area. Locker rooms and showers are pleasantly upscale, clean, and well-stocked. The staff and patrons are kind and considerate. Bonus: massage guns!This gym is totally worth checking out. The only thing that worries me is how crowded it will get during peak hours. I'll just have to wait and see after I come a few more times as a member!

Staff are kind, equipment well maintained. The gym isn't entirely body positive (the workout sections are identified with images of very muscular men, which isn't what everyone is going for). For people who are just getting into fitness, it may feel a bit intimidating and unwelcoming.Overall, it's a solid gym that I think can be a bit more inclusive. Again, staff are great.I also agree with the others that it was really sad to hear they removed the sauna. This was such an amazing part of the facility; so many good conversations and a very critical part of my wellness routine. I sincerely hope they reconsider and bring it back.

Giving 2 stars because I have absolutely no problem with the gym environment and equipment. From previous experience I don’t specifically have a problem with the front desk staff either.I have had two incidents here at this location where I’ve felt singled out or experienced rude customer service and slightly judged in more than one way. In this industry there is a way to speak to your customers and after requesting a slight accommodation to resign a form which I had previously submitted after from what I was told was a result of their system being down I was basically told that as a paying customer if I didn’t sign (during the busy hour when it already appeared that the front desk staff was busy) that my money wasn’t needed here. The Manager Letty assumed that as she put it that I was being disrespectful by walking away after I informed the front desk agent that I would sign once I finished my workout. I also already had headphones and music playing so I could barely hear her to begin with. I was called out in a pretty aggressive tone and it felt like an ego battle started from there. They are correct in the manner that they don’t need my money and I appreciate them for making me aware of that because I am now in the cancellation process of trying to get my membership cancelled. I would just like to fully disassociate at this point. I don’t believe that this interaction was professional at all.The previous incident to occur was with one of the class fitness instructors before a class started as I was already stretching with 2-3 other people in the same room at the time. I specifically was told in a rude manner that I had to leave the area downstairs before a class started. I asked if I could simply finish my stretches since the class didn’t start for another 10 minutes or even join the class and was rudely told no to both of these request. Once again I asked was there a separate fee for the class and found it odd that the option wasn’t even offered to join. Very unprofessional in my personal experience.I hate to diss a company but this is just from my personal experience. I’ve had a better time there when I didn’t have to interact with personnel at all.