Striation 6

This is quite a new model of gymming and I really enjoyed my experience for what it is.
I went into the gym after parking on the street (weekends have 3hour street parking on millwood for free). I was met with Daisy who was one of the receptionists. She set me up within 5 minutes. $ 6 no activation fee or anything. That is truly one of the best things about the gym. I’m in between gyms right now and my corporate membership for GoodLife starts in March so I need a place in the mean time.
The lockers are clean and they give you a key for the locker for free. The washrooms and showers are nice from what I can tell.
The gym equipment is a solid ⁴⁄₅. It was pretty quiet when I went so no fighting for benches or anything. The others there seem nice and not pretentious. There’s a good amount of free weights up for 100lb. I’m happy about my experience overall and managed to get a good workout in. The only thing that I feel it is missing is a pull-​up or chest dips machine. I don’t think it has a pull down machine either. But I just managed to supplement my workout with other exercises. But otherwise very affordable and for the most part, well equipped.

I have never seen a more ethically-​run gym than this business. This is based off their payment model and my observations of the personal trainers.
With their payment model, the gym doesn’t feed itself with initiation fees, hidden monthly fees, and hassling you when trying to cancel a membership. You simply pay $ 6 in cash or credit each time you go (capping at $ 60 a month with all subsequent workouts free), and you’re in with no obligations.
I am thoroughly impressed by the personal trainers they employ at their gym. Instead of giving their clients with routines with questionable effectiveness that necessitate a trainer to be there (e.g. long sets of sit-​ups where one throws a ball to the trainer at the top as I’ve seen at Goodlife Fitness), they actually teach and encourage the use of compound movements such as barbell squats and deadlifts.
Never before have I seen trainers teach compound movements, since they can quickly yield substantial strength results and empower clients to eventually pursue personal fitness independently without the trainers. The trainers don’t just make their clients think they’re getting their money’s worth; they’re giving them advice and training that will last for years to come, which I find noble and admirable.
Pros:
–Free locker service with provided locks
–Clean, spacious locker room facilities including showers
–Great service with friendly staff at the desk and great trainers
–Deadlifts are allowed
–Free squat form check available by a strength coach
–Numerous squat racks; the gym clearly emphasizes the use of free weights
–Friendly owner. I asked him for a spot for my bench press once without knowing he was the owner. He fixed my form, helping me break my plateau and add 22 lbs. in two weeks
–Convenient location (1 min. walk from Davisville Station)
Cons:
–No lat pulldown machine (yet). While they do have a cable pulldown machine, the weight doesn’t go very high.
–While they do have some stationary bikes and a stair-​stepper, they comparatively have fewer cardio machines than larger gyms such as Goodlife and the YMCA (if that’s what you’re looking for)

I’m a fan of this place — the $ 6 per workout model is amazing — i wish more places did their prices that way. Excellent free weight set-​up, and the showers are fantastic.
I wish they had another cable machine, and they can be a little intense about the isophit machines, but on the whole, excellent value for money.

I think I just had the best workout in years! This gym is exactly what I was looking for. It’s clean, simple, friendly, down to earth, and has everything I need to exercise. The other people there were mixed, and I was the only pretentious person there in a Lululemon exercise uniform. I think people of all shapes, ages and sizes will be comfortable there, it isn’t a fashion show. It’s low frills — no expansive spa bathroom or cable tv built into the treadmills, and that is fine by me because I’ve got better things to do than spend my day hanging out in a change-​room.
The change room was clean, had benches to put your stuff on, a rack to hang your coat, and had a few showers, bathrooms & sinks (nice faucet fixtures). The hand soap is lovely, natural and organic, and I really appreciated it (I’m allergic to perfume). They give you a key for a day locker, so you don’t need to bring a lock (or struggle to remember the combination). I think you bring your own towel.
The free weights are nice and in great shape, and the other patrons seem to be considerate and put them back when they are finished with them! Thats a serious pet peeve for me, especially when men leave the heavy ones on the machines. The weight machines are comfortable, clean and in good shape. They work with compressed air, so changing the weight is super fast and easy and you don’t have to spend your whole work-​out messing with your settings. I haven’t tried the cardio machines, but they look good. The only thing that I use that is missing is a Smith Machine, but I can do those exercises old-​skool.
There is a good sized spinning studio with very shiny bikes, a yoga studio, and another studio with a padded floor (like broadloom made from dense exercise mat) — I don’t know what it is for, but I really like it! There are lots of little exercise mats, which are clean and in excellent condition.
There was a good number of people working with trainers, doing different workouts of varying levels. I think one man was doing some rehab. The trainers looked down to earth and accessible — they seemed like people who enjoy exercise, rather than bodybuilders. There were also people like me who were doing their own thing.
When I signed up I asked how you sign in, expecting something with a barcode or magnetic strip, but they said you just tell them your name. One of the owners recognized that I was new and came out of his office to meet me! A very nice guy. I’m not the kind of person who needs personal attention, but I appreciate it when given. It feels like a small, supportive environment, and I think people who are both experienced and new to exercise would feel comfortable. I don’t know why, but the environment reminds me of the Bloor JCC in the late 70s/​early 80s. The pay-​as-​you-​go model is very affordable (I hate paying my gym when I’m not using it), there’s no contract, and the classes seem very well priced. I don’t see a down side.
I was genuinely impressed and am going back — soon!