Boston University Fitness & Recreation Center

I spend most of my time on campus at the BU dance theater both as a performer, and a patron, so I have enough experience to review the space as both. It is a quaint little spot to see your favorite college dancer developpe all over the place, but not much more than that. If you see a show here you probably also know some one in the show, so the accommodations are not the attraction.
It is more of a black box theater with stadium seating than any thing else. The seats will be folding chairs on risers, so come to terms with that. The audience gets a clear view of the whole stage though, because the theater can seat 250 from what I remember. No one is more than fifty feet from the stage.
Backstage performers roam the halls, and get to admire plaques for the dance faculty on their dark, and empty offices. It is a rather bland service corridor leading to dressing rooms for males, and females. The female dressing room is twice the size as the male room, because dancer demographics. Otherwise they are clean, well lit, and great places to relax, and socialize between acts.
The stage has only a single entrance, so performance, and audience alike get to delight with the traffic jams that occur at the one door to back stage. Using this space for performance was clearly an afterthought, but such is life. Remember why we are here: favorite college dancer, developpes, right.
As a rehearsal space, the theater is actually pretty great. The risers recede into the wall, exposing a huge dance floor. It is great for teaching a large class, or getting your friends together to stage a WWI dog fight. Bring your scarves, goggles, and go nuts with plane noises.

Words can’t even describe how much I miss this awesome facility even since I graduated. If there was one experience I really enjoyed in BU, that would be going to this gym. I had so much good memories there and it helped me transited from someone who barely workout to someone who genuinely enjoy fitness. Like the previous Unilocaler has indicated, it really it’s not your typical college gym. This is a four-​story fitness center featuring pool, lazy river, rock climbing wall, basketball court, racquetball court, indoor soccer field, track, dance room and on the weekend, they set up badminton net (but I think it’s only the morning though). This is a big, bright and clean facility featuring all the equipments you will ever need in a gym. However, last time I check, before May 2015, they don’t have kettlebell and TRX in the public area, I’m not sure about the classrooms though. But all the machines and weights are well maintenance. However, it is a gym that served 20k+ people, depending on when you come in, it could get crowed and there would be a wait for some equipment. But overall, it’s such a nice gym and I miss it so so so much given that I’m going to a pretty shitty gym that cannot be compared to fitrec in any mean. BU students you better take advantage of this amazing facility! Remember you are paying a 60k tuition lol

I go to school here and I have been to a lot of gyms as I have been into fitness my whole life and this is by far the best. They have a ton of workout machines and free weights. You’re never waiting for a turn on anything because there are so many different options. It’s a great clean environment.

overall a good place to work out, but the 20 pound weight stop my gains brah. They also dislike me screaming at the residents and saying «you still got one more set» the other peple at the gym disliked this encouragment and even complained about it. Moreover they have no protein shakes at the bar, like im not skinny white girl on a diet I need protein

Fitrec is a classy sweat box for people affiliated with BU. The monthly rate for alumni is great (and for recent alumni it’s even better). The gym is well equipped and recently underwent a renovation. Power Racks, kettle bells, expanded weights, and an overall redesign of the gym space.
There’s a nice Rock Climbing Wall (more difficult than it seems), basketball courts, and a pool. One of my favorite aspects is the elevated track – beats the hamster wheel (aka treadmill).
The only downside is that during the school year it gets really crowded (it’s wonderful during the summer and winter break). It’s so crowded at peak times that it’s hard to get a work out in. Also there’s a lot of undergrads «working out» here which comes with its own travails.

State of the art facility! Everything you could possibly need to workout. Olympic sized swimming pool. Squash rooms. Workout rooms open for use and the smoothie bar is delicious! Easy to get to (right off the green line of the T) the only drawback is that membership is expensive. Discount for Boston University employees and students get in for free but everyone else pays full price.

Addressing the parts of the gym that apply to me, I think it’s a rather nice gym.
I use the basketball courts which are full size but the only down side is they get a tad crowded at times when all the students use it at the same time. You can rent a basketball for free if you’re a student there at the Pro Shop in the basement where the rock wall is.
The rock wall is pretty decently sized with varying difficulty tracks. You can boulder or you can climb on ropes if both you and a friend have gone through belay training. Or if it’s not too busy, the staff can belay you too. They recently got new mats so that the whole floor is nicely covered.
For the swimming pool, it has both lanes and a recreational pool. The larger pool with lanes is colder than the rec pool but has nice features as depth, diving boards, and a bubbler sometimes. The rec pool is nice for afterwards as it is warmer and has a short lazy river. The locker room is rather needlessly cold though, especially once you get out of the pool.

rock climbing wall. check.
an Olympic-​sized pool. check.
an indoor track? check.
a clean, state-​of-​the-​art locker room with showers and hair dryers. check.
full-​sized courts for basketball/​volleyball, etc. check.
smoothie/​snacks stand that serve the most delicious smoothies (the mango chiller is highly recommended). CHECK.
fitrec is not your average college gym. as a BU alumnus who desperately wishes to be a student again, i encourage every undergrad here to take advantage of this incredible resource. you’re not paying $ 50K a year for nothing.

Great for Families with Small Kids.
Both my kids (5 and 3) have taken multiple classes from tumbling to tennis to swimming and the facilities are as good as the teachers. I have to say the kids pool with the family changing rooms make it a lot easier with small kids. Also the kids pool is great and even has a lazy river.

My daughter has been attending the Moves & Grooves beginning dance class for 3 to 4 year olds this semester, offered through FitRec’s Family Recreation classes. She LOVES it! For some reason I pictured that this class would be just music playing and kids running wild, but it’s FULL of actual dance content. The children are learning basic skills like balance and using their bodies to express themselves, but also kicks and spins and basic positions. The teachers, both BU students, are incredibly kind and patient. Every day when I pick my daughter up from school, she asks if we are going to dance class — I can’t imagine a more satisfied customer than she is.

Love Fitrec! I have tried other gyms around Boston and they are all crap compared to this facility. Granted when school is in session, 5pm-​7pm is super busy, but there are so many machines and equipment that it is not really a problem for me. Just to comment on some of these other posts, and as a BU graduate myself, students DO NOT go there for free. The cost of the gym is built into the university tuition, which is now circa $ 56K, so yea, not free. But awesome!

Not sure why everyone thinks this gym is «wicked nice». My undergrad gym was better and it was a public university. Considering tuition here is crazy high, I’d expect more. I wouldn’t come here but it’s included in my tuition.
Also, I wish students could have access to lockers inside locker rooms… how can we even shower… walk out to the hallway with public lockers half naked?
I find people here working out inconsiderate too. They take their time on the squat rack with 5 min breaks in between sets. Sad thing is they could use a 65 pound weight instead of just using the bar with 2 10lb weight added. Why…
And another story: some of the undegrads here are BRATTY. While waiting in line to use the power racks, a white blonde guy just walks up and CUTs and goes up to the squat rack and starts using it. EXCUSE ME?! Just because you’re privileged, doesn’t mean you can cut in front of 5+ people. As a petite Asian girl, I bravely went up to him (mind you, he was rather buff) and told him there was a line. His response? «Oh, I was switching off with the guy who just left» WTF. Thank you, brunette guy waiting in line after me, for standing up for me, although the stupid blonde guy ignored us both. I hope karma kicks you in the ass while you do your squats one day.

This review is specifically about FitRec’s Pilates Apparatus class. I have been taking it for 3+ years now, and the instructors get better and better! This class is limited to four people, so we are closely supervised and receive excellent feedback. This class has been instrumental in changing my (previously lackluster) posture and bearing and has greatly improved my core strength. Highly recommended!

FitRec is the perfect gym. For one it is huge and has a rock climbing wall. I have yet to use said rock climbing wall… but hey its cool to look at right?
There is also a huge swimming pool open for public swim. On the FitRec website it has the public swim times, usually there is a time slot in the morning and a time slot at night.
So besides all the fancy aspects like the pool, rock climbing wall, indoor track, and the numerous basketball courts, FitRec also has all the necessary cardio and weight machines. The gym is 2 floors, the first floor devoted mostly to cardio machines, and the second floor for free weights.
I love working out at this gym. All the machines are clean, the employees are always helpful, and due to the number of machines available, there is never a wait time!

This past spring we signed up our then 6 month old for swim lessons at BU. We attended 5 of the 6 weekend classes, due to a previously planned trip. As only 1 parent is allow in the water with the child at a time, my fiancé and I would alternate the classes. During the classes we would sing songs like ‘If you’re happy and you know SPLASH your hands’ so the activities were fun and age appropriate. The kids would splash around, put their faces in the water, and reach for duckies floating in the water. Near the end of the class everyone would go around the ‘lazy river’, which was just off to the side of the main teaching pool. She was the smallest, and youngest, in the class (6– 18 months) so our teacher, Ali, would make some alternations to the program for her.
We all enjoyed the classes and are hoping to be able to sign her up for more classes in the future.

A really nice gym, but im not sure if a review is really necessary as you need to be an alumni or related to one to be able to get in. Ive used basically every facility in this place except the climbing wall and the squash courts, and this gym has it all. The olympic sized swimming pool is very nice and can get crowded in the summer time. The lanes are well regulated, though they do sometimes double up when it gets very busy. The locker rooms are very clean and towels are now $ 2 to rent, I believe. The gym itself is double decker, with plenty of nautilus machines, free weights, treadmills and stationary bikes. There are 4 full benches and 4 full squat racks upstairs so that is a major plus. The dumbells go up to 120lbs. The basketball courts are a good size and the floors are always clean. Guests are now $ 12 to get in, which is a recent increase from $ 10. The one problem is probably parking, though you can usually find something on Pleasant street after 5pm.

This place is always busy on a Saturday! From swim lessons, dance classes, a rock wall, and so on there is a lot to choose from. The facility is overall very clean which i feel can be hard for a gym to accomplish.
Can’t wait to see what they will have next!

As a whole, FitRec is great and state of the art.
Unfortunately, I think it’s a bit of a rip off to go swimming here as an alum. My boyfriend paid $ 10 to use Faneuil Pool on Babcock Street. There were at least four people working when we were there and at most 8 swimmers.

I love BU Fitrec. It’s an enormous, very clean gym, and it has way more to offer than the average gym in the area. It has a gigantic cardio area, a spectacular and huge pool, more courts than there are sports I play, a gigantic climbing wall, and a cool indoor track.
It’s also way more affordable than other area gyms. It’s free for students, but there are discounted memberships for staff and alumni. Community members can get a membership if they’re sponsored by someone affiliated with BU, too.
I’m primarily a swimmer, and one of the things I really like about swimming here is that most of the other swimmers actually know how to lap swim. They know the etiquette for sharing lanes and follow it. If a lane gets crowded, it’s a little stressful, but you don’t have to worry about people crashing into you or yelling at you like some other places I’ve swam. This behavior extends into the fitness area, too. Everyone is civilized and shares without bothering other people.
The only real downside of FitRec is that some of the amenities you might get at a more inclusive gym are a la carte here: towel rental costs money, and there are only a few free drop-​in fitness classes a week. A pet peeve of mine is that the pool schedule will list the hours the pool is open, but not the number of lanes open, so you can’t plan your swim around the crowd.
FitRec has a pro shop that sells and rents all of the sports equipment you could need to participate in one of their classes, and they have a fancy snack bar.

When I moved to Boston for school, I was very excited about this gym.
An indoor track? What excuse could I possibly have for not exercising in winter now? (aside from tons of school work-​boo)
This gym is pretty awesome. It has a nice pool and I heard there was a lazy river, though I never got to see for myself. I never went to the pool but I watched people swim while I was on the elliptical and it looked great.
There are several areas for set aside for cardio and weights. The equipment is pretty new and is adjustable. There are also racquetball courts and basketball aplenty. The indoor track is ¹⁄₇^th of a mile with views of the ball courts.
There is a climbing area that can be rented out for big groups. The instructors are nice and patient and the wall has several different levels depending on where you want to start out.
The exercise rooms where gym classes are held vary in size, but all have cubby holes for temporary storage. You can rent a locker for the year for cheap, but you need to get there early to reserve one. Otherwise there are day lockers you can borrow. Just don’t forget your lock.
Locker rooms /​bathrooms are clean and require a code to enter. In inter, there are racks to hang your coat. They also have staff available if you get injured. I won’t account my reason for getting hurt, but I will say, they are helpful and friendly.