New York Sports Clubs

I’ve been to Harbor Fitness and the NYSC near City Hall and…
CLASSES:
The variety and number of classes are very low. There are morning classes on weekends, but why aren’t there afternoon classes? Why are there no classes around lunchtime during weekdays?
First Class:
Though I was 10 minutes late for my yoga class, there were no extra mats at all, which was weird because at the NYSC near City Hall, there were both yoga and Pilates mats and always so many extras. I asked the front desk person and she says check UXF circuit and the stretching area. Still none.
Another Class:
On Wednesday June 1^st, I wanted to go to Cardio Kickboxing at 8 pm. However, upon arriving, I was surprised to find out that it was now 7 pm. It said 8 pm on the class schedule I picked up about 3 months ago, so if it changed, could they at least send an email?
Yet Another Class Scenario:
A group of people including me waited in the boxing classroom for about 20 minutes before an NYSC staff member finally came and told us that they called for a last minute substitute, who did not keep in contact with them. That substitute just never showed up though. So unprofessional on both his part and NYSC’s part.
OTHER:
This place is so crowded. To get from upstairs to the locker rooms, I have to weave around lots of machines. Half the treadmills and biking machines on their first floor are out of service, and the working treadmills don’t have program where you get to visualize running along scenery like Harbor Fitness does. Also no wifi!
On Sunday June 11^th, there was no hot water in the showers and no manager to fix the situation, according to the front desk employee.

Free Weights area gets a 2 stars not enough space and not enough machines, Machines 2 stars, missing a bunch of training equipment, Cardio Equipment 4 Stars, seems to have plenty and some of them are brand new. No WiFi so that’s a bummer but on the upside locker room is in great shape with the sauna working well. Overall 3 stars is a solid score for this branch. Not one I would comeback to anytime soon.

I’ve been a member to this gym for about 2 years now. It is close to home and very convenient for me. Staff is always helpful and extremely nice. The locker rooms are very big and clean. It doesn’t smell like the other locations. At times, it can get crowded during peak hours (600 pm. to 8:00 pm), but still manage to get on the cardio machines. Rates are also affordable, $ 20 a month, and have access to the classes.
I would recommend anyone to joining this gym.

I’ve been a member of this gym for about 2 years already. It’s about average sized and it has the bare essentials of what you need for weight lifting and machines for conditioning. Compared to other locations, I joke that this is the size of a «hotel gym». Good luck trying to get a bench for international chest day at peak time. I don’t really do much cardio but from what I see, there’s plenty of treadmills. Definitely a LOT cleaner than Dolphins, which is 2 blocks away. Staff is extremely nice and always greeting you with a smile. May be pricey for membership but definitely worth the experience and quality.

I like this nysc better than the other one in Bay Ridge. This place is never crowded and there are plenty of cardio machines. Also, the weights area is never that crowded either and everyone keeps these areas clean. The locker rooms are very big and clean. It doesn’t smell like the other location. Another plus is the sauna. It’s always empty and clean.

MARQUITA is awesome. I called, she answered the phone, and I was asking her about their month/​yearly plans and how much they cost etc. She was so PATIENT with me I couldn’t believe she was able to keep her cool. I had the most annoying/​dumbest questions and she answered them with care and kindness. Most importantly, she made me feel comfortable with joining NYSP. Thanks again Marquita. I wish you all the best!

Checked out this location today as I’m considering switching to a more local gym. (Goodbye 24 Hour Fitness Manhattan :(((). Since it’s right on 86^th street, it’s super accessible by train/​bus. I drove on a Saturday around 1pm and was lucky to find parking a block away (so it’s possible!).
On to the important stuff. It has the standard cardio machines on the first floor with a small stretching area (which the receptionist girl called their «crossfit area»). Locker rooms are also on the first floor. They got dry saunas but you gotta bring your own lock (sorry, I’m spoiled from 24hr fitness). Upstairs consists of weights, a small row of cardio machines, a cycling room and another group fitness room. There aren’t that many weight machines and they’re kind of old. The free weights are kind of all over because people don’t re-​rack them. :(
I have yet to try their classes, so can’t comment on that. All things considered, this is a decent gym with a reasonable membership fee going rate of $ 30/​month (for one-​location access, $ 60/​month for all-​access). I’m still on the fence and need to check out the other NYSC locations before deciding.
Fellow Unilocalers, any other gym recommendations?

I went to this club while I was staying with my parents, and was pleasantly surprised to find out that it’s actually a very good NYSC location. I went during off hours, but everything was clean, nothing was broken, and it didn’t smell. Great natural sunlight (unlike a lot of those basement clubs that NYSC has). It has two levels, so it’s not too cramped and kind of reminded me of the West Village NYSC. Locker room was fine too. Not the biggest, but it got the job done. WAY better than the other Bay Ridge location.

IF I COULD GIVE THIS GYM ZERO STARS I WOULD.
I am not a member but tried to sign up in July for the 5 day $ 5 dollar trial for my fiancé and I. We recently moved to Bay Ridge and since the gym is super convenient to where we live so we thought we would give it a shot. We are already members at a competing gym and were strongly considering canceling our current membership and switching to NYSC.
I went online to try to sign up for the trial and kept encountering an error so I called the club directly. Victoria answered and I told her why I was calling. She said I need to speak to the corporate office, as the club doesn’t deal with online promotions. I called the corporate number and after holding for over 20 minutes, I was connected to Brandon. Brandon said he would need to forward my contact information to the General Manager of the club and they would call me to discuss promotions, as the corporate number doesn’t handle sign ups or promotions. I told him that I was told by Victoria at the 86^th St location that the club doesn’t handle online promotions and Brandon said the information provided by Victoria was incorrect. At this point it’s been over 30 minutes and the issue has not been resolved.
I called the club again and Victoria answered. I asked for a manager and told Victoria that I called the corporate number as she directed and was told corporate «doesn’t handle online promotions» to which she answered «That is completely false.» She then put me on hold for about 6 minutes until I hung up and called back. Victoria answered again and said she was «waiting for the manager to get off the phone» and asked «if I can give her my contact information instead of holding so the manager could call me back. I told her I didn’t want to wait for a call back as I have already wasted enough time out of my day holding and calling back and forth. I asked if anyone else was available then heard someone say «give me the phone».
Wanda got on the phone and was immediately argumentative and rude. «How can I help you» she said with a nasty tone. I told her I was extremely frustrated as I keep getting the runaround and before I could finish my sentence, she interrupted me and said «Ok let me try to resolve this between you and I». I asked her to let me finish and she fired back with «I already know the situation and we don’t handle promotions in the club». When I started to speak again she continued to interrupt me by speaking while I was speaking. This set me off! At this point I had spent almost an hour dealing with NYSC, so the conversation turned into a shouting match between Wanda and I. I decided to end the conversation as I would NEVER usually spend this much time trying to sign up with a company whose employees aren’t on the same page and clearly doesn’t value Customer Service.
Maybe I dodged a bullet.

After having problems with Planet Fitness in Bensonhurst, it’s nice to find a gym that’s clean and people mind their own business. It’s worth the monthly $ 19.95 fee. The equipment is top notch. Bathrooms are kept squeaky clean. People don’t walk around shouting or having loud conversations. If you have any questions, Marquita is great! In fact, I find everyone to be respectful and accommodating.

Clean and effective gym. Gym rates are also so low at $ 20 a month! And I have access to everything including the sauna, except classes. Must try!

I regret getting a membership here but I have to live with my mistake or I pay a hefty cancellation fee. I feel like the employees stand at the desk and talk shit about people which is a turn off. The treadmills are situated so you can look out the window at McDonald’s and Wendy’s while you run/walk…motivation? I don’t know. Descent amount of cardio machines downstairs if that’s your thing. If for nothing else, I would continue to pay the 20 $ a month just to shower there (byot) and use the nice sauna. As far as the workout equipment, meh… upstairs, forget about it… they have 1 ab machine… haven’t tried any classes but heard they are good.

Great gym super clean wish hour could be better open earlier on weekdays and weekends

Argh. This used to be such a great gym. But NYSC decided to try to compete with the other big gym chain and they reduced their price to 20 bucks a month, bring a guest each time. It now seems that it has become impossible to keep this place clean and in working order. Doesn’t NYSC realize that more members might mean you will need more cleaning staff, or that if you stop giving out towels people will use more paper towels and they will need to refill more frequently? And duh, more women using the bathroom may mean more toilet paper?
Also, more people equals more noise. So some bright light must have decided this should mean raising the volume on the music. This just keeps upping the noise; plus the sound system is really bad and everything sounds really tinny.
At the risk of sounding snooty, the 20 price tag has also brought in too many low commitment people who don’t seem to have much interest in learning some gym etiquette – like don’t hang out in large groups in the locker room, dropping your crap everywhere and blocking other people; don’t park yourself on a machine as you text and three people wait to use it. Wear deodorant; don’t bathe in perfume. Don’t try to bully or intimidate. This is not high school gym class.
On the upside, most of the front desk, cleaning and lower management staff here are still really nice.

I’m a huge fan of this gym. The staff has been extremely helpful, particularly Marquita. Over the past couple years I’ve needed to make changes to my account and it has been almost impossible to reach member services due to very long hold times. So now when i need anything done I call the gym directly and ask for Marquita and she has been extremely helpful and she is a huge part of the reason why I am still a member there even though i moved away from that neighborhood.

This is definitely one of the better sports club locations I have been in Brooklyn. The people here have always been friendly and the locker room is spacious and clean. I enjoyed the yoga classes for a while until they changed teachers. It has never been too crowded so I usually always get a machine that I want. People greet me on the way coming in and the way going out.

I’ve been taking ufx class, I have an awesome trainer vanessa. She’s really good, cool to train with always putting great music when we’re working out so it gets you pumped up during the workout. I’ve seen improvement taking the class and working with her.

This location is always clean and is bright with big street-​facing windows. The top floor of weight equipment is not very spacious and the layout is awkward. But the cardio areas are great and the layout is unique to most NYSC locations.

Though I do have a Passport membership, 86^th street is the location I frequent the most.
I previously belonged to Dolphin gym down the street but I grew tired of broken machines and the cramped quarters and decided to pay a bit more for a NYSC membership.
This location is fantastic. The staff is so nice, friendly, and attentive and the premises are always clean. When machines break they actually fix them which is surprising considering some of the other locations machinery.
I give this location 5 stars because of the awesome spin instructor on Saturday mornings and Monday nights. Lauren (not reviewing myself FYI) is the best instructor and I always leave her class feeling like I got the absolute best workout.

Okay so, Lucille Roberts completely turned me off from gyms for a brief period of time. From getting expensive items stolen, catty/​shitty customer service, non-​motivating fat «trainers», and bumping into ladies who weren’t very. well, ladylike.
I mustered myself to join NYSC after hearing great things. Walked in on a random late afternoon and was greeted by friendly staff members. Getting started was a piece of cake with Brad who was never pushy and explained the process of joining thoroughly.
This gym is very clean and inviting. I’ve taken most of the classes which I love and made a few friends along the way. Best staff ever.
My personal trainer is Eric (major hottie/​eye candy). His passion and energy is extremely contagious. I would highly recommend him! The workouts that he puts together for me are challenging in a good way as I’m already seeing results. His guidance is just what I needed for my fitness regimen which I find hard to do on my own. Kudos to Eric!
Thank you NYSC for making it fun, comfortable and exciting to get into shape!