Crunch- Carmel Valley

I had a great time at this gym today, and wanted to write a review right away. I came as a guest for Paul’s spin class at 9am, and got a terrific work out. I go to other spin studios like Rush, Cycology, and Rhythm and Power and this class was right on par.
The musical mashups he has are awesome and motivating. The flow of the class was nice, and really allowed you to challenge yourself. Paul is like a orchestra conductor, helping all his spinners to «fly» when needed. The energy of the room was awesome.
One thing I loved about Paul’s class was that he focused on spinning only, I’ve noticed a lot of classes lately focus on arms for 5ish minutes of class, and I find that to be a huge waste. If I want to work out my arms, I’ll do it properly off of the bike. Speaking of the bikes, they were brand new but make sure to bring your own shoes as they don’t rent them out here. They did offer towels, but no wipes for the bikes after.
The location of this gym is great, with a trader joe’s and a luna grill in the same parking lot, what more could you need?
Crunch — can you think about getting on Classpass???

This gym is amazing. Great staff, very clean, great overall environment. I don’t get weird stares or feel uncomfortable here like I do at other gyms. I would definitely recommend joining this gym.

So I was lucky enough to try out this new club for 4 days straight and here are my thoughts…
PROS:
–cheap!!! $ 39.99 month
–childcare (my daughter asks to go)
–awesome spin room (Paul’s classes rock!)
–new clean and huge!
–plethora of parking
–upper class neighborhood
–wide variety of group classes
–near many other shops (riteaid, bucks, TJ)
–30min classes for those short on time
–water bottle refill station
–sauna and showers
–nice general manager (Hi Mike!)
CON:
–no pool
–no juice bar/​café
–no free towel service
–no spa
–group X classes aren’t quite up to par with Equinox
Overall I am very happy with my new home! I was a former member of the PAC (bay club) paying over $ 200 a month just for myself so having this big beautiful new gym come into my neighborhood was a god send! Even childcare is cheaper only $ 5/​hr or $ 25 month unlimited compared to PAC $ 13 hour!
I welcome this new gym with big open arms! Thank you! Thank you!

This gym has EVERYTHING.
— Wifi — YES! Why can’t every gym have Wifi?
— Equipments: Tons of options! It is clean too!
— They got an elevator. It is totally accessible for anyone whether you cannot walk after leg day, or you are disabled or on a wheelchair.
— This location is huge, clean, and new. It is located in a nice neighborhood too.
Cons:
— This location does not have the same membership pricing as San Marcos. Carmel Valley Crunch charges higher membership pricing than San Marcos. I was told by one of the girls working at the front desk that if you bring a guest with you — they have to pay 20 dollars?

I’m actually really impressed with the gym now that it is open. The facilities are really nice and clean. The kid’s club is reasonable in size and service. So far when I’ve gone in the weekends, it hasn’t been incredibly packed, which is nice. They’ve added more group classes. My only complaint is they don’t have many 60 min classes. That could be a «Crunch» thing, but some of us want to ramp it up and burn it out for 60 mins, not 30 or 45.

Just toured this location, staff is awesome, beautiful building and new equipment + low membership cost = a great gym option! Excited to break free of insane bay club prices :)

Awesome classes… with Stephanie being the best instructor hands-​down!
Her Yoga Body Sculpt is a nice alternative mix of yoga poses with strength and some cardio thrown in… Love it!!! If you want more traditional yoga don’t go to this class… instead try her equally-​good Hatha Flow class.
Also I like the Absolution and BodyShred classses too with Renee and others. The entire staff at Crunch is amazing, friendly, and helpful. Most classes are never too crowded and parking is soooo easy compared to PAC/​Bay Club. And don’t get me started on how much I enjoy the hydromassage!
If you are a former PAC/​BayClub member like me, I suggest you try all of the classes at least once… that is what I am doing… and have surprised myself at how much I love them! (I was a Pilates and yoga regular at PAC but never ventured beyond that).
My only suggestion is: READ the class descriptions on the Crunch website beforehand so you know what you are getting into. These are NOT like PAC classes… which is fine by me… we all need to mix it up a bit ;)
However, with that said… I would like to see a traditional Pilates mat class added to the schedule… the Fat-​Burning Pilates is a bit too much cardio for me and not enough Pilates that I am used too… I like more of the core and strength work I got from the PAC/​BayClub Pilates classes and hoping to see more like it here at Crunch.

I love the new Crunch! The staff are very friendly but the highlight for me is Stephanie classes, both Hatha and Body Sculpting Yoga. She has great physical skills, work and feel the room. She has great language and music, and classes are definitely very effective and fun. I make sure not to miss her classes.

New Year !!! New Gym !!!
I fell in love with this gym the moment I walked in. It’s brand spankin’ new and close to home !
It’s also conveniently located at a shopping center with a local Trader Joe’s (yay!), Rite Aid, and other shops/​eateries. I’m loving the local addition of this gym since 4S Ranch is growing by the numbers. I was happy to know I would have a new gym to call my second home.
Large parking lot ! We all know that’s a relief ! Parking hasn’t been an issue yet (crosses fingers).
SMELLS BRAND NEW PEEPS !!! I love the amenities and perks of being a member here.
First off, I got a good vibe about this place from the clientele. It’s a combo of family-​friendly gym and for those serious about their workout. I’m a combination of both. I noticed that people were respectful of the rules and kindly wiped down machines after each use. I hope this continues, because I’d like the gym to maintain it’s cleanliness. Everyone was also very courteous and I could tell families would come and workout together. I’ll be getting my parents to sign up too.
I met Danny (owner) and he kindly showed me around the gym. I didn’t even know there was a top floor at first.haha. Boy was I in for a surprise ! All brand new state of the art equipment. The studio room for classes (yoga, pilates, TRX, etc.) is HUGE and has all your basic workout equipment (free weights, mats, resistance balls, bands, etc.). I love group workouts and I’m happy to see some great ones offered here (TRX, BOSU ball, yoga sculpt, and rumor has it barre in the near future). WOOT !!! I love the variety of classes you can take. I need to start switching up my routine and this gym will help me reach that goal.
Danny showed me the floor plan and it is nice and spacious ! Flat screen tvs throughout and a large selection of machines (i.e. treadmills, ellipticals, stair-​climbers, etc.). He also demonstrated the use of a specific core machine and showed how their equipment differed from other gyms.
I LOVE the SPIN room (bottom floor) !!! It’s LOUD as in bright and colorful !!! Oh and so is the MUSIC which I LOVE ! If you’ve never done spin (indoor cycling) you need to get on it ! Best cardio that I’ve found and have been loving it for over 6 years now. Paul H. is an amazing instructor. Super motivating, fun, and his music will PUMP you up !!! If you want a challenge, take his class. You will get a kick butt workout and his teaching style is like no other. He really gives it his 110%. We need more instructors like him.
Everything is well-​maintained and clean. The locker/​restrooms are decent in size. I saw janitors constantly cleaning so it’s well kept. I do wish there was more room to change and freshen up after showering. It may get a bit tight on a busy day.
Membership is reasonable for what you get. Choose from Peak or Peak Plus. They also offer child care and towel service for additional charge. As a Peak Plus member, you get to use the tanning (UV) and hydromassage room. I have yet to try it.
As a Peak Plus member, you can also bring one guest and utilize a number of CRUNCH gyms throughout San Diego. Check their website for locations.
Desi at the front desk is a sweetheart and super helpful ! She made signing up so effortless ! I’ve never had an issue with customer service here and they remember you each time you come so it’s a very welcoming atmosphere unlike other gyms. I mean you actually look forward to going to the gym !
Overall, no complaints and therefore Crunch deserves 5 STARS !!! Get yo fitness on Unilocal-​heads !!!

Everything is brand new, big and beautiful! If you like spin you will love Paul H.‘s high energy, super fun class.

Beautiful new facility. It’s well organized and the staff is friendly. The group exercise room is large and very nice. However, the yoga is a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. The «Hatha» class I attended was indescribably horrible. Yoga sculpt is better because you don’t expect to have a serious practice. It’s interesting to use yoga poses as calisthenics.

Happy New Year, Unilocalies! Since there’s no status update like on FB, I’ll have to use my first review of 2016 to do that LOL. Had a fun 2015 becoming active on Unilocal,going to my first Unilocal event and hitting elite status! Yay! Here’s to 2016!
Located in the Pacific Highlands center (there’s a Trader Joe’s) on Carmel Valley Rd., it’s a brand new, gorgeous, 2 story gym. I’ve been to various studios via ClassPass and big gyms like 24 Hour Fitness and LA Fitness (as well as other fancy gyms) and Crunch is like the best of both worlds.
You get a gym feel with tons of cardio & strength training machines (which I don’t use lol ;o) so it’ll satisfy those wanting that aspect of a gym. However, it also has a studio vibe (without the studio prices) to it through their spin studio. Hands down BEST SPIN STUDIO Evvvaah.
The spin room has 31 Schwinn carbon blue bikes, black lights & a disco ball! Lots of members wish it were Keiser bikes, but these are still pretty nice. There’s a free reservation system where you can save a spot in class 24 hours in advance and you have up to 30 min. before class starts to cancel. If you no show (5 min prior to class they give away passes to waitlisted students), then they’ll charge you $ 5. Very fair for the convenience of getting to save a bike for free! They’re fixing the acoustics.
I only do classes & so far my spin sistas & I have only done Paul’s spin classes. He’s super popular at Crunch (and 24 Hour Fitness) and everyone says he’s one of the best spin instructors in SD (he truly is)! One of my Unilocal sistas drives all the way from Downtown just to take his classes, which are super FUN, ride to the beat of the music, high energy, motivating and we’re all part of a spin family (the studio vibe feel). His music is da’ hawt diggity bomb! If you like EDM/​Mashups/​remixes, great beat/​tempo, endorphin releasin’ rush rides, then come see what the buzz is all about! He’ll work your a$$ off and strengthen your core. Hill hops, sprints, intervals etc. We do it all in 45 min. It’s like a party on the bike.
If that’s not your cup of tea, that’s cool. What’s nice about Crunch is that there’s a variety of spin instructors, so you can get a more technical ride if you want. For me, I actually hate exercising lol… I want to get a good workout in (I know I need to, so I can keep eating the way I do), but have fun doing it. I also need GREAT pumpin’ music! No sleepy time spin!
They have a tinted «garage door» that can be open a little to allow for more air circulation if needed. Temp. is a comfy 68 degrees and Lydia, the awesome cleaning lady, cleans the mirrors, floors and each bike after each class! She rocks! There’s also a cubby in back to keep your stuff in. Reminds me of a spin studio. It’s been the nicest spin room I’ve been to at any gym and even studio.
If you wanna party on the bike with me and my Crunch Cuties, come ride with us during Paul’s party rides every Sat/​Sun/​Mon at 9am!
I’ve also done 2 yoga body sculpt classes. The group fitness room (upstairs) is big, nice and cool. That’s where they have Bosu Boot Camp and TRX classes, both of which I am gonna try with my Unilocal sistas!
Their YBS doesn’t use hand weights, FYI. I’ve done other YBS at studios and I personally prefer the hand weights, but you still get a workout. The 2 teachers I took were completely different. Stephanie was more of a «boot camp» feel, while Erika had more traditional yoga moves, which is what I prefer. There’s a garage door and window panels, as well as plenty of lighting, so hopefully all the instructors kill the lights during yoga classes to allow for a more yoga studio feel. They have a cubby for your stuff in the back of the room. All yoga/​zumba classes are 1 hr. The rest are 30 min.
Womens’ locker room is gray and purple– so pretty! We have our own sauna… which I have yet to use. Extremely clean! Lydia is always there cleaning. They have paper towels (I hate hand dryers), as well as hand dryers.
As of 1÷1÷16: Pricing is $ 149 ($ 99 for Peak Plus) enrollment fee and $ 59 annual fee + either $ 39.99/mo for Peak or $ 49.99/mo for Peak Plus. All of this is fully disclosed online, no hidden fees. They also have child care + towel service, both for an additional fee. I don’t use either so don’t know the prices. But my friends with kiddos say their child care is awesome (and clean!).
The PP membership allows you to use the tanning (UV) and hydromassage. I haven’t used either, but at chiropractor’s offices I’ve used the hydromassage and that alone is worth the PP upgrade. Both memberships allow you access to most Crunch locations (getting a cheaper membership elsewhere doesn’t allow you access to CV). Comparing to 24H, CV is a Super Sport.
It’s so clean. Not crowded. Members are nice & staff is amazing. Danny is a great GM and hands on with members. Des, Eric and everyone else at the front desk are super nice. They’re working out some new gym kinks. Great alternative to pricey Del Mar/​CV gyms.

Absolutely beautiful gym with all brand new equipment. Staff is friendly and this Crunch is soooo much better than the Carlsbad location. Couldn’t ask for more!

Nicest crunch gym I’ve ever been to! So many different equipment to try out! Staff was friendly & facilities were clean!

I called to see if there were any promotions.
I asked the receptionist if there were any promotions. He stated their monthly fees without mention of their enrollment fee of $ 109 nor «annual fee». Nobody else is charging an «enrollment fee». Deceptive practice for the «annual fee» as it is simply a $ 4-​$ 5 bump up of the monthly fee.
Most unfortunate was the rude attitude. Before I could even complete my sentence that I wasn’t interested in paying an enrollment fee and whether there are other packages, I was hung up on!
Imagine that — a business that hasn’t even opened their doors and they have a receptionist such as this. This is not an organization I would frequent given there are so many other gyms around without enrollment fees, annual fees and rude staff.
Enjoy the high rent and say hi to Haggen on the way out.

This new location is still under construction, but currently accepting pre enrollment customers! This includes a great limited time deal; until the 30^th you can enroll with 50% the annual enrollment fee– don’t pass it up!
The new facility is TWO stories and sounds absolutely massive + brand new equipment (that’s probably the most important thing to me)
You can always ask to see the virtual tour as well to be sure this is a good fit for you!
Danny was great to talk to and I look forward to working out here in the next few month or so!