BodyLabSF

I started going here to follow Vidal who was working at Crunch before. His workouts are always fun and interesting, and he mixes it up for whatever results you are seeking. You will have good laughs to distract you from the pain that comes with intense workouts!

I have been training with Ben White for many months now and he is outstanding! He is Insanely knowledgeable about fitness, nutrition, and the body, not to mention he is consistently on time — which I love, love, love.
His easy going disposition makes working with him a pleasure, always in a good mood. I love his consistent push to drive for results and gentle reminders to let me know when I am falling short with nutrition. He pushes for perfection with form and style in all sessions.
Best trainer I have worked with ever and I have many over the years.
Also, Maria who is the owner of BodyLabSF is amazing. She worked with me to find the right fit with regard to a trainer and to make sure I was getting exactly what I needed to stay focused and interested in fitness. Thank you!

I really like this place and if you are looking for a great trainer, I highly recommend Ben White. He is great and very knowledgable when it comes to nutrition and all you need to know to take care of your health and body.

Specifically, this is a review about a trainer at this facility and not the facility itself.
I would not recommend Jon V., necessarily. He seemed quite lacking in his actual knowledge of how to train someone and was quite unprofessional as far as scheduling, etc. He knows moves and does know how to work out, but as far as a professional trainer, he is lacking. I would look for someone with more credentials. I have been with several trainers and he is very low on the scale.

This review is coming from a peer in the health and fitness industry. I recently had the pleasure of working closely with Jess Hess training Boot Campers on the Embarcadero.
She’s an incredibly skilled trainer with nearly a decade of experience as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor on the East (NYC) and West coast (Nor and So Cal).
Jess is able to design challenging and ability-​appropriate workouts for a wide range of clientele. She’s also laid-​back, non-​judgmental and a funny person to spend an hour of your day with as she pushes you to your physical best and beyond!
If you’re in search of a highly skilled trainer, and/​or boot camp instructor, who will motivate you to lose weight and get into great shape, Jess Hess is the trainer for you!

Tired of working w/​trainers who think a significant aspect of the job is being able to stand around and look good in Lululemon? I know I was. So forget that, and hire Jess Hess, recently arrived back in SF. Training with her is GREAT, period. For starters, she customizes her workouts to YOU and what you want to accomplish (which she’s also taken the time to ask you, and write down).
Second, she is so knowledgable about her craft that she has hundreds of excercises up her sleeve, and constantly keeps the work-​out fresh. I train w/​her 5 days a week, and believe me, the variety is much appreciated.
Furthermore, she is like a precision bomber — I came to her for assistance w/​plantar faciitis that had been kicking me around for 6 months. Jess tailored her whole approach to me and my issue, and I’m thrilled to report the p.f. is 90% gone. In other words, she’s more than just «getting fit»; she solves your problem.
Lastly, OF COURSE, she looks great in Lululemon. She’s very fit herself… but not in a holier-​than-​thou way. It’s more of a: I’m in such great shape, I don’t need to prove anything, way. Also, her quiet sense of humor make what could be a long, long sweaty hour go by very quickly. And again, at 5X per week, it’s much appreciated.
Oh, and she’s very professional about setting and keeping appointments; very important in today’s by-​the-​minute, hectic pace of life. So – make an appt and hire Jess before she becomes so popular she’s unable to take on new clients. You won’t regret.

I have just started training with Jess Hess at BodyLabSF. Jess is a new trainer at the gym, which is exclusively for private personal training sessions. The gym has all of the state of the art equipment that you would expect from any high end gym. What makes it even better is never having to wait for equipment or machines. And you never need to scramble for floor space.
To begin my first session, Jess went through an extensive Q&A about my physical history and my overall fitness goals. Jess has been training for over 5 years and recently moved back to SF. The sessions so far have been a mix of high intensity circuit-​type workouts incorporating resistance training with stretching.
Sessions with Jess have revolutionized my workouts, because I had previously avoided certain exercises that I was unfamiliar with or weak at. The exercises are challenging and definitely get my heart rate going and my sweat on. Jess is very encouraging and also focuses on correct technique and form.
After years of working out by myself, it’s refreshing to change it up and try different workouts. The stretching exercises have been especially helpful and have made a huge difference. I would definitely recommend Jess and the gym. The workouts are always challenging but fun. She is very knowledgeable about any fitness or health-​related questions I throw at her. Plus she is really nice – NOT intimidating even though she is in phenomenal shape.

I’d highly recommend BodyLabSF. This was my first experience working out with a personal trainer, so I really appreciated Maria’s (the owner of BodyLabSF) thoroughness in asking me about my background and fitness goals to recommend a trainer that would be a good fit for me.
She recommended Jon Valencia, and he is an awesome personal trainer! Each workout session was different and challenging, and Jon helped equip me with workouts that I could do on my own to continue making progress. Since I’m into half-​marathoning, Jon also gave me a lot of helpful pointers to increase my stamina and pace and prevent injury. Cardio was my comfort zone before working out with Jon, but he helped me become familiar — and enthusiastic — about strength and circuit training. I didn’t know what I had been missing. :) Because of these changes in my workouts, it’s helped me become much more efficient and achieve the results I was looking for in much shorter time.
After just about 2.5 months, I’m down two dress sizes and cut 42 minutes off of my half-​marathon time. Working out at BodyLabSF with Jon has been pretty transformative for me in terms of reaching my fitness and weight goals and really setting myself up for healthful success in the long run. Thanks Jon, Maria and BodyLabSF! :)

I am so excited Ali is training again! I would definitely recommend working with such a professional trainer as Ali because he’s very knowledgeable, patient and emotionally supportive through the process. He kept our workouts fun and always switched it up finding different activities for me that actually make training fun and strenuous even for a body-​conscious person like me who abhors exercise. Definitely go and check him and the place out!

I am thrilled Ali is now available to train me at this gym so close to my work. Ali helped me add definition to my body. I have never felt stronger then while training with him. The best part of training with him is he makes it fun. I felt comfortable giggling and telling him I wanted to tone my butt. I can’t wait to go see him and get back in my very best shape with the very best trainer in SF. Run don’t walk to see Ali at BodyLabSF!

I am so excited Ali is training out of a gym so close to home! I cannot rave enough about him. I am a 30 year old female dealing with what has happened to her once 20 year old body. I have been a cigarette smoking, bacon eating, tv watching couch potato for over 15 years! I find most physical activity super boring and am annoyed by most health nuts so I was quite reticent when I approached Ali for help. Ali was vey patient with me and broke down how I can improve my health and quality of life with making simple changes to what I eat. Before I knew it I was losing weight and. Of needing my normal 6 o’clock nap. I had no idea I could lose weight without «dieting». When it came to our workouts I was nervous the first time for sure but he was so positive and supportive I felt like I could do anything (I wish I had people like him surrounding me in all my daily activitys). He kept our workouts fun and always switched it up finding activities for me that I would enjoy. He was even entertaining in time where I normally would be cursing a trainer or giving up. Laughter really is the best medicine and the best dieting tool. P. s. I still eat bacon but with tools Ali has shown me I’m able to fight off my «30’s» body and have my bacon too.

Being born and raised in SF and starting ballet/​gymnastics at the early age of 5 I’ve been to almost every gym, yoga studio and personal training studio… I’m a very busy person with very high expectations on cleanliness of a facility and knowledge from my fitness trainers. Working 60 hours a week min. I really just want to get into optimal shape, Body Lab SF has it all. My trainer Maria Rutter (owner) is extremely knowledgeable in nutrition and fitness, I’ve never been so soar after working out with her, She’s very motivating and on top of her game. I can also tell she’s hired great trainers and keeps that gym sanitized. I love the music premium towels and toiletries. I feel like I’m at the W hotel in Miami when working out at Body Lab SF. Ahhh finally a great gym!

BodyLab is a brand new gym in the Marina, on Van Ness b/​w Union and Filbert. The owner, Maria Jenee Rutter, has been my and my husband’s trainer for about a year. Ive reviewed Maria separately on Unilocal and she is excellent. But this review is for the facility.
Its a private, exclusive gym in a good location. Parking isnt that bad since you can find meterless spots on Van Ness. The space is inviting, very clean (as opposed to other gyms in the area), doesnt smell like sweat. They have nice towels and water available for everyone (great service). Bathrooms are spotless, there’s a shower as well. Equipment is great, and always kept neat and clean. No nasty sweat stains that you find at local crowded gyms. All the trainers are super nice, and very professional. I have a gym in my building, yet I still go to BodyLab for Maria – she is the best in SF, and her gym transcends the standard for private gyms in the area.

This place is brand spank’n new. It’s not a gym, strictly just a place you workout with trainers. Couple nice restrooms with showers and the owner Maria is super nice. I actually workout with another trainer but Maria always welcomes me when I come in and she takes a lot of pride in her facility. I’ve seen her workout her clients and she definitely lays down the hurt. During my workouts the equipment is always available, there has never been more than 3 trainers doing workouts at the same time and the facility has some square footage to it. I hate it when there is a ton of trainers all competing to use the same equipment and The Lab is not that place. I know she is selective on which trainers she let’s use the facility and when you spend top dollar for a trainer you don’t want to bumping into other people.
Looking forward to hitting The Lab for a long time to come…

Now, when I’m strutting down Chestnut St, displaying my chiseled physique to full effect, most people believe I have no one but Mother Nature to thank. I owe dear Mother a great deal, but I also have to thank my personal trainer, Maria Rutter. I’ve worked with Maria for years. She’s not only a personal trainer, but a fitness champ herself. She really practices what she preaches. We had lunch together the other day, and she ordered — you guessed it — a salad.
Anyway, you can imagine how happy I was to hear that Maria was starting her own San Francisco gym! Yup, I got a sneak peak at the new space, BodyLabSF (not to be confused with BodyLab SF, an apparently defunct gym on the other side of town) last week. What a workout!
So, if you’re looking for a personal trainer, check your body into the body lab — BodyLabSF! Oh yeah! And don’t let the Van Ness address scare you — it’s right at the corner of Union and Van Ness — an easy walk for my Marina brethren (and sisteren).
Thanks, Maria! See you at the Lab!