Retro Fitness

This is the worst retro in northern jersey. Much too small of a space, no equipment to speak of, and the center carpet area is a joke. They make a big deal about how this is a ‘corporate’ retro. Talk about a poor example. There are at least 3 more non-​Corp locations within 8 miles that put this place to shame. As a retro member for a number of years, when I first came here to check it out, they made me sign my life away. They couldn’t even look me up in the database — made some long winded nonsense about how gyms were different. It took longer to fill out their paperwork than to walk around and check out the place.

Gym is too small, the staff is not friendly, the music is too loud and their cancellation policy required in person cancellation. They also charge you two more billing cycles when you cancel. Do yourself a favor, stay away…
Reply to message below: This is part of the problem. The only way to access assistance from you is if we come in in person or leave a negative review on a site like this. I will not be coming back.

Ive been a member of this place for about a year now so i feel i can give a fair review. Being that this is one of 2 gyms im a member of, id have to say the Retro Fitness Franchise has a lot of work to do in order to stay competitive. This West Orange Retro i like because ive been to others and they’re a zoo. this one is well managed and is clean. They clean up weights and are sanitary.
Pros
Good modern weight machines
Clean
Heavy Dumbbells
Plenty Parking
Good smoothies even though i don’t drink/​buy them
Cons
No Amenities in comparison to other gyms
No Buddy passes
No More paper towels
Tight/​No Room (But i’m use to it. We live in NJ)
$ 5 to replace a lost key tag that’s 2inchesx1inch and probably cost 2 cents to make.
Closes too early on weekends

This gym is really small compared to other gyms that I have been to. There is only room for one class at at time, not leaving members with many choices. And if that class is full (they ticket all class participants) then you are unable to take the class. I enjoy classes at the gym as they push me to another level, so this was a deciding factor. There is not enough weights machine, especially for legs. Machines are always being used since the gym is small. NO sauna, small amount of showers… definitely a no-​frills, no-​thrills gym. Utilized this facility with a trial membership and sadly will not be joining this gym.

One of the smallest Retro Fitness I ever been to. Gym has a super low ceiling and on top of that, overcrowding issue with machine hoggers. Not enough equipment to go around for everyone so you constantly trying to finish your set while watching for the next opening to take over an equipment.
Not enough room to workout comfortably because all the machines are scrunch up next to each other so you have to watch where you place your weights when you are done not to create an unsafe environment or hurt someone next to you.
This place will definitely hinder your progress due to overcrowding and no diversity in equipment availability.

Bad: Only downfall no steam room, sauna or pool.
Good: I really like this gym. 6 mins from home, plenty of machines, if you have to wait, it’s never been a long wait, clean and friendly staff.

I had a terrible experience with this gym. They lure people in with an offer of $ 20 per month plus a $ 100 gift card. A year after joining I still have no gift card.
As soon as I went for my introductory appointment they hard sold me the pricey personal training services, which require a one year commitment. It wouldn’t have been as bad if the personal training staff didn’t judge and shame me from day one about my lifestyle, while they didn’t even know me at all. Hey, I’ve lost over one hundred pounds. I don’t need that crap.
Also the trainers were rarely on time for my appointments, and that was a big deal because I used my lunch hour to work out.
The club tries to sell members all sorts of stuff that we are supposed to believe is healthy because it is being sold in a health club. Example: smoothies. It turns out these drinks contain a bunch of sugar and fat, but you won’t know that because the nutrition info is posted nowhere, not even online.
When I decided not to go to this club anymore, I asked them if I could sell my remaining training sessions to another member to recoup some of my costs. They said yes, but they did not help me do it. I passed out tons of flyers in the parking lot and had zero success. I wonder if that’s because people asked the club if the offer was legit and got a negative answer.
Worst part: trying to cancel the membership. There is no convenient way to do it, of course. In order to even find out what the procedure is, you have to pull out your original contract and read the fine print. Turns out that the only way to cancel is to send the club a letter via certified mail. I did this and got no confirmation or response from them. So I called the club, and they denied receiving the letter. I faxed a copy to the club with the mailing proof. Never heard back. Of course, the terms of the contract state that the club will continue to charge you for an additional SIXTY DAYS after you cancel. I’m still waiting for the sixty days to run out to see if the club continues to charge me. At that point, I will take this matter to court under the New Jersey Consumer Fraud laws.

Fine for what it is. No frills gym. But nice new equipment. Kept clean. Very reasonable membership fee. A solid go-​to gym if you’re looking for focus to be on working out and not all the bells and whistles of an Equinox-​like gym.
Shakes are extremely inconsistent. Always depends on who’s making yours.

Doesn’t get a top review due to having only one squat rack and limited free weight options. Otherwise, pretty clean and friendly staff.

Pros: The price, although other better gyms are cutting their prices now to compete. Good variety of weight machines to choose from. They even have TRX, but you have to ask for it. Clean — someone is always cleaning the cardio equipment. Smoothies and drinks available for sale and reasonably priced. Friendly staff and good overall energy. I don’t use the locker rooms, but they seem clean, albeit no frills.
Cons: VERY crowded, although I hear they are planning to expand. Also some of the personal training staff seem bored and are less attentive, although there are some good ones. The most annoying thing is that the music plays pretty loud. I like loud music, but I like to bring my own music that keeps me energized for super cardio workouts. Unfortunately, they pump out the music so loud it competes with the sound coming through my earbuds. Wednesday night especially.

This retro is not bad but not great. I go very early in the mornings so I don’t have an issue with it being mobbed luckily. The gym floor itself is smaller compared to others I’ve been too and the weight area is pretty crammed. There is a good number of cardio options and the machines are usually never out of order. Also, the showers are clean and the locker room itself is always well kept. There’s ample parking and it’s also conveniently located next to whole foods so if you need to grab a bite after your workout you’re set. I never get anything from the blends bar because they’re all very very high in sugar in cals. They do have plenty of protein bars and other supplements available as well. Overall this retro is on the small side but it’s clean and suits my needs for my morning workouts. Not bad for 20 bucks a month.

Nice and clean. Friendly staff. They equipment is new but is the Stat trek line not Life Fitness. In general the new Retro’s have this equipment. I think it’s cheaper than Life Fitness, seems like it’s not made as well. However the gym is relatively new and well kept. They need to change their hours on Unilocal because on Saturday’s and Sunday’s the gym doesn’t open until 7AM.
They have tanning and an acupuncturist/​massage therapist on site. Members get a free treatment.

Update Oct 25, 2015
At 9:30am they decided to clean the exercise carpeting. With a fairly crowded gym, the equipment was moved and a cleaning service began spraying cleaning agents on the carpet. The odor of the cleaning chemicals was overbearing! It’s anyone’s guess why it couldn’t be done before or after hours, but that’s another blown workout as I left early.
Sometimes it feels like a good deal, other times like a cheap, low end gym. Time to look elsewhere as there are other $ 20/​months gyms in the area.
May 2015 3 stars
A warm and muggy day but no air conditioning. Staff says the air conditioning is on, but we’re not stupid. I left early
April 2015 4 stars
After one year of membership I am motivated to write a review. Overall I am satisfied with this gym. I use it primarily on the weekends, arriving before 8am. At that time it is not very crowded and there are enough cardio, weights and machines to not have to wait. The yellow and red colored equipment is very good, though not as premium in features as higher priced gyms. Barbells and dumbbells have a nice grippy, durable rubberized surface that makes them easy to carry. Members are courteous to each other and the staff is friendly. Free shake samples are a nice touch.
There are minor things that can be improved: refilling the sanitizing wipes when they run out, turning on the giant propeller fan when the temperature starts to rise, replacing the worn-​out exercise mats and fixing the personal video monitors that are faded and hard to see.
I have a major gripe: On April 19 the gym opened almost 2 hours late, with confused members standing by the door. I waited 30 minutes, while others gave up and left. An offer of half-​priced shakes for 30 minutes really wasn’t fair compensation. Also this is the second time this has happened to me.
Regardless, I feel it’s a very good deal for a $ 20 a month, a small fraction of what I pay for another gym.

This gym is ok they ate very small but if you come at the right time you can avoid the crowd. The only issue I have is on certain Wednesdays they invite a dj over if that’s you thing great but I feel this is not the proper place for a dj.

The biggest thing this Retro has going for them is it is pretty new and so is the equipment. There are a lot of cardio machines as well and I like how they have mini fans that you can turn on embedded in them. A lot of the machines are way too close together (the gym is pretty small, space wise). The stretching, abs area is placed between the cardio machines and weight machines, which makes it inconvenient to walk around (it’s also extremely prickly and uncomfortable if you want to sit or kneel on it). The staff is generally apathetic. No greetings when people come in and out and they usually stand around twiddling their thumbs. I had one bad experience when I was waiting for a bench while an employee chatted up the guy on the bench for minutes on end when there was a lot of people waiting. Even though this is extremely convenient for me on the way home from work and very cheap, I am still going to explore my options with other gyms around the area.

This gym is pretty good. They have a lot of machines and even when it’s busy they basically have enough so you don’t have to wait around for something. I wish there was a bit more room to stretch and for free weights and stuff. The only real complaint I have is that on humid days IT IS HOT AS FUCK IN THIS GYM. They prob keep the temperature at 80. It’s not cool when you walk in and then the first five minutes of working out I am drenched in sweat. I know when you work out you sweat obviously but I’ve been so uncomfortable and hot that I’ve wanted to leave. It can be really distracting… Idk I’m rambling. Maybe someone will read this and kick the AC on a little bit. ??

I’ve been a member here at Retro Fitness in West Orange since they opened. I was thrilled to have an affordable gym in my neighborhood. For $ 21 a month, that’s with taxes, is the standard monthly fee. But for $ 32 a month, you get access to unlimited classes and daycare if you have a child. I’ve tried a couple of classes but the class that out shines them all is the Zumba class with Jennifer. Her classes fill up quickly and is always full to capacity.
The gym have the usual standard equipment. The usual treadmill and stair machine, bikes but it has a has a big section for weight training. I really enjoy their theatre. You can workout and watch a movie in their big screen. It doesn’t have a lot of machines but your workout would seem longer because you’re engross in the movie.
The locker room is kept clean and sanitized. Only they should keep a scale in the locker room instead of leaving it on the workout floor.
They have trainers too but they are very pricey!!! Oh and their juice bar where they make smoothies are very delicious. Overall, you get what you pay for and with that price it isn’t too bad. Some people can be quite picky. But of you’re looking for a simple and inexpensive gym this is the place.

Let me start off by saying this place gets 2 stars because of how close it is, but if it wasn’t, it would be a strong 1 star. let me start off by saying it doesn’t matter what time of day you go, the weights are either on the equipment, the floor, or racked wrong. The only solution to this I’ve seen, or should I say heard, is a staff member get on the intercom and tell people to put there weights back. Yeah, that will work. How about instead of punishing all members with the loud speaker, confront the people who do it, or put them back yourselves.
Moving on to a subject that really gets under my skin, cell phones on the gym floor. This place does absolutely nothing about this. People will stand in front of equipment with their phones talking as loud as they want to. I have seen staff members witness this, and nothing is done. This morning there was a guy who was so loud and animated on the phone that I wouldn’t be surprised if people were intimidated by him. This must be a touchy subject for the great Retro Fitness, because it doesn’t even deserve a loud speaker comment.
There are some good things, their equipment is fine, I do wish some dumbbells had two pairs, but that isn’t really a big deal. The cardio equipment is as good as anywhere, and the movie room, although I haven’t used it yet, seems like a pretty cool room.
All this being said, I hope this review reaches someone so the problems mentioned above get addressed. Probably not, but you never know. Until then, unless it is the convenience you need or want, there are way better places to go. Places that frown heavily on the before mentioned problems, as well as places that members take pride in their gym.
****This month I was charged over 63 dollars for this horrible trash gym, and no response why. I will be trying, or paying to get out of thus contract. Now became a 1 star place. Beware, they may scam you!!!

3.5
Recently joined Retro because their local competitor, and my first gym (yes I go to two gyms) didn’t have everything I wanted/​needed in a gym.
PROS:
— Free Wireless
— Ample free weights
— Ample cardio machines
— Cleanliness
— Smells clean (even at the end of the day)
— Movie Theater
— Squat Rack
— Box Jump equipment
CONS:
— Weight lifting machines are a little too close together
— They only have about 4 weight lifting benches
— Not enough floor room for stretching
— Exterior is currently under construction
— Recent roof leak problem that blocked off about two thirds of their cardio equipment (now resolved)
NEUTRAL:
— Small locker room, yet only a handful use it a time
— You pay extra for their day care and classes (but I don’t have the need or want for either of these so some may beg to differ)
— Access to Kettlebells, yet they don’t have many per set weight
— Octagon shaped plates (for all you dead lifters)
— I’ve been to other Retros where they don’t have you sign in on a paper if you’re not a direct branch member, but this one does

My mother and I both opened a membership at this gym since mid December of 2013. At first we were told that they would open by the end of the first full week of January, which would be great and just in time after arriving back from the holiday vacation. It turns out that it’s now almost three months passed and still they have yet to open. I call them every week to ask when it will finally open and they always give me excuses like «oh we need to get some equipment inspected still, the snow has delayed everything a lot, they are almost done painting,» etc. Point is that I’ve been waiting FOREVER and waiting this long for this gym to open is surely not what I signed up for. I wish I would have just gotten a membership at another gym that’s already been open if I knew it would take this long. With the contract, there’s no turning back now… :/