Fitworks Highland Heights

I love it here! As a dedicated gym goer, it is perfect for me because it is open whenever I need it. I initially belonged to Fitworks in Stow and transferred to their old location across from Richmond Mall. I really didn’t like it there, I felt intimidated in certain areas of the gym and didn’t like the locker rooms. After spending a year at another gym, I came back. The new facility is new and expansive with plenty of room to do your own thing. The staff is so friendly and I don’t feel as intimidated by creepster dudes in the weight section. The facility is pretty clean. When it isn’t, they definitely ‘hop to’ to fix whatever the problem is.

The Fitworks in Highland Heights is great! I used to belong to another gym but joined Fitworks because of the class selection. The variety of classes such as rebounding, yoga, strength training, tabata, step, Zumba, and more make it the ideal gym for anyone who enjoys group fitness. There are classes at 5:45 pm and some at 6:00 am to accommodate members who work from 9 – 5.

Now that this Fitworks location has moved, it’s like a whole new gym. For the most part. The equipment is the same, and the personal trainers still hound you to use your free sessions, but the gym is in a newly remodeled building and looks and feels cleaner. The group fitness classrooms are nicely laid out and the spin studio even has black lights. There’s a good variety of classes offered day and night. They now offer a few classes you have to pay for (like Zumba) but the cost is minimal — normally $ 5 a session.
Also notable are the locker rooms. The ones at the prior location were not so great, but in the new location they are clean and spacious with plenty of lockers to go around.
If you’re into tanning, this location is also connected to the TNT Tanning location next door. After a workout you can walk inside to get to the tanning salon. That’s a nice perk during the freezing cold months here in CLE.

They have relocated to a location in Highland Heights.
In December I joined this gym really looking forward to all of the claims the staff made about how great they are and how in shape they would help me get. I am not a gym kind of person at all and I told them I would be moving in about six months, but they reassured me it would be fine with rainbows on top. Well, turns out people say a lot of things to get you to sign a contract that gives them money every month.
Lesson learned, never join a gym during the holidays especially when you’ve never belonged to a gym before. Ask for a week free trial first and take home the contract to thoroughly read over before you sign it. Join with friends because going to the gym is easier when you have people going with you, that way you have support, encouragement and are held accountable by your friends when you want to skip.
Also you need to be fine with spending a lot of money. They pull you in with talks of just $ 10 a month, but that doesn’t include the sign up fees and yearly fees after three months of joining, nor does it include the extra $ 40 per session if you want to see a personal trainer you don’t click with. Lastly, make sure your work doesn’t have a gym you can go to for free.

I’ve been to three different Fitworks locations, and I would rate this last, with Rocky River on top and Parma second.
The gym itself is a nice size with a good amount of equipment that accomodates on even the busiest of days. Rarely do you have to wait your turn. Parking can be a hassle, especially on busy days. I sometimes have to park 3 or 4 stores down the plaza.
What turned me off about this place was the staff. I witnessed one staff member throwing a tantrum about weights being left on machines, which you’re advised not to do but people do that anyway at ANY gym. The employee was making a scene and didn’t care if people heard it. Ridiculous. If I was a potential customer I would’ve looked elsewhere but I’m already locked into a contract.
I’ve also had a tough time bringing guests over. Fitworks often offers 7 – 10 day guest passes on their facebook page, and Parma and Rocky River would happily honor them. Not so at Richmond. The same employee pretty much disregarded the guest pass of my friend and tried to pitch a membership to him. I understand that you want to get another member, but my buddy described the whole ordeal as unfriendly and uncomfortable. He was allowed to work out that day but they gave him a hard time about the guest pass. I’ve had FAR better experiences at the other locations. Parma may be smaller and may not have all the features as this one but the staff appreciates their customers.
Other things to note:
— The music tends to be pretty terrible and usually is of the teen pop genre. I listen to my own music, but whenever I do take my earbuds out, I’m left wondering why in the world they think people would work out to Ke$ha or Justin Bieber.
— The average clientele age I would say is between 35 – 40, if that’s a factor for you. Bally’s commercial this is not. That’s all I’m going to say.
EDIT: I find it strange that all of the filtered reviews are legit complaints about the staff. Why were they filtered? Is my review going to get filtered?

I like the variety of classes, but they are at horrible times. In order to get into spinning you have to check in by 5:30pm or you don’t get a spot! Very inconvenient for those of us who don’t work 5 miles away! I have to leave my office right as the clock hits 5 so that I can get into a class that starts at 5:45. Ridiculous. It really sucks on the days that I run out of work only to find the class is already filled. Grrr. You can call in & reserve a spot for $ 5, but that defeats the purpose of going to a gym where the classes are included! BUT Pat’s spinning class is awesome, which is why I make the effort.
I love the movie room with the treadmills. Sometimes the movies don’t follow the schedule which is aggravating. The worst is when a movie is over & it doesn’t automatically restart. I’m not stopping in the middle of my run to go find someone to reset the video.
Overall, lots of equipment and variety so your workout doesn’t get boring!

I got the student summer deal which is $ 59 for 3 months. It wasn’t really $ 59, it ended up being more like $ 80 after card fees and taxes. Anyway, it was the best gym I could find on my budget. I had been extremely spoiled by the state-​of-​the-​art gym at Kent State University, so I just needed something to get me through the summer.
The coolest part about this place is the cinema room. You can grab a bike, treadmill, or stairmaster and watch a movie, and not those G rated crap movies either… movies that are old and new, even raunchy. You won’t even realize how long you’ve been in there.
It’s also best to go in the morning if you don’t like working out with big crowds. For people with kids, they have a daycare center right inside.

Best part is the cardio fitness room, with elliptical machines, treadmills, steppers and bikes, where they play movies and the lights are dim. When you are distracted by a movie or interested in the plot, I can go alot further than normal on the treadmill. They have a schedule of movies each month so you come by on those days they are playing something interesting.
They recently remodeled, and now there are so many machines, it’s actually quite crowded. Most of the other ellipticals and treadmills have individual tv’s attached, so you can watch whatever you want.
Worst part — they are still remodeling and have taken out the water fountain (replaced it a water cooler, so you need a cup but they are not provided) and taken out the area where you stretch. Now, stretching and drinking enough water when exercising are two pretty important points, so I am not sure what the point of this renovation was, but it’s pretty irritating and for that they only get 2 stars.