Nak Muay Gym

Nak Muay makes even the very «out of shape» person (me) feel comfortable while being trained by professional fighters. I’ve had many memberships at giant cookie cutter gyms. I rarely attended, and did not work out hard when I did.
Sure, Nak Muay is not inexpensive. However, you are receiving the equivalent of a training session with every class.
The instructors are personable, and high level competitors and/​or professional fighters. The people in class next to you grow to be friends given that you are training together multiple times per week. This gym is also woman-​friendly! That doesn’t mean it has purple frilly mats. That means you will find other women in just about every class, and present as instructors, they are also ranked within the World Kickboxing Association.
Lastly, the kids program is highly recommended. In just 6 months, our young niece saw a boost in confidence that translated to better grades at school and improved behavior thanks to the discipline that martial arts affords.

Just started my third year at Nak Muay and love the place more than ever.
Kru continues to improve my technique while also pushing and motivating me to exceed my limits.
Also Love being able to switch between formal Muay Thai instruction and then practicing it with an intense kickboxing class.
Sparring is always fun. Sometimes is more sparring drills and other times it’s more free form sparring. Great ways to put things into real practice and clear your mind.
I’m in the best shape of my life — shut up an take my money!!!

I’m writing this review a little late, my bad experience was 2 years ago now, but for a while I was just too ashamed and angry at having been so blatantly taken advantage of I needed to cool off.
I tried to be brief but since that didn’t work, the short version is: Stay Away. There are other, better, honest gyms in the area that will not leave you feeling victimized and that actually let you practice Muay Thai.
So here’s my story:
I’d been doing kickboxing /​muay thai for years so when I moved to King of Prussia one of my first orders of business was to find a new gym because it was getting too difficult to commute into the city to train. I’d read about Nak Muay in Philadelphia magazine and was excited to check them out.
I went in for the free class, was given the tour and the spiel and the guy who worked with me was enthusiastic and passionate (side note: never saw him again after that). Then there was the hard sell and I was immediately put off by their plans — they wanted a 1 year commitment! It seemed extreme to me, but they sold it as it being a way to make sure their students are committed, which OK I get that, but as a consumer I’d also like to know that my gym is always working to keep me impressed so that I want to stay with them.
But since I had no intention of ever not training in the future I signed up for a 2 month trial, money back guaranteed. The caveat was that I had to show up twice a week for the full 8 weeks. I told them I had a pre-​planned family trip and was told it wouldn’t be a problem I could just make those classes up. And I more than made those days up and went on to show up at least twice a week during my trial.
So the trial was alright, some instructors I liked better than others, but what I really wanted to work on was my sparring which apparently isn’t part of their core class curriculum. I talked to one of the instructors about it and he told me that he wanted to evaluate my ability more closely before allowing me to trial the sparring class and asked me to come in an extra day that week so he could work with me. I showed up the day he told me to — and the guy didn’t even walk out onto the mat the entire class! Didn’t even acknowledge me after. That was when I officially made up my mind I didn’t intend to extend my membership after my trial. I love this sport and sparring is a big part of it; it was disappointing to not be able to work on it during the trial and more so to learn it was an additional cost on top of the regular class fees.
Here is where it all went wrong. At the end of my last class I went in and talked to the instructor who was there and told him I wanted to cancel and why. The person I spoke to said they’d submit everything and someone would call to tell me if there were any issues. Never heard anything and assumed I was in the clear. A month later I realized I was billed for another month even though I hadn’t shown up again since. I called the gym to ask about it and the Kru got back to me saying I hadn’t met the minimum class requirements for the money back guarantee but that he would let me out of the contract.
I was stunned. The number of classes he claimed I’d been too was so far below reality, less than half! And I’d scanned in every time, I mean this was my biggest fear so I absolutely never forgot and never missed a class. But this guys computer was telling him something different and I had no other way to prove anything, it was he said she said. I was afraid he wouldn’t cancel my contract if I fought with him about it (12 more months of billing), so I let it go and ate not only the $ 150 I paid for the trial which was due back from the guarantee, but the extra $ 150 that they charged me incorrectly for not cancelling me when I’d originally asked.
Long and short, they 100% took advantage of me, I mean I was totally embarrassed because it was such a blatant scam, figured that’s what I got for being such a fool.
But even the scam part aside, their general Muay Thai class doesn’t involve sparring and I could count on one hand how many times I saw the Kru. It’ll work you out, but so will the classes at LA Fitness.

So, my legal drama with this gym has come to an end, with me being victorious and the gym ponying up for all my legal fees and whatnot in addition to the amount that I sued them for.
I would only sign up for this gym’s trial period if you are willing to document all communication you have with them, and if you have the time and money to file a small claims lawsuit and see it through to the end in the event that you try and cancel during the «trial period».
I needed three separate court hearings and had to force a Sheriff’s Sale of their property before these guys paid me what they owed me. It took 9 months. Pretty disgraceful behavior on the gym’s part, if you ask me.
But like I warned them in my first update… I was going to get my money eventually, and I did, and it felt good.
My advice would be to go somewhere else for your MMA wants and desires. This place is just one big headache.

Diana replied to this post with: «We are different than most school’s because we select our students and don’t accept everyone who applies. Good luck in your quest for finding a martial arts school»
How is that helpful? Would anyone want to be part of a gym that antagonize potential students with an illness?

Top notch instruction and friendly environment for anyone looking to just stay in shape or become a competitive fighter. Coaches are knowledgable, friendly, approachable and genuinely care about your growth in your development as a Muy Thai practitioner. You will not find a better school anywhere else in the area.