Richmond Balance

Moved to Richmond from NYC over the summer and found this gym conveniently located near my apartment. Unlike the mega gyms in New York, I could always get a machine at this gym, even coming during typically high-​traffic times like right after work (5:30 pm-​ish).
The machines were always clean, other gym-​goes are nice, friendly and good at sharing the space. It’s a small gym, but the space didn’t bother me at all, I actually preferred it to the places with a line of 50 treadmills. The towels were always fully stocked and clean and the individual TVs, each with their own remote, were excellent to have as I worked out. I need HGTV to get through a workout, have no idea why.
The only small downside, and this is a very nitpicky thing, is that I would have liked maybe a better intro to the gym — the person who signed me up didn’t really give me a thorough tour of the place or tell me about buying a bottle of water, etc. I kind of had to figure it out on my own. It’s not rocket science to figure out they want you to sign in when you come in the building or note when you get a bottle of water from the fridge, but I think since staffed hours are limited, a bit more info in your intro to the gym would be appreciated for newcomers.
Overall, a great gym and great location for Shockoe and Church Hill residents who want a place they can walk to.

When we first moved to Church Hill, I noticed Richmond Balance since I’d pass it on my way to work every day. When we lived in Chesterfield County I had a membership with American Family Fitness, the typical mega-​gym, but now the closest gym was Gold’s in Carytown. But here was Richmond Balance. «It’s probably like Crossfit gyms where it’s a hundred bucks a month,» I thought. Imagine my surprise when I got on its website and learned that the membership fee was roughly equivalent to AFF and Gold’s. I signed up on my way home that day.
There’s a lot to like about Richmond Balance. It’s truly 24 hours thanks to keycards, and membership is limited so that you don’t see the hordes you do at the mega-​gyms (not that the place could handle hordes, it’s pretty small). Cardio machines are on the first floor and weights and the group classroom are on the second. I don’t do group exercise but the schedule shows that classes like zumba and yoga are represented. I prefer to work out in the early mornings (I try to get there no later than 5:50 a.m.) so I never have trouble parking. The bathroom is clean and spacious with a small bank of lockers. Since I’m there so early I don’t have a lot of dealings with the staff but when I do they are friendly. The only things that irk me are the weight machines. I have a hell of a time adjusting them because it always seems that the handles are stuck. WD-​40 is your friend, Richmond Balance. There’s a pretty good selection of free weights, though.
I love to support local businesses and I love having a decent gym nearby. If you’re in the Church Hill/​Shockoe Bottom area, come to Richmond Balance and save yourself the trip to Gold’s.

Great little gym. It looks like a total hole in the wall but it’s a gem! Rarely are there more than 3 people there so you never have to wait for a machine. Since it’s open ²⁴⁄₇ it can accommodate any schedule and has a few different classes that you won’t find at the big box gyms including TRX and barre. I wish it had more class offerings and brought spin back but it definitely serves the purpose.

Richmond Balance is a breath of fresh air in comparison to some of the larger chain gyms in the area. The staff is nice, the facilities are clean, it’s rarely (if ever) crowded, and the hours are awesome. So glad I got a membership here!

Richmond Balance is pretty awesome. I live in Church Hill and it is so great to have a gym within easy walking distance, as I do hate trying to parallel park my Cadillac. The staff is pretty cool, and they are always around if you have any questions. No matter what kinds of exercises or lifts you need to do, there is something there for you.
The gym also has TRX, Barre, Yoga, and other classes available, and they are free for members to attend, which is pretty rad. There is also 24-​hour keycard access, so you can get a late night workout in and the building is always secured. Check them out!

Richmond Balance is a very convenient location for me and you can’t beat the hours. Those are the good points. The bad points are that the place is always dirty, which is gross for a gym. None of the staff seems to clean off the equipment in between guests or periodically during the day. The walls, ductwork and baseboards are filthy and covered in dust and the floors are not clean. No one picks up the weight room. They have staff but they just sit at the desk in front of the computer. My one other problem is that they have fitness trainers that use the facility with their clients. While there is a studio on the 3^rd floor, the fitness trainers like to spread their clients out in the middle of the weight room. Since the facility is really small, that means if you want to use weights or any of those machines, you have to work around a person lying on the floor and their trainer.