Crunch

Crunch has the best classes ever! I love that I can take ballet, hip hop and aerial classes here and the teachers are all amazing! Karri is incredibly nice and supportive and her Lyra class is so much fun! Danny B. is the most inspiring spin teacher I’ve ever taken – I feel like I can do anything after I get done with his class. Antigravity yoga is so addicting, I’ve already researched how to get one in my apartment – but that’s not looking like a very solid option being that it’s San Francisco and I’m a renter, so I guess I’ll just keep taking classes. I love that people who work there know my name and seem to actually care about what they do. Every time I take class here I’m inspired – it’s the best hobby I have and it really makes working out fun and playful, not daunting.

I’m a member at this convenient neighborhood gym and I would specifically like to mention the trainer, John Sinkavich who is attentive, thorough and approachable. His training routines are targeted to what you need and he helps you devise an overall schedule to apply to your lifestyle and goals. Aside from understanding that he is qualified with a BS in kinesiology exercise science, his professional demeanor is admirable and sets the bar for how other trainers should be. I definitely recommend at least trying a training session with him to see if he meets your needs.

Thanks to Class Pass for hooking me up with Crunch Fitness Gym Time.
Small, clean with just enough free weights and machines.
Cardio equipment is in good shape.
The people working there seem friendly enough.
It wasn’t too busy at the times listed on class pass.
Much smaller than the one on New Montgomery and on Polk, but gets the job done.
Shower stalls are clean and there are plenty of lockers and adequate # of restrooms for the space. Definitely better restrooms than the Polk location.
I haven’t taken a class there, so I can’t comment on the quality of classes or instructors.

My only complaint is that each year I get a letter explaining that my fee’s are going to be going UP in order for them to provide more locations and equitment… for 2016 I’m going to be charged an extra $ 7 per month or $ 84 yet the Union St gym is still the same… it’s tough for someone local to help pay for those gyms in other cities that I’ll never use…

This review is for my Crunch experience overall.
I committed to Crunch a few months ago to take advantage of my company’s fitness reimbursement benefits, hence price is not a huge factor for me. I decided to get the City Crunch membership to figure out which location I like best, and I am planning to choose a single location next year.
Classes are included in the membership. The facilities and equipment are clean and well kept across all locations. There are lockers and more importantly there are showers which is a convenient benefit.
Although I never even thought about getting a personal trainer, the sales rep was pretty good at convincing me. I bought 5 personal training sessions and started meeting up with Marin at this location every week. She was a great trainer and taught me so many exercises. She was very patient and took the time outside of the session to answer the questions I had. I definitely felt that I got great value out of my training sessions with her. I really miss having her motivation and support.
This particular location is pretty close to the Polk St location. It’s a bit smaller but has the same amount of weight lifting equipment. It also definitely has more of a gym feel and the equipment seems newer and better kept.
I find that the Polk St location is quite noisy because the instructors’ shouting as well as blaring music from fitness classes that are going on can be heard throughout the whole gym because there is only one single sound system. It can be quite distracting. Even if you take yoga classes upstairs, the outside music can sometimes still be heard.
It’s much more peaceful and easier to concentrate at the Union St location (having taken a couple yoga classes here too). Also for the yoga fans — the mats at Polk St are really worn out so definitely invest in your own (or I guess just go to Union St).
I have also tried the Montgomery and Chestnut St locations. I am blown away at how large the Montgomery location is – it is huge. If you go on the weekend, there is practically no one and you can get the giant classroom to yourself sometimes. They even have a Swash machine in the changeroom which will wash and dry a single garment for you within 10 mins for free.
Chestnut St is a very small branch, it is similar to the size of LiveFitGym on Polk, but at least this location has showers (though they do not have bathrooms inside the changerooms).
Overall very happy with Crunch so far. It’s going to be hard choosing a single location since I live closest to Polk but would prefer Union or Montgomery because of their better facilities. We’ll see.

I struggled over giving 3 or 4 stars because I really like the Union Street location but I also see all the flaws. I decided on 4 stars because the location absolutely meets my needs. On the plus side, my personal trainer, Andy, is a great trainer. He clearly understands how to shape the human body, and to do it in healthy ways. And in over 20 years of working with personal trainers, he’s one of the few who, after talking to about my personal goals, actually developed a program that’s in line with what I told him! Most of the others asked me what I wanted to achieve but for the most part, the workouts were generic. After several months with Andy months, I’ve lost more than 20 pounds and am toned and fit and well on my way to achieving my goals. Andy also consults with me, very effectively, on the nutrition side of things.
Also on the plus side, the other people in the gym are there to work out — they aren’t there to socialize. I appreciate not walking into a social scene of people trying to impress each other. Another plus is that I’ve gotten to know several of the other trainers and salespeople and they always welcome me and make me feel comfortable. And some, like Kevin, actively engage in cheery conversation and try to get to know you a bit! Sadly there are several others who don’t interact at all. They don’t acknowledge members in any way and actively try to avoid eye contact so they don’t have to smile at you. But they’re not alone — I use Crunch locations in other states and for the most part, that seems to be a Crunch thing.
Another plus is the set up of the gym. Based on the small size, there’s cardio on the first and second floors. Since the other machines and weights are on the second floor too, it makes doing some kinds of interval training very easy. And they just bought lots of new treadmills and other equipment, so the constant equipment failure has been minimized.
Negatives: No access to water on the second floor. That sucks! Also, the gym is definitely dirtier than it should be, despite the constant presence of cleaning staff. They don’t get in nooks and crannies, either on the machines or under them. And the beams across the ceiling need to be cleaned of dust more regularly than they are now. Also, Crunch doesn’t hide that it’s all about the numbers — sell more training, memberships etc. It’s very off putting.
Overall, this place meets my needs and the positives (like training with Andy) outweigh the negatives. But if I was king of the world, my take away from this and other reviews would be that Crunch needs to improve customer service and making members feel welcome.

To be straight forward it is a pretty crappy gym with almost no space to work out in and the pipes leak when it rains. Only go to this gym if there are no other affordable corporate rates, because paying full price for such a bad gym is not worth it. Although the Crunch on Polk Street is great!

I have been a member of this crunch location since they opened and have religiously taken part in their class schedules. Classes are great but after I had my baby and needed help loosing weight I decided to try personal training. It wasn’t until Crunch offered me a free session for my birthday that I bought into a package. After 3 – 4 weeks working with Eddie I lost almost 10 lbs! He is great at pushing me, working all over body and discussing my diet plan. I always feel great after our workouts and feel like I should have started this sooner.

I went to a TRX class through classpass at this Crunch location last Saturday and had a great experience.
Upon walking in we were greeted by a friendly receptionist who took care of the sign in process and gave us a tour of the gym. The downstairs is mainly cardio and the upstairs is where the weights are. There were plenty of cardio machines, but I felt the weights were somewhat lacking. I only counted 2 squat racks and 1 bench, granted it was just a quick glance as I headed to where the TRX class was held. This probably won’t suffice for people who enjoy lifting heavy…
Anyways, the TRX class itself was pretty good. The intensity was high and I felt like I got a great workout in at the end of it. I’m not sure how I felt about the trainer though. He led us through a great workout, but it didn’t really feel as personal. I think it would’ve been better if he gave more guidance on the different exercises we were told to do.
Overall, while I had a great workout at the gym, I’m giving a lower review because I don’t think their monthly membership price equals what this gym has to offer.

This review is for my personal trainer, Eddie Grullon. I have been training with him since December 2014 and he has exceeded all of my expectations. Eddie has vast knowledge when it comes to functional training and form. He has helped me reach my goals without having to make extreme changes to my workouts and diet. I wanted a bigger butt and a flatter stomach and he really helped me target those areas specifically. My pathetic excuse for a core is now much stronger and I can lift by myself with proper form. Plus he has a good sense of humor, which helps keep the workout interesting. He is like a miracle worker. AND he is extremely flexible with scheduling. He is an absolute gem.
Kanye doesn’t have shit on Eddie when it comes to workout plans.
Thank you Eddie!

I want to wholeheartedly recommend Duy Tran as a personal trainer. He’s a great guy who’s passionate about learning his craft and helping people get better.
I trained with Duy at the New Montgomery Crunch location for a year. I had never been someone to go to the gym a lot but I can now confidently say that I’m in the best shape of my life and know how to navigate a gym and get great workouts. I was on the fence about spending the money on a trainer, but Duy really keeps you excited about working out and getting better. I ended up re-​upping my training sessions four times. He takes your goals seriously, is very knowledgeable about fitness, and is just a fun person to work out with.
I was bummed when he moved on to Union Street for the promotion, but he deserved it and set me up with a good friend of his who is also an excellent trainer. Duy is most definitely a great trainer and a really good guy who I’d recommend to anyone. Good luck Duy!

This gym is fine for a ClassPasser like myself. When I’m sick of all the classes I’ve taken all month or my schedule doesn’t fit any class time, I come here. I’ve been to this one, Chestnut, Redwood City and the Polk street locations and have never been amazed. All spaces (except RWC) are fairly small for a name branded gym. The classes are also nothing to write home about. I’ve done various spinning and yoga classes and they aren’t exciting at all. I’ve found the customer service to be OK here — they have even let me come early/​late for my scheduled ClassPass gym time, and have not be taken advantage of for any up-​selling, although their other locations are extremely pushy with this. HELLO, I have ClassPass for a reason, thank you.
One horrible thing I’ve noticed here is the lack of cleanliness — which is a huge deal for me (or anyone!) at a gym. There is always bits of trash behind the treadmills and stair climbers, along with dust and dirt on some of the equipment. Gross. Lastly, why don’t you give your customers gym locks or have some sort of system besides bringing your own?! I ended up having to carry my gym bag with me throughout my workouts which is weird.

Terrible customer service
I was brought into a sales room and pressured to buy a membership by some ugly guy with bad breath. The place is small and hot. No a/​c. Luckily my boyfriend came back and rescued me from the sales manager/​membership creep.

I’ve gone for over a year and yes, it’s small.
However I’ve had an outstanding experience training for 3 months with Andrew Kubiak, who took me from gym-​novice to gym-​can probably figure out a few work outs that make sense and continually keep me challenged.
Basically from a gym-​fool to a gym-​competent person.
Andrew’s approach in particular was welcoming, backed in science and approachable.
From what I’ve seen the personal training staff is great and I’d recc Andrew in particular.

If you’re looking for a personal trainer at this gym, I would highly recommend Duy Tran. Coming off of wrist surgery that kept me from lifting weights for nearly a year, Duy helped get me back into powerlifting. Within a year of training with him I saw tremendous increases in strength (25 — 33% at least) and flexibility and achieved pristine form in all my exercises. As a nice bonus, I packed on quite a bit of muscle in the same time.
Duy makes his training sessions enjoyable while constantly motivating you to achieve your goals. It has been an amazing pleasure training and lifting with him and I would recommend Duy to anyone.

ZERO COSTUMER SERVICE
I was stopping in after a 15 hour shift at the hospital (in scrubs and all) to change my membership account from all locations to one location only. Due to my busy schedule I requested the papers to be either emailed or faxed to me at work. They said no and that I personally had to come in. I was FORCED to come in and sign these papers.
I was greeted by a young man and immediately asked to take a picture. I explained I have just worked a15 hour shift in the operating room, which requires everyone to have their hair in a bouffant (more or less helmet hair x10). I also work with x-​ray radiation and we have to wear a lead skirt and top that weights around 20 lbs ALL day. I am tired, hungry and beyond frustrated bc they would not just email or fax the papers to me to start with. The thought of standing there, forcing a smile on my face for a picture is more than I can take! I simply do not want to TAKE A FING PICTURE!
I am taken back when he says something like, «Oh you look great, let’s take you picture now.» I stood there arguing with the guy for about a min explaining that I am not here to workout, I just need to change my membership. He kept pressing on about the picture. I was baffled! Two other employees were at the counter and noticed us going back and forth. The guy interrupts saying just take the picture you look good (I am so tired and upset that I am fighting back tears). The girl just looks on.
This exchange of words goes on:
Me:I look terrible and I am really tired. I don’t want to take a picture.
The guy: You look great! You can always retake it later. You can send us a picture after you take this one and we will upload that one. Only we will see it when you scan your card.
This keeps going…
After 2 – 3 mins of arguing about the picture I realize they are not going to change my membership without taking a damn picture 1^st. I either take the picture and change my membership now or I come back later and keep the same membership which is approximately $ 40 more per month cause only god when I’ll stop in again. (I’ve been meaning to change the membership for months but somehow always forget to stop in). Anyways, I was FORCED to stand there and take the fing picture. I have never felt so forced to do something I DID NOT want to do!!!
The girl can see I am clearly upset. As soon as the picture was taken she started putting the papers together. She suggested I sit on the couch while she puts everything together. I waited for about 5 mins or so. She brings the papers over and I initial 5 – 6 papers, sign and date.
What struck me the most was the lack of EMPATHY! They could see I am in scrubs and I am telling them I am tired but no empathy towards my feelings or situation. This level of disregard is concerning!

I’ve always had a 24 hour fitness membership and although I am a member at Crunch currently, I still also have my 24 hour membership active. I had always imagined membership at Crunch to be exponentially better than 24 Hr Fitness because Crunch membership is so much more expensive, so you should expect more from a pricier gym right? — Wrong.
Ever since I stepped foot in this gym, I never liked it. If classes and personal training sessions are going on, the maximum space allowed for stretching /​core work on their ONE mat allows for only 4 people to lay side-​by-​side like sardines at an extremely uncomfortable proximity. Face-​to-​face side planks anyone? Treadmills always have something wrong with them. I find myself hopping treadmill to treadmill thinking, what is wrong with this one today – the incline not working, the TV screen not working, buttons, all of the above? (*Update* they remodeled and replace cardio machines, however, they are not necessarily the newest) Equipment variety is just not there and after the 24 hour fitness remodel on California St., in comparison, this location as well as Polk is just so dated. Sure, the showers and bathrooms are a lot cleaner, but I came here to exercise, not bask in their Bliss products in the bathroom. Sure there are «a lot» of classes, but the space for these classes are tiny /​crammed and the schedule and variety is pretty unimpressive. And then there’s the simple things like how 24 Hr fitness has courtesy locks on some of their lockers, and this place doesn’t have any at all.
The worst thing about Crunch is their sleazy salesmen attitudes. I understand that they are most likely getting this pressure by management to make a sale, but OMFG can you lay OFF??? They use tactics like, «you MUST lock in this deal TODAY», «this 40% offer is a GREAT deal for personal training» which is BS. Boutique gyms with better spaces offer personal training sessions at Crunch’s 40% off price. And their one-​time 40% off price continues to pop up even when they initially mention that «the 40% off is ONLY good for new members who sign up so you need to buy NOW because it ends TODAY». I have felt cornered, pushed around and pressured. If I want it, I’ll get it. Shut up.
So why am I even still a member? The only three reasons is because my boyfriend convinced me to join with him so we can go together, it’s a block away from us, and there’s towel service. Otherwise, you know which other gym I’ll be at.

Only room for FOUR people max to stretch. Stretching is integral to injury prevention yet it seems that is not a priority for this gym.
As I type, I am on an elliptical machine where the same baseball game is being shown on FOUR different channels, and the same basketball game on two.
Details like this make this gym extremely sub par, especially because they are TOTALLY preventable yet persist every time I come.

This place has awful awful customer service. I tried to cancel my membership because my doctor told me that with my CANCER treatment it would not be safe for me to workout in the gym. It took us four calls to various numbers before finding the right number to call to cancel. Once I sent in my doctors note I got a confirmation email saying «Pursuant to our conversation please be advised that the above referenced membership will be closed as of 4÷30÷2015 due to medical issue. Your last month’s dues, paid at the beginning of your membership, will be applied to your final billing so you will see no further charges.»
Ok, obnoxious but I thought it was done. WRONG. Every month since they’ve still charged my card and now they are harassing me for a «past due» balance that doesn’t exist. I’ve been called, sent emails — all of which I’ve responded to with the cancellation email (thank goodness I have it in writing) I’ve had to charge it back to my account over and over again.
Today, after spending time on the phone and forwarding the email to what feels like a million people, I got ANOTHER email. The person on the phone had the audacity to suggest that I need to print out a copy of the email and bring it into the gym. What part of CANCER TREATMENT and my doctor says I shouldn’t go to the gym is hard for these people to understand.
Insensitive, horrifying customer service experience. Beware before you give these people your credit card information…

My favorite Crunch gym in SF. Not sure the reasoning behind the inconsistent reviews!
Overall, the gym is small, but it is clean and well-​maintained. I personally love how the cardio area is situated– either facing the windows or facing the entire gym. Good forms of entertainment no matter which side your treadmill happens to be facing.
Locker rooms here are by far the cleanest and nicest in SF (maybe even all of them in the Bay Area — the only ones that would even come close to competing would be the one in San Mateo or the one in Daly City)
This is my go-​to location, unless there is a class at some other location I want to take. Located in the heart of Union street, this place allows for great shopping and food options for after the gym. (try the variety of juice shops just down the road from here)
Take the TRX class with Steph if you are up for it. She is a really good instructor and makes sure to ask for newcomers at the stat of class and helps them with the TRX throughout the way if they are, so there’s absolutely no reason to be intimidated!