The Longfellow Club

This club is very outdated and the clientele proves that. The daycare is a depressing place to drop your children off at. It was a big disappointment.

I looked at Longfellow when I moved here a few years ago. I would give it 2 stars if it was reasonably priced. Anyone who joins as a single for $ 99/​month is out of his/​her mind. That’s the price you pay for a stellar gym in Boston, not a dilapidated one in Wayland.
From what I can tell, the only saving graces of this place are the pool and the tennis facilities. I’ve never seen the tennis courts, but I sense this is more of a tennis club than a gym. I checked out the pool during October or November when the roof was closed. The chlorine made it nearly impossible to breathe.
The cardio area has twice as many machines as it should, they’re jammed in like sardines. The weight area upstairs isn’t so much a weight room as a weight graveyard. It’s a big, empty room with a handful of severely outdated pieces of equipment. The men’s locker room is incredibly outdated as well.
Here’s the problem, there isn’t one decent mainstream gym within 15 minutes of Wayland Center, aside from Bosse and only millionaires can afford it. That’s why people join Longfellow, BSC, etc. They have no choice. The options for gyms here are pathetic, especially given the quality of the town.
I’ve belonged to 8 – 10 gyms over the past 20 years. Every single one of those gyms is head and shoulders above both Longfellow and BSC-​Wayland… and they were all less expensive than either of these local gyms.
Also, 2.5 stars on average is a little deceiving, there are 6 more reviews (1-​star or 2-​star) that Unilocal has inexplicably removed, all of which seem completely legitimate.

Longfellow is a great gym — nice facilities, many machines, a great set up. It’s roughly five-​seven minutes away from me which is always really nice. It’s not fancy or anything, but I really like it here. I only wish the faculty were more friendly. They rarely say hello, or goodbye, or smile for that matter… Of course there are a few people who do. I would recommend this gym to anyone looking for a convenient, nice place to workout.

Unilocal does not allow true reviews. Please if you know about this place and agree with this review please write a review. I don’t write many. I am writing this one simply for the fact that through Unilocal I found the Longfellow club in Wayland. I was looking for a health club to join and I went on Unilocal to help me find it. This review will not be a good one but it is honest. Since moving here from California I did not know anyone to recommend a gym through Unilocal I found Longfellow Club there were not a lot of reviews. When I signed up I spoke with a friendly guy who is in memberships. When he talked to me he acted like we were good friends (now he does not even say hi to me a fake guy) he told me that I would have to take a fitness test in order to join the club I thought that was extremely odd but it was their requirement. I met the trainer who I won’t name but during our test I swore I smelled alcohol on him. He ran me through the tests and basically tried to sell me a training package from him. I did do some training but after several times I did not have a great feeling about him as a trainer. As time progressed I saw those trainer shirts on everyone who works in the fitness area. I’d like to tell a little bit about the place. I thought since it was located in Sudbury it would be a nice facility boy was I wrong. There is nothing fancy about this place from a fitness aspect. I don’t play tennis so I can’t comment about the tennis end of this. What I will say about the fitness is the equipment is just okay. You’re not going to find the newest but it isn’t the oldest it’s somewhere in between. In the area where the treadmills and bicycles are it is very small, tight, and cramped. Upstairs there are free weights and some aerobic equipment again the atmosphere is old and nothing to excite you into working out. It seems like the tennis is the main focus, and fitness is just put there to make money. The part that really bothers me is the mens locker room it is smelly, dirty, and old. If you enjoy a locker room that has small lockers and only a few larger ones that are normally taken by people who do not remove there locks this is a place for you. The lockers are old and some are broken. The bathrooms are not separated by any walls so often there is a strong smell of human waste from people using the toilets not to mention having to listen to that sound while getting dressed. This club is really big into recycling not sure if that’s for the environment or to save money. They have a different designed toilet/​urinal that when you use it it’s sprays back onto you. There is no running water in the urinal/​toilet so it is chemically controlled. Several weeks ago I received information that this building was going totally solar I would like to think this may possibly lead to a reduction in my $ 99 a month fee but I don’t think so. This leads me into one of my main complaints the shower, sauna, and steam room. These rooms smell and are not cleaned on a regular basis in my time as a member I have never witnessed these being cleaned in any way. The sauna floor is disgusting, and the steam room has an odor to it. On occasion there will be a bottle filled with some type of chemical deodorant to spray. The showers are disgusting on many occasions there will be remnants of someone who had blown their nose on the side walls. The curtains are plastic and obviously recycled because they are always stained. The shower will pulsate from very hot water to cold it’s never consistent. For a place that many people shower I can’t be the only one that feels this way. I see the custodian drying an area of the floor more than anything else and I think this is only to prevent the water buildup so someone doesn’t slip but obviously cleaning is not a priority. They can’t even put out dispensers with hand sanitizer this bothers me since I’ve seen many of the staff use the bathroom and leave without washing their hands. I do not think this club is worth the $ 99 a month membership fee, but to some they can tell people there going to the tennis club sound luxurious. I guess across the street at Bosse it’s probably a lot more expensive. I wish the new BSC had a sauna and steam. I have canceled my membership. in the end I am sorry if I hurt anyone’s feelings but go there and you’ll experience this. I have edited this since there have been a few posts after mine. I am giving my honest opinion these are not nasty comments. I never asked for a super fancy boutique club with a fancy health bar but for 99.00 a month just wanted a clean place to shower and change. No ripped stained plastic shower curtains or showers that are not cleaned to the point that others hair is noticeably on the walls as well as the bodily fluids mentioned above. Its obvious different people have different standards of clean some more then others. In regards to workouts with many different types of exercise (most are extra fee classes).

someone picked up the car/​home keys from the front desk. very unfriendly certain staff/​management, had to tell step by step how to go to find the key. After 6 hours when the key was recovered, the front desk said «no big deal» The big deal was it was my house and car key. People make mistake by picking up the key, but the attitude of the staff and owner were unbelievable, absolutely clueless how to contact members. Irresponsible. do not put keys in the basket assuming it is safe and secure since it is right in front of the receptionist. if it gets lost, it is your responsibility to find it. Their don’t care attitude is definitely insult to an injury. for the price of the membership, yes I did expect a tad bit better customer service, especially it is a security issue. they admitted this is not the first time but seems clueless how to go about it. very disappointing and scary.

It’s just not worth the price. It’s dated, the men’s locker room isn’t really that clean (neither are the showers or steam room). The extra charges /​fees they’ve recently added are above and beyond. There are several gyms in metrowest now — I’d rather drive a short distance longer for a better price — it’s just not worth it.

I read some of the recent reviews, in particular the nasty one by David S. and thought it would be appropriate to comment. I have been a member for 20 plus years. This place is my second home. Is is a perfect club? No, but it is a great neighborhood/​family fitness club that has been an important part of my family’s health. If you are looking for a super fancy boutique club with a fancy health bar, go somewhere else. If you want a place where you can get a great workout with many different types of exercise, this is the place for you and your family.
First, the best part. The staff. This is a very friendly place. The staff makes you feel welcome without being intrusive. The trainers are dedicated and supportive. I will call attention to a few: Monique is simply a treasure. My wife and I work out in a small group class doing TRX training twice a week and I can honestly say it is the best thing I have ever done in a gym. I have been a power lifter for years and a few years ago, another of my favorite trainers, Justin, pulled me into the TRX class. I got hooked and became a qualified TRX trainer myself although I don’t do it for money. I have used Billy as a trainer for my step son and he was simply great with him. Billy is also a wonderful inspiration to all of us in the gym because of his own workouts int he gym. Mike is a great trainer also and I have watched him motivate people of all ages and shapes. The supervisor of the training staff is Paul who is friendly, steady and knowledgeable. I believe there are trainers for everyone at different levels and base this on my long hours at the gym watching people taking advantage of this wonderful staff.
My stepsons took advantage of the amazing tennis program for years. Particular shout outs to the amazing MIchael Chin – one of the most graceful tennis players I have ever seen who has an extraordinary skill at taking unskilled kids and turning them into competent tennis players. Most important, he found ways to promote self confidence and we will always be grateful to him for this.
Yes, I would love more weight equipment in Wayland. Heavier dumbells, more benches and more weights, but, I can find what I need and I lift heavy. The addition of more modern training equipment for TRX, heavy balls, ropes and boxing bags has been great.
The locker rooms are fine. Not the fanciest and a bit long in the tooth, but more than adequate and, in my experience, clean. The sauna and steam rooms are fine, again, not the biggest or fanciest, but more than adequate.
So, read the nasty reviews with a grain of salt and take it from a long time member. It’s a great gym and fitness club for you and your family.

Nice, clean facility with great equipment. The cost is a little absurd. I was in town for a week for the holidays, the options were either a $ 45 weekly guest pass, or $ 12 each time. This is compared to my $ 10/​month platinum fitness membership.
Overall, great facility, but it’s going to cost you!

Had another experience at Longfellow today. Went from a class at lumina to my training on elliptical was part of the way in when a mechanic wanted to work on machine I was on. Not only did he interrupt me he actually asked me to get off machine and switch to another. Not only is this in acceptable it’s by far out side the real of what we do when working out. Being interrupted in the middle of a program to get off yet another broken piece of equipment. This is almost as disruptive as them spraying chemicals on the equipment and glass while we are using the machines. That was two weeks ago. I think if it’s broken or needs repair or cleaning there are plenty of hours the gym is closed. Asking me who pays for four memberships to stop and switch a machine is not an option. And please. Wear close in the sauna. It’s the respectful thing to do for the rest of us. Thank you to Dick in membership for listening. He’s the only reason I still belong. Going into impact now to see what they have to offer.

I just did a TRX class in Sudbury with Monique and it hurt in the best kind of way, I highly recommend this style of workout. I have also worked out with Justin and Dave, both of whom are highly knowledgeable and passionate about health and fitness.
Clean locker rooms, friendly trainers, and new equipment coming in frequently is why I give Longfellow five stars. I know people always gripe about the small stuff, but I have been coming here my whole life, and I vouch for the club’s quality.

This is another location from the Natick club.
YAY for the women’s only club. This part of the complex has a small workout room with cardio machines, treadmills and free weights as well as a few wight machines.
I wanted to try the reformer class, but it many dollars extra.
Yoga, regular pilates etc. no dollars more.
AND, you can still go the regular part of the complex for the pool, sauna, steam room, full expanse of cardio and weight machines.
The front desk staff are usually teens, so don’t be surprised if they are talking on their cell phone the whole time.