Club One
350 3rd Street
Yerba Buena
(between Folsom St & Harrison St)
San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 512-1010
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 5:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. - Good for Kids: No
36 Reviews for Club One
One of Club One's Favorite Reviews
If you're looking for a convenient San Francisco gym, and you're willing to pay a premium for cleanliness, equipment availability, and nice locker rooms, this is the place. It's not at the top-end, price-wise (like Sports Club LA), but you definitely have to pay more than you would at 24-hour Fitness.
The advantages:
-Several downtown locations
-Friendly, competent staff
-Very clean facilities
-Well-lit building that you look forward to spending time in
-Personal tv's at most of the cardio equipment
-Plenty of weights
-Swimming pool
-Clean locker room, with towels, private showers, shampoo/soap/mouthwash/shaving cream, etc
-Sauna, at the Yerba Buena location
-Parking in teh garage free on weekends, $1 on weekdays (with validation)
For me, it's definitely worth the price premium (I pay about $80/month for access to all locations, including SF, Oakland, and San Diego). A lot of companies have Club One discounts, also, so you should ask about that if you join.
If you're just looking for a convenient place, and you're willing to put up with higher crowds or less well-maintained facilities in exchange for a good rate, then you're better off with 24-hour Fitness.
I'm paying a little more than I have for memberships at some other gyms around the city, but it's well worth the cost. The staff is always friendly, the workout area and locker rooms are scrupulously clean, and they have a healthy variety of equipment and classes. The couple of trainers I've worked with have been great, and Judi always makes me smile!
My only complaint is that it gets a little crowded during 'peak hours'. The weight area, especially, fills up with 'those guys' - equipment hogs, guys who just want to 'work in' then take over whatever machine you happen to be on at the time. Grr. Do yourself a favor and hit the place in the early afternoon or after work if you can.
I have been a member of gyms since college. Recently my wife and I joined the club One Yerba Buena fitness center. I say this because its better than just a plain gym. I tried to explain this to a friend in many ways but what worked was when I told them that I actually showered there. Yeah, seriously, the gym is so clean I have taken a shower and a steam there several times. In all my years of gym going I've never felt a gym was dirty but now I know what a clean gym is. It smells nice, staff is excellent, classes are good, overall I am super happy with my choice.. A++
Maybe I'm spoiled. Maybe I was just looking forward to The Sports Club LA only to find out (when I started receiving benefits) that my company no longer had a corporate deal with them, and so now I'm bitter. Maybe Club One just wanted to set my expectations low to blow me away later.
Or maybe not.
It is pretty clean; I'll give you that. There were very few people there at 3PM, but then most people aren't as lucky as me and can't just take off from work whenever they feel like it. And the locker rooms, though smelly, aren't sketchy.
But there's only one power rack! (and one smith), so whoever said there are plenty of weights is wrong. Considering that squats are by far the #1 most important exercise, this is kind of disappointing. I'd be scared to try coming here during busy hours. There isn't a dedicated stretching area, so you kind of have to lie down in the middle of the weight area. Again, this is fine if you're all alone, but I don't imagine it's fun being a road bump in sweaty 8AM weightlifter traffic while trying to do the splits.
The staff doesn't exactly inspire confidence. The girl at the front desk was unable to explain the membership pricing to me, offer me a free trial, let me sign up for a membership, or let me put my corporate-rate letter from HR on file. Pretty much completely useless. The physical trainers are out of shape and had their client doing whack lame exercises.
Still, It's 2 blocks from work, so I'll keep coming. As long as it's cricket-chirp empty, I'll be content. So stay away from the squat racks from ~2-4 MWF, ok?
I don't recommend Club One at all. While it is a suitable club - if you ever plan on cancelling your membership...think again. I had a horrible experience cancelling my membership when my job transferred me to a new city. It literally took months and at great expense to me. It was handled very unprofessionally. But If you plan to live in SF for the rest of your life and don't mind a mediocre workout environment, you should be in the clear. Oh - and all the water fountains are luke warm...
After 10 years of being a member of 24 Hour Fitness, I decided to bite the bullet and join Club One in the name of sanitation, safety, and sanity. I've only been to this location (the Yerba Buena branch) and I've only been a Club One member for 1 month, but I've been a really, really happy member. The pool is clean and you can reserve your own lanes for 30 minutes at a time which is priceless. The Cardio machines are all in top working order, and the facilities are so incredible CLEAN! It's so worth the fairly priced corporate-discounted premium that I pay now - $77/month for all SF clubs.
I love the friendliness and cleanliness at this gym. It's not the biggest or glitziest, but it does the job very well. They offer towel service, a great outdoor pool area, cardio equipment, weights and circuits, as well as a decent-sized studio for classes. The $1.00 parking for 2.5 hours is so convenient, and I must say that I've yet to see the gym overcrowded like a lot of other stanky gyms in San Francisco.
They have begun to increase their membership rate, and for $87 it is not worth the money. They are also scam artists. Do not trust them with your credit card information. After trying to cancel for 4 months, I had the run around and they continued to charge my credit card after I had canceled in writing!
I just switched gyms from the Presidio YMCA to the all-SF Club One Membership. I signed up for the January special, which was $75 new membership and sign up fee, and $87 on a month-to-month basis. While $87 is more than I'd like to be spending on a gym membership, I do think it's worth it considering I go to multiple gyms in SF (one near my work, and one near my house) and the facilities are clean, nice, not overly packed, and convenient for me.
Judi worked with me at Club One - Yerba Buena to get my membership figured out. She was professional, friendly, patient, explained all my different membership options, and answered all the questions I had. She offered me a bottled water, which is minute, but nonetheless nice (I didn't get anything when I checked out the Jewish Community Center-- It was also difficult to find out about membership options at the JCC). Judi is a great contact person to have at Club One.
Minus points simply because of the membership fee (Club One doesn't have a young adult membership price), and the Club One - Fillmore Center doesn't have personal TVs on the cardio machines... Yerba Buena does have TVs.
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This is the Club One I usually go to. It is pretty clean and the staff is really friendly. The swimming pool is definitely a plus.
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In my hood, my usual spot. Very unpretenious, very friendly staff. Great spinning classes. Decent equipment. Never insanely crowded. I especially love the outdoor area, where you can stretch under the palm trees and pretend you're in Hawaii.
Minus one star, because for the price, I wish the locker rooms were more updated/nicer.
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There are a lot of things to like about Club One. Others have already done a perfectly good job describing its merits. And others have appropriately pointed out how dingy and smelly the locker rooms are. No news there...
Here's the one thing I'll add in case it ever happens to you: if you put your membership on hold due to an injury (or whatever), they'll charge your account $20 a month (about 1/3 of your monthly dues) and not necessarily tell you ahead of time. Of course, the easy thing for them to do from a customer service standpoint is to either (a) disclose all fees up front in writing so there's no confusion, or better yet, (b) simply do the right thing and not charge members a fee when they go on injured reserve. Just don't assume they're going to do the right thing.
Otherwise, I'm a relatively happy camper.
Club One is a really great gym. It doesn't feel like a meat market and I don't feel like people are checking me out, which is nice because I don't look pretty when I work out. The gym is fairly clean and they offer lots of classes and have good equipment. The trainers there are great too and they offer lots of help.
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The sales are GREAT thanks Judi and Mike, the service desk people might look moody at times but they are very helpful. The cardio lay out is pretty cool the weights are just right and I love the out door pool but I can't swim but that will be corrected soon. They hot girls in the spot once I plug in my ipod I forget they are there and it all about the workout. The trainers are cool as well and may even throw a bone or two if ask or if it looks like you're about to hurt yourself. This place is really great its close to home and work and they open early.
Go check them out if you haven't and if you have what are you waiting for join.
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The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though your nose fights to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the men's locker room.
...they need to install some fans in there.
Now, I've got the soul for getting down and aside from the hot funky, it is a great gym.
- The PM staff is fantastic here, attentive & always fun to talk to.
- I enjoy being able to reserve my swim lane, do my thing & leave.
- Machines are less crowded than other locations.
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I prefer this location over the Embarcadero Center one. This one has a pool. =)
I love all the amenitites here. So much better than 24 Hour Fitness but also a little bit pricier.
I've been here once or twice and have gone around 7 pm. It's usually empty and you pretty much have the place to yourself.
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Eh, just ok. True, I rarely had to wait for a machine (but then I was getting there before the crack of dawn), but their swimming pool is seriously underwhelming. You're choice of three lanes (count 'em, folks, three) you can use for a whopping 30 minutes at a go. Thirty flipping minutes. There's a sign to that effect posted right next to a huge clock, too.
And other staff WILL remind you if they feel you've been using the pool for too long. It normally takes me 40 minutes to do my laps, so I'm thinking, "Hey, it's 5:00 in the morning, no one is using the pool. An extra ten minutes, what the heck."
This strategy worked fine for the first two weeks. And then one day as I'm 8 minutes from my finishing my last lap, I'm approached by Frau das Freibad Nazi.
"Hey, you've been in here too long," she barked.
"Can't I just finish my laps?" I asked.
"Sign says 30 minutes. Heil Hitler!"
So I dragged my ass out of the pool and home.
I wish I could say that that was the last time I used this place, but my apartment building didn't have a gym, and my partner's employer only offered memberships to this outfit.
Still, the free deodorant, soap, lotions, and cotton buds spoiled me to having to schlep all this stuff to my gym now.
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Goddamn innocuous boys are all the same. This one was packing a hitler in his lycra-clad pot belly. "Cycle! Cycle! Faster!!" he screamed, reaching down to cradle a quick crotch adjustment. Lycra looks uncomfortable. He adjusts again. I can't think, I just peddle, all the while watching this fool tweak away. Oh shit... he gets it just right and with that looks to me - covering the microphone - and enquires "You ok kiddo? Yes? Then peddle bloody faster!"
He may not have said "bloody" - I've made him British in my head; it doesn't sound as demanding otherwise. I still hate him.
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After nine years of loyal subscription (all NoCal facilities) Peter Dragon has cancelled his membership to Club One.
Actually, not to Club One, but, Club GISBITS (Grossly Inappropriate Sexual Behavior in the Sauna). Oh, you probably didn't know - Club One is the new Club Two - Friday nights at Nob Hill location are action packed in the Steam Room - the towel lift isn't a free weight excercise at Club Two. For the same reason Peter D. has avoided the SOMA Club Two for years, and couldn't tell you when "(in)discrete rendevous night" is...
Oh sure, the staff says they're trying to crack down. The only cracking would happen if the boyz could bring whips into the Men's locker room and set up a weekly Club Two Power Exchange. Club One was acquired several years back by an off-shore investment group laundering Saudi Oil Sheik money, and was basically run into the ground (don't ask how I know this). Now it's just an overpriced Nine-hour Nautilus; equipment in disrepair, marginally clean locker rooms, overcrowed gym floor, obnoxious trainers monopolizing various stations with their "clients", the list goes on.
There's only one thing worthwhile about Club Two, and that's the Nob Hill professional David Shore. Best in class, and Peter D. will miss his sage advice.
Next posting will be on how Peter D. upgraded to arguably the best health club in the city - for far less than you'd think...
"Stuart, show him the hats..."
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I love Club One at Yerba Buena. The staff is friendly and they always have machines available. I just started taking a CORE AT group exercise class and it really kicks my butt! It's good to have a refresher course of exercise. Strengthen my core. At first I was afraid, but the instructor Doug totally put me at ease, he's always saying do it at your own pace and DON'T LOOK at OTHERS..you'll be fine! I also was in need of a massage so Michael Kelley the Member Rep there set me up with Crista and she was an awesome massage therapist. So if you're looking for a workout club in SOMA check out CLUB ONE Fitness at YB and ask for Michael Kelley. www.clubone.com
Good clean fun!
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I LOVE this gym for a few reasons listed below...
1. it's super close to my work
2. has a convenient parking package with gym membership
3. everyone is sooooo nice
4. not a meat market
5. outside pool
6. steam room
7. dry sauna
8. lockers -you don't need a pad lock!
9. towel service (as many as you need!)
10. 3 large TVs in cardio area (you can plug in anywhere to tune in)
11. small TV monitors for the treadmills that you can plug into also
12. did I mention yet that everybody is SOOOOO nice? even at 6AM!!
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After being a Club One (Union Square) member a while back, I moved my membership to USF's Koret Center. Well, that lasted about a year, until I realized I didn't want to fight with 5 year old swimmers for locker space or stare at all the students flirting with each other while on the elliptical. Fast forward a little while, and I rejoined Club One (only this time in SOMA). Let me tell you, this is heaven. Towel service, outdoor heated pool, indoor sauna (in locker room), locker service, classes, lots of cardio machines. And the staff is super-nice. Club One may be a little pricey, but it's worth it. Your glutes will thank you.
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Okay, so the secret spills- I have a Federal ID and I'm trained to use it.
There is a Club One at the federal building around the corner and I got the discount that comes with having a "gub-ment badge."
But I also signed on for the full pass, which has saved my life many times. It's sweet to roll up on a club near where you will go out for the evening, sweat it out, steam it out and refresh before your refreshments.
I bounce out on the town after working out, fresh as a daisy with that glow that makes people wonder "did she just hit the gym or hit the sheets?"
I'll never tell. But I'm glowing because I love the steam room at the Citicorp Center(my regular spot), Nob Hill and Union Square spots. Fillmore also has the hot room which is nice. The actual gym is smaller at Nob Hill, but I Love the one on one attention you get in the classes at the the N.H. Hotel location - and the feeling like you're an ultra swank guest.
BTW-I'm done toting that ugly gym bag. I'm debating if it's worth the extra $15 for my own locker. I guess I could splurge and pay $15 more on top of that for the weeekly laundry service...hmmm...that's a dollar a day for VIP status... I say "yay".
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I'm a little biased since I am a yoga instructor at Club One, but they are a great value. They are hyper-clean, never sales-y like 24 hour fitness, and provide a comfortable work-out environment. Also notable are the TVs on every cardio machine--sweat and catch the 6 o'clock news at the same time. They're not as fancy as the Bay Club or the Equinox, but they are not dirty and cheesy like the budget clubs either. The classes, trainers, and facilities are high quality and the locations are convenient. The spin classes are very good and well-attended. Perfect for those who want to work out without fuss and who enjoy their social life elsewhere. www.clubone.com.
Rated #1 again in SF and Oakland for best club!
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Friendly staff. Bigger than the Embarcadero center but smaller than the Fillmore location.
Hands down the best gym in San Francisco.
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I've been a member of club one for eight years. Good value if you have a corporate membership & you have the type of membership that allows you to use all locations. Each location is very different - offering nice variety.
I've had a Club One membership for several years. We had a brief break-up, but once I decided to stop being lazy, we got back together and have been fairly content. However, I'm moving far, far away now, and I just can't stand a long distance relationship. Been there, done that. As such, I split from Club One and canceled my membership.
I understand Club One has a 30 day notice policy to terminate a membership - they print it on every form you sign. However, when I canceled my membership, I was told that my membership would be good until the end of the month (which would have been less than 30 days). Based on that information, I believed they were waving the 30 day notice (not unheard of) and simply letting me terminate my membership at the end of the month.
The following month, however, I noticed a charge from Club One debited from my account. It wasn't the full membership charge, but about half. I called the club and spoke to a gentlemen who did a fantastic job of hiding behind their 30 day policy.
I then called up the club asking for the GM and discovered that for the time being a GM from another location was acting manager. No problem, I called that GM and left a voicemail explaining the situation. Unfortunately, he never called me back. I'm not exactly sure how you get to become a General Manager and don't return voicemails, but apparently Club One allows this sort of thing.
I'm a fairly reasonable person, and this really isn't about the money (we're only talking about $40 or so). However, customer service is key and in business it's a good idea to take care of your customers. Even if a customer is leaving you, if you part on good terms, you can count on their continued support. Originally, I had rated Club One as a 4 star business and had written a nice review. I had told many friends about the virtues of the club, and tried to spread the word whenever possible. So, instead of refunding $40, Club One opted to ignore me. That's fine - I've had bad break ups before too. I'll just tell all of my friends what a loser Club One is.
I give this place 5 stars for trainer Vince Brown, minus one star for closing early on weekends and not having group fitness classes that start after 6 PM.
The Yerba Buena location has an outdoor pool, and a small sundeck. It's great to swim for a half hour, and then dry off in the sun. The staff is nice and competent. Depending on where you live and work, the network membership can be a great plus. I live in Nob Hill, and work in SOMA. So I hit the Yerba Buena Club at lunch, and the Nob Hill club in the mornings or a night. Very convenient.
This club was near my old place. I joined to take their classes, but they were really mediocre (at least the ones on the weekends). I ended up just using their machines. I just moved, so I cancelled my membership. Be careful of their tricky charges. When you cancel your membership, they take 30 days to do it, and you get stuck paying another month's fee!
I've been to every Club One in SF and Oakland (and nearly every other gym around) and they are all great -- some are big and beautiful (Oakland), others have amazing classes and programs (Embarcadero spinning class in the morning!) but they are all clean and staffed by friendly people. Totally worth the price -- none of the attitude that Sports Club LA has.
"During the month of August 2006, I have been enriching my personal yoga practice and yoga teaching skills by going on a 3 week yoga studio tour of various yoga classes and yoga studios in the San Francisco Bay Area.
http://ynottony1.blogs...
The first week of my tour included visiting the Yoga Teachers at Club One's Yerba Buena, Civic Center, Citi Group, and JCCSF locations.
While visitng Club One - Yerba Buena, here's what I found:
1. If you are looking for yoga instruction rooted in the Iyengar tradition, a teacher with a vast knowledge of the human anatomy, and a challenging class full of precise instruction. Check out Yoga with Mary Friedland at Club One - Yerba Buena.
Mary Friedland was my very first Yoga Teacher. She's caring, full of Hatha Yoga (the physical aspect of Yoga) and Raja Yoga (the meditative aspect of Yoga) knowledge. Yoga students of all levels can benefit from her yoga classes.
Mondays -
Yoga
*Location: Club One - Yerba Buena
http://internet.clubon...
350 Third Street
7:15 AM - ?
Yoga Teacher - Mary Friedland
P.s. Check out what my students are saying about me at:
http://ynottony.com/yo...
Wishing the best of all possible worlds,
Iyengar Yoga teacher,
tony eason
http://ynottony.com
http://aidslifecycle.t...
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I visited this club when I was searching for a pool in the city (I ended up joining the USF Koret Gym). Anyhow, I made the mistake of entering my actual phone number and email address.
The club itself is nice and the locker rooms are extremely clean and updated. The pool is 22m (strange) and you have to reserve the lanes ahead of time. Plus, you can only reserve them for 30 minutes at a time. (boo) The spinning class looked like fun and all the machines were pretty new and well maintained. The club is pretty small and I could see it getting crowded quickly.
The bad review is because of the awful service from the member representative, Michael Kelley. The front desk people were so nice and sweet but when I was introduced to this guy, it was all downhill. He kept asking me why I wouldn't sign up right away and was extremely pushy! Sorry if I can't just sign away $100 a month for the heck of it. Then, he calls not once, twice but 6 times. Yes, 6 times. Then emails every two weeks or so, some new offer. After asking him to take me off the distribution list three times, I finally left a message for the club's general manager.
Moral of the story: don't give your real info and hope that you don't have Michael as your member rep.
This club has a great feel. It's Comfortable. Great equipment. Nice outdoor pool plus sauna and steam room. Convenient garage makes it easy to get in and out. I have used this club consistently and have always had great experiences there. Very non-judgemental and friendly. It's also extremely clean. They even have antiseptic wipes and germ killer available on the fitness floor. The massage therapists there are also outstanding!
first of all,let me say how much i love Jenn,the front desk manager who is now sadly,going to be there only twice a week. she is awesome and friendly. i love this gym.i have a network membership and have been to the 3rd st,fillmore and oakland branches and all three are very different. i love dave,the front desk am person and the indoor pool at the fillmore branch.i like jack cleveland,one of the trainers there. they have a large stretching area and in the morning,is peopled with a large japanese,korean and russian senior citizen diaspora. i have witnessed an old man swimming in his white underwear,which turns flesh colored in the water. i have been jumped on in a swimming lane by an old korean lady,but all these are just pleasant memories. i started going to the yerba buena branch when fillmore closed for a week and havent been back. the YB location is close to the freeway,has street parking,has an outdoor pool with no masters class hogging up every goddamn lane. you can reserve your own lane but ,yes,its true, a half hour is barely enough time to get your privates wet. my only problem with the YB branch is that the locker room aften smells like used jock strap,which is the fault of the patrons and not the club itself.there was a member who would run for 2 hours,take off his clothes and fold them neatly and put them in his gym bag only to be retrieved the very next day without being washed.how do i know this? because we came and left at the same time and i could smell him.by the time i complained,he had already decided to leave for greener pastures. for 86 dollars a month,you should be able to afford a change of clothes. but besides the occasional stinky ass mo-fo,this clubs rocks my socks off. derek the trainer is always very helpful,even if you dont sign up with him,he will give you advice and help with your routine. and i love love love the free deodorant,mouthwash,and lotion.and that why noone should have an unpleasant odor.its free!!!!!!
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