Cole Valley Fitness
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 6:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Sat 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Sun 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. - Good for Kids: No
29 reviews
Neighborhood: SOMA
"I used to train here (when they were on Clementina and 5th) until I got punched in the face a few times. Then I realized I didn't like…" read more »
19 Reviews for Cole Valley Fitness
pretty expensive, and pretty small.
i came here only because i lived two blocks away but i mostly felt ripped off each month when i renewed. one fun thing is that they cut out out little pictures from magazines and let you choose which one goes on your membership card. but even that's not worth 65 bucks a month.
good ol' simple work out facility.
nothing fancy indeed, yet with that comes the lack of saturday morning bros sweating out jager shots onto the treadmill, staring at your ass.
i'll take non-fancy if that's the trade off.
i wear sweatpants with paint on them and don't feel like a frump-a-luff.
i can sweat and pant in peace---everyone is quietly in their zone.
they play a lot of pink floyd, which is sometimes overkill, but its not too loud. the front desk people aren't pushy and don't give sales pitches.
sometimes there is a bit of a wait during peak hours (6pm ish) but that's expected i suppose.
there are no full length mirrors or scales in the bathrooms. maybe that's a good thing?
overall, its a work out straight to the point. no frills. good stuff.
What you see is what you get. It is a small gym that is best if you live nearby. It is always clean, and they never have loud music playing forcing you to crank the volume up on your ipod. The people who work there are friendly. It is expensive, but it's a small independent gym, and I'm willing to pay for the convenience of having a gym so close by.
What I like most is that, despite being in Cole Valley, it is unpretentious. People go to work out - not see and be seen like at many of the 24 Hour facilities around the city.
Honestly, this gym is only ok. On the pro side, you cannot beat the convenience if you live in Cole Valley. I like the non-scene attitude and the staff are mostly nice and friendly. They keep the music nice and low, and 2 walls are floor to ceiling windows so you have a nice view of the street activity on Cole.
However, there are some definite minuses. First, the bathrooms are definitely dingy. Second, they charge you for towels. Although this is not an expensive fancy gym, its still not exactly cheap so they could throw in the towels as part of your membership.
Finally, I definitely don't like their plans. Even if you sign up for a year, you are stuck paying the entire year long price within the first few months. Also, once the year expires, I have to sign up again for an entire year to get the cheaper price. It would be much better marketing if my plan could just go month to month after the initial year concludes.
So I like CVF ok, but there is definite room for improvement. I'm not sure yet if I'll sign up again after my year expires.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
So, I just finished my first six month membership at Cole Valley Fitness, and so far, I have to say that it is a very comfortable place to work out. It is no frills, for sure, but it also means you can get down to business with a minimum of distraction. Sometimes there is a wait for the cardio machines, but not often, as long as you avoid mondays. The best thing is the friendly staff and the no pressure way they manage the place. I didn't appreciate this as much before I went to look at some other gyms and got the hard sell from some sales dorks. Made me feel dirty, so I just decided that I didn't need that pool or steam room and went back to Cole Valley. It's closer to my house, anyway.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (4)
I have been going to gyms for over nine years. I even worked at one gym for two years as front desk staff. I even later got my personal training credential with NASM. Anyways if you are looking for a nice quiet gym without loud music, and the basic equipment. Cole Valley Fitness is the place. No contracts that ruin your credit score. No sales people trying to get you to buy a big package deal. Just regular people like you and me. It's clean, quite, and everyone is nice.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Oh Cole Valley Fitness, how I am torn about you! You allow me to eat a large pizza on a drunken night and not gain a zillion pounds, but you're still exercise. You allow me to say i'm "toned" which apparently is a good thing, but you're still exercise. You're small and friendly with great trainers and staff, but you're still exercise. You don't take every last penny from my pockets, but you're still exercise. Oh Cole Valley Fitness, do I love you or hate you?
People thought this was:
Funny (2)
If you just want to work out without the hassle, you'll love Cole Valley Fitness.
There's a friendly team working here, and the other patrons are pretty low key. This place isn't Scene-y: nobody's snarling at you for wearing an old t-shirt and cut-off sweats (if that's what you want in a gym there are plenty of other places to go). People of all fitness levels work out here, too--it's a comfortable place.
Now if they could just figure out how to squeeze a hot tub in here...
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
i really, really tried to give cvf five stars but i just can't.
here's why it's a solid four:
i love that it's a hop, skip and jump from my house.
i love that it's not a scene. at all.
i love that you have to sign in on a clipboard.
i love that everyone comes in and does their own thing (to be fair, there are a handful of ladies who are clearly exercise bulimics but they're easy to ignore).
and here's why it's not five:
my only issues is i wish they'd do just a little bit more in terms of basic maintenance. being on the elliptical should never hurt but they do need a tune up once in blue moon. cvf seems to have overlooked this. and hello? how hard is it to blow up the exercise balls? apparently too hard.
I have been a memeber on and off for more than 10 years. The on/off is more due to me than CVF. It is not glamorous, but it is a very good local gym with about average staff and all the equipment a gym needs. The best part is that it is neither empty nor overly crowded. They have done a good job adding services like massage and pilates over the years to keep pace with bigger gyms.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
Great place to end a long run and get some weights in. Nothing fancy here, just a great neighorhood gym where folks feel comfortable. It would be nice if they included towels, but otherwise; centrally located in cole valley with a great view form the machines looking out to Cole.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I joined 2 weeks ago, and have been 12 out of 14 days! It is not a glamorous gym at all, but if you live in Cole V., it is convenient. With my membership, I got 2 sessions with a trainer to give me a routine & show me how to use the machines. You can rent towels for $1.
I like that it's low key. It's not a himbo/bimbo gym. People aren't wearing makeup or fancy outfits to sweat in. You can go and not feel intimidated, which I like. If you want a no frills neighborhood gym, it's great.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
I hate gyms, but this place is an exception. The biggest draw for me is that it is not a scene. It is a place to go, get a nice workout in an attractive space, and head out. You aren't seeing people come in to work out in make-up, which I will never understand.
Bottom line--a great place to stay in shape with a great attitude. Nice.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Cool (1)
Well, I just moved to Cole Valley so I needed a gym closer than my old gym. As everyone seems to know, CVF is the only one "near" Cole Valley (of course, I like most people in the city consider anything more than 2 miles to be on the other side of the state for all practical purposes). So with a distance of only .63 miles from where I live I signed up. I just got done with my first session there and its what it is... a small but not crowded gym. They have pretty much every piece of equipment I used at my last gym (24 hour on Bay St.) but, only one of each. So as long as there is nobody there using the same equipment I want things will be fine. I did go at 12:30p on a weekday and it was empty so that is a good sign. My normal time would be more like 10:30am which I would guess to be even less crowded.
So like others here comment, its nothing special but its the only thing near by... near using .65 miles as my outer limits.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Nice, but very small gym. Pretty pricey. Good vibe. Never too crowed nor completely empty.
Biggest plus: It's in the hood!
Very, very small men's locker room.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
This gym has warm and knowledgeable staff, I like the atmosphere a lot. It is right on the N Judah Muni line so it is very accessible to a lot of neighborhoods!
Friendly neighborhood gym where people actually smile and say hello. Expensive for the tiny space and lack of equipment, probably only worth while if you live close by. If they had move free weights, I may have stayed longer.
I love this place. You can go, workout in peace, then leave. It is not a meatmarket and the people that workout there are all ages and all body shapes. True, the place is small, but I have never had to wait for a piece of equipment. It is a true neighborhood place. Plus, it is much more affordable than all the big name places.
If I lived in the area, I could see why I would want to go here just because it'd be close. I live a block away from 24 hour fitness (where I work and work out - ooh double whammy!) and so I understand. But I really can't name any redeeming qualities of Cole Valley Fitness. I went here a few times just to work out for the day and while a treadmill is pretty much the same anywhere, Cole Valley Fitness has about 5 packed into a room the size of my apartment (and on a 24 hr paycheck, you can imagine my apartment size is not acres). I didn't like how you saw right out on to the street, or the "locker rooms", and I didn't even think the people working here were nice! They didn't say anything to me the entire time I was there, which would have been fine if the woman hadn't had a sour expression on her face. They didn't have enough of the machines I liked for me to be able to imagine doing my entire workout here and so even if I lived in the neighborhood, I might have to go elsewhere. They did pick a good location, though. I can't think of another gym close to Cole Valley.
So, for getting the job done without a lot of excitement or space, 3 stars.
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
My Neighborhood
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
Hot and New
- Swan Oyster Depot
290 reviews
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
- Burma SuperStar
1146 reviews
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
- Asuka Ramen
12 reviews
Neighborhood: Union Square
- Caffe Ambrosia
103 reviews
Neighborhood: Financial District
- Zebulon
278 reviews
Neighborhood: SOMA