There are a bunch of people on here leaving bad reviews just for the sake of trying to ruin Big Sky's reputation. Put simply, there are people angry about the removal of the half-court of basketball. Big Sky has repeatedly kept up with changing times, keeping their gyms as high-class as possible. All of the employees are great, the gym is clean, and the removal of the basketball court got rid of the only negative people I have ever met there. To give Big Sky less than 5 stars is for a reason other than the gym itself. Honestly, have you ever been to a YMCA, Edge, Planet Fitness, or any other gym? Filled with people to the point where you can't get anything to work out, tons of college kids / cocky kids swearing up a storm, etc. etc. Big sky eliminates all of that, keeps the gym clean, fun, and professional. Anyone who tells you otherwise is the problem, and should probably join a YMCA. - Roger read more

I used to be happy with Big Sky until recently.. Constantly moving the machines around for no reason.. It's literally a new setup every day I go in. The trainers are sub par and it really seems they don't know how to propey train clients. If you want to cancel you'll have the most frustrating experience of your life. They have an extremely rude girl named Katie managing the place who threatened to cancel my friends membership because we were concerned with contruction being done in the middle of the weight area during gym hours. She was very unprofessional and even talked back and was extremely rude to us. This is not how you treat paying customers. Don't waste your time and money on this place. read more

When I signed up with Big Sky I asked about the cancellation policy. I was told all I had to do is to notify them 30 days before cancelling. This past December my husband became very ill. He had a heart attack and subsequent heart and other health problems. I called Big Sky about cancelling as I am his only caregiver. They told me to contact ABC Financial. ABC Financial that there was only 3 ways for me to cancel, move 25 miles or more from the club, death, or only my health issues. They would not even consider cancelling due to my husband illness. I then wrote to the owner explaining the situation. I also explained that I understood people do use this excuse just to get out of the contract. I offered to provide documentation as to my situation. Never heard a word!! Summary of this experience I had to pay over $200 in dues for a membership I could not use. While some don't think that is alot of money, when you are dealing with medical bills even $10 can be a burden. Word of caution, read ALL the fine print on the contract. Don't listen to the person handling your application. The just want your money read more

Big Sky has been my gym for almost 4 years now, and I really enjoy it. I have recently been visiting in the morning during the week, but used to be a regular "peak hours" 5-7PMer there. The gym is huge, with 2 spacious cardio decks and a big lifting floor. The locker rooms are big and clean, and there is tanning, childcare, and a smoothie bar. I've never waited in line for a treadmill, and maybe once a month will see that someone is on the elliptical or stair stepper I want to use. Not a huge deal, there are so many options at BS that I just go find something new to try if that's the case. There are 2 studios for classes- one large room for Zumba, Yoga, Body Pump etc., and a spinning studio. I generally spin once a week and the classes are awesome. Rick and Julianne are great, tough instructors. My only complaint about Big Sky is that I wish they had a separate area for personal training to take place. They do group personal training, and often when there are multiple training sessions going on, the people being personally trained take up many of the kettlebells, handweights, bosu balls, and floor space. I get that they pay extra for training, but it can be frustrating when there aren't any weights to use or space to just do some crunches. read more

Great Gym and Staff. Always clean and pleasant! I've been going there for years and they are always helpful and knowledgeable.

Clean, well-stocked gym that keeps up with trends. Two squat racks, three flat benches, lots of foam rollers, a jungle gym, and an awesome upstairs room for plyometrics and core work. Looks cool inside during rain with high ceilings and large windows. All things considered, a great value for 20$/month. Would be 5/5 with a longer weekend hours, larger locker room and more squat racks/free space for deadlifts, cleans, etc. read more

I was surprised to see so many negative reviews with regard to Big Sky. It seems to me like the majority of issues revolve around people trying to cancel their memberships and running into issues with the third party billing company. Fortunately for me I suppose, I have not had to deal with cancelling because I have been an extremely satisifed member for over a decade. Hopefully the staff at Big Sky is looking very seriously at those comments, and working on addressing the issue for any future members who need/want to cancel their memberships. The following is a post that I made on Facebook a few days ago in response to Big Sky deciding to eliminate their 1/2 court basketball area from their Newington location in an effort to add additional space for more diverse equipment, add a Cross-Fit area, and even blow out an entire wall of the gym and expand. Upon visiting Yelp to see how others were feeling, I was extremely surprised at all of the negative reviews and decided to add my own review, share my Facebook comment, and let the people out there know that the silent majority is extremely satisifed with the club. This is the comment, cut and paste word for word: ------------------------------------------------ This is a sad day for those of us who routinely used the basketball court, but it is hardly unexpected. I found myself watching them dismantling the court today from the bike, initially having the same gut reaction as a lot of others who have posted here: "I will just cancel my membership and go elsewhere." After reflecting over the last several hours I realize that there is no way I am leaving Big Sky. I have been a Newington member for about a decade now. Prior to that, and with an extremely brief hiatus at one of the filthiest clubs in the area (which will remain nameless), I was a member of Simsbury Health & Fitness, which is now Big Sky Simsbury. The cleanliness, continued reinvestment in equipment, as well as the attitude, attentiveness, and quality of your ENTIRE staff are just too much to give up. Believe it or not, it was about 18 years ago when I would be greeted with a smile from both Barbie and Jo-Ellen in Simsbury when I was home from college for the summer. They would say hello and ask me about how life was. Even today, in the rare instances I visit the Simsbury club to work out with old friends, I am greeted with those same smiles from those same people. In Newington it is and identical experience - Emily, Mindy, Paul, Scott and the ENTIRE staff is phenomenal. Even "Owner Joe" will say hello to me by name. He may force the staff to learn names, but he practices what he preaches - and it DOES make a difference. It makes the members feel like the staff cares. That it is a family... I could not imagine leaving the "Big Sky Family." I realize that the "political" reason we will hear from management is that the court is being removed for bigger and better attractions. I am sure this is partially true. However, it could not have been a very difficult decision given the deterioration of decorum from a small group of basketball players over the last 2-3 years. From a business perspective, it is a no-brainer. The language being spewed from that court can certainly make those looking for a family friendly environment less than appealing. The loud 'F-bombs' to kids actually using the 'n-word' colloquially of late was both embarrassing and despicable to witness. Hopefully for those kids using the latter, they will realize that - A.) It's not cool -- AND -- B.) respect not only the others in the gym, but YOURSELF. The bottom line is that I can completely understand that this decision was not that difficult to make. Of course, I will miss the 4-6 hours a week of playing ball with the regulars that I now call my friends. I will miss banging a three in Errol's eye or hitting a 15-foot jumper in Paul's face only to whisper in his ear that "it's just a lay-up for me." I will miss pretending that I cannot move, asking the young kids to "take it easy on me," and then lighting them up; watching them scratch their heads, not realizing what the hell just happened - and ultimately wondering how some old, five-foot-nine-inch, white guy with a 2" vertical just torched them. I will miss losing when we shouldn't have, and winning when we didn't have a chance. There are probably 20 guys I truly enjoyed playing with - maybe more. Hopefully we can still find somewhere else to play once and a while. Most of all, I will miss the weekly friendship that were legitimately forged on that tiny little court. Despite all these memories and literally years of enjoyment, however, I will not leave the Big Sky Family. --------------------------------------- read more

This gym used to be nice, now it's over crowded! Plus it beats me why anyone puts up with a gym that will charge you for months after your contract is over and uses a third party for all billing. Excuses excuses! Do your self a favor and save yourself from having to go through such a headache with big sky and their third party vendor. This club cares not about you, but about how much money they can make off of you! They could care less how satisfied their customers are with their billing experience. read more

After being a member for many years and coming back a few months ago I started up again around February of this year. I was told by Rob the Manager that I could list a few family or friends as "VIP" so they would be allowed in to try the gym out. A month or so later I took my son, who was on the list, in with me to check it out. I was stopped by some very young teenage gal at the desk and told he could not come in. I explained the above and she said he had to fill out a form and PAY $10 for the visit. I knew this was wrong, asked for Rob but was unfortunate to have another supposed Manager "Mindy" come over, tell me I could not come in either , that she would call the police if I did, and to everyone who could hear state: "YOUR MEMBERSHIP IS CANCELLED." I was humiliated and we left. I wrote two emails and left three phone messages for Rob or the Owner, Joe to call and was completely ignored. Then I thought they just let it go, only to be "re-kicked out" today saying that they "refunded the money". This place needs new management and I was really distressed. Rob admitted they were wrong, "but my hands are tied". It is not "members first" it is really all baloney. Very phony. read more

I absolutely love this gym. I have been a member for years and having tried other gyms in the past, I can tell you this that this one is great. You defintely get more than what you pay for. They have a wide range of free fitness classes, the staff is all very friendly, the facility itself is immaculate, there is a ton of equiptment available, and most importantly, they are always growing and improving. They are in the process of remodeling/ expanding in their newington location which will make it more convenient and will appeal to people of all fitness levels. In addition to working out by myself, I have also done personal training with Lisa who is amazing at what she does. With her help, I look and feel like a competely different person. While I doubt that anybody could say that a gym is one hundred percent perfect, big sky truly is the best gym around. I would defintely recommend this gym to anybody looking to have fun and improve their health and well being! read more

Trainer frequently missed sessions. Gym refused to honor anything after the automatic payments stopped.

Okay, good equipment (although I've seen lots of people "forget" to wipe their machines down after use ... but not so good on CUSTOMER SERVICE.) Their "sales" person seems bored with his job ... just wants to make the sale. Doesn't even smile ... just reads through the material. Same with the owner ... not user friendly. Actually RUDE would be a good way to describe him. Once you sign on ... the club doesn't have anything else to do with you. Forget if there is ever a problem ... a "third party" handles it. Can't really recommend this place. Too many other good work out places in the area. It's funny ... they should be doing everything to KEEP clients ... not alienate them. Stay away. Spend your money at a club that cares about you as a client. Here you are just another number. read more

Great facilities but a lot of times the staff at the front desk is just on their phones or don't even acknowledge their guests when they enter or leave. The trainers are very nice. read more

It's nearly impossible to cancel! They also pressure you to join with a trainer and if you don't, you're pretty much ignored. Trouble finding how to cancel since you cant do it through them directly but through some web site. grrr. Don't join if you think you may end the membership. read more

bigsky fitness and abc financial are contract scammers. once u sign up with them u can't get it cancelled. students especially--do not get caught up in their lies and pulling u into a contract. they will bleed u out of every penny they can get. i was a student at ccsu-transferred to a new school well over 25 miles--i sent them all the proof they required-they made excuses for everything-wouldn't accept any of it. i sent my drivers liscense, they said they couldn't see it-i sent it again-they said it needs to be a 'new' license even though my home address is on they said my license needs to be redone so the issue date is current-i said 'why'-should i pay for a new license to say the same thing, and i knew they wouldn't accept it anyway, another lie, i sent them my new school schedule, on letterhead (as they requested) w/proof of tuition payment, my bank current bank statement with my home address, i sent everything they required plus more. they still wouldn't accept it. so i faxed them the new pile of proof ever day. i told them i was never going to pay them another penny and that they could take me to court cuz i have proof that they r scammers. then i reminded them that no charges should even apply bcuz my account should be frozen during the summer-i called and faught them every day--finally they said the cancellation went thru-but i have to pay july and aug-i flipped-i've been trying to cancel since may! they said it's going on my credit report-i said -i'm 19-go ahead-and i will fight it and prove i am not at fault. i also told them i would gather everyone they sccrewed over and put a suite against them. do noooot sign up with them. trust me! do your research and see for urself-they keep putting their own reviews up to keep their rating high. no good scammers. read more

i have tried many gyms, WOW, planet fitness and La Fitness but i never have had the same comfortable feeling as Big Sky Newington... Its one of the Best gyms I've been to and the people are great. i see people writing reviews stating how the weights aren't put back. really its not the gyms fault but the people who use the weights have no etiquette and leave the weights all over the place..Some weights are ridiculously heavy too leaving 100lb dumbells on the floor and i consider my self a moderate lifter and i find this sort of disrespctful to the staff and other members, and the staff are made mostly of females no offense.. as a gym friendly user i always try to help put the weights back when they are misplaced by others... Anyways long story short great gym great people i love the vibe once I step in to the gym.. i dont miss other gyms but i do miss their swimming pool. if BG Sky will add a gym i would be very pleased besides that i'd give this gym an Easy A read more