I signed up for basic membership in Feb 2025 (19.99) but they have been charging me for the core…read moremembership (29.99). I went in to get this resolved, they told me I would be able to downgrade back to basic but I would have to pay a fee. On top of that, they said I would not be eligible for a refund or compensation for the extra amount charged. The gym manager (name is Drew) also told me, word for word, that basic members are able to utilize the benefits that are open to core and ultimate members only, because they have no mechanism in place to see whether each individual is a basic member or an ultimate member. So you can go in and use their massage chairs, tanning machine, red light therapy, all for the charge of a basic membership! Gym manager: Drew

I feel like I don't ask for much when it comes to a gym. I use to go to Crunch for years and be…read moreable to achieve my goals, hit my workouts the way I expect, etc. So moving here to Somerville, I was expecting Retro Fitness to fit my needs well as it says it is "inexpensive, offering new and modern equipment" when this gym has doubled its prices over the past year (Been a member since March 2025) and its equipment is standard and insignificant. There are certain machines that have been broken for long periods of times and very little air filtration which doesn't help with the lack of hygiene a lot of the members have. There is never any room to have a successful workout without struggling to find any parking nearby, waiting 20+ mins for machines to open up, staff that seem to barely ever leave their front desk to clean up the gym or replace cleaning wipes. I have always been a simple gym goer who feels accomplished from a good workout routine and seeing the results on myself. I have never been so unenthusiastic about going to a gym before until Retro Fitness. I have no motivation prior to going or any sense of happiness when I am there or leaving. This gym will suck the soul out of your body.

It's a good gym but it is not open 24 hours. To include it in a listing of 24 hour gyms is…read moremisrepresentation.

I've been a member of Planet Fitness for almost 6 years, with the Porter Square location as my home…read moregym. Although it has gone through ownership, management and staffing changes over the years, I have to say, Samantha (Manager) and her team have the gym in a state of near perfection. New equipment has been added. The entire place is ultra clean and maintained. The team members are all very knowledgeable and personable. I highly recommend this gym/location.

I can't believe I have not written a review so far! My favorite gym by far! Amazing classes, a…read morelovely spa area, friendly and accommodative staff and inclusive/judgement free environment. I didn't know I needed to be in an all-women environment to feel comfortable and judgement-free, but here we are! The membership is worth every penny. The Cambridge location is conveniently within the porter square plaza so the er is plenty of parking. Just try it - you'll remember me!

For more than a year, I was a member of this gym because I loved that it was a women-only space. I…read morebelieved it would be a place where all women felt supported, respected, and welcome. Unfortunately, my experience was very different. On several occasions, I felt a cold and unfriendly attitude toward me from the moment I walked through the door. As a Hispanic woman, I never felt completely welcome. The situation with the guest passes was simply the last straw. My daughter had previously been a member of this gym and is still in their system. She does not come with me regularly, which is exactly why using one of my guest passes seemed like a reasonable option. However, the way the situation was handled and the way I was treated left me feeling uncomfortable, embarrassed, and undervalued as a customer. I am not asking for special treatment. I am asking for the basic respect that every person deserves. It is sad to realize that a place that should make women feel safe and welcome can sometimes make some women feel excluded. After this experience, I decided to find a place where kindness, respect, and professionalism are part of the culture--not the exception.

Good classes and instructors and staff are really nice. The rooms aren't very clean. The bathrooms…read moreare so gross! The same stall in the women's room has been out of order in months and the toilet paper stands are often broken. They have two locations. The one in kendall square is a lot less busy.

Great gym, but they will scam you when you try to cancel! Fill out a form to cancel my gym…read moremembership since I was moving away from gym. They said it never went through. Refused to give me a refund even when I contacted the same day I was charged. Don't leave the gym until you have proof you cancelled or they will rip you off. Horrible experience, why can't they just play nice with customers. I always recommended this gym to locals but I guess that wouldn't help anymore. Had to go to credit card company to dispute charges.

Been reluctant to restart a workout routine. This place is great because it teaches replicable…read moreworouts. The coaches are all great but each has their own style which I like. You may just take classes with a few you like. Simple online interface.

I worked out for a year here and was sad to leave as I was moving out of the area. I had been doing…read morecrossfit for a year before then, and for my year at Commonwealth my technique improved immensely. The coaches like Brian, Larry and Abby are sticklers for technique, but as a result help you build safer foundations for movements. For example, I hadn't realized that I was basically throwing myself at the wall for handstand pushups when there was a much safer way of getting up on the wall, which then later allowed me to complete hand stand walks! People at this gym are great as well, laid back and relaxed. It's a great place to work out!

doesn't provide staff with lunch breaks, capitalizes off women without integrating their concerns…read moreinto their fitness journey, losing clients after the old franchiser left, entire workout program and management led by men, has Unqualified managers

Get in Shape for Women in Cambridge is one of the best places to work. John is a great boss and the…read moreclients are amazing. I worked there for 3.5 years and only left to work at a gym full time. I call it the Get In Shape family because it is and was my second home. I have nothing bad to say about this place:

I received training from Alex for a few months before I moved out of my place a bit far from the Y…read more He tracked my progress, kept me pushing at a pace I could keep up with, and adapted exercises to my needs. I noticeably improved my strength at a steady pace, and I enjoyed my time there. I left with some sadness at missing a pal to talk with about movies and random stuff. Couldn't recommend him more!

This gym continues to improve---they've just recently upgraded all their Life Fitness cardio…read moremachines (treadmills, ellipticals, & stationary bikes) to the latest "Club Series+ SE4" version which come with beautiful 24" touchscreen monitors. These monitors feature something like two dozen different "virtual terrain" selections where you can choose different places in the world where someone runs or bikes while wearing a GoPro camera, providing you with their POV experience of moving through scenic urban areas (Paris, San Francisco, Buenos Aires, etc) as well as stunning natural landscapes (tropical island jungles, desert trails, volcanic beaches, etc). This pretty much takes care of the #1 problem with cardio machines: soul-crushing BOREDOM from being stuck indoors huffing and puffing while going nowhere...in this case, a somewhat claustrophobic-feeling, fluorescent-lit basement gym. But with New England weather being what it is, especially those long dark winters when the sun sets at 4pm on icy/slushy sidewalks, what are you gonna do? Coupled with 5 separate free weight areas, a boxing gym with lots of free hanging bags including two Thai bags, and the highest-temperature sauna I've ever set foot in, this remains the best Y in the greater Boston area. Yeah it's in an old old non-pristine building (the Celtics used to practice in the upstairs basketball court during the 1960s, I've been told) that could use some massive sprucing up, but to be honest I'd rather they just invest in the actual fitness gear like they just did with these $11K treadmills! 4 and 1/2 stars (Deducting 1/2 star only because they continue to refuse to restore their pre-pandemic hours, when they closed at 10pm weeknights and 6pm on weekends.) Wish list of further upgrades: matched pairs of 20/24/28kg kettlebells, a Perform Better Glute-Bridge-Roller, and NON-eco showerheads so we don't waste so much TIME waiting for the soap to wash off.

Clean 25 yd pool that wasn't too crowded. I went after work and didn't have to share with more…read morethan one person. Also, there's a very large diving well and separate kiddy pool so the lanes don't get full of aqua-joggers or families. Compared to some other local (non-university) pools, it's not quite as over-chlorinated or quite as warm, and definitely cleaner. Cheap entry by day, multiple-session card (I did the 10 entries for $40 which I think is budget-friendly) or gym membership - although I haven't checked out the gym yet. Only complaint is limited hours of lap availability and no AM lap swim during the winter session.

I am trying out several different masters swim programs in the Boston area and this is my second…read moreone I've tried. (See my other review for Quincy masters). So, I have to say, this one is just okay. You get a decent workout, but it's not HARD. And the reason why is not because of the workout itself, but it's because there are no SEND OFF times. Basically, the workout is, you do X amount of sets, but resting wise, you just do 10 or 20 second rests after each set. And so personally I'm not motivated to swim faster because I'm not trying to do anything on a specific time constraint. I find myself a little less focused to go faster without sendoffs. Also, the workout is pretty much the same each time- you start with a warmup, then 2 underwaters, and then the main set, and then an IM set, and the same kind of sprints where you try and do each 25 with zero breath or one, or whatever it is. It's not a bad workout, but I'm incredibly bored because I know it's the same each time. The main set changes each time, of course, but the sameness of structure makes it kinda boring. We get a decent amount of yardage in- anywhere between 2400-3200 per hour and 15 minute workout time. Practices are twice a week. As for the coach, Elyssa, she is a lovely woman. However, she doesn't quite have the enthusiasm I'm personally looking for. I want somebody to yell at me and give me critique. However, in her defense, she does have to coach 6 lanes of people so I understand it's not easy to give personal attention, so I don't blame her. But personality wise, I like a little more spunk in my coach. But everyone is there for different reasons so it's hard for a coach to be everything. The one thing that really bugs me is the staff that works there at the front desk- they are SO unfriendly, rude, impatient and clearly underpaid. They are CRANKY and they are the first people I see when I walk into that building so it makes me want to not be there. The pool is about a 10 minute walk to Harvard T stop (cut off across Harvard campus will save you ample time), so it's not terrible in terms of location. Oh, the pool itself really sucks. First of all, there are bulk heads that's separating the different sections of the pool so there's nothing to GRAB onto when you're doing two hand touches; it's completely awkward and irritating. Imagine finishing and doing two hand touches on a wall. Also, when you get into the pool, they have these blocks that are covered by orange covers that sorta get in the way and make it hard for you to get in- not to mention it is IMPOSSIBLE to get out because of the depth. You have to swim to the ladder to get out of the pool, because there is no way you can get out from the pool otherwise. It's kinda ridiculous. Cost wise, it's $105 for 20 sessions, so that's $5.25 per session, which is pretty cheap. I've looked into many other programs and this is probably the cheapest one. So pros: -Pretty good location if you're in Cambridge -Decent yardage of workout -Nice coach -Inexpensive Cons: -Sucky pool -Unfriendly front desk staff -No real send off times, just go at your own pace (which can be a pro if that's what you are looking for) - A bit dull (atmosphere, people, some of the workouts) If you are in Cambridge and are looking for twice a week workout for fitness, this is probably a good option for you.

Solid. Unpretentious gym. Considerate members. No dirty towels lying around the locker room or…read moreequipment like other gyms. Great trainers.

Deteriorating conditions Stretch mats are an embarrassment…read more Equipment stays broken for weeks Go somewhere else

It has all the basic equipment I could need, staff is friendly, and it's never busy! The only con…read moreis it's pretty ancient but it looks like they've slowly been replacing equipment with newer stuff and they have chalk which I appreciate when it gets hot in there. The basic plan is $35 a month which is probably fitting for the area and you get access to other YMCAs so can't really complain.

After nearly five years away, went back today due to having a medical appointment just five minutes…read morefrom here. Very glad to see all the improvements that they've done: 1. Cardio room: replaced crappy old stationary bikes with two almost-new Keiser spin bikes---these are free of silly frills/gimmicks unlike the big hulking Life Fitness, Precor, or Cybex bikes but provide unmatched ergonomics and authentic bike-feel, which is why they are used in spin classes everywhere. Forgot how nice and strong the AC is...sigh, if only the weight room had the same! 2. Weight room: instead of a random hodgepodge of ancient dumbbells, they finally got a full matched set of Perform Better (also the best in the business) rubber coated dumbbells, two excellent Matrix multi-position adjustable benches, a full Valor Fitness squat cage with deadlift platform & arms, a Smith machine with deadlift arms, and a smattering of kettlebells including 25# and 40# pairs, topping out with 55# and 70# singles...80-100# would have been better, but a 70# max KB isn't bad. Some new weightroom accessories I've never seen anywhere else: a Titan multi-grip Olympic barbell, a fat barbell and fat lat-pulldown straight bar, a pair of 6" wooden blocks with handles, and a number of other unusual but useful training tools if you're willing to dig a little and use your improvisatory imagination. Of course they've kept some of the old stuff, like about 4-5 pairs of truly old-school York dumbbells and a gazillion of old rusty all metal weight plates (most gyms now use rubber coated plates with built in hand openings for easy carrying), but hey, better to have an over-abundance of old weights than not enough of the new weights (as sometimes happens in the newer gyms). 3. Elkay filtered water fountains in cardio room and by basketball court...this is a life-saver, literally! You don't want folks getting dehydrated just because they don't like the taste of a crappy old water fountain or tap water through 100 year old rusty pipes. 4. The small indoor track above the basketball court is about the same, but I noticed they've made the best of it by adding a Concept 2 rower in one corner (next to a Wing Chun dummy, which I have NEVER seen in a gym before, wow), a Stairmaster next to the 80lb hanging bag (vinyl Everlast, not bad) in the opposite corner, and a carefully stabilized "Power Tower" in the 3rd available corner. Now that they have kettlebells, the track is perfect for doing weighted carries (Suitcase C, Farmer's C, Cross-body C, etc) which is an incredibly useful full-body and core-intensive exercise most people overlook. All in all, I'd say that this Y while small and still burdened with the ravages of age (the locker rooms and showers are just as decrepit as ever), it does have about 90% of everything essential you really need. The Fitness Director, or whoever manages the workout rooms, has clearly put a lot of attention and care to make the best of their clearly shoestring budget...and does know what they're doing, and does it well. Their opening hours are relatively decent compared to the Cambridge Y or especially the Charlestown Y. Unlike those two places they offer free parking...big plus in this area! I do wish they would get rid of the silly "Health Center" extra membership tier that allows access to their mediocre saunas and just get two really good saunas built into a small increase in membership fees. Their membership fees remain a good 25% or so lower than that of other local Ys, but considering how old and small the place is, that makes perfect sense. If I lived 2-3 blocks away like I used to, I would still come here if I didn't have a car, or whenever I didn't feel like driving 15-30 minutes to better/bigger Ys nearby.