This place is a true sanctuary in Newton. From the minute you walk in you know you're in a sacred…read morespace. The design and lighting is all so beautiful and has a simple elegance. The front desk staff almost seem like saints or gurus with their cheerful welcoming greeting and even their words of simple wisdom. The teachers are on such an advanced level that you feel their experience right away and their patience and compassion shines through. I was fortunate enough to have the unlimited month special and it was totally worth it. Thank you all, Namaste!

" I really enjoyed the beginner class here" I was…read moreintimidated to go to yoga . Thinking I have to be super fit and flexible like Gumby. An avid nerd I am none of the above . I am aware I wanted something physical. Plus something to relieve stress . This is the activity. Here they are helpful with anything you need . You feel welcomed . It's a friendly vibe. I definitely recommend this establishment.

I may only be taking advantage of 10% of what the YMCA offers, but so far, it is already WELL worth…read morethe price. The Kids Corner (babysitting) is fantastic. It's such a beautiful, bright and clean room, and the staff who take care of my kids are consistently fabulous -- a huge improvement from my previous gym which shall not be named where most of the staff didn't even seem to enjoy children. But the staff in the Kids Corner seem to genuinely care for the children and seem happy to be there! My daughter sucks on everything within a 2-foot radius, and I was happy to learn that they routinely clean the toys that have been sucked on! A couple other pluses: I love that the treadmills are equipped with live TV, Netflix and Hulu. The front desk staff are really friendly and helpful. There is a pretty wide variety of classes and I can't wait until the baby's nap schedule will allow me to partake in some! And the steam room! Ahhh, the steam room. A couple of things that I wish could be improved: 1) The parking. Though there is a TON of parking, it somehow doesn't seem to be enough! Around 10am on weekdays, it's pretty tough to find a spot. 2) The locker room is a little dingy. Clean, but it just feels old. Lastly, there is one huuuuuge plus that I didn't even know I needed: Diversity. Yes, you heard that right. Diversity. In Newton! Really! I love that when I bring my kids here, they will see people of all races, ages and abilities both as members and employees! I see people being treated with respect and care, and even just being near that makes you feel good, doesn't it? The YMCA is good for my soul, people. I'm so glad this place is here and has the mission it does. It really is a great place.

Five stars for Kids Corner, three to four for everything else. Lots of new equipment, friendly…read morestaff, lively atmosphere and family-friendly. The building is v v old though.

I have to admit that I was a little scared about going here with some co-workers, mostly because I…read moredidn't know what to expect. I was picturing a gym full of meat heads I guess, which is not my scene at all. This place is further from that picture than you could ever get. The atmosphere of the place is actually very chill/relaxing. It's a big open space with tons of interesting looking equipment. Josh is probably the most friendly and welcoming guy you could ever meet. We even talked running a bit, and he is full of helpful information! The class we took, Sweat Shop, was not at all what I was expecting. Josh makes the workout not only interesting, but fun and I got to use some of that interesting looking equipment. I had never used kettleballs or weighted bats (not sure what they are really called) before! I left a little sweaty, feeling like I had a very good workout, and I had fun on top of it. I'm a little sore the day after, which my body knows it means I had a great workout that was a full body workout! It's way better than the typical gym circut where you just go from dull machine to dull machine. I will defintely be coming back for more classes at Gymnasium. I'm paticularly interested in Yogabells and the fencing classes.

It's a few minutes before my first class and I am nervous. I hear a cool 80's song as I open the…read moredoor. Immediately I am greeted by the owner, Josh Conway. I see him peering over a desk flanked by tall plants, smiling at me. It looks like he is briefing one of his coaches for the upcoming class. I take off my shoes, briefly speak with him and then proceed to the changing room. I noticed behind him was a lighted library of books ranging from Chinese breathing techniques to the history of European sword fighting. What a nice collection of varied interests I thought. As I grab a cup of water from the bubbler Josh informs me that although optional, I needn't to keep my socks on for the workout --part of the strength training involves training the feet, naturally. As I stretch out before class I see an older couple finishing up their kettle bell routine. They chalk up their personal best on one of the chalkboards on the wall. I see that one chalkboard is filled with quotations, comments and words of encouragement written by various members. Another board describes what 'theme' it is for the day. 'Stamina.' Today's theme is stamina I thought. Yesterday was 'Power.' Tomorrow is 'Strength.' The couple comes over and says hello to me and we introduce ourselves. This is pretty cool I thought. As I look around I see that Gymnasium is a nicely designed, large two section studio with cozy lighting, wooden floors, floor to ceiling mirrors along one wall and a huge Gymnasium logo emblazoned against another. Thick and heavy ropes hang from the ceiling, next to a row of pull-up bars. There are many tires stacked like a wall in one corner. A large variety of kettlebells and Indian Clubs line the back wall. There are also hurdles, metal stands, rope, straps, foam bricks, sandbags, fitness ladders, a peg climb and many other tools for circuit use. Intimidated, but curious. A coach comes over to me, extends a hand and says hello to me. 'Hello, my name is Marlon" I reply. 'My first day here.' Several more members fill the room as the clock winds to 5pm. The coach instructs us to get into a circle. The mild chatter quiets down as the coach-led group begins with a twisting and breathing exercise as 'Simple Minds' softly gets us into the mood over the gym's sound system. It's been a hair over two months since I've joined Gymnasium. I clocked in at 228 pounds the day I signed up. Today I am 202 pounds. I can't believe it. Twice the results, half the time. At first I was skeptical because there weren't any 45 pound plates, barbells and ellipticals which are usual staple found at regular gyms. At the risk of sounding cliché, this isn't a regular gym. After a few workouts I found myself crawling on all fours, doing planks, swinging kettlebells, hurling sandbags and performing an endless variety of floor work. The exercises are always changing weekly too. No chance for my muscles to become accustomed to anything. What is key, is that since the classes are small you get a lot of attention from the coach. There are always two or three alternatives to each type of exercise. An experienced member might perform a more difficult version of a pushup exercise while a new member might do them inclined along a wall. Gymnasium recognizes that each person is different. Another thing which is cool is that the community at Gymnasium is very fun, social and lively. There are tables and couches to sit and read from the library, sip tea or coffee which Gymnasium provides, or just to hang out. Josh organizes many other fun events such as evening runs, a variety of seminars, kettlebell challenges and a 60 Day Food Challenge in which I am currently involved. There is a great deal of personalization and interaction which is seldom if ever found at other gyms. I am simply flabbergasted as to why I don't see a lot more people doing natural movement exercises like the kind found at Gymnasium. However, I do know that this style of training is increasing in popularity. Also this type of training isn't as 'sexy' as pushing 10 pound plates on a machine. But for the record, given by my results I would never step back into a 'regular' gym--not if being strong and balanced, moving optimally and losing weight was my goal. 2/25/13 Sincerely, Marlon V

I recently took a ski trip to Stowe with your group and I just wanted to give some feedback on the…read moretrip leaders. I went on 2/14 and my trip leaders were Ed and Chrissy, who were beyond fantastic. They were friendly and helpful, even though I can not even imagine how early they had to wake up to be on time for our pickup, especially with the T running on reduced schedules. Ed brought candy to surprise us with at the end of the trip-Hershey kisses for Valentine's Day! Chrissy was especially helpful to me-I forgot my ski pants on the day of the trip, but she was kind enough to lend me her extra pair, thus saving me at least $100! They were also very patient through our 5 hour bus ride back through the blizzard. Our bus driver from Academy, Thomas was also wonderful because they watched out for our safety while driving through the blizzard! I can not rave enough about the trip-it was wonderful and I will definitely look into taking more trips with BSSC in the future!

1 star is even too high to give for this awful league. We wanted to play in a men's league this…read moresummer, were ok with the fee stated online, and registered early. Before the first game, which was moved to a later date than stated online because they wanted to wait for another team to join (which screwed the entire scheduling over), the league came up with referee fees that needed to be paid in addition to the original fee. This was never stated anywhere and was simply made up for the referees to breath fresh air for about an hour and stand in one place the whole game. Not following the rules of soccer and concussion protocols is another issue. We emailed Ryder, the Program Manager for this league, who often did not answer emails that had simple questions from our team. His scheduling was awful, originally stating that games would be between 8-10, and then scheduled us two games at 7, knowing that adults have work on weekdays. Everything that is written online is fake, and is only used to get you to sign up. None of these people can run this league normally. During our third game of the season, half of our team could not continue and finish the game. One of these injuries is was a Torn ACL (meaning no soccer for our teammate for over a year), another was a hamstring injury for about a month, another was a groin injury for about a month. None of these injuries were even called to be a foul. The refs just stand in one spot and could not care less about what happens on the field. Our teammate said that he heard his knee pop, but did not even hear a whistle. Two games after that, our goalie saves a shot and has the ball in his hands. The other team just runs at him and kicks it out of his hands, hitting him in the head while doing so, scoring a goal after that, while our goalie is down. Do these refs even do concussion trainings, or any trainings at all? Do they know what can happen if someone gets kicked in the head? Then in the playoffs, we played a team we faced twice already. We know every player on that team already. The game is already starting late as the previous game went to penalties, but the ref calmly waits until some of their players are getting dressed. They have more than enough players to start the game, but he waits until their new players get ready. These new players don't even have the team jersey (which is required as stated online, don't have shinguards, which is also required as stated online, and have shirt colors that conflict with us). Then when they win by cheating, they go and have very very poor sportsmanship while we simply quietly go back to our bench after losing (I know sportsmanship policies are also stated online). All of these games, the ref uses very very bad and insulting language to one of our registered players who is on the sideline, who partially acts as a coach. Overall, terrible communication throughout, rules online that are not followed at all, and the league runs a month later than stated online. If you want to have fun playing soccer, please find another league. You will thank me later.

I came to FT in Newtonville after hearing rave reviews from a friend and she was right. The…read moreinstructors are dedicated, friendly ,and very professional. I trained twice a week with Mike (and sometimes with Ashley) and felt encouraged and supported every step of the way. I also felt he listened carefully to me, supported my goals, and helped me translate them into the changes I wanted to see in myself.

A great place to workout. They have small groups, flexible workouts, flexible times, and can focus…read moreon the different needs of different people. But it's really the quality of the people who work there that makes them stand out. They are very good at what they do.

Facilities are clean though dated, parking is easy, I love the option of the kids' pool, adults'…read morepool, and splash pad, something for everyone. The day pass fee for non-Newton residents is steep at $20 per person for what you get but I imagine it's supposed to be a deterrent. It's one of the "nicer" pool options in the area, but that's not saying much. Kids love it though.

Good location and fairy clean facility....but why not provide chairs if you can't bring your own?…read more I have frequented several pool around the area and they all offer lounge chairs or regular chairs and tables. It's very hard past the age of 20 to lay out on a towel on the ground. Ridiculous. Hopefully the new renovation coming will include places to sit and spend the day.

Love the heavy bag class here! The staff is super friendly too…read more There are no bells and whistles here though. It's not LA sports club. You're in a boxing gym, and the exposed rafters and the cement walls really add to the character of the place. I can't say enough about the people that work here. They're really intense with the workouts and really nice to everyone. They push you hard, but make you feel welcome. If you want an unconventional workout, try this place. I was bored with my cardio classes at the regular gym. I'm addicted to these boxing workouts though. I can't get enough.

Great classes at a no frills gym. Great exercise to add into your mix. And you get to punch a bagread more

this P.F has so many advantages. I used to be a member years back. So when I came fro years back. I…read morehope things have changed. it was much better. But when the newer manager was superior to him. Sandra ask is she's an owner I wish this wasn't a corporate place.. because her standards are much higher. She acts like an owner. It is not perfect but a lot of these reviews I find overly harsh. It is not perfect. And I am extremely picky. I could make several suggestions. The first would be that certain members could email her she would have rules because I know she doesn't give out her email address she would say something like this. I have given just a few people email purchase, but no or this, or that you can make suggestions of what you see and she would say what she wanted what she would not take. A few of the employees go above and beyond. Some of them are friendly but I don't consider them to be like the others. There's one person that works Saturday night I was like the music off 20-15 or 20 minutes before closing no messages OK I'm shutting off the music nope. But with this said, I found two employees excellent Marcus in the a.m. person who took his position morning I don't know her name she goes way above and beyond. She is quite special name, recognition and she really cares it's obvious. But over the last few days. I wish she was working because her last shift was Friday. What are the brand new machines broken it's so broken.. that cannot even move. So if you were extremely strong person, you could not do it.. and these are brand new machines. I actually called the company I try to get information they said after three different people I spoke with is a corporate issue item. So that is why you couldn't find your model. She said you gotta get the model name is serial number. I had Marcus look for cause I couldn't find it is I don't see serial number. And I believe this is the model number? The answer no But I have so many different questions about this machine in the staff rightfully couldn't do it. First to be like why do three of the fans not work at all and why is it so hard to hit? Enter his machines some of them do, but some don't I don't mean some of them do it some don't, but you can do certain things, but not everything I do with a lot of time, I happen to use the machine for a maximum time with a vengeance 19 minutes but when you don't follow the directions that are posted on the machine doesn't work . but since I sweat abnormally. 3.6 pounds Saturday and 3.8 Sunday. And before Sandra move the fan downstairs, I was going to say can we have another fan upstairs but no, she was downstairs with the weight lifters who I was gonna take a picture with a person with a winter hat on it right now the fans don't work on the machines, I asked for Marcus and Sandra only a Saturday or Sunday. They weren't there so I asked the girl they don't know her name tomorrow and they'll put auto order on machine is impossible to move. Bot on a good note. This machine does special things. It gives youI special information. (That no other machines do!) t gives you an impressive report card at the end of your workout and I am picky. Saw Mike wow, I'm impressed. impressive report card at the end of your workout and I'm picky too! But my assumption is. I might be correct might be wrong.. since these are supposed to be brand new, I don't believe so. Because these are only sold to corporate businesses, it is abnormal for machine like this page affective out of the box in my mind. These are defective when I see all these details and I can't use them with these doesn't make sense and when I called them, call them closer could you send me the model number and serial number? How old is the model number in the new machines on the personal level, look like this machine the screen Now I'm done with this review. But this one is for yelp. Why couldn't you make an adjustment and put the newest reviews first don't put 2018 I know that is so makes sense so I think you can fix that because yelp is important.

On 8/14/26, the men's locker room smelled so strongly of body odor, body spray, cologne, feces, and…read moreurine that on my way out I asked the front desk, "Any chance y'all forgot to turn on the exhaust fan in the men's locker room?" I was told there isn't one. No wonder I'm holding my breath every time I go in there. (The staff here are genuinely wonderful and unable to fix this issue because it's above their paygrade.) I was considering upgrading my membership so I could bring my brother. He's asthmatic, and I'm not bringing him into that room. I doubt it's good for anyone to spend more than a few minutes in there. I am not a lawyer or a building inspector, but this was upsetting enough that I called the building inspector and left a message naming the gym and describing what I experienced and what staff told me. Due to price and location I'll keep coming to this gym, but I will no longer be using the locker rooms, and it's infuriating to pay for a full membership when I can't use the full facilities because of inadequate ventilation. When I posted this review on Google Reviews, I got a reply from the owner that just invited me to reach out to staff with any concerns. Talk about a cookie-cutter, tone-deaf reply. I already did reach out to your staff when I alerted them to the issue. You're now aware (let's be real, you already were aware) that there's not proper ventilation in the men's locker room. If you resolve the issue, I'll update my review, but to suggest that solving this issue requires me alerting more of your staff to the fact that there's not proper ventilation in the men's locker room is absurd.

Can't say enough about how great this program is. Kids get to develop their core strength, balance…read moreand coordination in a laid back, fun environment. We have been participating in this program for over 2 years and currently have two of our children, ages 5 and 2.5 enrolled in it. They both love being a part of it. Coach Carter and Coach Pat, along with other coaches are excellent at engaging kids throughout the session. Also, great opportunity for parents to be outdoors! Highly recommend it!!!

The coaches are well skilled with little kids. Even I myself love the songs they sing with the…read morekids during practice. My 3 and 5 years old enjoyed the program with them.