Full disclosure: I was invited to attend a training session at Krav Maga Oregon: Salem by a…read morefriend, who is a Krav Maga instructor and was teaching a class at this location. I am quite sure my experience could be coloured by the fact that I am fond of her as a person, so I will do my best to be objective based on environment, what is offered, and surroundings. Also, I work in the public safety field, so I have been through numerous self-defense courses and various organized physical activities. This facility is small, essentially one medium-sized room with some roll-up doors that lead to the alley outside. The floor is the typical soft mat that runs from wall to wall. It is very stark, very basic, and there's not a lot of clutter. There are a number of round weights to attach to bars, but they are not very heavy...I believe they only went up to 7 pounds. The reason for that is the Krav Maga system utilizes repetition and motion, rather then bulk weight. The class I attended was more of a cardio/physical conditioning class than a combat tactics class. The acoustics made it slightly difficult to hear the instructor, because of the high ceiling and the open doors, but the sound system for the music was top notch and kept things pumping. The class lasted a little over an hour and was very physically intensive. There was a brief warm-up phase that involved the usual calisthenics, followed by almost a solid hour of low weight exercises in a variety of positions, i.e. standing, sitting, and lying down. You can go at your own pace and with your own weight, but she was quick to make suggestions on when to raise or lower your weight limit, to try and achieve better results. The class was relatively small, with only about eight people, and was very jovial and boisterous. There was a lot of bantering back and forth between the students and instructor, and joking, which kept the energy level high. I noticed they had water and energy drinks for sale, but the price seemed a little high. The classes themselves appear to have an enrollment fee of about 80 bucks, with a monthly fee of 125, going down about fifteen bucks when you sign up for three, six, or twelve months. There also appears to be a discount if you pre-pay for a block of time in advance. I was also told they offer "punch cards," where you essentially pay $120 for ten visits, which obviously works out to 12 bucks a visit. Honestly, that's about average for self-defense or martial arts classes in the Salem Area that I've seen, although a little high as most of those offer some sort of personal, one-on-one training. This is also not a training facility useful for small children or adolescents. It's my understanding that during the combat training, it can be quite painful and very direct. The purpose of this Krav Maga studio is self-defense and is very strongly directed towards military, police, corrections, and other public safety officers, although useful to everyone. It is not a "get fit and have fun" kind of discipline, although that happens. It's really aimed at practical usage, so be aware that that is the mentality and the environment to expect while there. Overall, I'd recommend it if you were serious about learning a proven fighting style, don't want to prance about in a fancy robe, don't care about getting a bunch of coloured belts, or don't want to pretend that a six year old kid with a higher belt level then you is hurting you when he kicks you in the leg. Hai-ya!

I train at KMOR whenever I'm on vacation in Salem. Normally, I train in southern CA. Every school…read morehas its strengths and its own personality. I always appreciate the hospitality at KMOR and the top-rate instructors who are active professionals in law enforcement. Class size is generally small. Usually six or less. The small class size can be a great advantage, however, because the instructors can pay attention to the details of each technique. Many KM schools have such large class sizes that technique and proper instruction suffers. But that's not the case at KMOR. The facility is well maintained and clean. But this might not be the place for you if you don't care for dogs. The owner's dog is a frequent, albeit friendly and well-mannered, visitor. Personally, I don't mind it, but I know my husband would never train here for this reason. The only disadvantage of the school is the limited training times and lack of advanced classes. Right now, the school only runs levels 1 and 2 KM classes.

This is a great little gym. While it's a bit dated all the equipment works and the staff is really…read morehelpful. You can use this gym 24 hours once signed up. They are also inclusive to all people. So we signed up here to support them.

GREAT community gym. The staff and instructors are friendly and will work to help you modify…read moreworkouts to suit your needs. No funky egos, even the members are helpful and kind to each other!

The good? Lots of equipment, classes, pickleball (though they charge an extra $27/ mo), indoor…read morewalking path, pool, hot tub and gym. Staff are very friendly. The bad? Overcrowded (maybe membership should be capped?). Parking is terrible and they do not enforce parking permits. They allow very young (like under 4 or so) kids in the hot tub. This should be only for adults and maybe teens. It is not an extra swimming pool where kids pee. Overall, it's okay, and I'll stay, but it may not be for everyone.

Make no mistake, this is still very much a Man's gym…read more My best girlfriend had been going to the Y, taking classes, fully participating in activities offered, etc. for quite some time and had convinced me to go with her and try her gym. We did a brief tour and went into the lapswim pool, after 15minutes we combined and split a lane to help accommodate the new people coming in. 45 minutes into our mindful movement/isolation exercises we were approached by pair of younger men who had been watching our lane and were asked to move over to the next lane because "they couldn't swim the way they wanted to" in that lane. My friend obliged, and we moved over and continued with our routine. When we swam by the lifeguard who had watched the exchange, my friend asked her for clarification on what made the end lane special and why we were asked to move. The lifeguard informed us that we were now in the walking aerobic lane, which did not permit lane swimming- which we had been doing, and that the men shouldn't have asked us to leave our lane, essentially booting us from the equiptment we were using. We weren't done with our workouts. My friend asked why we were then asked to exit our lane, and the lifeguard called for a higher authority on her walkie-talkie. We exited the walking lane and after a moment a woman who had been speaking to the lifeguard approached us and introduced herself as the Aquadic Director, she asked us to explain what happened. And after reiterating the same story the lifeguard had told her, she explained to us that the only other option the pair of men would have had was to join our lane and circulate swim with us. We didn't have an issue with that. We asked who has priority to equipment and were told it was a first-come-first-serve system. Rather than elbowing our way back into our lane with two men that outsized us, we decided to end our gym experience early but my friend told the director that she wanted those rules explained to the offending guys, and that's where the problem lied. This woman had an immediate hesitation and began stammering on how she didn't want to escalate the situation by bothering them if we were going to leave. My friend insisted it was the principle of the matter, and that if the gym didn't have a priority list than the same set of rules should be followed by all paying patrons. The Aquadic Director had absolutely zero interest in approaching the pair of men who asked us to move for them and after a moment of back and forth between her and my friend, I calmly said, "This is bullshit." This gave the Aquadic Director the out she needed and she quickly turned the conversation to lecture me on how profanity isn't accepted on the pool deck. We were three adult women without a child in sight, having a conversation amongst ourselves, but I told her I understood and was on my way out. I returned to the locker room, showered and changed, and met back up with my friend who I left by the poolside to continue with the Aquadic Director, who did reluctantly have a brief conversation with the two guys at the insistence of my friend. As we were leaving the locker room a male employee pulled my friend aside and said that the Aquadic Director wanted to have another conversation. We told him that was fine, but we weren't going to have it in the locker room shower hall, and moved it to the lobby. We waited for the Aquadic Director in the lobby of the Y for no less than 5 minutes, zero appearance. My friend told the male employee that the locker rooms were not an appropriate place to ambush two women into conversation, and that in the future exiting members will most likely by found by the exit. The employee, Carson, said we weren't in the locker room, even though we were surrounded by lockers and a bay of showers when he stopped us from leaving. He literally turned his back to us mid conversation to instead pace up and down the hall and speak with another employee. After an interrupted workout, staff's unwillingness to address gym issues, an ambush in the locker room, and literally having employees turn their backs to us after being asked to wait to speak with them- we left. It was quite the mental workout, if nothing else. Needless to say, the Younge Men's Christian Association is still very much a male centered gym, when they have Women and Colored's events we may be inclined to try to lapswim again, but in the meantime I'd advise againt recommending this place to a wider demographic. I'm sorry my friend wasted her visitors' pass on me, but I think this experience was enough to decide membership dues on.

Michelle has been such a godsend to me, both via her skills with massage and her knowledge of…read morehealthy food practices. Massage has always been effective in keeping my pain level down in my leg, neck and shoulders from some skiing accidents. Michelle has such a calm way about her as she decides how to achieve what I need for that appointment. She introduced me to "cupping" and explained why she believes in it. Fantastic results from the cupping and her skill in loosening up "knots" is the best I have ever experienced. Highly, highly recommend Michelle for your massage needs. Her business area is clean, soothing, professional and she has more knowledge in her little finger than most therapists I have gone to for the past 30 years. She will help you! Yvonne

From the owner: Reiki & Reiki I, II, & III Classes Energy Medicine…read moreSound Healing Sessions Singing Bowl Meditations Psychic Medium Readings Psychic Development Classes & Mentorship Spiritual Coaching/Guidance Reflexology Spirit & Entity Removal

I started training with Mike about two months ago. Already I am stronger and running faster. I love…read moreworking with Mike because most of the exercises are not on machines but use my body weight and lots of balance. He sends me home each week with homework tailored to my schedule and my personal goals. Also, Mike is about as nice as they come. I never feel foolish or self conscious. He gets it and never makes me feel bad when I have a rough week. I totally recommend him!

I have been training with Mike Welch for over 2 years now. In that time, I've lost 65 lbs and gone…read morefrom a sedentary, junk food eating, smoker to an ex-smoker who loves to run and workout and hike and live life to the fullest. Mike himself went through a journey of weightloss of over 80 lbs or so and knows exactly where I was coming from. He's great at motivation and tailoring a program directly to you. I always say that I am his most difficult client (I'm pretty pig headed and push back all the time) but he's always able to get me to do what's right and good for my body without making me feel uncomfortable or silly. I cannot recommend him highly enough. Mike is ACSM certified and he's the best around.