I had my new client introduction with Celia. When I expressed discomfort about providing an…read moreexcessive amount of personal information, she insisted. Later, she apologized, saying she understood I didn't want to share details "because ICE is snatching people off the streets." That comment was offensive and inappropriate, it felt like racial profiling. Having an accent or not being white does not mean I'm undocumented. I simply didn't want to provide unnecessary personal information.

TL;DR: I used to hate working out, but I now go to Pilates 3 days/week and have lost ~15 in 4…read moremonths. I love Pilates & this Pilates studio in particular. Diane owns the studio, and Amanda, Cilla, and Kate are the instructors. All of them are amazingly kind and supportive for any newbies looking to try Pilates. They're all STOTT trained, and they all love the work they do and really care about helping you advance. I had tried Pilates a few times before, and I hadn't been able to find a place in Boston that I liked. (I have tried two other studios in the area and left feeling miserable.) But all of the instructors here are so patient and helpful, taking time to talk with me and understand what I am trying to get out of these sessions, and I have seen a dramatic change in my body since I started in October. My upper back doesn't hurt any more; my leggings are loose; my body is stronger; my energy is up; and my mood is better. Before you can take any group classes, you have to do the intro private sessions (I think to make sure you don't injure yourself...which was, at least for me, so very possible lol). I started with once a week then progressed up to three times a week when I noticed how great I was feeling. I have continued with a mix of private and group classes, and I love it. I can not recommend FitLab enough. In fact, I recommend FitLab to everyone in my life--friends, colleagues, everyone lol. It has really changed my body, health, and life.

If you reading this review because you are thinking of purchasing a BuyWithMe/Gilt City offer, I am…read morewriting this to save you $59. I purchased the same BuyWithMe voucher last winter at the same price, which rewarded me three 45 minute personal training sessions. I should have known by first glance that this was a bad idea. This gym is located in a depressing parking lot and it gets worse when you walk inside. This place is in serious disrepair. We're talking faded, chipped walls and random garbage left in corners. If Ben Affleck decides to make Gone Baby Gone 2, he'd be wise to shoot the movie here if he wants to capture how depressing Boston life can be. I'm no Nancy, that my was my mother's name, so I can overlook the decor. My main problem with this place was the owner/trainer Norm. Perhaps a decent human being, but this man should not be a personal trainer or businessman. My first session consisted mostly of hitting a tire with some oversized mallet (probably stolen from a county fair), some kettle bell dancing, and jumping jacks. After about 25 minutes, Norm declared our session over and invited me inside his office. Once seated, I felt like I was at Ernie Boch Honda and about to get screwed. Norm gave me the hard sell on signing up for more sessions beyond the three I purchased. He questioned my commitment to fitness and asked why I was even there. I politely brushed off these statements and I said I'd decide after the next or last session. During the second session, Norm and I did exactly the same basic exercises. I barely broke a sweat. There was one new thing though. At the end of our brief (yep 25 of 45 minutes) session, Norm told me he wanted to show me something "special," and declared I should get on my back. Norm lifted my right leg, straddled it with his right shoulder and leaned in. HEAVEN. I can't even put into the English, the sensations I felt . Norm said that was "The Norm Stretch." If you happen to be reading this review after you purchased the voucher, the pleasure of the "Norm Stretch" can help make up for the lost money. It's the only reason I'm giving this place one star instead of zero, besides the fact you can't give zero stars on Yelp. Again, instead of giving me the full 45 minute training session, nearly half of it was dedicated to sales pitch. All I wanted to do was schedule my third pre-paid session, but Norm was like a Willy Loman that wouldn't quit. He tried to appeal to my emotions, painting a visual picture of a thinner, more muscular Nat, jet skiing on the Charles River with a few Harvard Hotties on my side. After that failed, he tried the insult route, saying the fact I wasn't signing up for more sessions (beyond the deal) was a sign I was not ready for fitness. He also added maybe I don't deserve fitness. While I should have been terribly offended, it was obvious Norm just did not want me to come for my third, pre-paid session. In the end, I decided to grant Norm's wish. There would be no third session, and of course no fourth or fifth. If Norm focused on the quality of his training sessions versus signing me up for a long term commitment, maybe I would have bought more. In the end, $60 for a regular price "45" minute session is just way too much to pay someone when the only value Trainer Norm offered was counting my jumping jacks for me.

I really let my health fall apart towards the end of college, and I'd never really done a proper…read morephysical training program. So I decided that some expert assistance was in order and, after shopping around, started training sessions at Fitness Together. Within a year, I'd lost that senior-year weight gain, built more muscle than I'd ever had before, brought my cardiovascular fitness up into the healthy range, and learned a whole lot about exercise. The trainers at FT were great at providing expert advice, encouragement, and an exercise program well tuned to my goals. The only downside is that one-on-one training is accordingly expensive (though reasonably so, and FT seems to offer a lower price than some places that offer training as a supplemental service). And, of course, training can be no better than the effort you're willing to put into it. But if you have some funds to spare and want the best effort multiplier for your fitness program, personal training is the way to go and I'd highly recommend Fitness Together.

So great to have connected with the nice folks at Rx Strength Training when I was visiting this…read moreweek in the Boston area. All the right equipment and plenty of it. Lots of weightlifting platforms, full sets of plates in either kg or lbs. Very welcoming atmosphere and it was easy to see that the regulars had excellent gym etiquette, even the fur members who seemed very comfortable in this gym. Thanks for hosting me when I needed to drop in. Highly recommend!

Too good to be true not this gym! The people here are super down to earth and friendly. The vibe…read morehere is good just people who want to workout and encourage each other to challenge themselves. The owner Jeff is not only welcoming but very supportive and engaging with each member. HE really cares about teaching and demonstrating proper form and making everyone feel welcome. Come check it out

It's definitely a smaller gym but I think it offers everything you might need! It even has a sauna…read moreand stays open on the weekends until 4! The employees are super nice and helpful as well. They also offer personal training if that is your jam.

This gym is extremely annoying and does not make this space accessible. A worker recently…read moreinterrupted my partners workout and rudely told him to leave despite still having 5 minutes before the establishment closed. Owner has also complained about weights hitting the floor in a supposed attempt to be mindful of occupants downstairs. Extremely unprofessional - go elsewhere.

Great gym! Huge weight room area and has a women's section only. Plenty of equipment to get a good…read moreworkout in for a reasonable price.

This place is such a scam they claim to be the best gym in somerville and all they want is your…read morecredit card info so they can continue to charge your card even after you canceled your membership. DONT GO TO THIS GYM

I called today with a simple question about their advertised 30-day trial. The woman, who raspily…read moresounds about 60 years old, answered the phone and sounded DEEPLY inconvenienced by having to do her job. When I asked whether stopping by today for the 30-day trial would result in a charge, she snapped that it would be a $20 day pass if I'm going for just a day. Fine. I then asked a very basic, reasonable question: if I tried the gym during the 30-day trial and decided it wasn't a good fit, would I still be charged? Instead of answering, she replied, verbatim, "I mean, come on, we're trying to grow a business, honey." Her fixation on "growing the business" came across as aggressively cheap and wildly unprofessional. I kept my composure and kept it professional, unlike the miserable front desk speaker. I repeated my question and she finally confirmed that no, I would not be charged. By that point, the damage was done. I went to try out a different gym and signed up elsewhere! And not to mention the neon green and blue theme would've been a sensory nightmare to be in anyway. It takes real talent to turn a simple question into a reason to lose a customer, but she managed it effortlessly. Ridiculous! And by the way, there is absolutely no way to justify this experience, if the owner tries and responds. She knows exactly what she said, and she most definitely did NOT grow her business today!

Horrific customer service. These people absolutely do not want to help you when it comes to matters…read moreof billing or cancellation of services.

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.

Been to a lot of different studios and this one is definitely my favorite. Very clean and friendly…read moreatmosphere. Billye's class on saturday mornings will definitely make you sore the next morning but in the best way! Make sure to bring your own towels.

Great gym with wonderful, enthusiastic staff. Lea is an awesome, encouraging, and skilled personal…read moretrainer. Strongly suggest P+E to those looking for a something more than the typical gym experience