Elisabetta is the best trainer you could ask for! She is charismatic, fun, and kicks your butt! In…read moreour sessions, she strikes the perfect balance between encouraging me and pushing me. She never forces me to do anything too difficult for my strength level, but she pushes me to my limit and then is genuinely proud when I reach our goals. I feel stronger and know my body and its abilities better because of her.

Elisabetta is a fabulous trainer. I started working with her about 2-1/2 years ago when I was…read moretraining for an endurance cross country skiing event. Elisabetta is very knowledgeable about the body and what exercises are best for your fitness goals. In the process of working with Elisabetta, not only did I get in shape for the event, but I started taking better care of my body nutritionally. It all goes together. I thank Elisabetta for getting me on the road to fitness and keeping me moving forward. She encourages me to do more than I think I can. If you're looking for a great personal trainer who will design a fitness program for you and adjust it as your needs and desires change, Elisabetta is for you!

If you are looking for a challenging Pilates class with great technique, Angel is your gal. For…read moreover 4 years, I have taken group Pilates, semi-private and private equipment classes from Angel. She brings infectious enthusiasm, humor and DRIVE to every workout. Even the days that I just don't feel up to a class, I know once I get there I won't regret it. I always leave her classes feeling strong and empowered. My body has definitely changed over the years - I am strong from the core out. To shake up my exercise routine, I also take Zumba classes from Angel. It is clear that she brings a deep history of aerobic training to her Zumba classes - YOU SWEAT and have a lot of FUN. If you can catch a Pilates or Zumba class with Angel you won't regret it!!

Johanna Sunday class at Equinox (RX series), where she uses the yoga tune-up balls is one of the…read morebest classes I have been to. I started playing tennis recently, and have a lot of sore areas. After the class I felt 100% better. I was going to play tennis in the afternoon, and was doubtful that I would be able to play properly. After the class, my shoulder and back was much better, and was able to play for 3 hours. I really like Johanna's teaching style, she has a very calming manner, and has a insightful and amusing way of explaining the details. I am going to try and get to her 11am class regularly and try to attend her other classes too!

I walked in to a class by Johanna at Darshana Yoga (now closed due to site construction) and…read morerealized I had finally found the right teacher! . Luckily, she teaches at the California Yoga Center as well as in a studio on College Av in Palo Alto (and other venues). I now attend her classes three times a week and no matter my work load or family commitments, I just show up Johanna brings a great ethic, sincerity and joy to the class and the positive energy rubs off quickly as she reminds you to smile when you are trying to do a challenging pose. She has deep knowledge of her subject and an ability to share it very effectively. Her instructions are precise and follow a time sequence to achieve the asana that make you aware of every muscle and joint being used to get there properly. Her particular focus to bring awareness to our feet and its connections to the hips to correctly practice an asana make all the difference. The same asana can be practiced by many students at different levels of experience, yet every person gets adjustments, specific instructions to overcome their challenges and everyone can go a little deeper at their own level. I am amazed that Johanna can have a beginner and an experienced intermediate level student enjoy the same class. Many a time she ends her class with a touch of peppermint and rose essential oil on your wrist or a lovely poem or a thought that makes one realize that we have to stop and smell the flowers instead of rushing through life's responsibilities. Having a history of chronic back pain, starting with a fractured atlas C1 many years ago I now find that going to Johanna's class completely rids me of my upper and lower back pain. The blackberry/computer hands get to decompress. I feel renewed afterwards. I have even stopped going to physical therapy and go to yoga instead. I have had many yoga teachers in India and in California and for me Johanna is one of the best. I felt lost among the many Palo Alto studios with fast paced yoga classes that almost reminded me of aerobics classes with barely any instruction and no adjustments or depth in the practice.What a relief to find a teacher I can learn from over the long term to really have a deep yoga practice. If you really want to learn deeply, she is the teacher for you!

Very nice equipments, ambience and playlist! The teacher were super nice and friendly!read more

I have been going to Heartcore on and off for over 6 months, and I've enjoyed every class I've…read moretaken so far! I appreciate the Off Peak class pricing in this economy, and I tend to book those classes since they're cheaper. These classes are often taught by Krystal and Sunny, and they've quickly become my favorites! They're so patient with newer members. I don't like being touched by instructors during my workouts when they're trying to correct my form, and Krystal+Sunny are able to tell me verbally how to correct my form without touching me. I get a great workout and I'm noticing results - my biceps are getting more muscular as I've become more consistent in the last two months!

I tore a tendon in my rotator cuff because I lacked muscle. My physical therapist assigned…read moreexercises, but it seemed like I was prone to tearing other tendons if I didn't start building muscle. I chose Palo Alto Fit because of its location and one-on-one training rather than a group class at, let's say, 24H Fitness. Before coming here, I didn't know how to use any of the machines, how to target certain muscle groups, or how to set reasonable goals while keeping track of my progress. However, through each session, I've learned how to use these machines and set goals for the week (especially regarding diet and lifestyle choices) so when I go about my day to day or do workouts on my own, I know how to determine an appropriate goal, workout weight, or set up a machine properly for myself. I knew I needed someone to help me one-on-one to understand my areas of improvement, and when receiving help and support, I strongly value consistency in my mentor/coach/tutor, which it seems PAF also values. I've been able to reschedule sessions (even last minute) while keeping my same coach, which is another point of appreciation! PAF starts you off with a free fitness assessment where they take your in-body scan and you talk about your goals. Every 4 weeks, you do another scan, and it's been great seeing and physically feeling the results!! It's been about 6 months now, and I only go once a week due to finances and scheduling, but it's worth every penny and I genuinely look forward to my workouts with my coach. My coach, Coach Joshua Villagomez, is well-versed in physiology and genuinely listens to me during the workouts and when I say I want to focus on a specific thing for my body. He pushes me to grow stronger and beyond the limits of what I could have ever imagined myself doing, and seeing the progress in the results has been seriously worth it. I've completed physical therapy much quicker than anticipated, and I'm now able to do more than before in terms of shoulder mobility and usage. I'm extremely grateful to him! I know everyone says their coach is the best, but he's seriously THE BEST. One thing that really helped me personally for financing this fitness journey was the flexibility for packages. They asked for the payment for the 12-week package (chose this package based on my goals and schedule) upfront. I genuinely can't afford that, but Nina (the owner) was kind enough to make a custom package that was realistically payable for me. She didn't want to turn me away because at the end of the day, health is wealth, and she helped me make that a priority. I'm not quite a gym rat yet, maybe just gym gerbil, but I'm excited to continue my health journey with my coach and PAF! -- Other things to note: - lockers, showers, small microfiber towels provided - I've even borrowed workout gloves when I felt like my hands were hurting from lifting the bar (an unfamiliar thing for me) - everything is kept extremely clean; it even smells clean all the time - water fountain inside - very well temperature-controlled (it could be 10° or 100° outside, but the inside is a good room temp) and good air flow - high ceilings - natural light - parking is easy (lot behind the building, street parking, and city garage across the street)

I've been with Palo Alto Fit for over 6 months now and cannot say enough about how great it is…read more Excellent trainers. Stunning facility. Utmost professionalism. I highly recommend it if you are looking to take your fitness up a notch.

I am deeply disappointed by the complete lack of empathy and rigid corporate attitude at…read moreYogaSource. I have been a member, but recently had to request a pause on my account due to a serious medical diagnosis: severe clinical anemia. My doctor strictly prohibited all physical activity because of high risks of fainting (syncope), shortness of breath, and neurological symptoms. This is not a choice; it's a medical necessity. When I reached out to freeze my membership during my recovery, I was told by Bailey from the "YogaSource team" that I would be charged a $25/month pause fee for March and April. They wanted to charge me to NOT use their services while I am physically incapacitated. When I explained that charging a fee under these extreme medical circumstances was unreasonable and asked to simply cancel without a penalty, their response was even more cold. They cited a strict "30-day notice" policy, informed me that I must make one last full membership payment on 3/24, and then offered to turn that final $99 charge into an "account credit" for a future in-studio purchase. YogaSource would rather force a final payment out of a sick member than show a shred of understanding. Forcing a credit I can only use if I return shows they care more about future revenue than a person's current health crisis. If you are looking for a community that values its members' well-being, stay far away from this place. Their policy-over-people approach is predatory and heartless. UPDATE: The owner, Christina, reached out to me personally after seeing my review. She was very empathetic, admitted the situation was mishandled, and clarified that they do not charge fees for medical emergencies. While the initial experience was stressful, I am very impressed with the owner's integrity and her commitment to doing the right thing for her members. I feel much better about returning to this studio once I am recovered.

I took many classes here from 2024-25: regular (non-heated) vinyasa, slow flow vinyasa, hot…read morePilates, and restorative yoga. Overall, my experience has been good and I would recommend the studio. However, a few things you should know before you go: - Classes can get very crowded (I don't believe there's a cap on students) so sometimes there will be very little space for you to put down your mat and stretch. - There are a lot of heated classes here, and if a non-heated class follows a heated class, the studio will still be warm. If you don't mind warm rooms it won't be an issue, but as someone who really can't tolerate exercising in rooms that are not cool/borderline cold, this was a big reason that I eventually stopped coming here. - Parking in downtown Palo Alto is difficult during peak hours (after 5 PM on weekdays and especially on weekends between 10 AM to 7 PM), so you should budget parking time accordingly. With all that said, here are more detailed impressions of each type of class: - Vinyasa: Nice flow sequence. Lots of attention to breath work, mindfulness, form. Plenty of modifications offered. Soothing environment. - Slow flow vinyasa: Same as above, but at a slower pace, with somewhat less challenging movements. - Hot Pilates: This class is incredibly popular and gets very crowded on weekends. It is more of a Pilates-inspired aerobics class than classical slow-flow Pilates: the music is loud and upbeat, there is a lot of squeezing and pulsing done to the beat, cardio (jumps, mountain climbers, etc.), and light resistance work with 1-3 pound weights and resistance bands. The class is too fast-paced for teachers to offer individual corrections, but they do provide modifications. I think the room is heated above 100 degrees but I'm not sure; either way, you will sweat buckets. If you like heated workouts, you will love this, but as someone who struggles even with warm rooms I simply couldn't cope with the heat. To each their own though. - Restorative yoga: The poses are relaxing but the teacher talks a lot for a restorative class. Most of the time, she is giving Buddhist-inflected encouragements to self-reflection, which I think I would appreciate if I was more interested in Buddhism but sometimes I just want to rest.

I came to this location to try out Pilates for the first time. I signed up online easily for $20…read morefor my first visit. I arrived about 10 minutes early, thinking I would get a quick tutorial but I did not. Of course I have seen pilates in videos before, but did not know the terms or how to use the reformer properly. I just went with the flow of class and what the instructor was saying. From time to time, she did come to correct me, but otherwise who knows if I was doing the moves correctly. It was overall a good class, would have been better if I was given a quick run down but that was not the case.

TL:DR - highly recommend!…read more My rocksalt journey started a little over two years ago. I've tried so many group classes (kick boxing, cycling, group power, HIIT, yoga, etc) but never stayed with any, until now! I started with one class per week and now I make time to go three times, along with my other activities. I have tried 4 other Pilates studios in the PA/MP/RWC area and rocksalt is my favorite in terms of overall quality of the workout and value. Love the vibe. The owner, Christine, is a literal rockstar, absolute best! She's so fit and strong - inspiration to us all! Her classes are energetic, challenging yet fun! She was my first class and SOLD me! I feel so good and proud of myself after each workout. Also love Ruth and Marissa but all her instructors are awesome! Studio is clean, tidy and welcoming. Christine owns both the RWC and MP I've always been average build and a healthy weight. I was active and my goals were to tone up and build strength and rocksalt did that for me! Even my critical Asian mother approves - this is huge! Couple tips for newbies: 1. There are three types of classes (all 50 minutes): stretch, strength, sweat. They all have a combo of cardio and strength, depending on the type of class, the emphasis is where it differs. For your first one, I recommend "stretch". 2. Take it easy. Each instructor will give modifications for different levels. I also love that they are very gentle and discreet when correcting your form (that was me a lot in the beginning!) Don't be discouraged if you cannot do everything. 3. Pay attention to the instructor's direction on form/placement. Eg feet under the silver footbar, don't go past the shoulders. These make a huge difference. 4. Give it at least 3 classes. After my first class, I was super sore! I felt so challenged. But I persevered and so glad I did! (after 2 months, even my friends complimented that I was more toned) 5. Come early for your first class so the instructor can show you the basics. Pilates reformer classes are one of the best investments I've made for my health. I also truly enjoy the classes and being inspired by others (ladies much older than me in better shape and way stronger!). Hope this was helpful!

YOLA offers a wonderful yoga experience with excellent teachers and a friendly, welcoming staff…read more teachers like Toni, Louis, Tammy, and Birgit are all highly experienced and bring their own unique specialties to their classes. The diverse class schedule provides a refreshing change from the cookie-cutter approach often found in corporate yoga studios, offering a variety of practices to suit different needs. I also appreciate the chance to enjoy a cup of tea before or after class.

The best yoga studio!! Great teachers, other clients, and…read morevenue Theresa is the best on Friday evenings, but they all r great!!