I'll miss this place. Honestly, going off quality alone, the RSF is a very high quality gym with…read moremultiple rooms for anything you want to do, including combat sports like boxing or martial arts, basketball, squash, stretching rooms, group fitness rooms, and an Olympic-style pool. To be honest, I don't use all of those very much, but I use the weights a lot, and the weight rooms are also amazing. There are about 3 weight rooms, with most of the machines you'd ever want as well as 10 full power racks, so about 10 people can bench at a time and 20 people can do other barbell movements, not to mention the abundance of additional floor space for deadlifts. Where the RSF shines above commercial gyms is the availability of equipment. There are an insane abundance of plates, including 2.5 and 1.25 lb plates for micro loading and plenty of clips. There are also yoga mats, stretching equipment, barbell pads, and lifting belts that can be borrowed from the staff. The gym is also always very clean. The only negatives about the gym is that the staff are a little stricter than commercial gyms, such as that people always have to use clips, though this is fairly sensible. The bigger downside is that they don't allow any Olympic style movement (snatch, clean and jerk, etc.) so if you're interested in training these at all, this might not be the gym for you. Also, it often gets a little crowded during the school year peaking at around 5-7pm on weekdays (after classes get out), but that's expected, considering that there are like 30,000 people who have a membership to the gym at a given time (students of the university receive free access). Overall, if you are a student or otherwise have free access to the RSF, it really is a 5 star gym for most purposes, but as an outside person purchasing a membership, it'd probably be closer to 3 stars just because the membership is quite expensive and it often gets crowded.

This review is long overdue form my time at Cal, but I went to RSF throughout my time at Berkeley…read moreand loved it. It was fairly good and clean gym, they do get super busy in the evenings and have time limits for machines (during busy times), but oh well. I did take taekwondo there too, though though I wasn't too keen on the teaching style. I did love the equipment, mostly running, used the pool, and it was fairly decent experience overall as a student

Perfect place for taichi! Quiet, peaceful and wonderful people. Their sound healing sessions werw…read morealso fantastic.

I've been attending Jay Shelfer's Tuesday Tai Chi class at the Hillside Club for several years. He…read moreis a terrific teacher-knows the work on a deep level, explains the concepts, and answers all questions patiently and thoughtfully. The space is lovely and the atmosphere friendly. I had been looking for a good Tai Chi class for a long time, and have been really happy with this one. Highly recommended!

Junior Leadership was a disaster from the jump. There is no actual leadership training at the…read moreJunior Leadership camp. It is just paying for the opportunity to help the actual paid leaders do their job so they apparently don't have to anymore and otherwise perform grunt work. I get it, that's entry level, but there should be some leadership learning opportunities as well, and there was NONE. As my son put it, "how am I supposed to know what to do when I don't know what I'm doing?" Additionally, the Junior Leadership camp was advertised as being an opportunity to learn about all the camps, including hiking days, rock climbing days, and aquatic days. There was ONLY aquatic. The advertised variety of activities and learning opportunities was a complete lie. I reached out to Lauren Gregory, the director of the camp, on day 2 because our expectations were not even close to being met. She didn't respond to two emails, and it was only when I registered a complaint that I actually heard back from her. Her response was a long-winded nothing of an answer, and my follow-up also went ignored. My son was really excited about this camp and the chance to learn more about leadership and take on more responsibility, but it was a complete disappointment and Lauren Gregory is a disgrace.

The group leader was hired 6 months before camp started. No personal touch. No one cares.read more

I've been a member for quite a few years and experienced many trainers. Mijoia Finley ranks among…read morethe top I've worked with. Trainers and me need to have rapport and established a relationship to become partners. Mijoia and I clicked. She understands measurable goals and how to direct me to achieve them. I look forward to seeing Mijoia on a regular schedule!

I had to change my review because they are scammers. Romello signed me up in the summer for a 3…read moremonth membership. He had also offered me a one month option. Well I called to see about termination and another associate told me I had a one year contract! I asked for Romello to call me back but no one has called me. Hopefully a manager fixes this, but appears Romello might say anything to get a membership. How awful.

I've trained Jiu Jitsu for just over four years, starting out with coach Joe from my very first…read moreclass. I feel so fortunate to have found him as my first coach--he's very welcoming and understanding and cares a lot about the wellbeing of his students. He is encouraging and makes class fun, while pushing us to work our hardest and to stay consistent with our progress. Coach Ken is also an excellent teacher. He really helps folks fine tune details of certain moves and find what works well for their body type and style. I'm looking forward to the growth of our program with a new women's class starting next week! Everyone on our team are very considerate training partners, but it will be great to have a women's only space as well. Drop by for an open mat--Friday evenings or Saturday mornings!

The Team was awesome, welcoming. This gem is a diamond in the rough. Clean mats and great rolls!…read more Will be back!

I'm so happy to have found Jo and this community! I go to the Stroller Strides twice a week with my…read more8-month son and it has become the only workout we do. I started when he was around 3 months and I couldn't do other workouts because they wouldn't allow kids or he would start crying while I was on zoom. Being able to not only bring him with me (and no other moms or the instructor Jo are judging if he's fussy!) to get a good workout, but also to involve him by singing, moving him around, and getting him some fresh air, has been so great. Jo tailors the workouts to who is attending that day, and it's just the right amount of challenging while not being too much for a postpartum body. As I've recovered more from my C-section, she adds variations to the exercises. She is so thoughtful in planning the classes and in building a community with fun icebreakers, plenty of time to chat during class, and hangouts after with coffee for us and toys for the babies/toddlers. I've met some great moms through these hangouts and always look forward to going again :)

I heard about Fit4mom classes through a friend. The first class was free and I was hooked. I love…read morehow Jo meets you where you are, in terms of your fitness journey, and challenges you when she sees you're improving. Plus, in Stroller Strides, you can bring your little one. My daughter loves being outside, hearing Jo sing from exercise to exercise, and she gets to meet other babies. Big bonus, I get to meet other moms in my area! There are mom's night out or even activities to just hang out with moms and kiddos you see in class. We look forward to workouts every week, as I know I'll get a good workout and my daughter will get to socialize! Another bonus, I can fit into my pre-pregnancy pants so it must be working!

Sou Samba is an awesome Brazilian dance studio with the exceptionally talented and vibrant Carioca…read moreda gema, Weslei, teaching Samba de Gafiera, Brazilian Bolero and Samba de Pez. Weslei's very talented wife Celeste helps run this wonderful dance studio with an exuberant Brazilian vibe. If you want to learn Brazilian dance in Berkley then Sou Samba is the place and they even offer capoeira. Valeu!

So thrilled for Weslei and all of the instructors now that they have a home at Sou Samba Studios. I…read morewas introduced to Weslei's style at another studio where he was subbing and instantly knew I wanted to continue to learn from him. I followed him to yet another studio in Oakland and he did not disappoint. He's extremely caring, intentional, passionate and committed to sharing the authenticity of his culture through dance while providing the details and history of specific movements. All of this while building community. Every instructor has their own style, which is such a treat...especially on Mondays for the Brazilian dance class. You literally show up and get something new every time. I was encouraged to try more of the ballroom styles by Celeste and now am addicted to those as well. A friend recently joined me in a Gafieira/Forró class and also mentioned how great Weslei's teaching style was and how he'd love to come back when he's in town again. I have only great things to say about Sou. If you're on the fence, just come and experience the joy for yourself!

So far just one class with my 5-year-old son, but I'm very impressed on multiple fronts. After the…read moreinitial drop-in class yesterday we purchased weekly classes with the full expectation this initial great experience will only be surpassed. Husband & wife team Matt and Chelsea (owners) and Matt's sister Stephanie are lovely. It's a really great space and Matt is preternaturally good with younger kids. I shadowed my son for a bit in the studio to observe both my son's behavior in a structured environment and the instructors' teaching style. My son is both young and inherently independent (and often distracted) so this was bound to be revealing. Matt and Chelsea's approach to teaching is closer to informed guidance and it seems to work very well with my son and the other kids I observed. They let the child initiate their creative intent and then equip them with the technical information they need in a manner that is both empowering and not overwhelming. As for my son's proclivity to essentially 'not listen,' Matt in particular was excellent at focusing my son's attention on the task at hand and contextualizing what needed to be done so that he could 'own it.' It's clear his forthcoming studio experiences will be about so much more than learning and enjoying ceramics. This isn't 'OK class today we're going to make a coil-built pot. First I want you to take your clay and...'. Not at all. In an hour and fifteen minutes, my son made two objects in distinctly different techniques: a bowl thrown on the wheel and a slab-built shark. In the course of building those two pieces he was exposed to: centering clay on the wheel; managing the clay to expand, compress, elongate and widen his bowl; keeping his eye on his work; keeping the clay moist; the effects of various pressures applied to the clay on the wheel; scoring and attaching separate pieces with slip; scribing; use of various tools; under-glazing; clean-up, and more. I imagine he'll have to revisit every one of those lessons in subsequent classes but it's a gentle teaching style that works well here. Matt and Chelsea always had an eye on each of the kids and were great about transitioning between them to give guidance in a way that seemed very natural. The space itself is wonderful and can only be described as luminous. Well, that and clean. This is not a stereotypical 'mad potter's studio,' nor is it an anal 'everything in its place mausoleum.' Instructors have a clear view of everything going on in the space at all times. There's a front seating for parents/nanny's to hang out (WiFi available) and get some work done if you want to wait. Parking in the neighborhood doesn't seem to be a problem. The most critical measure of Kids-n-Clay is the reaction from my son, who really didn't want to leave and spoke of it more or less non-stop the rest of the day. Looking forward to what's next here. If you attend a drop-in class, be aware it takes about 2-3 weeks before pieces cycle through the process and can come home with you. But that's just ceramics. Highly recommended.

My kid loves this place! The kids can use the pottery wheel or just mold clay on the table. There…read moreare assistants there to guide the newer sculptors, and the owner, Matt, encourages the kids to design what they feel.

I Love training here, great environment for both kids and adults. great for people of all…read morebackgrounds no need to come in knowing anything at all. Best martial arts school I have been to. friendly and knowledgeable staff very helpful and kind and they make it very easy and fun to learn. I like the fact that i'm not coming out all beat up and sore from training all the time. the training is a workout though its not as easy as it looks. I also have my 8 year old daughter training here and she loves it. she likes that its fun, active and a very supportive environment for her to be in. has helped her with her coordination, fitness level and discipline. Over all I love this place. I cant wait to see more people find this wonderful place.

Distrustful and shady business practices. Vague or non-existent communication with families. From…read morea martial arts perspective, the teaching was sound and the training was good for the kids. It was great to see kids build confidence and discipline, and develop friendships. My son was excelling and developed a love for martial arts. But the owner of the school (August O'Neil) was too much in the business of upselling families into expensive programs that just made no sense. They were greedy, and preyed on and pressured families to sign up for their black belt program. No child should be signed up for an expensive 3, 4, or 5 year program guaranteeing success (and a black belt) in martial arts. These types of arrangements simply have no place in martial arts, and it is just crooked salesmanship. I am sad for the students that trained hard and genuinely loved martial arts. I'm happy we were able to move our son to a a different school that focuses more on the training, than on taking your money. Though it sucks that this school still owes us ~$500 for 2 months out of a 6-month contract that we prepaid for--but that they couldn't fulfill due to their abrupt closure. And please remove my kid's picture from your photos.

This summer my son already attended a few great high energy adventure and play camps, and I had…read morealways wanted to try a Reggio Emilia (RE) approach with my son. He normally attends a Montessori preschool, and for many committed reasons I won't bore you, I always felt that RE may better fit his learning style. Camp Doodle is RE-inspired with projects based on a weekly theme. My son participated in "Light and Shadow" and grasped complex concepts. He is constantly paying attention to where a shadow lands due to light source(s) and stomping on my shadow as a form of chase and tag. The last day the camp counselors put together a gallery of all the campers' projects. Given identical materials and theme, each child's creation reflected a wide range of creative and conceptual development. I could see my child's personality projected in how he constructed his project pieces like a kaleidoscope. This was the only summer camp that gave me a glimpse of how my son's mind works. I give props to his counselor for being enthusiastic and welcoming. She was so warm and inviting each day. Her energy was unwavering throughout the day. The brief drop-off and pick-up updates were informative and insightful. She had previously taught preschool and now teaches elementary school, and thus she is experienced with working with young children and effectively communicating with parents. I was impressed by the caliber of the head counselor. I appreciated that the summer camp has 5 different weekly themes, and so I can pick and choose which weeks to send my son. Camp Doodle is also one of the more flexible camp registrations that takes in consideration the ever-changing family schedules. This is also one of the camps that has a later regular pick-up at 4PM, and my son still did not want to leave. As a side note, this is the only camp where my son had zero bathroom accidents. This only happens when he has zero anxiety. There is something to be said about Camp Doodle's calm environment that helped my son modulate his energy & focus on projects & activities, and he also could initiate and pivot to address his primal needs without being distracted or too absorbed into his environment.

Our daughter's favorite camp this summer…read more Lots of creative projects. She really enjoyed having a choice of activities. (As parents we enjoyed not having to pack lunch.) Will be doing it again next summer.