Bring it ON!
Written: Feb 09 '01 (Updated Nov 02 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good locations, Great Cardio/Dance Classes, Immaculate Gym
Cons: High monthly charges if you can't come up with the lump sum
The Bottom Line: Crunch is the only gym that would make me WANT to be there often enough to make a difference.
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| mtvsux's Full Review: Crunch |
[EDITED!] Crunch raised their fees by $200 year. That sux. Going to 4 stars from 5.
Is crunch expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? That depends on what’s important to you.
Crunch is the all inclusive gym that claims they make no judgements. They will give you everything you want at a price.
I first obtained my membership through my company which is a great deal. $54 a month, paid in bi-monthly installments without a registration fee. I jumped at the chance to become a passport member (all locations) at a modern, stylish, premier gym where all the ‘beautiful people go’.
I spent the first 3 months getting schedules, and never stepping foot in a class. Oops, I guess I missed the point of membership. After deciding that I couldn’t afford to throw my money away I dragged my @ss kicking and screaming to a ‘funk’ class. Dance/Cardio classes are taught in building technique. You learn one move, then another, and take it from the top before learning one more move each time. Funk, as it turns out, is not for me. 12 dance moves later I’m bumping into walls and stepping on quite a number of manicured toes. I left before the class ended, quickly, smoothly, pretending to get a drink of water.
The next class I took turned out to be much better for me. Ashtangya yoga. Sounded basic and even though I’m not a yoga style person, I loved every single solitary second. The teacher explain things just as I needed them to be explained, and I found myself with a clear understanding of what yoga can do for a body. No wonder people are such fanatics about it. I thanked her and went on my way.
Crunch has Gym’s in Cali, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago and my home town, NEW YORK CITY(RULES!). In NYC, they’ve got 8 locations, 4 of them in the Village! Very convenient for me, too bad for everyone else. Only one of the NYC locations has a pool, but if you need it, it’s only a subway ride away to 42nd street. Each location is a little bit different, some have more machines, some have more yoga classes, some have extra rings for boxing. Either way, I think the passport membership is the way to go if you want a varied routine.
For me, I wanted to join solely for the workout/yoga/dance classes. I don’t use the machines, I’m just not interested. If you are ONLY interested in machines, it may be worth your while to check out 㢼/7’ or Dolphin or some cheaper gym. But if you are a fanatic, then Crunch is nice because it is so darn well kept it is just hilarious. The gym looks very pretty and great pains are taken to keep it that way. The machines are meticulously looked after and nothing seems to go wrong there. All the instructors and staff are exceptionally professional almost to the point of uninteresting. It’s like a gym fairy land.
The Classes: You want classes? They got classes! A large number and a wide variety of to choose from and the classes are a real bargain at $50-$60 a month. Twelve different kinds of yoga to choose from, starting from 6:30 am until 9:00 pm at night. Twelve different body sculpt classes including mat Pilates. (If it’s trendy, they will have it!) Five different martial arts classes including Capoeira and Cardio Tai box. So theoretically you can learn a full range of self defense classes with one membership. And folks, they have an unbelievable 24 different cardio classes! Including Belly dancing, Latino Grooves, Hip-Hop, B’way Dance, House Groove, Cardio Swing. They are not strictly dance classes, because they keep you moving in the usual cardio way. You have fun, you give yourself an hardy workout, sweat your @SS off and teach your self great dance technique. They also have the usual cardio classes, like step etc. I have a very hard time choosing between all the classes. But what a great deal; I figure if I only take 10 classes a month, that’s $6 a class! You will never find somewhere that cheap. They are constantly changing the classes - adding new ones, and are really up to date on the trends. This is really fun and also varies your options and routine. Very necessary if you want to stay active.
The Cost: When it came to renewal time for me I asked how much, she said I have to pay one lump sum, (b/c I’m no longer with the company that got me my plan) and it would be $749 for 13 months. I talked her into giving me one extra month, she said “of course”. Darn! I shoulda asked for 2! Anyway, that breaks down to $53.50 a month. To me, that is well worth it. If you want to join as a new member it will be $849 a year, ask them for the extra month. If you want to go month-to-month it’s a $79 registration fee! And then $88 a month. Not a good deal unless you have special circumstances, like a wedding in 3 months, then you want to go back to being sedentary.
They do not exactly have the most divirsified clientele, but i do not feel any pressure to look gorgeous, but then again, what do i care, i always look cute. The members are mostly upwardly mobile, the range is mostly boring yuppies and mtv employees, But that is of no concern to me, but basically mostly everyone is very thin. If that is intimidating to you, it may be a factor here.
If you are thinking about joining, just walk in, talk to a sales person, and ask for a guest pass and a tour. They will let you take a class and use the gym for a day, then they will sit you down and pressure you into joining. Just make up your mind to tell them you will sleep on it, even if you want to join that very instant. They are very good at their jobs, and they WANT YOUR MONEY.
Being a Crunch member is to be spoiled. They have saunas, steamrooms and pretty instructors. They have a massage therapist who's sometimes on sale. The juice bar is funny. It's kind of expensive to have liquid fruit for $3.50, but then again, it's only $3.50 cents, and sometimes there's a really cute bartender. Okay, they're not as stylish as they were a couple years ago, but they've still got all the pieces in place.
I feel like a spoiled brat every time I walk through the door. The music is pumpin', the place is painted to the T, and the art deco-ish mirrors in the lockers room are a riot. All the members are so refined and polite, it's like the commercial says, 'no attitude' or at least that's the point they're trying to convey. Frankly I feel lucky to have gotten into the loop. It’s a great gym, and even though I have to struggle to come up with the renewal money in 3 weeks, it’s well worth it and I have to admit, even though I never wanted to… I love crunch. An easy 5 stars.
For Girls/Ladies, I'd say this is one of the best deals you'll come across. If you are seriously looking for a gym, want to have fun there and be happy with your choice, $849 is $65 a month, even if you only go on weekends, that’s $8 a workout. Then there's the rest of the year to enjoy your membership to a great gym with a great personality. (It's even less if you sign up for 2 years.) It's a great way to treat yourself to a slice of the good life.
Cheers, Loren
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mtvsux
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Member: Loren
Location: NYC
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 32 members
About Me:
Urban Female, techno lover, make-up junkie, former BestBuy employee,
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