I just moved to the area and I have done my lap around the gyms here and this one has been my favorite, I got my membership today. for NYC the price is very reasonable. There is a lot of equipment for different levels of work outs and different types which I was looking for. Alberto at the front was so nice to me. He gave me the whole tour of the place and he explained everything to me and we talked about all the other places I had been. He was very thorough about everything. I really enjoyed my workout and look forward to the rest of them as a member

Far too small for the price. Gyms will always be packed during normal rush hours. But there were more machines and benches in my otherwise inferior Planet Fitness than there are here (and this facility is far more expensive). The pros to this gym are definitely there — there is continual onsite staff cleaning and maintaining machines, the towel service is on point, and the clientele aren’t allowed to be super obnoxious. But for this area, the cost, and the amount of people that live here, this gym is far too small, even if it might look bigger because of the nature of the space it occupies (you’ll have to see it for yourself).

The trouble with gyms in NYC (Manhattan specifically) is either you pay $300 for Equinox or less than $50 for Planet Fitness or Blink and you’re left in the middle with either NYSC or Crunch.My issues with this gym are as follows:Weights, plates, cable attachments never get put away or get organized overnight or during the day.I must throw out others gym goers paper towels or wipes 3-4 times during the hour I’m there if I’m feeling polite. I know the staff goes around picking things up but there are certain members with zero regard for others.A majority of the gym goers and some trainers don’t wipe down equipment when they’re done. (It takes less than 30 seconds)I get there are space constraints but the variety of equipment is so so. It would be great to have a hack squat machine, a preacher curl station, some additional hammer strength equipment.To certain trainers - get off your phone while training clients, they pay you for your time not so you can text in the middle of their set.Avoid the 4-6pm if you can it’s just too crowded in the free weights areas and I find myself wandering the gym over twice to find any free piece of equipment.I’ve been going here since October and I’ve still had some great and mostly good workouts here. I’m sure they’re feeling the financial strain like many other businesses but there’s a lot of little things this place could do to improve the experience.This may sound like a gripe session but I think a lot of the staff cares or at least tries. It’s relatively clean, most of the equipment works and they fix things in a timely manner. For the $90 I pay per month id hope for more but I don’t feel like I’m getting ripped off.

Mens bathroom was not clean, smelled awful. Spaces were quite cramped, machine availability was limited. Friendly employees but facility management needs to step it up.

Seems no one clean at night or before they open. I worked out 5am and there are many left used towels and paper towels all over the place when I stepped in, and the weight area smells like human sweat.Management of this location should maintain the cleanliness of the facility specially this covid season.

The layout of this place is terrible and its way too small.The lockers require a lock you bring padlock instead of having combination code setups like other Crunch gyms.The mens locker room continuously smells like sweat and mold.The showers take a long time to heat up, not to mention theyre crammed into a disgusting, dated nook you have to walk downstairs to go to.Did I mention the layout sucks and theres VERY little space?You have to go up and down different staircases (spiral, elbow, straight) to get to different parts of the cramped workout rooms.I didnt see anyone cleaning equipment, either.The mens locker room door is SO close to the workout area that you can see INSIDE the locker room when the door is open and somebodys about to get on the treadmill!VERY disappointed in this gym and I do NOT recommend going there.

It’s super crowded during peak hours (beyond what I’d consider normal). Regardless of hours you’re almost always waiting to use equipment. Beyond that I never see cleaning staff, the air gets super stale downstairs and almost humid when there a lot of people working out, and it’s also just a very weird (but admittedly functional) layout. That said, it is cheap.

David and Alberto at the front desk had terrible customer service. I am completely appalled at their inability to work with me as a possible new gym member. Someone should do a training to remind them to work to try and support their possible recruiters. Absolutely disgusted. Don’t understand why they are trying to shame women, belittle them, and make them feel bad.

This gym is hands down the best in the area.I moved here for a couple of months on a job and was very pleased to find this location.The equipment is all there, including a great selection of free weights and lifting racks.The layout is very well thought, so it keeps areas from getting too crowded.Staff is super friendly and hands on, and the manager Alberto is a super nice guy who made our signing up process easy and even took care of it himself.And the cleanliness is just outstanding, all COVID protocols are being followed and they have staff constantly disinfecting every surface.Definitely 5 star

Been a member for 3 years now and its a great, simple, clean space to work out in. Staff is very friendly from front desk to trainers; COVID cleanliness is up to speed; except for weekends, usually very short - or no - waiting for equipment. No artwork or potted plants or any of that unnecessary stuff - just a good solid gym.

Looking forward to using my new membership.

Great attention to detail from the employees, especially the manager Alberto who is very welcoming! Clean and fun environment to spend your workout days in. Highly recommended!

Horrible staff. The gym itself is decent but the front desk staff have attitude and are rude. Not coming back here.

It was really good being back in there and there really keeping us safe to exercise.

Great gym, very clean and affordable. Will miss it.

Sending thanks to Mike very nice 👍😀. Its fun to work out here, lots of rooms with different feels and kind patrons as well as staff.

Went to check out the gym last week. The employees acted like they were doing me a favor by showing me the gym. The gym does not look bad but its a weird layout, and it just seemed like an strange environment. Definitely not joining this place.

Our daughter has waited for a promised and in writing refund for 8 months. Yes, 8 months. We have followed up numerous times over the past two months and now they do not respond. Be warned if you have ANY issues. If this does not get resolved by the end of the month we plan to file a formal complaint with the NY Consumer Protection Department.

Dont sign up for emails! Someone named Sugen Ramos has been spamming me for 2 years with deals on personal trainings - there is no way to get off the email list. Its insane and harassment.

Where to begin? Lets start with the rude front desk staff and the pitiful attempts to sanitize.On to the most pressing issue- They unfroze everyones memberships including mine and my girlfriends during a global pandemic. We were proactive and froze our memberships before being charged. The manager David Rubinstein never responded to confirm. As we came the end of our freeze term and we still didnt feel safe returning, we managed to get ahold of another manager: Julissa Zayas to permanently cancel our memberships. She promptly canceled mine no problem. She then however went on to try and gouge my girlfriend for over $300 in back balances and annual fees!! (We had frozen and canceled our memberships at the same time each time). There is absolutely ZERO management or communication and they are being completely random with what they are trying to charge people. They should be doing whatever they can to incentivize customer returns post Covid yet they are doing the complete opposite. Theres an equinox around the corner, save yourself a giant headache and go there!

I joined crunch while living on the UES 1.5 years ago and had a good experience for what I paid. I worked with a trainer that I really liked who has since left. During the pandemic my roommate and I had to move away from the location to save $$. I contacted Crunch months before they reopened that I wanted to cancel my membership, they never got back to me and still charged me when they reopened. It took literally half a year for them to refund me that money, and they refuse to refund me for the training sessions I bought in advance. I am a frontline healthcare worker who’s working with COVID patients in the hospital, so it would be irresponsible to even go to a gym, never mind meet with a trainer 1:1. Their virtual sessions offered make no sense since I don’t plan on continuing my membership. I know this is a tough time for gyms in general, but there should be some exceptions made given the current circumstances.

Probably the worst gym in America. And Ive been to a lot of gyms. I went here five times a week for almost a year. In that time the downstairs flooded twice, they rearranged and closed off weightlifting areas at least half a dozen times, and the number of members went from extremely high to probably a fire hazard.Friday night, twenty minutes before closing, during a snowstorm? Place is still packed. Constantly out of towels. Weightlifting benches so tightly crammed in, two people cant do dumbbell flyes at the same time. Layout is a joke: they wasted half of their floor space on couches and a rubber mat area for people to roll around on.Not much positive to say about this crowded garbage dump, except its the only place to lift weights in the neighborhood that doesnt cost $250/month, and the front desk people are really nice.

Very nice and clean gym.

I usually do upper body here because they have the two for one hip machine that I dont like

Although I have only been to This crunch gym once, I was shown the space and given a quasi-session from a trainer named Giscard Sassine. I have since moved out of the neighborhood. Had I not, I cannot more highly recommend this trainer at this facility. He was attentive, knowledgeable and both physically and spiritually in tune with what I needed and how I could get there. This was actually one of the disappointments in leaving the area. I highly recommend this facility and specifically this trainer who seems to bring a Zen-like focus into your work out. Positive vibes and motivational.

I’ve been going to this crunch for around two years now and I really love this gym. While it certainly gets crowded at peak times (like any gym) I usually don’t have much difficulty getting the equipment I need. Everything is kept very clean and well maintained. I’ve taken a number of classes over the years that I really enjoy with some fantastic instructors. The staff is also incredibly sweet and helpful. I’ve been running into one of the trainers, Giscard for months (who always has a smile and a fist bump) and today I did a free training session with him. He was fantastic, a great motivator, and catered the session to my exact fitness goals. I have also done training with David who is amazing as well and helped me originally get back into shape and working out. Only good things to say about this place.

Can get busy but clean and AC is working

Joined post-coivd. Constantly overcrowded during peak hours lose at least 20-30mins a day waiting for equipment to become open. Mask compliance is lax with them not enforcing/telling people to keep them on. Witnessed someone pull it down to bench and trainer said nothing. I get it guy was moving a lot of weight, but for the trainer to say nothing and risk the gym closing on all of us is unfair. Gym is clean though.

Great local gym.

This is solely for the personal trainer Nma-She is FANTASTIC. I worked with her very briefly but never wanted to work with anyone else. She is professional, kind, caring, and extremely knowledgeable. She can make adjustments very quickly and made me feel like I had the best workout of my life. She will push you and hold you accountable but not in an nooning way, and she always has a progression or regression ready to work with both your good and bad days. Unfortunately my schedule no longer allows me to have the same time free as her but if you have the chance, work with her! Shes SO worth it!

Why would your company ask members to back you up in reopening and say that your filtration system is better than a mall? Maybe not your particular location but the corporate office thats doing so. When people socially distance in a mall they are not sweating. When your in the gym lifting weights, on a treadmill or in a zumba class you are sweating, sometimes profusely. How can you guarantee it wont fly onto the next person? You cant because its not possible! So go ahead and sue the governor to open but expect people to get the virus because thats exactly what will happen. Shame on CRUNCH fitness!!!

Super great facility with a friendly accommodating staff. I had a complimentary session with Giscard and he was great. The workout was fantastic and he gave me so many tips to reach my fitness goals. Definitely recommend this place and this trainer!

The worst service. They do not care about their clients as long as that auto bill is on.I also emailed this Email they Listed below 5 separate times and still have not gotten a single response. Crunch is a joke.

Started working out at this gym three months ago. The facility has everything I need or could want. The staff is extremely friendly, professional, and helpful. Giscard, a personal trainer, offered me an assessment and training session which helped me reach a new level in my fitness. I can not recommend him enough.

I usually go to this gym, the location is around the corner from my apt and is very convenient. It has gotten a lot better especially after all the new renovations however it is so cold in there it makes its almost impossible to breath during a run. Itll be 35 degrees outside and they keep their AC in the 50s and low 60s if I wanted to freeze during my workouts I would workout outside. Theres no point in paying for a membership to workout in an uncomfortable temperature. Normal gym temperature is on average 65-68 degrees.

Roaches, cramped, not that many machines, worst gym layout .. mask usage is too lax

Many trainers seem to have clients do the same set exercises they learned online without considering the clients physical conditioning, limitations and form. Thats not Connor. Connor is college-educated in movement and has several highly respected training certifications (not weekend online courses) and is still learning more. He always makes sure my form is correct, asks about injuries, modifies routines based upon subjective complaints and even gives me homework. Connor also is respectful of my time, easy to work with and overall a great guy. If you are looking for personal training, I could not rate Connor Reese higher.

Try answering the phone when customers call, it’s quite easy

I just had my first personal training session with Giscard and I can not recommend him or this gym enough. He pushed me and helped me reach a level of fitness and strength that I never thought I could reach. He knew exactly what my strengths and weaknesses were and was extremely informative and thorough that I left learning more about myself and how to achieve my goals. I will absolutely be a member of this gym and I will certainly have more training sessions with Giscard. I have never felt more motivated thanks to this man. Thank you! —Alexandra A

Though cramped (small) this is a nice gym since they updated the facilities a couple years ago and added some space with it. Friendly staff. Could definitely benefit from some more equipment and spreading out the downstairs weight room. Also, a little pricey but that is to be expected in manhattan. Would recommend checking it if you need a gym in the area and comparing it to other gyms and find one that you like. Different strokes for different folks so to speak!

ARNIE KATZ is my personal trainer and I love him and highly recommend him for all levels of fitness training. He is a genius. He knows at what level to push you and knows how to motivate you and keep the workouts productive.

I’ve been a member at Crunch 81st St. for approximately four years .Today I walked into the gym, begrudgingly, to workout. I had a challenging day. Ran into Giscard who offered to warm me up and show me some new exercises. We ended up spending an hour together. What an excellent experience! He’s very knowledgeable and I appreciated his training modality and philosophy. He made the training session fun! Would definitely recommend him as a trainer for a beginner up to an experienced gym member as myself.. Throughout the years that I’ve been training at 81st, I have had positive experiences with the staff particularly Alberto (membership mgr) and Jillian. Giscard is a valuable member of the staff at Crunch 81st.

Just go and workout

I second the reviewer who called this probably the worst gym in America. I have been all over and this is probably the worst I have been in. 1). Their renovations have impossibly crowded the weights together where it is uncomfortable and unsafe to work out. 2). They wasted valuable space for a massive sitting area. Why? People dont come to the gym to sit. And space in a premium in NYC, you need every inch you can get! 3). They dont have adequate pins and weights for the equipment. I will be on the squat rack or smith machine and someone comes and steals all the weights from me. Then I have to go and try to scrounge up some more somewhere. 4). This place is impossibly dirty and messy all the time. The crowd that works out here is some of the rudest, most uncouth dregs of society. So they dont clean up after themselves. At least half my work out is tidying up weights behind neanderthal men. 5). I cannot work out on a piece of equipment without men standing aggressively over or by me and wanting to know when I will be off the equipment that they want. This happens so frequently that I feel I cannot even enjoy a workout in peace. 6). Their D-rate trainers dont know a lot and I have seen them giving people downright terrible advice - telling a petite size 0 girl that they would help her with her weight loss goals to cut bodyfat. What? Not to mention there is one trainer who wears so much cologne that I can smell him on the other side of the gym and as soon as he enters, I have an asthma attack. These are only some of the many glorious things you will encounter if you work out here. You get what you pay for. You want the cheapest pricing in the hood and you work out with the dregs of the city. I am biting the bullet and going somewhere where I get a much better and more pleasant experience.

I have been a member of Crunch since Crunch opened in the Archives in Greenwich Village. That was about 1999. I began working at the 81 ST location in May 2016. It has made great improvements as it expanded. I never purchased a trainer package until I met Giscard. His authentic and warm demeanor, his knowledge and ability to work with and adjust to your my is exactly what I was looking for. Lockerooms are clean and staff is professional. Reaching my goals with Giscard.

Good value.

Easy navigation

I am slowly growing into the ultimate version of myself. I am driftingoutside my comfort zone which means I’m eating healthier now and I exercise to be more fit. I remember myself battling with struggles such as cancer yet going to the gym reminded me that life allows you to go through hardship before becoming the best version of yourself. Thank you to my personal doctor, Dr. Rhoel Dejano for reminding and encouraging me to be physically active. As he always tells me, Exercise is medicine. And to my personal trainer, GISCARD SASSINE for reminding me that healthy living continually inspires myself to make other healthy changes within my life. #GETGOINGwithyourGOALS

Sent an e-mail to Crunch back in April to cancel my membership, they opened bacl up in august and immediately charged me, I contacted them, they told me to send an e-mail to a specific email address, so I did, after that they took 2 more months to cancel my membership, I need my money back for the months that I got charged for August, September and October, but obviously, still nothing from Crunch...

Nice facility with all you need. Super friendly and helpful staff!

This gym is constantly dirty: even if you work out early in the morning, weights are everywhere and the mats have grit all over them. And skip personal training: I was injured and they would not refund my money for unused sessions, even though I am still in physical therapy. Stay far away.

For the past two weeks every time you go around 7-8am there are no towels! As if it wasnt enough the front desk people and the people at the desk at the end of the hallway look at you as if you were requiring too much to have towels while you exercise when you are already paying a membership! Its unacceptable! Crunch needs to buy more towels and educate unpolite employees!!!!

Im a regular at Crunch 81st street for the past year and have had a great experience so far. The gym is well maintained, hygienic and very well equipped. My interactions with all the staff and trainers have been extremely positive - in fact, my recent one on one training session with Giscard Sassine was simply phenomenal. I have yet to see a coach as dedicated, methodical and intelligent as Giscard. He made sure to understand my goals and complete training history before coming up with a training program that was perfectly tailored to my needs. He went the extra mile to really make sure I was pushing my goals effectively yet safely, and was 100% focused on delivering real, tangible results. To add to this, hes an incredibly positive and wonderful person, completely dedicated to his craft - his energy is absolutely infectious! I would highly recommend the Giscard experience - youll definitely be delighted!!

So disappointed that I have no word.

Good monthly price for unlimited classes! Download the app to reserve a spot in the class ahead of time to ensure you dont waste a trip there if the class is full. Instructors are skilled and friendly. Gym is very clean and locker room is beautiful.

Went to 3 other gyms in the area. This is the only one offering day passes. The front desk was so nice and helpful. Really made my whole trip. Thanks to Mario and the rest of the crunch staff!!!

This gym is rather small but it has the essentials. I only go on off hours and its not crowded at those times. The equipment and facility is well maintained. From time to time they have issues with pipes and leaks. I dont use the treadmills but all the other equipment I use is in good shape. No loose cables or missing pins. You dont have to hunt for dumb bells its usually in the correct place on the racks.

Zero ethics in running this business... they over charged and when I tried to sort it out with their managers I received no response after many follow ups..then I started recieving calls from a collection firm!!?? Stay away if you dont want your money to be stolen

This Crunch recently went through an awful renovation that 1) increased space for stretching and 2) moved the weights area into an incredibly small space. The result is that it’s dangerous to work out here — the likelihood that someone bumps into you mid-squat or mid-lift is very high.Cheap membership, but not worth getting injured.

Love this gym. Great classes and teachers. Very personable and helpful staff. Small and homey and has everything one needs to be satisfied and comfortable.

I love this crunch. The sauna works nicely, there are towels inside of the locker room (unlike the location on 38th st where there are no towels inside the locker room, so if you go to the sauna you are left naked without towels).

Cardio section is unbearably hot. Its like running in a sauna an now they dont have a basic TV station -NBC!

Okay gym. Decent variety of equipment and usually not too crowded. Im docking a full 3 stars because this is literally the only gym Ive ever been to that doesnt provide sanitizing materials in every area.There are just one or two dispensers for wipes in the entire building, despite the fact the floorplan is divided into like 14 areas, all separated by doors or spiral stairs. Its a bizarre and gross thing to pinch pennies on. As such, no one ever cleans machines when theyre done, which is a troubling prospect for cold/flu season.If you dont want to splurge on more wipe dispensers, at least place bottles of diluted alcohol solution in each area and people can use hand towels to wipe down.Id gladly give a higher rating if theyd address this issue but, as of right now, Crunch 81st is way too unsanitary to deserve more than two stars.

I am shocked this is supposed to be a Signature club. The weight room is teeny tiny and the cardio machines are practically on top of each other upstairs. Gym layout is unusual, and very cramped. It was my first time visiting Crunch gym and I was bummed about the less-than-stellar experience.

Nice equipment and not too crowded, but maintenance of locker rooms and equipment leaves something to be desired. Nice staff and class offerings.

Just underwent substantial addition, and suddenly became worth every penny.

Fairly new Crunch location. Not the largest facility, but never a wait for machines or weights. Friendly staff, very clean overall.

This gym is awful for anyone who is serious about working out. Next to no variety with machines: the cables dont extend far enough to do a full chest extension; its a total rabbit warren, so you spend most of your time meandering through the various rooms; I still cant find a towel; no stairs (machines that is). Not even close to the standard at 59th and 2nd or 23rd and 8th.

I canceled my account 3 months ago over the phone. Then I received an Email from their manager claiming that I owe them $263.97 for the last three months and threaten to use a collections agency. I explained that I canceled over the phone and they insist I provide some documentation. How am I supposed to provide a documentation of a phone call? I dont record my phone calls, do you? If you dont, dont deal with this gym.

Expensive for what this location is. Should be a mini crunch. Tight, compact and can get busy at times.

Say they have dollar to sign up then try to charge you for 2 months before you can even use the facility. The staff knew i was on a tight deadline and choose not to tell me this before i came in. Was gonna get a city wide membership now ill just go to another gym.

Very clean and organized.

I signed up Crunch for the classes, but the classes are always full. Reservation for classes is annoying, especially last minute. You can only sign up half an hour before the class starts in the gym. If you happen to be there early, you have to wait; if you are there too late, too bad. Getting spammed all the time too.

Clean facility, friendly staff, nice equipment!

Staff is friendly and helpful, the Layout of gym is rather, confusing so it takes a while to get used to and, I know that its pricey for a gym membership, but definitely a positive experience!

That trainer Omar Harrison is amazing

Clean, quiet

Crunch just recently expanded this location. come in and check it out.

Very nice place!

Disgusting customer service and gym maintenance.!!!!!!!!!!!

Good gym

Love it

It’s like a Maze, definitely not spacious unless you train in the functional areas they have and the free weight area is tiny. But other than that they have good machines and I can train in any environment

Good machines

I was vacationing for 8 days in NY, and I was looking for a good place to exercise early in the morning, near where I had left.I could not have chosen better; impeccable facilities, not to mention the attention of the staff, especially the manager.It is a very complete gym, it has diversity of areas to train, as well as qualified trainers. In general clean and tidy, the bathrooms and showers in excellent condition, provide you with everything you need.It is a gym very close to the area where it is located, the best👏🏻🔝