Best Gym near Cambridge, Massachusetts

Ive been using the gym at the MIT Zesiger Center, and it’s great. The range of equipment is excellent, from weights to cardio machines, and everything is well-maintained and up-to-date. The space is clean and spacious, but it get a littlr overcrowded during peak hours. The staff is friendly and helpful, and the overall atmosphere is motivating and welcoming.

**This review is for the Non-MIT people** I am gonna be selfish here because I am a powerlifter. So, only the heavy weights that attracts me. This gym is good for that purpose. It has pretty much everything. Several benches and squat stations with Eleiko olympic bars (🔥🔥), two deadlift stations with the barbell jack, plenty of machines for the accessories. The Eleiko plates are you seeing, these are not for you folks. You have to be in the athletic team. That something to brag about if you're a MIT student. I got the day pass for $15 which includes the pool area as well. That one is amazing if you're into swimming. Any outsiders with a valid ID can buy the passes. You can find the info on their website.

Sauna is frequently out of service. Management does not prioritize maintenance or communicate well. Update: MIT Rec has improved email communications about amenity closures. Adding some stars.

I was only spectator at the pool for a few days, so it's hard to rate whole complex. Clean facility, parking may be pain during certain times. There is one big mishap in pool design. Wall above/along lane 1 angles at some point & most of the swimmer being not familiar with it had a big problem while swimming backstroke. They would fallow lights line which also curves and that was taking them off to side in many cases during the meet. Kinda unthinkable mistake in designing, which was very surprising no one picked up. Accept that, all sides we were able to visit-very nice&clean, good amount of seating.

A vast sports complex that includes an ice rink, 4 basketball courts, several pools, an indoor track, and squash courts. Family swim lessons for kids are available. A great resource for the surrounding community.

I’m torn, because the staff here is lovely, there’s enough equipment even during busy times and they used to have a $39/month membership for students! Which was affordable and appropriate. They recently stopped offering the student membership and the prize now begins at $59! I was not notified of that change and I also think that 60 bucks per month is too much for a student’s budget.

Best environment I’ve seen from a gym! Very large and great assortment of equipment including, many benches, lots of free weights, lots of cables, hack squat, smith machine, and Olympic lifting room. Great people and staff who listen to the gym-goers. Can be crowded at some times but definitely tolerable. Love it here!

I mostly want to share this review to address what I think are inaccuracies in other peoples' reviews. I've been working out for 4 years and recently moved to Cambridge and I can say this gym has all the equipment I need for every workout I do (the only thing they don't have is the lying leg curl but they have seated leg curl so just use that one). I like that it has a separate stretching room. Other reviews say that some of the rooms are loud but that's expected if you go to any gym. You can wear noise-cancelling headphones which really helps. Someone also mentioned they play the song Closing Time every day. Maybe that was true before but it's certainly not true now. Another review said that it gets crowded but to be honest this is the least crowded gym I've been to (I've worked out at very different times and it's still less crowded). Finally, I like that they have a boxing room and they also offer boxing classes. I can't recommend the pool because I don't swim and some reviews mention the schedule is crowded which is probably true.

fair price for a good gym. Good facilities and equipment.

Love this gym! Classes are great and offered at a variety of times. Staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. There should be equipment for any workout you want to do. My only complaint is that the hours are less than ideal compared to before the pandemic. I believe this gym used to open quite early and close late - now on the weekends it's only open 8-4 and it closes at 9pm on weekdays, for the same cost of membership as before.

There has been a lot of improvements & updates since the club opened. My only issue is the bright lights that are blinding in the massage chair area and the chairs need to be replaced. 7 & 8 are broken even while operable some functions are still stuck and the heat comes on while not selected.

I’m quite upset about a new policy “no jumping rope” allowed due to “space” there is clearly open space in the gym and I honestly only go to the gym to play jumping rope, finding out that I can’t jump rope after signing membership is really upsetting, as the last time I tried the gym they gave me a jumping rope and it was fine!

I’ve been to a number of Planet Fitnesses — and this one is quite well managed; however, since when did a gym become a disco? The music is too loud. Arrangement of machines also makes it a little cumbersome to get around.

The location is very convenient but there are several issues 1. They take forever to repair equipment and don’t seem to have any urgency to fix them 2. One of the men’s stalls has been locked from the inside for a while (I assume purposefully as it’s broken) and nothing has been done to fix it. 3. The men’s lockers smell like piss 4. The tiles in the bathroom are extremely slippery even when not wet and will cause someone to fall and hurt themselves. This planet fitness has a serious operational / cleanliness issue. I hope they get it together. The staff are really kind though which I appreciate.

This is a pretty good Planet Fitness. The staff does a pretty good job keeping paper towels and cleaning spray available along with good general housekeeping. The only thing I can really say is that it gets busy during peak hours and you may have to wait for a machine/weights or go do a different exercise.

Hi Planet Fitness team. I have been a Planet Fitness member for the last 4 years and I enjoy my workouts. I have been to many Planet Fitnesss in Massachusetts in the last 4 years and I am very happy with my membership. However, I will share with you a strange situation that I encountered yesterday. Yesterday at 10 pm, I went to Planet Fitness in Porter Square (1815 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140) to do my routine gym workout. also My membership is registered there. However, after a while, another gym member came and started to workout with the clothes he showed in the photo. I did not want to go and warn this member. I thought this would not be right for that person and I reported it to the front desk. However, it seems that front dest did not have much to do, so this person continued his workout until the gym closed. The reason I sent you this message is that while every member cares about the clothes they wear in the gym, this member was so insensitive about it. While the whole world has just gone through a serious crisis in terms of cleanliness, such images are disturbing. I also work in heavy jobs and when I come to the gym, my clothes are dirty. but planet fitness showers and changing rooms work all the time and are clean enough. it shouldn't be this hard to take a shower or change clothes. on the other hand, i think planet fitness in porter square cambridge is the busiest and coolest place in massachusetts. this gym should be taken care of a lot more. ———————— Thank you for your advice. I already did this advice yesterday. But your front desk staff does not speak English. I explained my problem to him but he did not understand anything. He also made FaceTime calls for about 2 hours straight after I tried to have this conversation. It seemed to me from the outside that the currently staff at Planet Fitness in Porter Square have no idea what is going on inside the gym or have not learned your hygiene policies yet.

5 stars because of how much things have improved over the past 10 years. It's notably cleaner, staff are now visible both at the desk and across the floor, and recent upgrades to equipment and layout are a vast improvement. No, it's not the Equinox but as a former BSC member, it's very comparable and far more affordable. Would still love to see faster turnaround times when equipment like a fitness machine or the AC/water fountain goes out, but these are problems I can live with. I'm not a Black Card holder so I don't know what goes on back there but I rarely see members in that area...curious if in the future the space can be better utilized for more functional fitness for all members? Keep up the great work.

Good gym - but the water flow from the sinks in the women's locker room barely work ? Also, if you stocked the fridge with gatorade zero, I would buy them.

Restrooms not clean, stretching area is ALWAYS smelling terrible like it is a restroom, due to it proximity to the locker rooms with the not so clean restrooms. Not sure if they ever clean their ready room area. The smell really makes one’s stomach turn. Massage chairs are falling apart and not really working according to their programs. I had a membership at this place back in 2019 not too long after when it was newly opened, but was in much better condition, seems like not much maintenance is being done or management isn’t really taking care of the place. Canceled my black card membership, for few more bucks can get a membership at another gym that’s much better than this place.

I have been with this gym for 1 year and recently moved to Central. I have tried to transfer my membership to the PF Central Square for two weeks to no avail. The website didn't have the option for me to transfer online, and when I called they made me to go to the gym in person to fill out a form. Days later nothing happened. I left a customer request via the app and no response. I called again and the staff was friendly and jotted down my my membership# again to submit a form again(why did you tell me to go there in person in the first place then). A week later, I called again, since no change made at all, and they gave me the manager's number and told me to call him. When I called, the manager told me he was on vacation but was nice and gave me the email of the city manager (the franchisee supreme fit group). Now two days later still nothing happened. I don't know whether they just want to hold me there until my annual payment on 9/1 or not going to transfer me at all so that I have to create a new account and pay new account setup fee. It's just so annoying that nothing happened after the several nudges. Over the year, the gym has been alright. There are constantly some equipment pending fixes for days if not weeks. One of the three sinks in the man's bathroom has not been working for a year. But there were not many options around Porter until recently when a new gym opened above Target. I might give that a try if I were still around.

I absolutely love this gym! It’s always spotless, and the cleanliness makes it such a comfortable place to workout and shower after. The staff is incredibly friendly and welcoming, which creates such a positive atmosphere. I had a billing question and I worked with the manager, Anita who was working onsite to get an answer. She was super friendly and so easy to work with - which is definitely not your typical gym experience. The gym is also very spacious, so even during busy times, it never feels crowded. Overall, it’s an amazing place to stay active and enjoy a great workout experience. Highly recommend - and shout out to the great staff they have over there.

It’s my first week in Boston and in the U.S. I was looking for a gym to work out. Walking into Retro Fitness was such a heartwarming experience. The manager, Shengdi, gave me the warmest welcome and even introduced the gym in my native language. Hearing the familiar tones of home almost brought me to tears! I decided to go with the Ultimate since it includes access to group classes, which I’m really excited about. The gym itself is clean, well-equipped (has my favorite Concept 2 Rower and SkiErg), and has such a friendly atmosphere. I’m truly looking forward to working out here. Highly recommend this gym to anyone, especially newcomers to the area.

My new favorite gym! It’s so hard to find a gym in the Boston area that is both new and clean. All the machines are brand new, which makes so much easier to workout! The gym is very spacious so even on busy times is possible to use it with no problem. The staff is great too and I love the smoothie bar

For the price I may have never seen a better gym. Fresh new equipment, friendly and receptive staff. The benches are personally the perfect height allowing me to only need to lift the bar by like an inch and ended up giving me a extra rep in the tank. Kyle the manager and Jay a trainer there were both very nice and receptive to feedback. I asked for a chest supported t-bar row and they showed me it was already on the list and on order. No sauna though but they have a partnership with sweathouz I havent explored yet.

The gym is always clean and they do a good job bringing in new equipment/machines that get requested. The staff are great and helpful, and Justin in particular was exceptional, teaching me how to clean lift with very clear steps as well as providing important tips to make sure I’m getting the most out of my lifts without injuring myself. Highly recommend scheduling fitness assessments with Justin whether you’re a beginner or if you need that little extra something to bring your workouts to the next level