Best Gym near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The staff are great in general! I happen to have seen & remembered Ricky & Xavier's names, but the overnight staff and the morning staff are also excellent; friendly, helpful, and responsive. The arrival of the new equipment was a pleasant surprise. I've had opportunity to try several PF clubs in the past 6 months while travelling, including clubs in several states, and the Board Street club compares very well, especially for a relatively new club.

Friendly staff, facility and equipment maintained, street parking is easy (at night). This club has a great mix of dedicated and courteous members in all shapes and sizes trying to get stronger. And I see many helping others with advice and guidance to support their journey.

I also go regularly to a Planet Fitness in another city. This one is exceptional, in comparison. The new machines are so much more comfortable to use. There are rarely any machines out of service and those are quickly repaired. Black card equipment is likewise excellent. The space is very attractive -- windows, lots of room. At this location, the vibe is focused but friendly. Weightlifters have not imposed themselves and people generally do not sit on machines looking at their phones while resting between their second or third sets (unlike the other location). Good air conditioning, sanitizer always available, clean washrooms, friendly staff. One quibble: Both locations have only one pectoral fly machine. Someone needs to realize that this is the most heavily used machine in the place. An exceptional Planet Fitness.

I was there today. I had a rough week and I wanted to use the meditation pod, but as I was using the meditation pod, all I can hear was the people at the front desk. I couldn't focus on my meditation. I asked if I can close the door outside the meditation room. They said, no, it was never an issue before, but now it is. The new staff there doesn't work. I like the old staff and the way things were before if you ask them to close the door they say no problem, these new guys are not working out. You can't even meditate, all you can hear is their conversation outsidethe room.

Usually good! Monday mornings they are supposed to open at 5:00am. I am here now at 5:10 and no one. This happens too often, especially for us who begin work at 6:15

Great environment to work on your fitness goals, tan, relax, or just grab a protein smoothie. Shawn & Delaney at the front are super helpful if it's your first, second, or 1000th time here. Only downside is the saunas are small :( Super clean facilities 🧼 Come work out here 🏋🏽‍♂️ + the smoothies are 🔥

Awesome gym to go to in the city. Great "bang-for-your-buck." While all of the equipment might not be brand new, they have pretty much everything you would need for a solid workout at an affordable price. The best thing about this gym is the environment/fellow lifters: everyone is focused on getting better, focused, supportive, friendly, etc. Never felt judged or intimidated here. People even wipe their equipment after! My one (personal) criticism would be the over-commercialization so to speak. While some people might enjoy it, I don't really feel the need for all the amenities, TVs, supplements, body scans, etc. If that's for you though, no worries! Overall a great 9/10 gym.

Retro Fitness has been an awesome experience! The employees are nice and welcoming, which makes every visit a pleasure. On top of that, the amenities are truly top-notch. I just upgraded to the ultimate membership, and it’s been totally worth it. Now, I get access to tanning, red light therapy, sauna, and more. My favorite perk is the Hydro Beds, which gives the perfect massage after a hard workout. Plus, the classes are a blast, thanks to the motivated instructors who make every session enjoyable. Highly recommend! :)

Friendly staff always welcoming and always happy. Really makes going to the gym feel more like a fun activity than just a daily task. Always clean always improvising something or adding new equipment. What more can you ask for

Tiana, Ron, Steven, and Shawn are the sweetest people ever. Always makes me feel welcomed. The whole team is amazing. The gym is always clean and the amenities and equipment choices are great for the price. So far this has been the best gym in my area

I love this gym. It very spacious with every piece of equipment that you need. I’ve never been in a gym so clean. Cleaning staff are consistently cleaning from 5am to 12am nonstop. It has a juice/smoothie bar and even a recovery room and sauna. The staff are friendly and top notch. The best gym I’ve been to in Philly.

Been going to the City Fitness in Fairmount since last September and quite happy with everything. The gym is always clean, very equipped, and is open 5am to 12am on weekdays which is great for those with challenging schedules. Also, I have Thrive membership and love the trainers! They work with you to tailor the moves in a way that’s best for your body. Natasja is my favorite! Her energy is unmatched and she’s very knowledgeable about different exercises for each muscle.

Great vibes at Fairmount CF! Plenty of space and 4 squat racks👍🏻 People are friendly and serious about fitness! I love my time at this gym👏🏻

The new years crowd has been ridiculous lately. I joined in the fall when most times or day there was minimal or no wait for machines and other equipment. Lately the wait has been incredibly frustrating at all times of day (except 1-2pm on weekdays) which is why I can’t give this place 5 stars. I wish they would cap new memberships after a certain point so that existing members aren’t leaving with negative experiences.

Decent equipment, friendly staff. Classes are fine, but the class rooms are super small and overcrowded when full. Gets really hot during rush hour - the AC is definitely not able keep up. Overall good addition to the neighborhood. the biweekly billing is a pain though.

Greetings, This morning I was targeted by one of the employees who worked the front desk due to my attire (a dress) which I wear for religious purposes. I was asked to leave the gym because of this attire and the man stated I could not work out there because my attire is a breach of safety protocol. I have been coming to this location for about a year now and no one has said anything to me about me working out in a dress. Also, on Planet Fitness website under the dress code section is does NOT speak against a woman wearing a dress. When I was approached by the employee (who is Muslim), I relayed to him that my faith is Holiness and I workout in a dress and I dont wear pants. I also stated that if I was Muslim I would not have been told to leave. He mentioned my dress having a design on it and that’s not for religious purposes. Again, he was holding me to a Muslim standard and I stated that I was not Muslim, my faith is Holiness. Nevertheless, in totality, I was definitely targeted due to religious differences and I feel discriminated against due to my attire and I wanted to make sure that this situation was spoken to.

This place is fine. The equipment is in good order, and the locker rooms are clean. It's never really busy and there is a decent amount of parking.

It’s been great so far friendly staff good workouts overall great

Planet fitness cool. A lot of traffic in the area but still an affordable place to get a workout & everything you need. I hated the hydro massage didn’t go full blast like usual. Felt like I was being tickled rather than the lvl 8-10 I usually use for the jets.

I was working out With the fitness trainer. He was unprofessional. Acting goofy and creepy. Kept talking about my body. And asked if I have a boyfriend. I was so uncomfortable around him. I will let corporate know. That he’s not certified to be a trainer. I will be canceling my membership because of him. Thank you very much.

Absolutely love my time at F45! I’m a trainer and I come as a client as well. It’s a family atmosphere so I feel very comfortable and the workouts are always challenging. The trainers are really good at encouraging and directing us through the challenging stations. I highly recommend!

I’ve been a member at this F45 for the past 9 months and I’m literally OBSESSED!! I never did group training like this before so i was so nervous when i first started, but every trainer here makes you feel so welcome, they’re so encouraging, helpful, and always pushing you in the best way possible!! I joined to get in better shape for my wedding, and now I’ve been going to classes 5-6 days a week because of how amazing this gym is and it’s completely changed my life!! Everyone at this gym is now like family to me and i am so happy i joined!! Do yourself a favor and join, i promise you won’t regret it!!

I literally don't even know where I could begin for anyone to understand how truly life-changing F45 Bala Cynwyd has been for me and so many others. The family and friends that you aquire, the clean studio, the amazing playlists, the sessions that give you complete body workouts, and the coaches my gosh the coaches. Becoming a member changed not only my physical but my mental. Every coach comes in every day with their whole heart, ready to push you and encourage you to be your best self (even when there have been personal struggles). The members become your friends and they will also push you and motivate you and even dance with you. I truly do love F45 and I know for sure that I am a completely different person in just 8 short months!! Do yourself a favor and give it a try!

Awesome gym. The trainers are very helpful and encouraging. The members are welcoming. I love the community atmosphere at this gym.

I’ve been a member of F45 for around 2 year, I am a resident physician in a local hospital Negatives: When I first joined, I was led to believe that I could attend classes flexibly. However, policies changed, and now there are fees for even minor adjustments. While some coaches have been accommodating, I’ve been fined on many occasions. Despite holding an unlimited membership, my extremely busy schedule occasionally prevents me from attending for weeks at a time, and it’s just upsetting to be fined for the days I’m emergently called to work. With that being said, I had to abruptly end my membership due to the lack of flexibility and the basic human mistake of not canceling. It’s not about the money at the end as much as it is about the hurt. Some people are treated better than others. The equipment is old (sandbags). Positives: Respectful atmosphere, great community, excellent workouts. I wish them all the best nonetheless and they do have a wonderful family.

Everyone who works at PF is helpful and kind! These days that is very hard to come by. The equipment is clean and up to date. The showers and locker rooms are always neat and tidy! Love this place and the black card membership is awesome !!! I recommend!

Planet Fitness is known for its affordability and welcoming atmosphere, but today’s visit highlighted some of its downsides. The location was bustling with gym enthusiasts, which is great for energy but made the space feel a bit cramped. With equipment packed tightly together, it left little room to breathe or move comfortably between workouts. Despite the crowded feel, everything else seemed well-maintained, and the overall experience was consistent with what you’d expect from Planet Fitness—clean, functional, and accessible. Still, a little more open space would have made the visit feel less overwhelming.

No bike racks provided. They don’t seem to care of the issue of where to station bikes. I had brought my bike to the lobby considering the circumstance but store associates referred to a “policy listed at the front”. I’ve read it and made noticed that there’s no clause pertaining to stationing or bikes… so I asked management to email me the policy. Management did email me, they also couldn’t show any proof of a made up policy that they aggressively taunt gym goers with. Very unprofessional. It’s the first time I’ve had an issue with Planet Fitness considering other locations have station racks or allow indoor placement for their customers. This location seems not to care enough to take any responsibility to accommodate their customers. Hopefully they can add a rack or come up with a better solution. Overall- nice facility, poor service. Hi- in response to email, I already contacted the regional manager. The issue is there is no bike station / rack… even after years of previous customers complaining, the issue remains there is still no accommodation. I’ll take my money to a local gym that can offer what I need. Thanks again.

This location is ok. It's conveniently located, there is a lot of parking, and depending on what time you go, it's not SUPER crowded like the nearby Fishtown PF. However, the amount of machines makes no sense to me. There are a ton of ellipticals that are almost never used (I've only ever seen a handful of people on these even when the gym is super crowded) and so many treadmills (even when a decent handful of people use them, there are still so many empty treadmills taking up so much space). But then there are only one or two of each of the weight-lifting machines, which are the machines people actually want to use. There seems to always be at least one broken machine, which even further reduces the equipment that people actually want available to them. The weight-lifting machines are located around the front perimeter of the space, so it's always crowded there while the rest of the gym is completely empty. Why not get rid of an entire row of ellipticals and treadmills and fill that space with more weight-lifting machines so people aren't all crammed into one area? Seems like whoever laid out the space and picked the machines did not actually consider what people want from this type of gym. I've been to other locations that make way more sense in terms of available equipment (the Drexel Hill location is one of the better ones in this sense). This is also a location where I see ton of people NOT wipe machines after they use them. It's pretty annoying to have to wipe a machine before and after use because I can't trust that I'm not touching someone else's sweat.

The staff at this gym were very unprofessional and rude. No one was at the front desk, friends of the staff just hanging out. I had to look for a staff member. As an active duty military member, I use active & fit to access gyms while I am on leave. The staff members turned me away because they didn’t understand how the active and fit program worked. After telling and showing the staff my day pass agreement they simply said we can’t help you. Worst Planet Fitness and Staff I have ever encountered.

Great acrobatic training school with a great variety of classes and times to attend them with very knowledgeable positive teachers helping to further your abilities! Something for everyone at any age and any ability, , so come and try a class or more. Great kind friendly community of clientele all very supporting and helpful with a whole lotta positivity always!

The best circus school in Philly not only because of the staff but also the students. Having attended various circus schools and trained with a range of instructors, I can say with confidence that Secret Circus has built the most welcoming and close knit community I've found in any gym or studio setting. The people who train here are kind and low key, I've never experienced the drama or cliques I've seen at other dance and circus arts studios. The teachers are the most well equipped instructors I've ever met, Secret Circus is very selective in who they have teach both as regular instructors and workshop hosts. They are incredibly accommodating to people of all shapes, sizes, identities, and abilities. I've never been anywhere else that I felt as safe to be myself and advocate for my training needs. As someone with a disability and as a performer in general, there's nowhere else I'd rather train.

The coaches are extremely knowledgeable and really help you understand what wraps do unlike any other place I’ve been. The students are so supportive of each other and I feel very safe. The studio is in a very cool building industrial buildings and although I was definitely intimidated to walk in because I couldn’t see in- it was very magical once I walked into the bright studio. The owner has always answered my email questions right away and has taken extra time to explain things to me that I really appreciate. I highly recommend trying it out here. I saw a huge difference in coaching experience with every coach I’ve taken class from at Secret compared to other places I’ve been in the city.

I only just started taking the beginner class (Laurie's) here at the beginning of the month and I absolutely love it! I am an absolute beginner and I feel safe! High ceilings and mats! This school accommodates all levels! All the coaches I have met so far (Laurie and Jackie) are so nice and patient! Everyone cheers each other on! Looking forward to learning, growing, and having fun! Thanks Niff for creating this space! 🎪💕

Secret Circus is an amazing place to learn, train and grow in all things aerial arts. The coaches are patient, compassionate and extremely helpful in working with you and what's best for your body. Classes are designed to challenge you and can be modified if necessary - which I so appreciate! I've discovered so much about myself training here and knowing that "today is a circus class day" always brings a smile to my face. Join us, it will be good for you!

There's just something about the atmosphere that makes you want to get it done. The machines are really good. The free weights have seen better days but, they're fine. There's a vibrant community of friendly people there. Nice big space with plenty of weights and equipment. The only thing missing is a water fountain; make sure to bring a gallon of water. They offer training too, which I might do in the future. I'm not a fan of chain gyms, and I prefer the community feel. It's hard to find gyms like this.

Called ahead of time to cancel my membership. I called the Vagaro app and they said I had to call the gym directly. I called the gym. Spoke with the owner & he said he would cancel my membership. I believed him. Received an alert that the money was taken out my account. Immediately called and spoke to a woman. She stated I had to come in person but the owner never told me that. Spoke to the owner again & he reassured me he put in for a refund and canceled my membership. This all happened end of March and beginning of April. No refund or anything. I just pray they truly canceled my membership. At this point, they can keep my $46. I don’t appreciate the run around and lies. Never again.

Great facility! Great environment! Great people.

With my fast pace busy lifestyle. It is often hard to fit in going to the gym. I was highly recommended to give Swift Fit a try. After a couple weeks of consistent training. I began to feel great about my experience here and realized the difference between Sift Fit and the big name gyms. Things were a lot more personal and the other people there were very friendly and didn't mind helping if needed and or correct you if you're doing something wrong. I've finally found my gym home and family.

If you need a consistent schedule with a reliable trainer do not invest your time or money into this gym. I hired swift for 12 sessions with my son and paid 400 dollars up front. My son only received 6 sessions within 2MONTHS !!! Not to mention 4 of the sessions were with trainers that he pushed us off on because he didn’t show up!! Moving forward I was promised 5 free sessions for “miscommunications”, which I NEVER received. After trying to schedule on HIS TIME I finally gave up and asked for a refund for the 6 remaining sessions. He never replied to my messages or picked up my calls. I called and spoke to an employee at the front desk and was informed that swift ALWAYS travels a lot because his son plays football. So with that being said please beware of investing your hard earned money into this gym. IF you do decide to take a risk PLEASE DONT PAY EVERYTHING UP FRONT. Consistency is key to true results you won’t get that at this gym. It a start off nice then it a fall off. Don’t waste your time. Looks are truly deceiving on social media believe me

Really Good small gym, nice and clean which is importing friendly and helpful staffs. The outside the gym is not so cool but once your in the gym it’s safe and comfortable. I really wish they can have a heavy bag in the gym would really appreciate it, that’s the only reason I don’t give them 5 stars yet lol once they have that then 5 stars lol. But all in all is a good gym.

Awesome gym! Currently smaller size but very clean with new equipment, great for someone looking for something intimate and personable. Training assistance also provided.

My wife and I just started coming here and we love it Chris is wonderful he's very informative and the place is wonderful it's all brand new and everyone's friendly and welcoming

I'm a current member. Great atmosphere. No judgement.

I enjoy working out here. The staff are very friendly and very helpful with helping you learn different exercises and machines.

I'm going to Philly next week...does anyone know of any shop wear I can find some authentic boxing gloves like reyes etc

Great place and has the soul of Philadelphia in it, you can smell the grittiness and hard work when you walking down the block from it

Nice! Would recommend. ‼️

Cheapest boxing gym around

Awesome very professional boxing Club

I absolutely love this gym ! The workouts are great and they can be tailored to your comfort level/needs. Great coaches. The owner, Nick, is truly dedicated to all the members having a great experience. I would highly recommend to anyone.

Great format and culture! The small personal training sessions are perfect for ensuring good form in strength training. The format holds me accountable to show up and get in my work outs. The trainers are knowledgeable and friendly. They are always willing to answer questions or suggest alternate workouts for me. They take safety and correct form more seriously than other gyms/trainers I’ve tried. I appreciate that the gym has similar participation from men and women, and the members are friendly and welcoming.

Cedar Street Personal Training is the place where back fat goes to die and muscles come to party. It's where you trade your Chick-fil-A sauce for resistance bands and your couch for a sweat session with Nick, the muscle maestro. The atmosphere? So electric, you'll think you're at a concert, not a gym. And the results? They sneak up on you like a ninja in the night, leaving you sore in places you didn't know existed. If you're looking to transform from a 'before' picture to an 'after' that will have everyone swiping right, Cedar Street is your fitness matchmaker.

I’ve been going to Cedar Street Personal Training since June 2024 and I wish I started sooner! I was reluctant to join having little to no weight training experience but I came to the right place. The owner, Nick, is so friendly and helpful! The gym has flexible hours and an easy app included to schedule classes. Joe is my trainer and he’s great! He really takes the time to make sure my form is correct and motivates me to do better every class. I’ve hit so many personal records in just a short amount of time. I love this gym!

Pound for pound, in my opinion, the most welcoming community for personal fitness training in Philadelphia. Nick has brought his vision to life: a place where anyone can feel welcome, accepted, and more than capable of achieving beyond their fitness goals. It’s not the biggest place, but the design is highly functional with all the latest equipment. The staff is made of certified trainers who are knowledgeable, thoughtful, and charismatic. They prioritize safety, education, and what is right for your personal needs and objectives over tossing weights around (but if you’re into that, there’s space for you here too!) I am forever grateful for choosing Cedar Street to get my fitness journey back on track. As a former athlete turned dad and office 9-5er, it filled a space for me that provides physical and mental benefits, and the discipline to stay on track with my personal fitness in a life with lots of competing priorities. I highly recommend it for any person that wants to join a community and find out what they are capable of!

Been going here since December 2023 and we love it! It’s always clean, is super convenient that it’s self check-in, the weights are always racked, there’s tons of free weights and machines, and of course during hot days it’s air conditioned (or warmer in winter). Highly recommend supporting your local small business and bringing more community into our Port Richmond area.

Great owner that truly cares about maintaining clean and well equipped gym environment for the Port Richmond area.

Great place to work out, has everything I need. Friendly owner helps with any questions for new comers. Def my new go to

I’ve been going since a week after they opened. I love it. Super clean and the owners are great. Great addition to the neighborhood. Love the community feel.

Iron is a great gym with an extremely knowledgeable owner who is very friendly to talk to. Very good experience overall.