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| - I walk past this gym a couple of times a week when I make my excursion to the businesses, coffee shops, and True Runner (yes, I am a runner) along Walnut Street. Before I got my membership, I had thought that this was a small gym with a hefty price tag. From the outside, I saw a lot of ellipticals and treadmills through the first-floor window, and people doing bodyweight workouts and deadlifts through the second-floor window. Next door, there was a small space that used to be a smoothie bar, but is now closed. At that time, I already had a gym membership on South Highland, but I really wanted to join a few classes like BodyPump and spinning. L.A. Fitness in Bakery Square was pretty close, but I heard horror stories about the facility and its membership contracts. Club One was closer, but I thought its member demographics would be a bit on the older side for me. So, I contemplated joining X Shadyside, which I found offered classes.
I walked in one day and a sign at the first-floor desk said to go to the second floor for inquiries. Before I did that, I quickly explored the first floor. First thing I noticed was that there was an abundant number of cardio machines, from treadmills to ellipticals to stationary bicycles! My cursory estimate would be at least 30 machines total. There were also two small rooms to the side, the first being a mini-weight room, and the second being a spin class room containing over 20 stationary bicycles.
I walked upstairs, which I quickly saw was for classes, weightlifting, and yoga and pilates. I spoke with someone at the front desk about its membership. They explained what their gym offers, including classes such as abs, spinning, BodyPump, BodyAttack, P90X, and Insanity. They also offer separate locker rooms with showers and lockers available to all and for rent for an additional fee (no towel service, though). I did a quick tour of the rest of the gym and found that all the machines were in clean, working condition; the bathrooms were clean (with some body odor, which is to be expected); and the classroom was fairly large and free to use whenever they are not having a class. I liked what I saw, so I asked for their membership fee. Because I'm a UPMC employee, they offered a discount. I paid a $49 initiation fee and the first month fee of $29; the monthly payments will be $49 hereafter.
I've been going to this gym for almost two months and I'm pleased. With the exception of peak hours, there usually are no lines for the machines and weights. I've attended their spinning classes and the trainers knew how to motivate us to push our limits. I always walked out feeling both exhausted and energized.
Some minor issues about this gym is that a few machines were broken (bicycle pedals, water bottle holders), not a TRUE 24/7 gym (M-F 6 AM to 9 PM, Sat 8 AM to 6 PM, Sun 9 AM to 6 PM), and difficulty parking (not a big issue for me because I always walk/jog/bike here).
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