Chalk Gyms

Incredible gym all around — the facilities, the trainers, the manager. Very well run, extremely flexible/​accommodating, especially for long time members. And the price is right too. Bravo, Chalk.

Not worth the $. The people who work here are typically outright rude. If you have a question at the front desk, you’ll get an eye roll because you are interrupting the show they are watching. The cleaning people are super rude as well. The gym can get too packed and therefor too hot even in the winter. But don’t ask the front desk people to do anything, because they will say they cannot. «It’s an automated system» they’ll say and then go back to watching their show. I wish I had a better option. My gym, quick fitness, closed. Pity because they were at least professional and you felt like they cared about their job. I don’t know whose hiring these people, but they are unmotivated and lazy. For almost 100 bucks a month, it’s a joke here. I think I’ll join the Y. They get 2 stars because they have weights and machines. That’s about it.

I joined Chalk in Williamsburg about a year ago and signed up for the annual membership commitment. I love this gym but unfortunately lost my job last summer and was unable to continue my payments. The manager, Michael was very understanding and put my membership on hold for a few months and then again for a few more months when I still hadn’t found a job. I finally decided it was time to move back home as I was still unemployed and Michael again was very understanding and cancelled my membership without charging me the early termination fee. This place is awesome and when I move back to the city, I will definitely sign up at Chalk again! Thank you Michael. Great customer service :-) which is rare these days!

Updating my review. Problem solved.

Excellent, clean gym. I looked at a lot of different gyms in NYC before finally joining Chalk and I definitely made the right choice. You don’t feel like you’re paying for a gross, overcrowded New York gym nor are you paying over half of your savings for it! No crazy initiation, enrollment, «miscellaneous» registration fees etc., and no crazy cancellation policy either.

Haven’t tried out many gyms since moving to Williamsburg, but so far, I am loving it here and have no complaints! The main selling points for me are their classes and how clean the space is. I usually take the yoga and barre classes and they give me the workout I need for the week. Also, I recommend taking classes from Annie, Nicole and Patricia — they’re extremely friendly, upbeat and helpful :)

The cleanest gym in Williamsburg! Absolutely love the atmosphere in here, there is plenty of space and equipment to use without feeling cluttered– it also has beautiful natural light and smells fresh and citrusy.
There is a standard room full of equipment and then a cycling room and a dance/​yoga studio for classes; the studio has a soft floor– which is great for me because I have bad knees and can’t do yoga on regular hardwood.
The staff was very accommodating and helpful with my needs, and the owner was even better. Very friendly and personable guy that you can tell cares about his business.

Since joining, my experience at Chalk has been wonderful. It has all the basics, and is relatively spacious for being in NY, as well as located very close to the Bedford L stop (on the Driggs side so you can avoid more of the crowds). Lots of machines, and despite the large amount of members, I usually don’t run into issues with waiting for machines or showers. The owner Michael has also been very helpful and receptive each time I’ve reached out about questions. Would definitely recommend!

Chalk is to gyms like leftovers are for dinner– you should only go there for the convenience and to save a few bucks. There is really nothing special about this gym. Although they cleaned up the bathrooms and reorganized some of the equipment to make way for a few new ones, I am still not impressed. Review done.

My G.F. and I were visiting Brooklyn (from the west coast), and needed to find a gym, and had only Unilocal to rely on… «Chalk» was awesome! Loved everything about it: the look, the brick and wood, the friendly people at the front desk who gave us a cut rate for our short visit, the clean equipment, and even the music was just right. Highly recommend. One other real nice touch: a chalkboard saying «What’s your goal today?» and people writing little things. What a positive vibe!!!
Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees.

It’s my third day. The people at the desk were *very* nice and it was easy to sign up without jumping through tons of hoops.
There is a wide variety of cardio equipment which is good because I get bored.
The gym is clean and spacious and so far the clientele seems friendly and in-​shape.
Locker rooms a bit small but there’s a sauna!!! Yes!!!
One person asked to jump into the middle of my deadlift sets when I was literally bending over to pick up the bar on my final set.
I am all for sharing and «working in» but her request was pretty odd because there was a free bar and cage right next to me.
Why couldn’t she just use that? It seemed like she needed to express her aggression to someone. It is true the gentleman next to us was super setting three exercises and hogging the whole area.
Later on I saw her behind the front desk so I guess she works here. I hope we’ll become friends. If I didn’t have to try and fit an hour workout into 45 minutes everyday, I’d have gladly had you jump in!!! But instead I had four private massage clients and an entire rugby team waiting in the city for me.
The weight equipment itself is varied (free weights, cages, machines). Not ideal for every movement (cable crossover doesn’t have enough levels) and some of the machines do not fit natural body mechanics (other cable crossover is too narrow. So you recruit upper traps which is, well, BAD), but there is enough to work with and make do. And that’s not just this gym, it’s pretty much every gym. This one is waaaay better than most! Hence 5 stars.
As a personal trainer and licensed massage therapist I am seeing a lot of bad body mechanics and potential injury as people are working out wrong here at Chalk. Again, that’s any gym. I wish I had time to correct them all but no one really wants to hear it anyway so I keep my mouth shut unless they ask me. I wish these people would all hire a qualified trainer so they would end up in shape and fit and flexible, instead of in pain on my table.
In all, a nice place if a bit pricey. But this is Williamsburg, where my rent just went up 40% in the last 30 months.

so many hot guys here i forget to work out and just sit on the machine with my jaw dropped starring at all the daddies…
but anyway, its a great gym! i love it! i love coming here because its all brand new, it smells nice, and if you go in the afternoon between 1 – 4 pm its pretty empty.
only problem is too many hott guys so i get distracted and think about my love life and not my squats.

The boyfriend and I got trial passes in just about every gym across Williamsburg, Bed Stuy, Fort Greene, and lower Manhattan before settling on Chalk. We tried out Blink (almost every single location, including the one way out on Gates), Quick Fit, the Brooklyn Athletic Club, Crunch…
I even had a two-​week membership at Frenchie’s.
At the end of the day, it’s not about specific equipment or classes, but energy. Chalk’s simply got the best vibes. I feel good /​happy /​relaxed working out there, which is important, because otherwise I wouldn’t go there every day.
Or twice a day.
Echoing and agreeing with Christopher C («I’ve seen a few bad reviews towards the staff…») the fact that the desk reps don’t mob you when you come in is actually a selling point to me. To echo his sentiment, the no-​pressure sales approach is a breath of fresh air.

I’ve been searching for a new gym in my area, so I’ve been trying a few out before committing. Pretty sure I’ve found it at Chalk.
I used a free guest pass on Labor Day, and I was really happy with my experience. The lady at the front desk was nice, didn’t try to sell me on the space, and just told me that everything was on one floor (up the stairs). I can see how someone might think this was a brush off, however I appreciated how simple it was and don’t need to have my hand held.
They have THREE squat racks, two flat benches, and all of the other standard equipment/​machines. A good stretching area with foam rollers, plenty of cardio machines, and spacious locker rooms with showers. Layout is well planned. The price is also decent.

This gym is a boutique location but offers a lot within its small space. The equipment is maintained well and the gym is always clean (I’m here pretty much 5 days a week and I can’t think of one time someone wasn’t constantly on the floor cleaning).
I’ve seen a few bad reviews towards the staff and though they don’t always go out of their way to greet you at the door with wide eyes and big smiles, they have been nothing but nice and accommodating. I enjoy a good hello but I’m also a big fan of not going over the top just because someone new walked through the door. *Their no pressure sales approach is also a breath of fresh air; come in, walk around, and enjoy the facility.

I’m new to Williamsburg, and only spent two days working out at Chalk, but so far it’s perfect. Great equipment, energy and style.
Jack at the front desk was super helpful and went out of his way to show me around, without giving me the hard sell.
I’m a member of a less expensive gym in the area also, but the energy there is really bad — like a McDonalds of gyms.

Great neighborhood gym. A little on the pricey side, but they keep the place VERY clean. Every time I’ve come, I’ve seen at least one person attending to the bathrooms or equipment. They are lacking in space, so their cardio equipment easily fills up on a Monday evening, so I rarely come on Mondays. But most other times I’ve never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a machine. The sauna is a nice way to cool down and the amenities (shampoo, lotion, etc) are worth the extra penny. I agree with other Unilocalers — the staff working at the front lobby rarely pay attention to me when I walk in, but I suppose they are primarily there to help people who don’t have a membership.

Great gym for the neighborhood. I signed up when I moved to Williamsburg about a month ago and have really enjoyed it so far. The staff is friendly and the music is great… they definitely cater to the neighborhood. I listen to their playlist on spotify fairly regularly. The equipment is pretty state of the art and clean and they have saunas in the locker rooms.
So why 4 stars? My only complaint, which is a big one, isn’t so much the gym itself but the crowds. It’s in a fairly small space and I am often waiting on machines. I will sadly be cancelling my membership most likely as there are gyms of lesser quality in the area that have much more space (and with worse classes). I wish they would either open another location or move to a larger facility.

I belonged to Equinox (SF) and Retro Fitness (Williamsburg) before joining Chalk. Equinox was amazing, but I didn’t want to continue paying those prices in NYC. Retro was a bargain but not a place I really ever wanted to be.
Enter Chalk. I have to ride a few subway stops from Bushwick to get here, but I don’t mind. The gym is very clean, bright (and not the oppressive fluorescent brightness of Retro), and always full of awesome music (yes, I follow my gym on Spotify). I have noticed it’s quite a bit more crowded now that the New Year’s crowd is getting their resolutions on, but I hope it’ll calm down soon. Essentially being at Chalk is enjoyable, and that’s helpful in a gym. I’ve taken one class (Barre Rhythm) & it was great. They also have Spin which I haven’t tried yet.
My initial experience was a little weird, as another reviewer mentioned. I stopped by expecting a tour, but I was just sent upstairs to wander around on my own. But whatever, I liked what I saw & signed up. Also, Michael the manager has been awesome over email with various questions I’ve had before & since joining.
(Also call me crazy, but I think they use Chalk as a gym set on Broad City???)

I see by reading the rest of the reviews here, that I am a minority in my experience visiting Chalk. I currently go to Equinox and when I heard about Chalk, I was happy to hear that it was exactly what I needed: closer to home, had group classes, and had month to month flexibility, not to mention it is significantly less expensive than Equinox.
Unfortunately, the day I went to check it out and find out more info was a complete turn off. Upon walking in and approaching the desk, there were two staff members standing there speaking to each other. They did not acknowledge me in any way, making me feel rather stupid for just standing there staring at them while other club members checked in around me. I finally said «excuse me» and was met with apathetic stares, so I told them I was new and seeking more info. At this time, one walked away, the other one handed me a card listing rates and told me to go look around myself. My main focus at a gym is group classes, and the title listings on your website are somewhat ambiguous. I asked her about them and I was told they schedule was written on a board behind me. While I was wandering around, trying to find the class rooms, the women’s locker room and whatever else I may have missed, it was very frustrating. I have never belonged to a gym where this was my first experience. I came back down to ask where the class rooms are as it was slightly confusing what was where, I was told «oh, they’re up there. In the back.» Perhaps I am spoiled coming from Equinox, where everyone goes way out of their way to be helpful and accommodating, but this was a complete turn off. If this was my business, I would find this level of service unacceptable. As now, you have lost me as a customer, and unfortunately, this will be the story I describe to friends and colleagues should they ask if I know anything about it.