Retro Fitness

Wondering when retro will get some new barbells and also start enforcing the rules equally with all of their members…
Email I sent to retro fitness website:
Please tell us about your experience at Retro Fitness. My experience at Retro has had both ups and downs. I like to think that one day I will be able to find a franchise gym that can and will support my training habits as a powerlifter. As of right now, I am currently searching for a gym that better suits my needs. The following will be a list of the pros and cons that I have for this particular location in Cranston, RI.
Pros:
— clean gym area and bathrooms
Cons:
— almost all of the 8 barbells in the gym are bent and/​or poor quality
— have had negative interactions with a few of the staff members (unfair treatment, targeted)
— some staff members do not seem to understand all of the logistics of memberships, passes, free-​trials which makes me seem like an idiot in front of people I attempt to show the gym to
The reason why I feel like I have been treated unfairly is the things that I have been asked to do are all things i have witnessed (on several occasions) other members do without the trainers and staff saying anything to them. The things that I have been talked to about from staff are deadlifting (the noise that comes from that) and my gym bag.
Also, I’ve been so fed up with the crappy bars that are at the gym that I brought my Rouge Ohio Power Bar from home to the gym but was told I was not allowed to use it since it was a liability. I said I understand and did not use it of course. But I just would like a confirmation of this because when I initially asked the staff behind the front desk, about 4 staff members looked at each other after looking at me with a lost stare in their faces.
I will end this e-​mail by being authentic and honest and say that I do feel that I am being treated unfairly and have had poor interactions with some (not all) staff members due to my race and ethnicity. I have spoken to other members that deadlift or carry bags in the gym and confirmed that no one else is being talked to about this.
Thank you. Hope this can help create a more inclusive and productive environment to your company.

it’s been two weeks since my last review and I must say things are much better, maybe the staff were having a bad day on my last visit. The gym and locker room (mens) are always immaculate and the staff are now very attentive and helpful. the helpfulness and attention from the staff made me change my rating to 5 stars. it’s actually a pleasure «going to the gym.» I

Awesome gym hands down!
I did as many as others have done, got a free trial, then I actually joined! I pay 19.99 a month!
The gym is ALWAYS clean from top to bottom, you will see that they have cleaning personal always cleaning!
Plenty of machines, yes there are more than one machine that will do the same workout so no wait!
They have a array of classes, as well as a protein drink bar! YUM!
The staff is always friendly, persistent, and will fix any issues.
Overall this gym is worth the price, you are not paying a expensive fee for a gym that is mediocre, definitely a double thumbs up in my book! Try it out!

Well it’s official, I love this gym.
I finally decided after 7 months of being at LA Fitness, I needed to move on from there. I was never comfortable enough to go alone (even though I know how to use free weights and I am not new at lifting) because of the kind of people that went there. It was a bunch of muscle head men and the poser type women in tight small clothing and heavy makeup. The sales staff were always rude and could careless. I knew I needed to change environments to get my love of exercising back. So I did. This gym is extremely clean, has a protein shake bar, big bathroom, sauna and a cardio theater.
I decided to turn to Unilocal!I had googled other gyms in my area and came across Retro Fitness. According to the wonderful Unilocalers who have been here and have some really nice reviews, I decided to try it out. After work this past Tuesday I walked into Retro for the first time. Instantly, I was greeted. That was already a huge change from LA. I mentioned that I was looking to switch gyms and wanted to know if I could have a pass. The manager Mayo and another employee Carmine (not sure if I spelled it right) were behind the desk as was a female employee but I never got her name. Carmine put me in for a 3 day pass and Mayo questioned what it was that I didn’t like at LA. Well, after the laundry list of things I gave him, he said… Don’t worry, you’re going to love it here… I was hoping he was right but as of that moment, I was still skeptical. Carmine offered me the tour and Mayo mentioned that I would love it so much I would sign up by the end of that day. I did make it clear that before I committed to another gym, I needed to make sure I liked it first because I was not just going to jump from one miserable situation to another, and so I said that I wanted to complete my 3 day pass and try out some classes and the weight area before I would sign up. To my surprise, Mayo was completely respectful of that, as was Carmine. That was a big plus in my book! I proceeded to tour and noticed that the gym wasn’t huge, which I really liked and that for it being around 5:30pm, it also wasn’t extremely crowded which is another thing I liked. The colors on some of the machines (red and yellow) did make me laugh and made it a little tough to take the gym seriously, but as I will state for the record… Never judge a book by its cover!
As we continued walking through, long behold, there was a cardio movie theater!!! I have ever only known one place that offered this and it was my favorite thing at that time. (I no longer live close to that gym) and here and now, I have crossed paths with one again!!! INSTANT EXCITEMENT!!! To be able to do my cardio in a dark room while watching an awesome movie (they will usually play semi-​new releases) was just the best thing ever!
After the tour I decided to get my cardio on, of course, in the cardio movie theater while watching the new Avengers. Oh yea!
On Wed. I went back to check out a spin class and a lifting class. Because I was unable to sign up for classes online, Carmine went right ahead and signed me up! The spinning class was fun and a decent amount of intensity and the 30 minute express lifting class was no joke!!! After both classes, I decided I deserved a protein shake. The shakes are bigger then LA Fitness and cheaper!!! Oh, and delicious!!!
I decided last night to sign up. Once I did, I received an email saying that I would receive a gift for signing up. Starbucks gift card!!! Oh yea! This is exactly what I mean by member incentives (in my review for LA Fitness I stated that there are no member incentives whatsoever). Also, everyday at the protein bar you get a little something. I know yesterday, Friday, was 20% off shakes. I will take a picture and post it later.
I have to say, it feels good walking into a gym where you are greeted and treated like you matter and not like a dollar sign. The staff there is wonderful, especially Carmine!!! He can make a mean protein shake! The manager Mayo is very enthusiastic and you can see how much he loves his job. This is what makes the difference people!!!
Looking forward to continuing my journey to a healthier me at Retro Fitness. I plan to update my review down the line as I am now a member and will see if things stay this good… Or if they take a turn.
Stay tuned.

EDIT: Management has changed from what I was told. Not sure if this review still applies.
My boyfriend and I signed up for the 7-​day free trial membership to check it out. We were actually planning to join once the trial was up, but wanted to take advantage of the promotion first.
On the first day, before we even stepped inside the fitness center, the manager kept hassling us to sign up immediately. I told him «We haven’t even done our first day of the 7-​day trial yet» and he said something like «Oh please, you don’t need to try it before joining, just join.» Red flag; way too pushy. That is a huge turnoff.
The gym itself was pretty good. I didn’t like the fitness class I took (Zumba) because they jumped into a routine right away without going over how to do the routine. So that turned me off from the classes. I liked the machines a lot, hence why this is not a one star rating. The gym itself is clean and well organized. There are a lot of unique machines you wouldn’t find in other gyms.
A day later, we got an email from one of the managers. WORD FOR WORD: «hello [my boyfriend’s name] my name is [manager’s name] from retro fitness of cranston im sending u this email to see how u enjoyed ur visit at the club if u have any questions please give us a call at [phone number] we r having a promo $ 0 enrollment and 1^st month of membership free thank you»
Seriously? You want us to join your gym, and you send an email as if you’re an Indian telemarketer? Would it kill you to take two seconds to write properly? We know you speak perfect English, so what is up with this? It’s unprofessional.
He also called a day later leaving messages on our phone.
We ended up not joining, which is sad because I like the gym itself. The staff there makes me uncomfortable.
Another note I’ll add: Their promo system is screwed up and I wouldn’t trust it. My boyfriend and I signed up for the 1-​day trial initially and NEVER got an email for it or anything, just emails with advertisements. We eventually got the 7-​day trial offer in the mail and went to tour the gym, and the manager said our trial could start the next day. At the end of the first day when I was trying to sign up for the Zumba class, the manager told me my membership is «expired.» This is the same guy who gave me the tour the previous day. He KNOWS the trial is supposed to be 7-​days, and yet he still gave me grief about it. I suspect that the system thought I took the «1-​day trial» offer (that was never sent to me). So that made me feel weird about going back after the first day of the trial. And about joining in general. I don’t want to get slapped with «accidental» fees and losing promos because the system keeps messing things up.

I love this gym! Clean, great staff, awesome hours and pricing and thats exactly what I’m looking for in a gym. You know, not overwhelmed by «hot girls» with Kim Kardashian sized butts and men grunting and throwing weights. Just a place where you can go and be YOU while still getting in a great workout.

This is a GREAT GYM, CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN, staff professional and friendly, amazing equipment, no waiting nice clients it is Cranston’s best kept secret. I canceled my membership at LA Fitness ghetto DUMP, FILTHY OVER PRICED JOKE. The staff is horrible, sales people arrogant and lie for a sale. This gym blows it off the map!!! Thx Steve Brennan for referring me !!!