The Village Fitness Center at SFSU

There are a descent amount of free weights but not enough benches or chairs to lift weights on. It seems to be better for girls since there are a huge selection of cardio machines for them to use. It is really cramped inside and stuffy, the SFSU gym inside the wellness center has more weights available and is not so crowded.

Okay, so it’s time to be honest. I’ve been working out here as long as I’ve lived in on-​campus housing and I’ve come to the conclusion that this fitness center, for the most part, is not that great.
Let’s go over the bad things first. Shall we?
— Size: it’s ridiculously small and, at peak hours, it gets crowded and you often will find yourself having to wait for a machine
— You have to bring your own towels to wipe down the machines and whatnot.
— Lots of standard fitness equipment is missing — kind of a letdown, if you ask me.
— Friday and Saturday hours, as stated in my previous review, are pathetic. Every Friday and Saturday, they close at 6pm. Monday-​Thurday, they’re open until 11pm.
— The sink at one of their water fountains (the taller one) is always clogged up and has yet to be fixed.
— I don’t know whose idea this was, but a lot of people like to lift their barbells outside and slam them into the ground as well. Last year, my roommates and I lived directly above the fitness center and had to endure this (along with some very unpleasant grunts and groans) for the entire time that we lived there.
But, this gym does have its positives too:
+ Most employees are friendly and they will ask you how your day is going when you walk in, as well as say goodbye when you walk out.
+ For a one-​time $ 20 fee, you have complete access to this fitness center for the entire school year.
+ They have some classes that you can take, for an extra fee, such as Yoga, HIIT, etc. Some other classes, I believe, are actually free.
+ You can also train with a certified personal trainer for an extra fee, as well.
Overall, it’s the best that SFSU on-​campus housing has to offer in terms of a fitness center. Don’t expect to come here and find unlimited towels, a steam room and sauna, a swimming pool, etc like you would at a 24 Fitness.
2 stars

The equipment is okay and somewhat well maintain. The only complains i have is people not wiping down the equipment after use and the heavy BO smell from poor ventilation.

If you live on campus, this is included in your «rent». GO USE IT! The facility is great, and the people are even better. Always friendly and well kept. If you live off campus, it’s a University campus residence Hall facility, the fee is not too pricey. Get your butt in the gym!!!

I am not a big fan of the carpet here. Its the one thing really stopping me from enjoying working out here. I understand that it keeps the noise level really low, but it just doesn’t feel right to be working out in the room because of it. It is a little small, but it has what you need and is pretty gosh darn cheap when compared to using a 24 or other gyms like that. Just be cautious of times when to go and when to not go because you don’t want to decide to work on upper body with free weights and benching and have to wait to get at one of the two bench presses or finding the right free weight for you.

It’s a decent gym. Sufficient enough and convenient if you live right one campus or a close neighboring villa, but super small and when it’s crowded your workouts get broken up way too much.
Gets the job done though.

The gym has all the bare essentials and the staff is very nice. Other than that the hours are terrible on the weekends (which is very frustrating especially on Saturdays) and they are closed on random days without a visible calendar schedule of closures outside the location or one online. They also do not have dumbbells above 85 pounds even though they have room for them, and the variety of machines is very lacking. For the amount of space provided to them it is a decent job but it could have been done a little better. So it is possible to get a good workout, but compared to the other resources available near campus this is probably your best option.

Ahh… this review got me reminiscing back on my SF State days when I was still living in the dorms. When I found out going to this gym was free to Village occupants, I thought, «It’s about time I got something for free from SF State.» And man, was it a god send.
Pros: nice, high tech, up to date equipment, flat screen TVs, good classes.
Cons: the place is kinda on the small side — on busy hours, you usually have to wait for a treadmill, the group classroom is TINY… I felt smushed during most of the classes I took.

I decided to get my fat ass of the couch and head for the gym. I compared many gyms in the city and even took the time to check them out personally. Gold’s Gym was a complete waste of time since I do not want to feel inferior to the hard bodies and well maintained physiques that are found basically in a meat market. Fitness USA was a major turn off since they were trying to sign me up in a «hard sell» Stupid me, Since I go to SF State why not check out the Village Fitness Center and I did. Off the bat I totally liked the vibe. It was very clean and the machines were new and well maintained. The gym is small but has a «homey» feel to it. There were not many people at the time I went, which was a good thing, the best part of the gym is the staff. They are a great bunch of people and they leave you alone, and they only offer advice and assistance when you ask for it. They are very friendly and knowledgeable. The bathrooms and the shower is small but clean. I totally recommend this gym to anyone who just wants to workout and be left alone.

Yeah for the new lockers and yeah for turning down the sound! Great job!

I like this gym. People generally leave you alone. If you go at a good time you can usually find the machines open and ready to be used. I like the mirrors, because I like looking at myself. I think everyone who goes to the gym is a bit of a narcissist though. I am glad that people leave me alone here. I really don’t like being talked to when I am at the gym. The shower is actually pretty clean and I use it ever time I go, but I have to admit I do feel a bit uncomfortable in there while I hear the grunts of men lifting emanating from the vents. It’s kind of small, but I enjoy the fact that it’s there for me to use. It’s not really free, because it’s part of my housing expenses, but it seems like it’s free.

I love this gym!
I’m super bummed that now that I won’t be living on campus I won’t be able to use the gym for free, but hopefully the membership is cheap.
The facility is super clean, and it’s never hard to find SOMETHING to use. You can’t be picky of course, but its really nice.
Another thing is that they offer some really good classes, me and my roommate went to the Pilates class and loved it, we were sore for days afterwards, but it was def a good workout.
I really like that they haven’t dumbed down this gym just because most of the people are freshman that live on campus and other young college kids.

I recently moved out of SFSU’s «Housing Community». While I am very glad to be rid of RAs and quiet hours and restrictions on co-​ed apartments, I am sad to lose my complementary gym membership at the Village Fitness Center, located on campus.
I can’t just sit around on my ass for the rest of my college career, so when choosing my new gym, I had a few criteria:
1) LOW membership fee — I refuse to pay anything over $ 50
2) Do not want to have to stink up the bus coming back from a workout at a gym far afield
3) No minivan-​mom, encroaching midlife-​crisis, «circuit training» gyms.
3) Will not go to some cultlike Ah-​nuld facility where glistening bronze bodies make my white chubby one feel inferior for even attempting improvement.
Unfortunately I live in Geriatric HQ (read: Stonestown/​Parkmerced), so all I have available are Curves, Fitness USA (the low fees began to lure me, but nasty Unilocal reviews steered me away; thanks guys), and the ol’ Village Fitness Center.
I am bitter that I now have to pay for membership, because I am a cheapskate, and would really rather not pay. But it’s only $ 34 a month, which is totally do-​able on my budget. The place is really low-​key, the staff is ALWAYS helpful and actually does know their stuff. In my experience, they have always gone to extreme measures to get my questions answered and make me feel comfortable. But most of the time they just leave you alone, which is how I like it. It’s kind of hidden oon the campus, but I really want people outside the university to know that this place exists, cause it deserves your love.