Forma Gym

Since my earlier review it had become apparent the new owners are seeking to attract a younger crowd, Several senior oriented fitness classes have been eliminated and the social events clearly aimed towards appealing to a 20s and 30s clientel. It also appears that membership fees are being dramatically increased. While the new tile in the locker rooms and front entrance is a nice touch, this middle class bedroom community is not an area which is well suited for attracting a wealthy singles luxury oriented client base.
There are several nearby competitive clubs like the new CIty Sports which are looking like a better value. And a number of 50+ year old members have voiced an interest in finding a new club.

Due to the change in management, they seem to be eager to get rid of old members who pay a lower fee. I used to pay 1 year in advance and tell them which months I need to freeze my account. It expired in Mar’16 and I emailed them that I cannot come in Apr and May and will only start to pay in June. Further, I kept emailing them not to automatically charged my credit card but they ignored me (see evidence below). Luckily, my credit card in their file was no longer in use! Below is extract from my payment history once I login to my Forma account.
05/​20/​2016 CREDIT CARD DECLINED
05/​13/​2016 CREDIT CARD DECLINED
05/​06/​2016 CREDIT CARD DECLINED
04/​29/​2016 CREDIT CARD DECLINED
04/​22/​2016 CREDIT CARD DECLINED
04/​15/​2016 CREDIT CARD DECLINED
04/​13/​2016 CREDIT CARD DECLINED
04/​11/​2016 CREDIT CARD DECLINED
04/​08/​2016 CREDIT CARD DECLINED
04/​06/​2016 CREDIT CARD DECLINED
04/​04/​2016 CREDIT CARD DECLINED
03/​31/​2016 CREDIT CARD DECLINED
It seems that Kathryn Brake intend to close my account by May 31 so that I will be assessed for enrollment fees in June. Bottomline: please be careful when you provide your credit card information to them.
I use only the pool and spa as my company has free gym/​exercise classes. I do like it as the pool is not crowded when I come at weekday night 7pm and weekend afternoon.

Everything looks new. Very friendly staff. The lobby and classroom are bright and spacious. The teachers for different classes are excellent. The membership fee is reasonable for the whole environment and location. My mother and I are happy with their overall quality!

Best gym ever!!! Well equipped. But what makes this gym special is their staff. They are all kind and very knowledgeable. Fabricio is flexible and welcoming. Angela, one of the Pilates specialist is great! and Victor a private trainer is awesome. My favorite thing is the pool and the variety of classes.
Thank you Forma Team!

I have been a member of this club for over 5+ years and I just need to cut my loses. When I workout hard often times I like to enjoy the sauna and jacuzzi to stretch the muscles, but this gym Always has there crap broke and procrastinate on repairs. It takes them over a month. Pay all this money and it never fails. Been coming for month now and still jacked up. I guess that’s why they are constantly changing owners.

I did a ton of research before I joined this gym. I’ve a native San Jose resident and have belonged to just about every gym possible. 24 hour, Schroeder’s, Gold’s, and ALL of Forma Gym’s predecessors… Ronnie Lots, Club One… I can’t even remember all the changes in ownership of this location.
Before I joined Forma, I actually visited their Walnut Creek location. Their Walnut Creek facility is gorgeous! The spin room, the lounge café complete with food, caffeine and a juice bar, locker rooms… all of it — superb. I was hesitant to join Thornwood Forma straight away because it’s still a work in progress. The woman’s locker room will be renovated soon, among other things. I probably would have waited, but Fabricio made it worth my while with his vast interest in my personal goals and by offering solutions that were above and beyond what I’ve experienced at other gyms. Owner — I hope you’re reading. The guy seriously loves what he does.
I’m a busy mother of 3, and granted small things excite me… but this is one thing I really love about Forma so far. Every cardio machine has an AWESOME dash (see photo). You can access Facebook, Ted Talk Channel, Pandora, Gmail, etc, etc. AND all through Bluetooth. I can leave my phone behind and cardio it up to my heart’s desire. I also appreciate the complete replacement of free weight and machine equipment! It’s vastly refreshing.
I can’t wait for the women’s locker room remodel and front lounge to be complete. The locker room will have a sauna and beautiful wooden lockers, etc. It’s supposed to be even better than their Walnut Creek facility which feels like a country club locker room.
Long story long — we have many options here in San Jose. I’ve tried all of them. Bottom line is that I love how open and responsive Forma has been. No other gym has cared about or responded to feedback as openly and quickly. I also love that, unlike other options, this gym is classy and inviting; it just feels more like a community than a crowded gym with long wait times and broken equipment. They actually seem to care about the money you’re spending. I’m totally sold.

I was not a fan of this place. The machines don’t even face the TV’s. The membership guy acted like he was better than everyone else and his prices were way higher than anyone else around. Planet Fitness is going to absolutely demolish these guys if they don’t fix their customer service and/​or prices quick. They can think they are way better than everyone else but peoples dollars have the final vote. Anywho, you can guess I didn’t get a membership.

I received a message from Robert, the owner of Forma, within 30 minutes of writing my negative review. He offered an apology, explanation, and resolution. I was pleasantly surprised by his quick response and generous offer.
On my first visit to Forma I was warmly greeted by Fabricio. He was especially interested in learning about me, my past workout experience, my fitness goals, and my workout routine & expectations. He showed me around the gym, ran me through a workout, and gave me group exercise class suggestions. He was also very patient with my daughter who needed some time getting used to the KidzVille area (since this was her first time ever being left in a daycare setting).
On my second visit to Forma I tried a group exercise class, swam in the pool & hot tub, and used the showers. The barre class was great — better than I expected! The pool and hot tub were clean and perfect temperature. The showers were clean and fully stocked with high-​quality shampoo/​conditioner/​body wash. I love that the women’s locker room has coded locks on each locker — no need to bring my own lock! The hair dryers, Q-​tips, lotion, towels, etc. are also great perks to being a member at Forma.
I’d say the #1 thing that I love about Forma is the kid-​friendly atmosphere. Fabricio explained that he wanted to make Forma a family gym — a place where moms & dads can bring their kids and enjoy KidzVille, family swimming on Sundays, and possibly kids group exercise classes.
If things keep going well I will most likely sign up for a monthly membership. I am so happy that I gave Forma a second try.

This is the first new ownership/​name change that I have noticed considerable positive changes. Keep it up Forma, I’m loving all the changes.
PS — the website is a little wonky and the class schedule doesn’t pop up anymore on my iPhone!

I have been going to this location now for over 7 years (it was originally Ronnie Lott, then changed over to Club One, then changed over to Active Sports and now Forma Gym). Most of the front desk staff from Active sports have remained after the hand off to Forma gym along with most of the personal trainers and class instructors.
Front office staff Marco and Josh are great and make you feel welcome when entering and leaving, if you are a long time member they make the effort to remember your name.
Polo and his team do a fantastic job keeping the gym equipment clean.
Otherwise the whole management team structure and member sign up representatives have all changed.
The club is conveniently located near Westfield Oakridge mall and has shower (towels, mouthwash, soap, shaving cream, antiperspirant, lotion supplied) and sauna facilities that are maintained. Parking is an issue at times since it is shared with bowling alley and overflow for mall parking. Forma rents this space therefore cannot reserve any spots, this will become an issue if membership increases and there is nothing they can do at this time.
Since Forma took over for a remodel, they have done some much needed upgrades
Pros:
+ Fixed bathroom extractor fans (no more smell)
+ Regrouted showers
+ Painted walls
+ Changed gym carpet to laminate
+ Replaced padded floor mats with padded tables.
+ Replaced all the spin cycles
+ Replaced Smith Machine
+ Added more flat and adjustable incline benches
+ Spruced up pilates area
+ Shined floor of group classes
+ May add more windows, hence 180 degree shift in cardio equipment facing wall/​pool side.
+ Removed boxing bag
Cons:
— New treadmills (reduced # of them to 15)
— New recumbent bikes (reduced # to ~15)
— Same old Precor ellipticals (reduced # to 11 of them), no TVs
— Most strength training equipment is new, but they have severely reduced # of machines
— Appears they may not have got permits to add a mezzanine upstairs, where the old racquetball room was (just a storage area now)
The strength training area is very sparse and sorely lacking in wide range of strength equipment. The breadth of strength training equipment that was working and in good condition is now gone. Forma has reduced the amount of gym weight machines down to ¹⁄₃ of Active Sports.
What’s missing in strength training equipment area and needs to be brought back:
— Incline bench press with weight stack
— Chest pullover with weight stack
— Lateral raise machine with weight stack
— Preacher bench with weight stack
— Dumbbell rack missing 2.5lb increments: 12.5 lb, 17.5 lb, 22.5 lbs great for pyramiding up/​down, now you just have 5 lb increments.
If Forma think by reducing the amount of equipment and raising prices in future is going to fly they better think again.
So if you are looking for a gym membership that has higher $$ dues than other gyms, has an airy feel to it with very little strength training equipment from what they had before but looks nice (painted walls, new floor, new padded benches, upgraded bathrooms) then this club may be for you.
I will seriously consider revisiting these other clubs before renewing unless they get more strength training equipment (machines, dumbbells, benches) and address issues above.
They are going to face stiff competition from:
1– City Sports will open a new site off Almaden Expwy and Cherry Ave in April near Bass Pro Shop, they will start memberships at $ 34.95
2– Planet Fitness coming in Feb at off 1375 Blossom Hill Rd will offer $ 10 a month with no commitments and all there cardio and strength training equipment is new
3– Retro Fitness just down the road from Forma also has memberships for $ 19.99 with new strength training equipment.
4– Of course there is always 24 Hour Fitness and Gold’s Gym

Club has always been fun and lots of friends. Now that new equipment is being install along with a complete redo of the club bathrooms and showers.

This hasn’t been my first time at this gym, but it has been my first time with Forma gym and I LOVE it. I’ve worked and trained at many gyms in the past. If one gym was lacking in one area, it would make it up in another area. Forma, lacks non. The Service from everyone that works there makes me feel like family, especially Fabricio and Faro. Some say we all look like were related but were not. The way they treat me every time I come in makes me feel like we really are family.
It’s under new owners/​management. If you are considering trying this gym out, I say do it! you will love it!

A work project put me in San Jose for a few months. I have a high end gym membership in West Hollywood, and I was looking for a similar experience. I checked out all the local gyms before signing up with Forma. I was told by locals that the Almaden Valley Athletic Club was the nicest gym in the area, but I was not impressed. AVAC seemed outdated and more family oriented. I was looking for a «high-​end professional» experience and I found it at Forma!
Fabricio signed me up. He was very professional and sweet to deal with. I really liked him a lot! The gym has a really nice pool and clean locker rooms. I also really like the fact that it is never overly crowded.
I’m really glad I found Forma Gym– It’s a nice escape after a busy day.

I’ve been a member of this club for almost 20 years — back when it was Ronnie Lott’s, then Club One, Active Sport and now Forma. I’m not one who adapts to change easily, and let me tell you, since Forma has taken over, the club has changed! But in a good way. Initially, I wasn’t sure I’d like the «new» vibe — in my opinion, the gym has a more industrial feel, with equipment I don’t recognize, rock music playing vs the pop that used to pipe through the cardio and weights area, bold new painted walls, and even more «fit» people. It was a bit intimidating, but, since the facility is so close to home, I just figured I’d have to make the most of my new gym.
However, there have been many pleasant changes that make me enjoy the facility more and more each time I go. The front desk staff is super friendly. Every week, it seems there is a new upgrade of some sort — be it new flooring, new equipment, etc — and I hear there are still more changes to come! But perhaps the best change is the introduction of Pilates reformer to this gym. I’d never taken a Pilates class before and now I am hooked! Yuki is awesome. Thanks to Yuki and Pilates, I think I’ve been to the gym more in the last 2 months than I have in the past 10 years! I actually look forward to the class and can’t wait to see the new studio once all of the renovations are complete.
It’s been great seeing Forma investing in this facility — I think it’s going to be amazing when all is said and done. I love that they have kept the towel service and are interested in expanding the spa services. I gave them a rating of 4, because I am a tough critic. But, if management keeps up all of this good work, I believe I’ll be upgrading to a 5 soon!

Oh Forma, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:
1.Susan and Kerry
2. Susan and Kerry
3. Susan and Kerry
4. Susan and Kerry
5. Susan and Kerry
6. Awesome management
7. Susan and Kerry
This gym is my life. The classes, the people (Susan and Kerry. not to name names or anything), and the whole environment makes this my one and only happy place. I’ve been a member for over 5 years and once I started taking Susan and Kerry’s hip hop (and now Groov3), class shortly after joining, I just couldn’t stay away. I kid you not, I go out of my way to schedule meetings and travel around being able to catch their classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Ever since Forma took over, the remodeling and the amazing management has just taken it to the next level and from what I’ve heard, this is only the start to the Forma facelift process. Good gym, great people and Susan and Kerry? Heaven.

I love this gym because it is very convenient and such a great location in the South Bay. After Forma took over this gym, they gave it a very nice interior remodel and provided lots of new equipment. I also love all the dance classes: Groov3 and Hip-​Hop Dance Funk by Susan&Kerry, Ujam by Robert and all training classes like Interval and training by Leay and Michelle. Everything is just so right at this gym!

Don’t ever bother for 4 days free pass!
I think it is about the time to write a review for this facility after almost 80 days of membership.
I joined this place August 1 while They were doing «renovation «.
Every corner was kind of a mess with paint buckets or laminate for floor and worse case was the Oder which was unbearable sometimes.
I joined anyway base of all the promises that the sales lady gave it to me.
She said they are going to spend about a million dollar to renovate this place.
I was so impressed and I thought it does worth the wait since I am paying only $ 50 monthly for my membership.
I go to gym early morning every Monday-​Friday and fist thing I do is 20 min stair master.
From the day 1 I noticed that 2 stair master out of total 4 doesn’t work.
Their machines are so old and dated.
The handles of stair masters are all scrapped and sharp.
Most machines have problems.
I am wondering how much of the 1 million has been spent so far because I don’t see any improvement except painted walls and laminated floor.
Oh remember they are out of hot water lots of times.
Don’t be surprise if u are there to go to work after your workout and no hot water to shower in the morning.
They are terrible with communicating and emails.
I think 85 days was fair time to give them to fix at least the broken machines since their machines are very old and limited here.
I will attach some pics.

Forma has really turned this gym around. The amount of progress that has come in the last months since they acquired this location has been impressive, especially considering the gym has not been shut down for renovations.
With this being said, there are more items on the list for renovations/​improvements, but I give two thumbs up for this location. Excellent rate for a nice, clean, friendly gym. Good people gym here, work here, hang out here.

*UPDATE*
Early X-​Mas present today… came in to get a workout in and I found a bunch of new equipment and they are adding more on Monday. WOOHOOO!!! Forma is really turning this place around… glad I Joined!!!
After reading the negative reviews on Unilocal,especially the mentioning of poor customer service, I was very hesitant about walking into this facility.
When I walked in I was greeted by a young lady named Avery and told her that I wanted to check out the facility… she then offered me a bottled water which was a nice touch. I was then introduced to the membership gal, Tara. I had back surgery about a year ago and gained 30 pounds (from sitting on my butt) and was very hesitant to walk into a gym. My experiences with gyms/​health clubs hasn’t been the best in the past. The experience was completely different. Tara and I sat down and discussed my fitness goals and talked about how she could help me with fitness classes, personal training, the other things that I would need. I felt so comfortable with Tara and the non-​intimidating workout environment that I signed up on the spot.
After I got home I went online to look up classes for the week and noticed that there is another location in Walnut Creek. They are going to be renovating this facility as well and if it looks anything like the one in Walnut Creek I will be a member for life.
In the past two weeks I have lost 6 pounds. WOOHOO.

Okay, for a GYM that obviously need more members, they are quite snobby!
I was supper excited to locate a gym near home. It literally is down the street from where I live.
We called in to ask if we needed to bring anything in order for hubby and I to tour the place prior to making our purchase. The answer was no.
Anyway, we arrived, and what do you know? We need our IDs. Hubby had his and all I wanted was a freaken tour and they told me they could not allow me to tour the place without an ID.
Okay, I left and didn’t even allow my husband to tour this snobby place. The very next day we bought two 24 hours Super Sport and never looked back. Thank you for indirectly helping us make the right decision.
I do want to add that Adam Finch was very professional in trying to resolve the issues, but the damage was done and I already had a very bad first impression. I would have given 1 star, but because of Adam, I’ll give 2.