If you reading this review because you are thinking of purchasing a BuyWithMe/Gilt City offer, I am…read morewriting this to save you $59.
I purchased the same BuyWithMe voucher last winter at the same price, which rewarded me three 45 minute personal training sessions. I should have known by first glance that this was a bad idea. This gym is located in a depressing parking lot and it gets worse when you walk inside. This place is in serious disrepair. We're talking faded, chipped walls and random garbage left in corners. If Ben Affleck decides to make Gone Baby Gone 2, he'd be wise to shoot the movie here if he wants to capture how depressing Boston life can be.
I'm no Nancy, that my was my mother's name, so I can overlook the decor. My main problem with this place was the owner/trainer Norm. Perhaps a decent human being, but this man should not be a personal trainer or businessman. My first session consisted mostly of hitting a tire with some oversized mallet (probably stolen from a county fair), some kettle bell dancing, and jumping jacks.
After about 25 minutes, Norm declared our session over and invited me inside his office. Once seated, I felt like I was at Ernie Boch Honda and about to get screwed. Norm gave me the hard sell on signing up for more sessions beyond the three I purchased. He questioned my commitment to fitness and asked why I was even there. I politely brushed off these statements and I said I'd decide after the next or last session.
During the second session, Norm and I did exactly the same basic exercises. I barely broke a sweat. There was one new thing though. At the end of our brief (yep 25 of 45 minutes) session, Norm told me he wanted to show me something "special," and declared I should get on my back. Norm lifted my right leg, straddled it with his right shoulder and leaned in. HEAVEN. I can't even put into the English, the sensations I felt . Norm said that was "The Norm Stretch." If you happen to be reading this review after you purchased the voucher, the pleasure of the "Norm Stretch" can help make up for the lost money. It's the only reason I'm giving this place one star instead of zero, besides the fact you can't give zero stars on Yelp.
Again, instead of giving me the full 45 minute training session, nearly half of it was dedicated to sales pitch. All I wanted to do was schedule my third pre-paid session, but Norm was like a Willy Loman that wouldn't quit. He tried to appeal to my emotions, painting a visual picture of a thinner, more muscular Nat, jet skiing on the Charles River with a few Harvard Hotties on my side. After that failed, he tried the insult route, saying the fact I wasn't signing up for more sessions (beyond the deal) was a sign I was not ready for fitness. He also added maybe I don't deserve fitness. While I should have been terribly offended, it was obvious Norm just did not want me to come for my third, pre-paid session.
In the end, I decided to grant Norm's wish. There would be no third session, and of course no fourth or fifth. If Norm focused on the quality of his training sessions versus signing me up for a long term commitment, maybe I would have bought more. In the end, $60 for a regular price "45" minute session is just way too much to pay someone when the only value Trainer Norm offered was counting my jumping jacks for me.