This review is of the chiropractic work of Kathy Dooley. Kathy is very skilled at the assessment work of chiropractic, though I've since found a chiropractor whose work in this area I prefer, so I won't readily recommend her for this. I can't speak to Kathy's hands-on work as she did not adjust me during our session. Where Kathy's work is dearly lacking is in her interpersonal skills and her ability to communicate clearly with clients, which in my view, are an equally important aspect of effective health care. After my first session with Kathy, which went well and during which we had gotten along great, I did my exercises for a month. She had not adjusted me during the first session, leaving everything to the exercises. This was fine with me and I thought everything was going well until my low back started acting up. I became incapacitated by pain and reached out to Kathy for advice. This is where the professional relationship began to fall apart. First, she was dismissive of my fear around the pain, which had never quite gone away since our first visit and was new to me. She merely told me, literally, "don't be afraid just keep doing the exercises," with no further explanation or reassurance that doing the exercises would in fact alleviate the pain eventually. The next unfortunate development came when I asked her a clarifying question about one of my exercises. I was forced to ask for clarification several times because she never actually answered my question. She became obviously frustrated by this and instead of considering her answers and attempting to be more clear, she began including passive aggressive statements in her emails to me to the effect of "I'm explaining this but you're not getting it." She very obviously made no attempt to adjust her own response for clarity or even consider that it could be anyone's fault but mine. And finally, after a few back and forth emails of this nature, without any prior warning or requests from her for different behavior from me, she ended our relationship. I felt abandoned and betrayed, frankly, by someone to whom I had entrusted my health and who was so quick to refuse to see me again simply because she could not manage some questions. I did make the effort to reach out with one final email to offer my willingness to overcome the misunderstanding and continue our work together, to which she never responded. Kathy's behavior with regard to my care was unprofessional and childish, demonstrating a clear inability to self-reflect or set personal boundaries. I would have been happy to cease emailing her or to continue the conversation at an office visit if she had requested it but she chose to refuse to see me again instead. Luckily, she referred me to Urban Wellness (the one thing for which I am grateful to her). Additional issues I had with Kathy include: The worksheet of exercise explanations she gave contained language like, "DO NOT posterior pelvic tilt and lose lordosis to gain glute contraction" and was obviously not written for lay-people, which seems to be a pattern with her communication. She charged me for my session a full month after we met, without letting me know in advance. For many freelance artists living in New York, it is important to know when I'm going to need to have $250 available in my account for a transaction and an unexpected one throws off my monthly budget. Yet another failure to communicate or consider the needs of others. If you are a professional athlete who wants minimalist attention and needs little explanation or follow-up, you're likely Kathy's ideal type of client. But if you are a lay-person with chronic pain who needs a chiro who will explain your exercises in detail in a way that you can understand and know how to reassure you when you're frightened about your pain, I would look elsewhere. I didn't work with Kathy long enough to speak to the efficacy of her practice, though I do believe it is likely effective. I will say, however, that after leaving Kathy's office, I felt no better than I did when I'd entered, and after a month of doing her exercises, I entered a low-back crisis. Whereas, I went into the Urban Wellness clinic with debilitating low back pain and walked out feeling 1000x better, in addition to going home with exercises to do, as well as postural advice that lead to immediate relief of my low back, guidance for inquiring into my thyroid health, a follow up appointment scheduled, my bill clearly paid, and an explicit request to follow up with any questions, via email or phone, at any time of day. A truly great chiro understands that pain can be emotional and that excellent care is of the whole person and not just the muscles, bones, and tendons. read more

I seriously don't know where to start with this place, so I'll just say this: if I could give Catalyst all the stars in the known cosmos I would, but this platform limits me to five. If you are considering going here but hesitating due to price/other factors, I would advise you to stop waffling and sign up immediately. Honestly, it would be worth it at twice the price. My one regret in joining this gym is that I didn't do it earlier. This is an elite facility and it will make you strong as a freaking ox. More importantly, the trainers here focus on breathing, alignment, quality movement and function--and THEN heavy ass weights and feats of strength. This is training that will make you strong for life, not strong for Instagram (though you will still get jacked). The semi-private training is ingenious, and gives you a level of consistent and in-depth personal training that would cost thousands of dollars each month at any other high-level gym in the city. All for the price of an Equinox membership. Personally, I'll take being a brick s*&% house over mint scented towels, but maybe that's just me. As far as program design goes, Jason is an evil genius. Each of the trainers is as good as they come, and the fact that you will rotate between different trainers means you will get multiple perspectives on each of your lifts--these guys mean business. And I've trained with some really high-level coaches over the years--I'm not amazed at these guys because I've spent the last five years eating tootsie rolls at a Planet Fitness. I'm amazed because they're amazing. But most importantly, this place has helped take me from chronic, debilitating pain to once again moving, training and feeling strong. The rehabilitation services here are the best you'll find. Kathy Dooley is a chiropractor like the Space Shuttle is an airplane--she is on a completely different level and will actually work to get the root of your dysfunction. Trust me--I spent a year of terrible pain and thousands of dollars looking for someone who would just listen and understand. Well, she's that person. After only a couple of months here I feel like a different human being--I can only imagine what things would be like if I'd signed up a year ago. read more

The missing key. I've lifted weights for the better part of 10 years. Despite my own diligence, I struggled with nagging injuries and limited progression. I had persistent doubts about whether or not my program design was correct or if I was "feeling" it in the right muscles. I had slowly developed awful low back pain that limited not only my fitness activities but also my daily, non-gym activities. Catalyst, especially in tandem with the help of Drs Kathy Dooley and Jake Altman, have dramatically changed that. Program design here is top notch and custom tailored. The trainers and staff are phenomenal. You won't feel lost anymore, and you'll be on the path to becoming stronger and smarter than ever before. If you want to achieve your full potential, join Catalyst! read more

Catalyst has been a life saver for me! With the help of its knowledgeable, educated instructors I have learned how to use my body properly to fight back and shoulder pain. The team is made up of trainers, physical therapists, chiropractors and nutritionists, and the idea behind their practice is that the body is treated holistically--from breathing mechanics to movement quality to good old fashioned heavy lifting--so it's not your regular gym where you exercise and then leave. It's a way of living without pain as much as it is an inspiring environment filled with motivated people. There are semi-private and private sessions and the trainers are always present to make sure that you are moving and lifting correctly; unlike other gyms where nobody cares how you do a push-up, here certified people will keep an eye on you. Additionally, the trainers will create a personalized program that you can use at home--you are not only learning to train properly, you are learning to train independently, which is a skill that will serve you for life. It's not inexpensive, but it's worth it. I cannot recommend Catalyst enough to anyone who wants to see a best version of themselves come to life! read more

I really can't say enough good things about Catalyst Sport. I've trained with so many gym and personal trainers in my life, and only really had great results with Catalyst. Being that I have a few old injuries (major knee and back issues due to getting hit by car years ago), it's important that I train with specialist that are going to help recover from the old injuries, plus grow as an athlete. read more

After getting referred by a couple friends to start working out with Catalyst, I can't speak highly enough of their trainers and the semi-private training program. The instruction they provide is very detailed and provides a great balance with strength-based training and some time at the end for high-intensity conditioning. I've never been as fit strength-wise in my life than I am currently, and much of that I owe to the instruction and advice I received at Catalyst. Highly recommend if you're looking for some strength-based training and top-notch instruction! read more

I have been a member for about 10 months and I am really happy that I joined Catalyst Sport SPT. Finding a gym that I felt comfortable in had always been a challenge for me; however, in just 10 months I feel much stronger, healthier and motivated thanks to Catalyst. Each client gets their own exercise program designed for their specific needs. The coaches are all super knowledgeable, engaging and care about us achieving our goals. The integration with their PT services is top notch. I am totally hooked. read more

I recently completed my Russian Kettlebell Certification at Catalyst. The experience was truly transformative. The instructors from Catalyst, Jason and Joe, along with Steve Holiner were above anything I could have hoped for. These masters of the Kettlebell make the simple but not easy learning proper use of Kettlebells fun and enlightening. The sharpening of my skills of strength training grew boundlessly due to their expertise. If you're interested in getting certified or are looking for anything fitness related there is no better place in NYC to go than Catalyst. Do not hesitate trusting these men with your fitness, health and happiness. read more

This place is awesome! It has a strong fitness vibe and focus that you really just don't find at a regular gym. It doesn't feel like people are here to "get swole" they are all athletes who are getting fit and training. They start you with a fitness assessment and then craft an exercise planned based on the assessment and what you're looking to accomplish. You get in and generally start your warmup with crawling (yes, crawling). If you don't think crawling is hard and works your whole body, you have not crawled the right way. There's a 3:1 ratio of members to trainers, and each member is working on their own program while the trainer is helping each as they need it. It's a great system. They also have massage, acupuncture, and a whole host of other clinical services which is really cool. Can't say a bad word about this place. read more

I've been a member here for about 5 months now. Friendly environment, excellent trainers and I've progressed faster than I expected. Best part about Catalyst is they modify your regiment based on your training goals, to keep you challenged. Trainers push you, without making you feel overwhelmed. read more

The trainers are all so knowledgeable and supportive. Programs are aligned to individual's needs with careful attention to injuries or weak spots. Workouts are always fun and interesting and the hour of training flies by! read more

There is a great vibe at Catalyst. All the trainers are top notch. They have all the equipment you need to get in shape and stay in shape. The owners Jason and Joe are serious fitness professionals and have done everything to make a top notch gym. I work with Fabian one on one. Never felt better, after he guided me through recovery from two surgeries. Thanks. read more

I started going to Catalyst only a few weeks after having knee surgery and I love it there! I have been going to their semi private training sessions (which is basically personalized group training) for a few months now and I'm hooked. I was too intimidated to try strength based workouts in big classes or at the other gyms but I tried Catalyst after a friend recommended it to me and I'm so glad I did. I've never felt stronger in my life! The staff is patient, non-judgmental, and kind but they make sure that you're pushing yourself to do your best. I'm a big fan of Catalyst and their trainers! read more

I can't speak to their training services because I signed up for the three-month membership package and was unable to use the gym. But I'm giving them one star because their membership renewal was less than open and forthcoming. Despite knowing that I was not using the gym, they charged me for a fourth month after the original 3-month contract expired. This was done without any notice that the three-month period was ending and that I would subsequently be charged on a monthly basis. At the start, the staff was very proactive--obviously because they wanted me to commit to a membership package. But once they saw that I was not using the gym, they stopped reaching out and then billed me for a fourth month without any prior notice. At least at the other gyms, they notify you in advance when your contract period is about to expire and the terms are due to change. I honestly felt like they didn't notify me in order to sneak in a fourth month of billing. read more