This review is long overdue form my time at Cal, but I went to RSF throughout my time at Berkeley and loved it. It was fairly good and clean gym, they do get super busy in the evenings and have time limits for machines (during busy times), but oh well. I did take taekwondo there too, though though I wasn't too keen on the teaching style. I did love the equipment, mostly running, used the pool, and it was fairly decent experience overall as a student read more

The RSF weight room is honestly the bare minimum. For a multi-billion dollar university like Berkeley, the lifting space feels like something you'd see in an underfunded high school. read more

Exceptionally well-equipped gym and recreational facility with pretty much every piece of gym equipment there is as well as basketball, fencing, martial arts, yoga, swimming pool, and other facilities. In addition, they have spin and other classes and personal training available (I'm working with Robbie, who is absolutely amazing). The facility is available to enrolled students and Cal Alums. As with the other reviews, I would note that it gets pretty crowded somewhat frequently - and when this happens, they form a waiting line (one out / one in) to prevent overcrowding in the workout spaces. Bottom line is that it's a great workout and sports facility. read more

They have all the equipment you'd need for compound exercises (squat, bench, overhead, etc.). However, the line is insanity the beginning of every semester. People should change their New Year's/ new semester resolution to something else! read more

In my experience, the RSF has some pros as well as significant cons (hence the 3/5 star rating). As for the good: - There is plenty of equipment and its in good shape overall / relatively new - The staff is friendly and generally cleans up the gym - The facility is large and there's a lot of space to exercise - There is a large basketball area with many hardwood courts As for the not-so-good: - It gets incredibly crowded, somewhat negating the size and scope of equipment as most things are taken / occupied - The basketball courts are often taken or being used - There are tons of treadmills, but on any given day they will all be taken As you can see, the biggest deterrent (at least for me) is how busy the RSF gets. That is not their fault, and the staff does the best it can, but it may get frustrating if you show up and find yourself with limited workout options due to the crowd. read more

I'll miss this place. Honestly, going off quality alone, the RSF is a very high quality gym with multiple rooms for anything you want to do, including combat sports like boxing or martial arts, basketball, squash, stretching rooms, group fitness rooms, and an Olympic-style pool. To be honest, I don't use all of those very much, but I use the weights a lot, and the weight rooms are also amazing. There are about 3 weight rooms, with most of the machines you'd ever want as well as 10 full power racks, so about 10 people can bench at a time and 20 people can do other barbell movements, not to mention the abundance of additional floor space for deadlifts. Where the RSF shines above commercial gyms is the availability of equipment. There are an insane abundance of plates, including 2.5 and 1.25 lb plates for micro loading and plenty of clips. There are also yoga mats, stretching equipment, barbell pads, and lifting belts that can be borrowed from the staff. The gym is also always very clean. The only negatives about the gym is that the staff are a little stricter than commercial gyms, such as that people always have to use clips, though this is fairly sensible. The bigger downside is that they don't allow any Olympic style movement (snatch, clean and jerk, etc.) so if you're interested in training these at all, this might not be the gym for you. Also, it often gets a little crowded during the school year peaking at around 5-7pm on weekdays (after classes get out), but that's expected, considering that there are like 30,000 people who have a membership to the gym at a given time (students of the university receive free access). Overall, if you are a student or otherwise have free access to the RSF, it really is a 5 star gym for most purposes, but as an outside person purchasing a membership, it'd probably be closer to 3 stars just because the membership is quite expensive and it often gets crowded. read more

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Need a passport in a hurry (but not, like, tomorrow fast)? The RSF is an authorized U.S. government passport acceptance facility and is open on Saturdays! We got our newborn baby a passport in ten days, and it only took ten minutes to get photos taken and the papers filed. The folks at this facility are friendly and fast; I can't imagine going elsewhere for a passport when the experience at the RSF is so simple and frictionless. read more

I've been utilizing the RSF for 3 years now as a grad student and I've come to the conclusion that it is GOOD ENOUGH. It's not an Equinox (....you're also not paying Equinox prices), but the classes and availability of equipment make it a good gym. However, there are 3 things I cannot stand about this place, despite the fact that it's only 5 blocks away from me and membership is included in my tuition: 1) Not-so-happy hour: RSF gets hit the hardest around 4-7pm and gets way more crowded than you'd assume. If you're coming on a weekday at this time, EXPECT long lines for treadmills/ellipticals and EXPECT to wait for machines in the weight room. This results in me spending more time than I'd like to here....because.... 2) IT STAAAANK: The ventilation system here is so bad. I've had too many moments when I'm struggling for air during a workout and all I get is dank sweat smell ALL UP IN MY MOUF. I just cannot. 3) Locker rooms: are SO far away from the rest of the gym. There have been a few instances where I feel motivated enough to go to the gym for a quick sesh, but I have my backpack on me.......I end up not going because the round trip to the locker room & back just feels so INEFFICIENT. All in all, RSF has served me well in the times I've needed it and had enough time to fit a trip into my schedule. HOWEVER...I will not miss it once I move out of Berkeley! read more

After being a member of this facility for almost 10 months, I thought it was time to write an update, along with recommendations and suggestions for improvement. I'm also downgrading this facility from 5 stars to 4 stars for some of the reasons below. I do love its convenient location across from my office at work so I go there 4-5 days a week. I've recently discovered THE POOL (actually there are four, but I have only used Spieker, which is near the main workout facility) which is AWESOME- 18 lanes, 25 yards, 79-80 degrees. I'm training for a triathlon so it is great to have this pool so accessible! Teacher recommendations: Spin: Maryam - fabulous, motivational, fun Abs & Back: Jessie - challenging, good instruction 20/20/20: Shane - OMG, great teacher, hard class!!! Things to avoid: Massage - have had one atrocious session with Eva and a couple of other not-so-memorable sessions with other therapists. NOTE: I complained to a manager in writing about my experience with Eva, was promised a refund, but this never happened. Workout rooms: Anytime after 5:00 p.m. when school is in session. Hopefully you don't get claustrophobic in crowds. This is the BIGGEST bummer about the RSF. SUGGESTION TO RSF: Blocking off one entire workout room during prime time (5:15-6:30 p.m.) for Circuit Training class (which appears to usually have 15-20 participants) is crazy. I would recommend holding this class at another time (perhaps at lunch?) when the workout areas are not so impacted. Also, it would be great to put up a clock in the Spin class room! :) read more

One of the biggest things I'm going to miss after graduating from Cal is the $10 membership per semester for students. With $10, students have access to all the amenities of the gym--the exercise equipments, the machines, the weight rooms, and the classes! I love attending the classes here. A few of them have changed names over the years ("Abs & Back" is now called "Hardcore," and "Tease Dance" is now called "Power Pop Dance," and "Cardio Kickboxing" is now "Urban Kick"), and my favorites tend to be the ones that get crowded super quickly. They include Core Blast, Hardcore, HIIT, and Urban Kick. Try to avoid rush hour, which tends to be between 4:00PM-8:00PM. And then, for some reason, it often gets busy again at 10:00 PM for those who with late-night workouts. It is so difficult to find a free treadmill during these hours. Or the machine you want to use in the weight room. Or a mat and a bosu ball and a bit of free space in the stretching area upstairs. For a super-popular class like Core Blast, which starts at 6:45PM on Mondays and Wednesdays, I try to get there by 6:30, just so that I have plenty of time to get my equipment gear and stretch before all the bosu balls are snatched by hoards of fitness zombies (I'm one of them, mwahahaha). I always shower here too. The towels used to be available in a yellow bin in the locker rooms, but they no longer make them available that way, so before walking into the locker rooms, make sure you ask the people at the front desk for shower towels, or you may find yourself at the mercy of asking people in the locker rooms if they could ask the people at the front desk for towels for you. read more

Recreational Sports Facility RSF - Gyms Near Me - Berkeley, California

TL;DR Awesome Group EX classes! I love the Group EX classes they offer at the RSF. I've been to many of the yoga classes, and each and every single one of the yoga instructors are awesome! They are really knowledgable and will take great care in keeping you safe and properly aligned. Even in a large class, they will still walk around and give individual tips w/o calling you out in front of the whole class. I also tried Aqua Exercise and it was so fun and challenging! I thought it was going to be a class for elderly folks who just wade in the water, but boy was I wrong, it is 100% a good work out. You will walk with your body vertically across the pool (8 feet deep) w/ a mix of other crazy stuff that will work your abs like never before. The instructor was also so funny and motivating! There are ellipticals, treadmills, and stair masters on the 1st and 2nd floors. There are two weight rooms on the 1st floor, go at odd hours b/c there are always lines to enter the weight room during peak hours (evening ~5/6). RSF membership is free for students (included in tuition), discounted for staff and those affiliated with Cal. read more

The facility itself is very nice, but it seems poorly managed; they often make the curious decision to use half of their basketball courts/gym space for ping-pong tables, thus causing the remaining basketball courts to be overcrowded and less usable; it often takes a 45 minute wait or more just to play 1 pickup basketball game, with no system in place to determine who's turn it was to play. Further highlighting the absurdity of this decision, the RSF's racquetball courts stay rarely used, leaving an open space that would be an ideal area for the ping-pong tables that take up basketball courts. In addition to the inefficient usage of space, some RSF employees seem to be so invested in the by-the-book way of doing their job that they forget the purpose of the facility: to provide entertainment for its users. As a UC Berkeley student, I thought the facility was pretty nice and wanted to show some of my friends from a different school around campus, so I tried using my ID card to scan them in, which the front desk employees informed me was not allowed. After I apologized for accidentally breaking the rules and stated that it wouldn't happen again, the employees at the front desk went as far as to confiscate my ID card rather than allowing me to leave with my friends as I had arrived. I tried to reason with them, informing them that I would be unable to eat at the dining halls or even get into my dorm without my ID card, and saying that my breach of facility rules was an honest mistake. However, I was told by the employees that I should've considered the punishment before using my ID to scan in others. Clearly, they were so wrapped up in their ability to enforce punishments that they failed to consider that I was just a student trying to show others around the gym. read more

Low selection of machines and equipment. Popular machines are often broken and go unrepaired for months. Not to mention the overcrowding since this is essentially the only gym on campus. read more

Ahhhhh the good old RSF... I, for one, have a love-hate relationship with it. Coming here to work out and take finals for the last four years sure has left a mark. So here are some great and not-do-great things about RSF. 1. Are you a student, faculty member or staff? Then rejoice because it's FREE. We all know it's not the fanciest gym on the block but it saves cash while helping you get those Michele Obama's arms. Plus, the last time I worked out at home I fell asleep, so that's definitely not an option. 2. Sure, some equipment is kinda old, but they have been doing a great job adding new machines and replacing the old ones (the new hip abduction machine!!!). Besides, we know UC Berkeley isn't doing too fire financially, so A for effort. 3. They have a ton of classes: HIIT, circuit training, you name it. I think it's a great opportunity to try something new without leaving the comfort of your own gym. Bonus point: if you hate the class, you can quickly escape to your trusted elliptical. 4. Ironically, the worst aspect of RSF for me is the easiest to overcome. It gets super packed at certain times. In fact, I came at 5 pm the other day, saw a line of 10 people waiting outside the weight room and promptly left to do the second best thing to exercising - got some ice cream. However, if you play it well, you can score an almost empty weight room and twenty almost identical treadmills to choose from. Based on my experience, the best times are very early morning (6:30 am here we go!), very late night (it's open until 1 am if that's your thing), and random times in the early afternoon when everyone is having lunch. Now since you've (hopefully) read all of this, go work out! read more

This is for a group exercise instructor:: I loveeeeeeee Shane's cardio kick boxing class!!!!! Every Friday morning at 9AM. She's intense and hard core. But she rocks!!! Also, this semester I went to her Body Toning classes (MW 12-1) and her 20-20-10 class (F 12:10-1). She rocks, I love her, I feel myself getting stronger. It's just awesome! I renew my membership just so I can make it to Shane's class. read more

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I tend to workout before work at 7:00am, and it's not too bad. There are usually one or two cardio machines open at that time. If I were more motivated and got there half an hour earlier, I'd get my choice of machines, but THAT'S not gonna happen. When I get a day off and go mid-day it's a piece of cake also. Afternoons and evenings are a crap shoot. More than once I've given up and gone and lifted because I didn't want to stand and stare and wait for an elliptical to open up. I never tried any of the rec classes and have heard mixed reviews. Debating if I want to get on board with one this semester or not. The pool? Kind of useless, honestly. I'm not concerned about the depth as some have reported (For God's sake, I'm 6'6) but it's always used for practices and teams and there are so few hours for open swim that it's not worth the effort to coordinate that into my schedule. Maybe once the weather is nicer I'll redouble my efforts to work this into my routine, but not now. Locker rooms are huge and generally well-maintained. Students who work here are mostly on top of things, though you of course get the occasional dingbat. Price? Well, I'm on staff so it's reasonable. $35 deducted before taxes. Not the steal of the century, not a bad deal either for a big complex so close to work. read more

Super unfriendly staff, packed in the evenings, and poor service to visitors. Functions as a gym but just barely. read more

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This review is for the Passport Center. I came in around 9:30AM (30 minutes after it opens) on a Wednesday during the summer. There was one person already being helped for their passport. My wait was maybe 15 minutes after signing in on their iPad. Overall the application was easy and the service was extremely smooth. I'd like to note that I had all my documents including extras like an old passport book, name change stuff and everything. Took maybe 5 minutes at the window including writing the check. Compared to other offices where is normally have to wait in line for 3-4 hours this is a hidden gem. Note: They no longer provide photos so make sure you bring your own. read more

Pretty disappointed that I went here to get passports done, and they messed up my daughter's passport. They didn't process it right, now I have to reapply again. :( read more

I like this place- only because of Sornam's pilates classes. That lady should have her own studio. Even at 8 am, her classes are packed. They fill most of the Gold Gym. Might be worth it to mention that Ai's and Kevin's power yoga classes are gold. Anyone interested in improving strength and flexibility (which helps improve running, hiking, biking, etc) should check it out. And it's impossible to get on the cardio equipment around peak hours. Esp the Precors. I love the new Precors with the cross body movement action, but if I drop by early in the semester at around 5 pm, I'll probably end up waiting about 30 minutes for it (as long as you're allowed to be on it). RSF needs to seriously crackdown and reinforce their cardio equipment policies, because no one wants to use the intercom system and 30 minutes isn't really adequate for warm up/work out/cool down. Would it really kill them to have one of their useless employees monitor the machines at peak hours? I don't want to spend anymore time at the gym than I have to. read more

I work at a gym that charges $120 a month for membership, so I really can't compare the two. But the $10 per semester is hard to beat. This place gets crowded with college boys who use incorrect form (not always, but often) and find the need to stare at me workout. Other than that, they have the equipment i need (almost) to get most of my workouts done. As long as I avoid the evenings, I'm usually good on also avoiding the crowds. Note: I've only ever used the rowing machines here. I otherwise don't touch cardio and just hit weights. read more

This a review for the gym(not passport services) and especially the weight rooms. The RSF is currently the only available campus gym to regular students. Because of this, if I was to describe the RSF with a single word it would be "crowded." From line outside the door when it opens at 6am until last minute it is open into the night, the RSF is absurdly crowded. There is a nice range of equipment, although much of it is worn down due to heavy use. While there are many racks and benches, as I said before they are almost always full. The weight rooms are large, but have little to no natural light. There are many classes available, which I admit I have not yet tried out. My only experience with the classes is being kicked out of one of the weight rooms and being forced into the immediately overfilled remaining room. My other gripe, which may seem small, is that the locker rooms are ridiculously far from the entrance to the work out area. This adds a few minutes on either side of a work out which actually does make a difference when you only have an hour to get in and out. Despite all this, I am still a regular user of the RSF and I'm thankful for its existence. Perhaps when the coliseum gym reopens, the crowds will be more manageable and I will be able to appreciate it more. read more

Recreational Sports Facility RSF - Dumbbells in one of the weight rooms - Gyms Near Me - Berkeley, California

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After trying to get my son's passport done at two different USPS on the weekends (horrible service at post office - lines were long and if its not by appointments only, they would only take x-number of people a day), so my friend recommended this place. Im glad I came to this place. Although it was a long wait due to MLK holiday and only one person at customer service doing passports and gym memberships, my overall experience was great. The lady that helped me was friendly and knowledgable. I went a few minutes before opening and there was a line already. Once open, we were instructed to sign in on an iPad and just wait for your name to show up on the monitor. Easy process. You can actually see how many people are in front of you and go wander around and come back versus having to stand in line to secure your spot... Highly recommend this place versus the post office! read more

Most units on campus are suffering in one way or another because of budget cuts. The RSF is doing relatively well these days because of strong student enrollments and a steady stream of revenue from reg fees. As a result, the RSF has been open later at night than in previous years, and it has begun operating on holidays (e.g., today -- Memorial Day). It has been buying more Precors and treadmills and doing a pretty good job of stuffing them into every available spot in the atrium and on the balcony above. The RSF even intends to buy more equipment than it can fit on the floor; this way, sick machines that are awaiting repair can be swapped out for units that have been held in reserve. When the RSF was first built (c. 1980), it was way ahead of its time. Normal people didn't go into a gym for their daily workout. The only people who went were either members of intercollegiate and intramural teams or body-building nuts who hoped to become Governor someday. Nowadays, everyone wants to stop in for a workout and some socializing. As a result, the place is stuffed to the gills. If there were more square feet available to recreational sports on campus, we'd have more equipment of the kind that we do have and also equipment that we don't have at all. (I was just at a 24 Hour Fitness place in Irvine and noticed a 2-story-high indoor climbing wall. These are becoming increasingly popular) For the moment, it's best not to come at a time when everybody else is there. (If you think you'll have a bench all to yourself on the afternoon of first day of classes of the semester, forget it.) People are generally respectful of each other in the Facility, but "generally" doesn't mean "always." Stack your weights, folks. If you insist of flossing under the shower, don't walk away leaving your floss on the little shelf where the next fellow needs to park his shampoo bottle. If you're displeased because there's no longer a green towel bin near the showers, write a letter to the head of rec sports instead of tossing your towel on the floor in protest. The maintenance team normally does an excellent job keeping the place shiny and removing the bits of floss that people leave near the showers. It's helpful that the regular users of the place tend to be good citizens. Unfortunately, weekends are a time when (1) the maintenance operation seems to be less well staffed than during the week and (2) there are lots of outside groups. (Today there's a water polo tournament at the pool and a volleyball tournament in the field house.) The combination often means that the facility is pretty scuzzy by the end of the weekend. read more

Ever since summer, I have noticed the employees are much less welcoming and have ruined the environment. There used to be a worker that would go out of her way to accommodate me and make my gym experience positive but the workers now are awful. read more

Three words: more. treadmills. please. I hate how peak hours are now from 4-11pm. I guess everyone is trying to get in shape for spring break? But one week isn't enough to do anything... I like the $10/semester deal and regret not coming here more often in the past. Now that it's my last year and I'm faced with $400/yr memberships, I try to come here as often as I can. The gym is pretty small when you consider it has to serve 20k students. But luckily, many students are lazy and don't come. I just wish more were lazy so I could have a treadmill all to myself without having to wait or get kicked off. The machines in the weight rooms are getting old. They look like they could malfunction anytime and cause some damage. Also, the rooms are always filled with guys in tanks who try to show off their biceps, or lack of. read more

The RSF is a wonderful gym that fulfills the needs of UC Berkeley students, staff, and the Berkeley community as a whole. As a UC Berkeley student, the cost to use the RSF is free as it is now included as part of the tuition. Over the last few months, the RSF has acquired new workout machines and benches which are now functional and clean as Cal Students approved the "wellness referendum" in Spring 2015, allowing for additional funding for Cal Rec Sports to carry out improvements to the facility. Here are some of the offerings of the RSF: -three floors of fitness center space -seven full-length indoor basketball courts -a main weight room with two annex rooms (all with machines, benches, squat racks and free weights) -cardio machines on the first and second floors (treadmills, elliptical trainers, stairmasters, rowing machines and stationary bikes) -private racquetball courts -group exercise classes (yoga, cycling, zumba, pilates, circuit training, kickboxing, tai chi, combatives, cardio dance) -well-kept locker rooms and showers -free locker and toweling service for members -Olympic-sized swimming pool (Spieker Pool) that will be fully used for recreational purposes once the new Cal Aquatics facility opens up across the street in 2017 -outdoor synthetic rubber track (Edwards Stadium) TIPS -Peak hours usually 4-7 pm, and after 9 pm as you can expect most machines and benches to be full -Morning hours (9 am -12 pm) are usually the time in which you can comfortably get a workout in, without having to wait for no more than 10 minutes for a machine to open up -RSF still operates by scanning your membership card (such as Cal 1 Card) rather than fingerprint sensor -"No bag policy" in full enforcement (for safety reasons). You can store your personal belongings in the locker rooms, free of charge -When weightlifting, be sure to use clamps (for safety reasons) as the RSF staff constantly reminds members to use those -The Cal Men's Basketball practice facility is on the third floor -If ever in an emergency situation, ask for the "40", who is the center supervisor Minus one star as the RSF still lacks some workout equipments that are available at other fitness facilities. read more

Recreational Sports Facility RSF - Entrance into the workout area. Lots of cardio machines - Gyms Near Me - Berkeley, California

The passport ladies are rude, unprofessional, lazy... I will not recommend anybody to go there.. And I am staying polite!!!! Thx read more

This place is pretty good, make sure to come early in the morning to avoid the crowd. I wouln't come here if I we'rent a student but its good for us. Just fyi, students already pay $45 per semester in student fees for the RSF even if they don't use it, just like we pay for AC Transit. On top of that we pay $10 to use it so in total, its $55 per semester. http://registrar.berkeley.edu/feesched.html#misc read more

Keeps me fit. Yay RSF. Pro: lots of machines and group classes to choose from. free day lockers. Con: after 5 pm, it gets packed. can barely get on machines or use basketball courts. :( read more

This is the review for the passport. I've been here twice, the first time was in 2015, when I needed to get my first passport. Quick and easy. Fast forward to 2018 and I went with my cousin to get her first passport. Same situation, quick and easy. Couple of things to remember: 1. They used to take your photos for you for a fee, but their camera broke so you'll have to bring your own passport photos. When I called, they told me it's been broken for 6months (weird how a billion dollar school hasn't replaced a camera yet...whatever) I hope they didn't decide to remove this service. That would suck! 2. Parking. I went both times during the summer so parking wasn't an issue. They do have parking garages next to the facility. 3. Staff were pretty awesome. They will assist with any questions and make the process super smooth. 4. Lines/wait time. Since I went during the summer/weekday it was a breeze. Not sure how it is during the weekends or once school is in session, but I'm pretty sure it can get busy. read more

I see a lot of glowing reviews for the passport office dragging the rating up to a very undeserved 3.5 stars so let me be clear: this review is for the GYM and it is not going to be glowing. This gym is woefully tiny for Berkeley's 40,000+ students and there seems to be a large number of community members that use the gym, as well. It is essentially one hallway with a couple rooms attached (several of which are frequently reserved for classes). There is almost always a line for anything you want to use from cardio machines to benches to toilets. You want to use one of the 4 stair masters? Good luck. Because there's so little equipment shared by so many people this gym fosters the rudest atmosphere I have ever encountered in a gym. No matter what you are doing, what you are using, and how obviously or intently you are using it, you will ALWAYS 100% of the time be interrupted and asked if you're using that equipment, how long until you're done, can the other person work in, "can I please just use it right now because I want to" (yeah, that's a direct quote.) ESPECIALLY if you are female, brace yourself for constant interruptions. Additionally, the staff is rude, the equipment isn't great, there's so little floor space that you are usually working out less than a foot away from another person (someone literally foam rolled DIRECTLY underneath me as I did kettlebell swings), equipment breaks frequently and takes forever to be repaired if it is at all. In summary: you should come here if you're a Cal student who can't afford Equinox (so, all of us) but wear your RBF to the RSF unless you want to get asked out by the 100th man you've met in the bay who "is the CEO of their own start up." If you're a community member, what are you doing? Go anywhere else. read more

This write up is for the Passport Facility and not the gym. But the gym facility does look clean. Anyhow, if you need to apply or renew your passport this is the place to do it. The staff is efficient, knowledgeable and super friendly. Just make sure you have what is needed for your application upon arrival. Short lines to no lines. No apptmt. needed. If you are an adult renewing, just look on line for instructions and mail it in. It'll save you $35. service fee. read more

Quality: 3 Value: 4 Decent amount of equipment, but there should definitely be more. The RSF is usually packed, with little space on the equipment, both in the weight room and in the cardio area. If you go during rush hour (usually 5-7pm), you'll probably have to wait to use equipment. Membership is only $10 and used to be $50, but that's only because they took $40 and put it in required student fees. read more

I LOVE THE RSF!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm mainly at Spieker Pool and in the weight room. Spieker is really nice: the water is the perfect temperature for lap swimming, it's open daily for lap swimming 4:30-9pm. Unfortunately, when the water polo teams have a meet, it's in Spieker, so there are less lanes open, which make for crowded lanes (5+ people in each lane). I still prefer Spieker over other pools on campus though. Kickboards provided, but no pullbouys. The weight room has so many different machines - many of which I do not know how to use. Sometimes I find myself waiting for a particular machine. read more

This review is for the gym. When you walk in, you see rows of treadmills and ellipticals and other cardio machines. There is a weight room to the left and upstairs there are more machines and gyms. I think this gym is just ok. The ventilation isn't that great since it smells like sweat all the time. I also think that the vents need to be cleaned because I was running on a treadmill in front of a vent and whenever it was on, it smelled TERRIBLE. Also, it gets crowded! I don't think the rsf is big enough to handle all the Cal students. Nevertheless, that hasn't stopped me from coming to this gym because this is the closest one to where I live. I get my workout in and I really enjoy the free classes that they offer like urban kick! read more

(This Review is only for Passport Office and not for the Sports Center). BEST & Highly Recommended. Applied Passport for my new born on 22nd May,2017 and Received on 1st June,2017 thru Expedite delivery (~10 days). History: I called many passport office locations for my new born baby's passport , but there was no availability for 2 months. Searched more and got to know that there are some offices which accepts Walk-In. First tried for Milpitas Office location, who accepts only Walk-in, but you will have to reach before 6AM in the morning and wait till 9:15AM when their office opens. They only accepts 40 applications per day, so if you reach early , then you may get a slot. I feel its not recommended if you have a new born baby. Then read more reviews and finally got to know about Berkley Recreational Sports Facility Passport Center. Positive Points: ~Walk-In Interview. No Hassle to book Appointments. ~OPEN for more hours on weekdays till 7PM. Even OPEN on Saturdays. (Please check their website for more Info). ~Friendly Staff. My baby was sleeping in the stroller, they just looked at his face, didn't wake him up. They patiently asked for documents one by one(i was prepared with all docs). ~Free Parking. ~No need to stand in the Queue. You will have to register your name at the kiosk in an iPad and then your name would display on the TV showing your waiting position. ~Nice Environment. There is a gym & cafeteria on the same floor just beside the passport counter.You may sit and sip a drink if your wait time is more. ~Drove 1 hr to reach Berkley(from Sunnyvale), was pleasant and beautiful short road trip. Below are some related links : https://www.510families.com/get-passport-20-minutes/ https://recsports.berkeley.edu/u-s-passports/ https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports.html Thanks, Rohit read more

10 stars for Fast Passport service. Get it done in 10 mins. This is unbelievable Fast and Easy. The guy is really nice and helpful. He saved us $20 overnight fee because he said he has other overnight to mail together. We appreciate him so much and there are still alot of good people in the world. Compare the experience I had at post office. Took me 1.5 hr waiting in the line and they move like a turtle. Rejected my photo and asked me to take another one and come back. Worst customer service ever. I wish I know this place earlier. They have photo service here, so you don't have to worry about your photo won't meet the standard. I would recommend people get their passport here. Save you tons of time. read more

For a student here at Cal, this gym is perfect. Its $10 a semester-full access to the gym, the classes, the track, the pools, and equipment. I like how the RSF provides you towels, which comes in handy! It can get ridiculously busy-especially on the treadmills and ellipticals. I would avoid the RSF around 5-7 read more

Ah the RSF...I go to this place religiously~ The RSF offers Berkeley students membership for a semester for only $10 which is a deal that can't be turned down. Overall, I am very happy with what the RSF has to offer. In addition to all your cardio equipment like treadmills and ellipticals, the RSF also has three weight rooms, each of which have machines and free weights. Additionally, there's three rooms for basketball (for a total of 7 or so courts), a bunch of racketball courts, and rooms for stretching, dancing, and also martial arts. It tends to get busy before lunch and before dinner but other than that, it's not too bad getting your workout done. I do wish that they had more racks (where you can do squads, deadlifts, and whatnot) because those get the busiest but that's something they could do in the future as there's still a lot of room for equipment. I don't usually take the classes that are offered by the RSF but a ton of them are completely free and students can just walk in to them. Overall, for the price (as a Berkeley student), the RSF is more your average gym. read more