Very clean and professional gym. Really appreciate that the locker rooms have shampoo and soap…read moreprovided in the showers as well as hair dryers and electronic lockers. Really nice to not have to deal with providing your own lock. The real unique point of Bodytech is the well-staffed floor and the supervised circuit workout. This is part of membership and is like getting free mini-personal training sessions. When you factor in those features it is reasonably priced and good value for money. I have been a member for 6 years, I think that says it all, right?

I can't say I have experience in gyms seeing this is my first, but I'm definitely glad I picked…read morethis one after a recommendation from a friend. Firstly, the thing that sold me was they have a 2 lane private pool, and surprisingly it's hardly ever busy, usually I'm the only one in there, because I can't stand sharing a lane with 5 other people at a public pool. The gym also has a spa pool, steam room, sauna, and showers with shampoo and shower gel provided. The main feature of the gym is the supervised circuit, a set of 8 different weight machines to work out your whole body. It isn't full blown personal training but the trainers are there every step of the way to setup the next machine and push you till failure to get the most out of your workout. I've definitely seen a good improvement in strength and muscle gain from this. The trainers are also super friendly, and always offer advice and help with learning to use other machines in the gym. The only downfall is obviously all this comes at a price, which is a fair bit higher than a gym like Jett's, it's around 90-150 per month, depending on the term you select. But in my opinion, well worth it, especially for new gym-goers like myself, for the supervised circuit and the amenities. Only other thing is being a highly staffed gym, it's not open 24/7. I think currently it's about 5:30am to 9pm during the week. PS, keep an eye on their website if you're looking at joining, they usually have a decent joining offer.

I have reached the stage in my life where in order to push myself to the limit physically I need to…read morebe watched like a rebellious teenager. That is why Les Mills is so great. Not only do they have super knowledgeable P.Ts, but for those on a budget, their group fitness classes and instructors are brilliant. From Body Balance (tai chi, pilates and yoga) to Body Jam (dance workout), they literally have something for everyone. On the topic of classes, new and noteworthy is their GRIT Series, a 30 minute workout that is based on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). The series is made up of three different workouts: strength, plyo and cardio. What is it like? Well, a friend recently described GRIT as 'Body Pump on steroids' and I would have to agree. You will not find a more effective way to work out and get in shape in 30 minutes. Doooo it! On top of their world-renowned group fitness classes, Les Mills Takapuna has a large weights area, a cardio room and bathroom and shower facilities. Hot tip: when you sign up to one location you can use any of the four Auckland locations at no additional charge. What are you waiting for? In short, I love Les Mills and the only thing stopping me from giving it 5 stars is that they don't provide sweat towels for members. Oh, and they don't have an app. Heck, they don't even have a mobile browser!

Oh how I love Les Mills. That might sound weird, but it is true, and I am sure there are plenty of…read moreworse things to be addicted to than a bit of cross-training. Let me clarify, I am not an excersize addict. I do not wake up, wherever I am in the world, and decide I need to go for a run. In fact while living overseas for four years, I struggled to make it to the gym at all. But Les Mills gyms, and particularly the Takapuna branch, must put something in the air conditioning as from the moment I walk in I'm amped for a workout. It's probably just some simple psychology; the brightly coloured walls, upbeat music, machines all lined up to a movie screen in the cardio theatre or the view of Rangitoto from the RPM room. Whatever it is I'm hooked!

I've been coming to the yoga classes here for over 10 years. There used to be Thursday and Tuesday…read morenight sessions but now there's a class on Monday morning at 10.45 and Tuesday evening at 7.35. Both are taught by Diana Radcliffe and have been for as long as I can remember. The style of yoga is simple Hatha yoga in the Satyananda style and what this means to you is that it's suitable for all levels. Diana provides alternatives for beginners and takes an individual approach when needed, keeping an eye on the newbies. Each class starts with a gentle warm-up followed by floor postures before moving into standing poses, usually incorporating a series of movements into a flow. There are variations each week so you don't get bored and every session finishes with 10 minutes of breathing and relaxation. Yoga doesn't have to be a weird thing you have to go to a hippy place to do; it's for everyone and I would highly recommend starting here with Diana.

I went to the gym at the YMCA in Mt Albert while I was in high-school and it was perfect. As a…read morestudent at Mt Albert Grammar the YMCA actually offered me a discount, so not only did I have access to all the equipment and classes, but at a cheap price! It is things like this - providing local students with cheaper rates - that always impresses me about the YMCA. It is a business that really looks after locals - it's very community oriented. An example of this community spirit is the YMCA used to rent out one of their rooms to my dance school at a cheap rate so we had enough room to have proper rehearsals and practices. Without their help we would have been at a loss! Offering great school holiday programmes, hosting kids birthday parties, before and after school care, special youth programmes that promote leadership and creativity - the Mt Albert YMCA is fantastic.

Situated on Great South Road in Auckland this gym offers something for everyone. Plenty of parking…read moreout front and close proximity to the southern motorway makes it easy to take the first steps. As you step through the doors you are greeted by smiling (most often large and sweaty) faces and the smell of Thai liniment. The gym is large with the competition sized ring the focal point. Home to head trainers Jason "Psycho" Suttie (6 time world champ, among many other titles), Roger "Wild" Earp (Current World Champ, among other titles), Chris Martin, and Kula Folau there is world class tutelage at hand for all levels of skill and fitness be it Kickboxing, Boxing or MMA. Shower/toilet facilities for men and women are the final touches on a gym that makes a real effort to deliver the best to its members.

I have been to SO many physios in my lifetime. Being a dancer means your body will probably hate…read moreyou and try to break as many times as possible. When I first came to Flexa I was expecting a lot as it had come with an amazing recommendation. I made an appointment to see Murray and I was impressed. Murray is an extremely charismatic man and because of this every appointment with him was rather amusing. He is also a fantastic physio and is in very high demand. A session with Murray costs more than a session with any other physio at Flexa but it is worth it. He really takes the time to focus on your injury or problem and figure out a way to fix it. The other physios at Flexa are also very good. All of them know exactly what they're talking about and make you feel very comfortable. If you're like me and like your massages firm you may need to speak up about pressure at times but this is definitely the case with any physiotherapist. I have also had experience with the podiatry department at Flexa Clinic and all I can say is that it went very well! Very long story... but in the end I got exactly what I needed from Justin and I feel like he really took every possible action to help me out.

This is the best spot on the North Shore if you have any kind of injury or recurring physical…read moreailment. Murray Hing's reputation precedes him; he's really well-known for his physiotherapy work and embraces all sorts of treatments here from massage to acupuncture - he does it all. I used to get a lot of tension headaches from a neck problem and he sorted it right out, such a relief to see someone with so much experience and knowledge that can get straight to the cause of a problem. He's also quite selective with his staff so all the other physios there are really competent - now I only go for maintenance treatment and in my experience it really doesn't matter too much who treats you but it is good to have some continuation. Flexa Clinic might mostly be known for its physiotherapy but it also has a lot of other services. There's a podiatrist, nutritionists, massage therapists and midwives. They have a great ante and post-natal service that helps with all the new stresses on your body when you're pregnant. This compliments the midwifery branch of Flexa quite well. My midwife was one of the team of Hauraki Midwives, based in Flexa, and I found it really helpful to have everything here in one place. In the last couple of years the clinic has expanded to include Flexa Studio - a huge gym with great equipment, classes, and trainers, it's the health and fitness branch of Flexa that totally completes it.

This review is for Edit. She instructs yoga classes three times a week. She calls poses by their…read moreactual name, she describes how various poses will benefit various complaints (headaches, sciatica, etc), and she throws in new poses regularly. I've had various instructors over the years, and she is easily the best. As far as the rest of the gym, I've done spinning classes and pump. Both instructors were genuinely helpful and passionate about the classes. I buy 10 trip tickets rather than a membership. Tips: Look out for deals on GrabOne - I got 10 classes for ~$70. They also did a deal prior to Christmas last year which I imagine they'll repeat - 10 classes for $100 instead of the regular $150.

Although St Heliers and Glen Innes are completely oversaturated with expensive gyms and fitness…read morecentres, Contours Glen Innes is one of the few that are women-only. I'm not advocating that sex segmentation is the, erm, best way to work out or whatever, but I'm definitely sure that the environment at Contours was much more enjoyable than that of my previous gym 5 minutes away, which was crowded with pungent-smelling, slightly narcissistic young males who would frequently lift massive dumbells in front of their mirror with their friends (obsessive, much?). Contours is much smaller, and although I had to pay a little bit more than I did at my old gym, it was well worth every penny. All of the classes are well-organised and a lot of fun, and the gym itself is always really clean and tidy, so I always felt like I had motivation to pop down here at least a couple of times a week.

I just went to my first kickboxing class at Auckland MMA yesterday, and while a couple of fingers…read moreon my left hand are doing strange crampy things as I type, I've got to say that I loved it. The class I went to was full of people that were either experienced fighters or had been to classes before, so I was out of my depth quite a bit and alone in my out-of-depthness. The coach was great at helping with form, where to keep my weight etc, and the woman I was working with was really helpful at teaching me to keep my face protected and how to move my whole body to effectively punch and kick. I really liked this place and will hopefully be able to head there more often. For men - there are heaps of guys who attend there, and for women - I trained with at least ten. Good turnout, good coaches, and hopefully good things to come!

Massive gym, great group exercise options. there were plenty of studios and lots of space. Looking…read moreforward to getting another solid workout in next time. bring your own lock, these aren't combo lockers, got a great month deal as I was here in NZ for a month. Suggestion box: Wish there were more mirrors in the group areas and I can't recall which les mills had carpet, Britomart I think, it would be nice if it was...the opposite of carpet. Not sure where all my sweat went or how long it will be there... Also, it's hard to feel like your in an elite fitness club when the walls are trying to convince you you're in a kids club day care. I mean cmon- purple and chartreuse? Hopefully in the near future it'll be replaced with maybe some modern desaturated wall tile or something...well anything accept those two colors together I think would be an improvement. Great gym tho.

If you are a group fitness junkie, there's a good chance you've taken BodyPump, Body Combat, Body…read moreAttack, RPM, Sprint, GRIT, and CX Worx. Well, this is where it all started back in 1968 by the Mills family. If you are a Les Mills instructor like me, this is Mecca and it's a big deal to come here. Jamie D'Angelo is one of the managers at this gym who moved to NZ from the US. She gave us a tour of the facility. They have 2 floors and several buildings or towers connected by a bridge. They have a CrossFit area, free weights and machine area, cardio area, boxing area with a ring, and group fitness studios. They film masterclasses in the group fitness studios. The studios are huge and can fit up to 200 people. While in NZ, I took BodyPump, CX, and Body Attack from Dan Cohen, Georgina, Glen Ostergaard, and Susan Renata. I wanted to classes from Ben Main and Lisa Osborne but they were off. I would've loved to take Dan and Rach's Body Combat class but my flight was only 2 hours before their class started and I would have missed my flight. I know most people are like "who are those people and why are they a big deal?!" I'm not usually a big fan girl of actors and actresses but I love athletes, and people who promote Health and Fitness around the world - and that's what these people do and they are good and passionate about it. I'm a bit partial to BodyPump instructors because that's the class I teach (more certifications to come). I absolutely love taking Glen's class - he's the program director after all. He's the man behind the song selections and choreography for BodyPump. I loved Susan's class too - she's very chatty while she teaches and she connects with her participants. Jamie had told her that we were going to her class. Right before class started, we introduced ourselves to Susan and she knew we were "the girls from Vegas" and got a special mention in class. We noticed that the gym members keep to themselves. They go in, they go out. They're not the type that stick around after class to chat with the Instructor or other members like we do at our gym but that might be a cultural thing. The group fitness studios have ear plugs (for people who find the music too loud), drinking fountains and fans with misters. The gym has a small cafe where you can get a snack or a smoothie. There's a vending machine for bottled water and energy drinks. They also have a clothing store that carries mostly Reebok (the official outfitter of Les Mills) and a lady named Mary works there and she is an absolute sweetheart. She's very helpful and friendly. I think you have to pay for parking - not sure how that bit works since we stayed at a hotel nearby and got a multi-day pass.