Wai Kru is the real thing. You're not going to find egos, attitudes, or even showers at this place. Everybody is there for one reason, and one reason only: Learn How to Kick Ass. This gym is as no frills as you can get. You're not going to get hot tubs, massages, juice bar, or any of that garbage. It's kind of like Apollo's gym that Rocky goes to train in Rocky III when he lost his edge. You come in, you sweat, you bleed, you may even swear, but you will become a striking/grappling machine. We fight as a team and train as a family. Instructors are all very knowledgable, professional, and friendly. Very supportive cast of characters. read more

Unfortunately, I can no longer give stars on quality of instruction because I can't seem to get in the door to get instruction. Since writing the review, their class schedule has changed at least three times. I updated in my google calendar each time. When I first joined, I used a Groupon and transitioned from another school to here. The deal was free gloves. The guy at the desk said he'd give them to me later. I don't have my free gloves. Saturday - I set up a time to go with a friend who was interested (and terrified) in trying it out. I showed up for a class and the doors were locked. During the week - I show up in a Gi and the gi class is now a no gi class. I show up in sprawl shorts and a rash guard, and it's a gi class. I thought if I called ahead to confirm schedules, someone would be able to help me. Each person who answers the phone says, "I don't handle that...I only teach here." "Okay. Is there somewhere I can get an updated schedule or see one? The one on the website is at least a year old." They say, "uhh. I don't know." Me: "Okay. When can I call and speak with someone who might know a bit more about the class schedule? Them: "I don't know." I'm really really annoyed. read more

I really hated the day when I had to cancel my membership here due to work schedule conflict. Because this was one of my absolute favorite experiences. The instructors here definitely whip you to shape. They'll make you work, they'll make sure you learn, and they will make sure you don't leave without feeling sore. The workouts I got here were far better than any gym I'd ever stepped foot in. To the people complaining about the smell, what do you expect? It's a garage gym. Of course it's going to smell. This ain't Curves, and this ain't Boston Sports Club. That is all on that topic. The practical based approach given by the instructors are what really make this place shine. Cage fighting UFC style fighting at its absolute finest. They will show you how to apply Muay Thai fighting into real practical situations, how to apply Judo techniques (instructor George is very knowledgeable), BJJ, etc. I'd highly recommend coming in for a free lesson, no matter what shape or experience you're in, and seeing for yourself why this place is truly amazing. And yes, Tamerlan Tsarnaev trained here at one point in case you were wondering. So did his brother, who will not be joining for anymore lessons. read more

This place is great. (note, i just kickbox, not really into the MMA or BJJ stuff) I've bounced around to a couple kickboxing gyms in the boston area (boston Muay Thai, Redline Fight Sports), and honestly, i love them all. Wai Kru has a very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly staff. One dude came off as pretty dickish at the start of one of my classes, but eased up towards the end. But this isn't really, that much of a Fitness gym. its a fighters gym, and i'm cool with that. My only complaint is that they only have a few bags, and in the more crowded classes this can be an issue. they work with it well, by having people triple up, buuut i wasn't crazy about it. They have an octogon and a standard ring, and a huge section of mats for rolling. all of that is great, but it creates a huge space crunch. i ended up dislocating my shoulder about 2 weeks in... i'll probably try to rehab it here. All in all, a great gym, but it is very expensive compared to some others. Not going to say its not worth it, but, its expensive. read more

I first came to this gym in 2008 when I was a junior at Babson College. I had a great experience, what surprised me the most about this gym is how friendly and eager the instructors were to teach. They were also very attentive and made sure you got the techniques right. I went to other boxing and mma gyms, and very rarely would the instructors be attentive to their students and provide personalized feedback. I had stopped training, because my college classes got too hard and it was tough to find the time to train. 8 years later I decide to visit this gym again because of the amazing groupon deal (seriously, if it's still available I highly recommending getting it because it's an amazing deal). This is a place for people who are serious about training, martial arts, and who want to learn from experts. I just did a one hour private workout with Kru John, who is the owner of the gym. Kru John is still a great instructor who is eager to teach and very attentive to his students. He made the workout challenging, but fun at the same time. He was very generous by allowing me to go over the hour in order to get a great workout. At the end I was totally spent, but I really enjoyed the challenge and can't wait to come back. Tips for visiting this gym: 1/ make sure to bring your own water because you'll be sweating a lot and there isn't a water fountain. 2/ bring your own gloves and wraps read more

This gym is amazing. I joined on a whim (I've had friends for a long time tell me that I'd love Muay Thai, so I finally did this past February....it's awesome) and haven't regretted it since. All the instructors are extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. There are always plenty around for any class (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai mostly, but they can help you with MMA and boxing as well). Many people think that fighters are meat heads. Not the case here. Everyone here is awesome and friendly (once you get to know them a little). We're all treated like family and its great. You won't get that at any other gym. If you're good (and they'll make you good if you work hard), they'll set you up with fights. I recommend Wai Kru to anyone looking for a challenge and can take it. read more

Horrible. As soon as I walked in, it was littered with shoes and smelled SO BAD like toe jam, and like they NEVER EVER CLEAN THE FUCKING PLACE. Still I ventured downstairs to find ONLY MEN, totally ripped hitting bags like they were on steriods. Toally scary! And it was small, INCREDIBLY smelly and the stench of sweat was really bad..i swore, they should get a citation for the lack of cleanliness or ventilation or watever is freakin wrong with this place. As a woman, I totally felt out of place. Old looking, gross.. read more

Wai Kru is very good "FIGHTERS" Gym. They don't have the typical Group muay thai class where people just "jab + cross" in a unison. they do the traditional Thailand style. Warm up, bag work, Pad work, spar. There will always be a coach near by to watch and correct your progress. NOT saying its not good for beginners.....they cater to each persons ability and skills. The BJJ class is Great! They helped me build a very decent foundation. Overall the Camp is one of the best camps I've seen so far. (for the money, intense training and the people) I give Wai Kru 4 stars due to the location of my Job...HAHA If i didn't work so far.........I'll be there all the time..... Good Folks...check'em out! read more

I've been training here for over two years now and I can't imagine training anywhere else. I originally joined because I liked watching UFC and thought it would be fun to try... I was so right. I do Muay Thai only now, but I have also taken the Jiu Jitsu class at various times, the instructors for both are high caliber and really know their stuff. Being a female I thought that I would be treated differently and looked down on, but I soon discovered that was not the case. Wai Kru is great for people of all levels, the noon and midday classes are usually more advanced and the night classes are more geared towards beginners. However as long as you're willing to put in the effort even beginners can succeed at the noon class. If you come in during off times there is always someone around to hold pads and help you with technique. Some of the instructors seem a little standoffish at first, but if you show them you're committed you can quickly earn their respect. I would recommend Wai Kru to anybody who is interested in mixed martial arts. The staff is great, the people are all super friendly and helpful (even though some of them may seem intimidating at first), this gym becomes like your family. read more

This is a great gym with a great instructor. However, it is a fighting gym only/mostly, with not much equipment you would find in a normal gym. You'll have heavy bags, speed bags, a full size MMA cage, BJJ mats a couple treadmills, and a few free weights. This is a gym for people who want to learn how to fight, period. There's a lot of good one on one training for free if you go during off hours you'll always find someone willing to work with you. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and will be going back after returning from injury. read more

This gym is no joke. When I first started training at wai kru I had about a month of Muay Thai experience prior to coming here so I was fairly a beginner. You will get pushed to your physical limits here and you will learn the art of Muay Thai plain and simple. I've only had the pleasure of being instructed by mark klemm here but he's awesome and very knowledgable of Muay Thai. You will get worked from the start to the end of a class session and thus will get in the best shape of your life read more

I visited this gym from out of town. My first impression from calling was that it would be ok because the phone call was very friendly. When I walked in there was a dude at the front desk with headphones on who just pointed to the stairs going down. Sometimes when you visit a new Muay Thai gym while you're traveling you have a great experience and get to train with great people and an inspired trainer. That was not the case. To start with, I asked for a heavy "Thai style" rope and the trainer said, "I don't know why you're saying that *I* lived in Thailand for 3 and a half years and they use all kinds of ropes there." I thought, "OK, I'm in Boston. People are grittier in these Northeast cities." So, after I got my eyeballs to roll forward from the back of my head (seriously, all Muay Thai Khrus have spent years in Thailand at some point. It's not that special), I was checking out the display case when I suddenly smelled a huge cloud of POT smoke coming from the bathroom. Then, the head "Khru" walked out: Strike 2. Finally, the Friday technical sparring session and the person I started sparring with told me it was only her third day of training. Another guy, nobody knew his name. It was his first day. They just let anybody get into the ring. I decided to do bag work instead of rotating in and heard the coach say, "she's missing all the fun." Actually, no I wasn't. I was protecting myself and the brand new nak Muay in training from getting hurt.... and that's when I walked out. read more

Very nice environment treated is like we were part of there school Carlos Neto and John Howard were really great guys to meet and train w/

Where do I start .. Rude instructors , dirty gym (which I wouldn't mind if there was good people there) , I went to this gym a few months back but finally got to review. The coach basically laughed at me when I got tired one of the students even called him out saying " Why are u giving him a hard time he's one of the stronger guys here" the teacher answered I don't care u can't train heart. This was a huge insult to me . I was recently in the hospital before going there and lost 20 lbs from illness . The brazilians there are cool though . I'm heading back to my old gym. read more

Dirty. Didn't look like they cleaned the mats or ring in awhile. Doesnt help being in a basement. Instruction: The instructors there seemed knowledgeable and they yelled at you like drill sergeants but most of the guys the spent the most time with were brawlers with anger issues. Only interested in teaching people if you were a brawl or cage fight for their team. Atmosphere: Jocks and bar brawlers. Most people there were street punks, not martial artists. read more

i've always loved muay thai kickboxing and done so for about 3 years. i thought my technique was good until i came here. the instructors break it down to the nth degree, which is a little frustrating, but pays off big time in the long run....going to learn something? learn it RIGHT! but what i discovered there was BJJ. i had taken MMA before and from previous experience, it was mostly young, cocky men who want learn to beat people up in bars. but the training here was as much about self-control and discipline as it was teaching the complex and beautiful sport of complete domination. the lead black belt, alex, is nothing short of fabulous. so patient and dilligent. but the best part were the training partners. at no time did i feel like my training partners were trying to kill me. if they were better than me (all of them), then they would try and talk me through a move so that i wouldn't suffer it again. and the progress is amazing. within a few months, i was actually submitting opponents and giving higher level students at least a run for their money. make no mistake...this is not an LA fitness, Crunch, 24 hour style gym. it is no frills, no showers, no good smell, but that's how you know that the people running this place are committed more to training you to potential than worrying about potpourri in the locker room. they are making a lot of changes, so expect some construction. my only gripe...even though there is supposed to be a trainer there all day for muay thai, i often had to just train on my own as either no trainer was around, or the ones there were off getting lunch or having to go to school or something. all said, this is one of the best gyms i've ever trained in and i've been to about 15 all over the country. read more

Absolutely the best workout I have had since college. I have attended other Muay Thai gyms in the area, and not only are the Wai Kru classes longer, but the membership is less expensive as well. On top of that, they don't teach muay thai so you can look good in an armani shirt and skinny jeans, they teach you how to fight, and fight you will. This is a fighters gym, and you will find the attitude and contact to go along with it. With that said, nobody there is looking to hurt eachother, and everyone will help you. If you dont want to spar, at least half of the class goes and does Ab work instead, or various other exercises. Anyone that has had a bad experience here likely just didn't know what to expect. It is absolutely not a gym focused on politely getting you in shape. It's a gym that will whip your ass into shape so, whether you fight or not, you WILL NOT gas out. The people there are straightforward, but as long as you want to be helped, they want to help you. No matter your skill level. read more

Great friendly staff, you feel like you're part of the wai kru family, the instructors were so much fun and very clear on what to do, I had the instructor matt who seems very experienced and knows exactly what he's doing and treats you like you've been attending the gym for years. It was nice to be able to try a trial class before fully committing, and they don't just treat it like a trial class, they treat you just like a member, this is a real gym, not a fancy gym that devotes itself to spa's and massages, has the smell of a gym, but you'll be so distracted with the fun, intense, full body workout you get each time. I seriously worked up a good sweat. Would reccomend this to anyone who is looking for a fun physical activity that's a little outside the box, seems a little intimidating at first but you'll have so much fun you'll forget about that and just enjoy it! read more

My 15 year old son (who had previously done kick boxing and Karate) wanted to give Muay Thai a try, so when I saw a groupon to try it out I purchased it. Additionally, it came with two individual sessions. My son has loved it (although he has missed some time because of it being the beginning of school). We have found the instructors to be knowledgeable and encouraging. The management (owner and business associate Mike) have been very nice and flexible (when we had to reschedule an individual session) with us. All and all, my impression is this is what you call a 'real gym' with no bad attitudes, just seriousness and intensity. The only real negative in my opinion would be that it's a little smaller than I expected and the ventilation could be improved.....but the cool management (and other gym members) make up for any negatives. So, far it's been a really good experience. My only concern it my son will probably want to continue it and the traffic coming from Cambridge at 6p.m., going to Allston is a drag. But this gym is the real deal. Terry McKay read more