I recently upgraded my Boston Sports Club (BSC) membership so I can go and try many of the different locations. I’m enjoying the opportunity to try so many new clubs, and wanted to share some feedback with my fellow Bostonians:
Dumbells by Rainer Brockerhoff from Flickr
Allston, MA
The Allston BSC is a decent-sized club. It uses the basketball court as a group fitness studio (which means they can accommodate a lot of people in a class), has squash courts, a spinning room and express line. The club has a small ab machine room off of the weight lifting area, which is great. I haven’t been to this club much after work, because I thought that they charged for valet parking. I just went the other night and realized that it is free! Wahoo! Despite having a weeknight valet attendant, I’ve had a few frustrating encounters when on-street, parking lot and valet garage spots were all filled. I’ve found that if you go around 7:00pm on a weeknight the gym is not crowded. A colleague keeps raving about their classes, so I plan on testing them out in the near future. This is also a great gym to go to on the weekends because they do not charge for parking and it’s never crowded.
Copley Square, Boston, MA
The Copley Square BSC is a basement-level club on Boylston Street. For its location, I was very impressed with the amount of space this club has. It has an indoor pool, express line and a group fitness studio. I went at 9pm after a business meeting and it wasn’t crowded at all. I’ve also had similar luck on the weekends. I haven’t had an opportunity to try it after work yet.
Downtown Crossing, Boston, MA
The Downtown Crossing BSC is an upper-level club with big windows and views of downtown crossing. It has a fitness room, pilates/yoga room, spinning studio and express line. I used to go after work and never had a problem finding a machine. I love this club’s close proximity to the Boston Common and Charles River running/walking path. I’ve tried the club strength and club abs classes and enjoyed them. The only drawback to this club is that the elevators are very slow and kind of ancient!
Newton, MA
The Newton BSC is a tinier club with a unique layout. It has an indoor pool, group fitness studio, four indoor tennis courts, spinning room, pilates/yoga studio, express line and an indoor running track. I recently played on their tennis courts and had a wonderful experience, although they do charge more for court fees than the Lexington BSC. I’ve also tried the indoor running track, which is one level above the gym floor. It’s less than 1/8 a mile, but I loved the opportunity to run indoors during the winter. I’ve only been to this club on the weekends and have never had a problem finding a machine or space on the track. Tennis court time is a bit harder to secure, so book in advance.
South Station
The South Station BSC is a tiny club, but is much newer than some of the other clubs. It has an indoor pool, group fitness studio, spinning room and express line. I love swimming at this club on the weekends because it is not crowded, does not have little kid birthday pool parties and street parking is ample. I used to go after work and found it hard to get a cardio machine at times, but enjoyed their club abs and club strength classes. There are also three small stretching areas sprinkled throughout, which is helpful.
Watertown, MA
The Watertown BSC is a large, airy club tucked inside the Arsenal building. It has a group fitness studio, pilates studio, basketball court, spinning room, express line and indoor pool. I’ve tried the club strength and club abs classes and enjoyed both of them. The gym is very clean and there is ample free parking. It’s extremely busy after work because it is located inside an office park, but I can usually find a cardio machine. If you’re very picky about the type of cardio machine, you may find yourself frustrated at times here. It’s a great club to go to on the weekends because it’s quiet and not crowded! Staff is friendly and helpful. They also have a small concession stand for protein shakes, water and snacks.
For more of my fitness content from around Boston and beyond, click here!