GoodLife Fitness

I have been working out for a few years. I just moved to Toronto a few months ago and been to a few GoodLife locations.
I find this is one of the nicer locations. Gets really busy during 6−8pm. There is a higher concentration of younger people at this location than other GoodLife locations.
If you are a guy I wouldn’t recommend you going to use the sauna. I had guys chat me up there and it was just weird.

I really like this better than the newer club that opened on Richmond at Bathurst. The club at Bathurst really punted on the locker rooms: too small, not enough benches. This club has big locker rooms with single lockers versus the smaller stacked lockers. The weight machine layout is a bit nutty. Some equipment upstairs, Some equipment downstairs.

In Toronto on business and the three day trial is a lifesaver! No fighting over the one half working treadmill at the hotel gym! Great equipment, gorgeous space and such a convenient location. Friendly staff, too! I’d be signing up if I lived here, it’s great!
Super clean facilities, towel service, virtual classes, and nice big windows for people watching. Plus, they offer Les Mills classes, which are consistent in quality anywhere you go.

In stark contrast to Venice Fitness in Scarborough (see my other review for that), this Canadian gym hits the mark everywhere that Venice Fitness didn’t, but sadly misses some key necessities to be considered a «great» gym… at least, in my opinion. But this is my review.
I visited GoodLife on August 14, 2015. A smiling blonde girl at the front kiosk greeted me immediately and I let her know that I was interested in the free 3-​day pass as advertised. She had me meet with a membership sales counselor (trainer? I don’t know) named Matt. Matt was awesome, and super friendly (again, STARK contrast to the other CA gym I visited). He readily answered any questions I had and gave me a thorough tour of the entire facility, which was gorgeous. He boasted about the sauna/​steam room/​TRX area/​yoga area/​insert other unnecessary amenity here, which are good options to have, but I feel are secondary to basic GYM equipment (i.e: weights, cardio machines, resistance machines). The two main pieces of equipment that I felt were really strange not to have were an Iso High Row and a decline barbell bench. There were others, but those two stick out.
The bottom floor has maybe 6 or 7 assorted benches to use, which was definitely not enough for the area. I had to wait a few times for a bench, and even asked one guy if I can work in to have him tell me no (he was doing some weird circuit thing. He used two different benches, did some jumping jacks, then stretched on a wall… I forget all the steps). The rest of the people I encountered were friendly enough, but again, not friendly like the crowd at Venice. I couldn’t get over how QUIET this gym was! I felt like a grunting/​sweating/​swearing animal. No, I don’t grunt or swear on purpose, but if it helps me get through one more rep, then so be it.
The location is great, it was a 10-​minute streetcar ride away from the AirBnB I was renting in Trinity Bellwoods, and seemed central to everything.
IN SHORT—
Great location for downtown Toronto, EXTREMELY friendly staff, and a beautiful facility. Cardio bunnies and group fitness fans will love this place, but it’s not very «lifter-​friendly», unless you don’t mind the weird looks and feeling like the proverbial «bull in a china shop». I’d return to this GoodLife location for the friendliness of the staff and the location alone, but I would still recommend Venice over GoodLife. Just my personal preference.

Pros :
One of the best Goodlife gyms in town.
Lots of space and machines (all top of the line life fitness and hammer strength)
Lots of cardio and abs machines
Lots of classes and a nice studio
Cons :
Parking is $ 8 an hour underneath or $ 4 /​hr on the street but u only pay $ 4 for 2 hours max after 4pm and weekends.
Carpets are old and need to be replaced
More weights are needed in the leg area.
It’s not open ²⁴⁄₇.

For those gym averse, I can relate. I have hated gyms most of my adult life. But this one is pretty good, and this particular location in particular is good for both the hardcore and those new to the scene.
First off, great location. On a busy part of Richmond traffic wise, but not busy, it’s easy to get to and there’s a parking lot at the east end of the block its on. Change rooms are a bit small, but suffice. The equipment is all pretty new and on good shape, there’s yoga for those who want it, and it’s a well laid out gym as far as the set up goes. Spin classes are also available. They push the personal trainer thing a bit but that’s how they make money so it’s understandable.
Overall, not a bad place. For a gym. Haha
Check it out!

Well, if this was leg day I would have been happy. But it’s not. Lol. Gym is nice, well maintained, super clean. All great. But in opinion with what I use and need small. I like ISO machines and there are none. Also coming up to 5pm and as usual busy but is a mad house. I don’t know how anyone can come here after work period. A joke. Ooh well. And now after writing this, down from three stars to two. Not worth my 15 $ day pass I just paid.

WOW! They finally replaced their towels!
The towels are now the plush kind like the ones located at Liberty VIllage with a security tag sewn into each towel. It’s about time they replaced their raggedy towels. WIth that being said, there is now increased security upon exiting with a warning not to take their towels. Is that necessary? Are people actually stealing gym towels?

I come here frequently during the lunch hour to get a good work out in. Generally not overly busy during this time so you’ll get access to whatever equipment you need.
There are 2 floors in this gym which can be a minor inconvenience depending on your workout.
I spend most of my time with the weights and would say the equipment is in great condition/​newish; there is a good balance of free weights /​machines.

4.5 Stars, leaning more toward the 5 star range.
I must say my thoughts about this Goodlife are not based off other gyms — they are based off all the other Goodlife locations — I think most could all use a serious makeover/​staff change.
I’m not sure if it’s the culture at GL that creates rude staff, or if they tend to gravitate toward people who are prone to be rude.
This location on the other hand is great! The majority of the staff is friendly, they have working equipment MOST of the time (hey, things happen!), and there is a cool downtown vibe.
The Good:
1. Staff. Actually friendly? Say what?!
2. Size. Great size gym with tons of equipment. They even have 2 lat pull down machines (rare).
3. Location. Very central for the Fashion Distric, Entertainment District, and anyone working/​living on queen west.
4. Food. They offer protein drinks, shakes, powder, and food!
The Bad:
1. Staff. Some of the staff is still a bit rude — they have a lot of staff so statistically you will still encounter some people you won’t be fond of.
Recommendation: I like to go around 11am or 2pm, as lunch time/​after work there is extremely busy.

My home location! I come out of my way 3 out of 5 training days/​week just to work out at this Goodlife branch. Rarely busy after lunch around 1:30−4pm. Avoid peak times as is the case with any commercial gym. Staff is super friendly! :-)

Love this location!
I have been coming here for three years now and I have watched the transition from Extreme fitness to Goodlife. The only thing I don’t understand is why they had to take the monitors off of the stationary bikes in the RPM room… now there is no way to track your progress, KM’s ridden, or calories burned (unless you have a HR monitor of course) –_​– grr.
Overall its a great gym with lots of variety of equipment, I feel this gym could use more rope pulleys, stair masters, stretching machines, and smith machines! Otherwise it’s pretty much perfect. :) The amount of classes are great too with good times to fit anyone’s schedule, lunches and before/​after work make this ideal for people working in the financial district like myself.
Staff are all super chill too from the trainers to the instructors, and towel handers/​tag scanners. (Just watch out for those pesky sales guys they’ll annoy the hell out of you for anyone you know to sign up because 90% of people have a membership with Goodlife already. rough life, go cry to/​annoy someone else :)
Now GO WORKOUT! :D

Not a bad gym but way too busy after work hours. I finish work around 6pm and I’ve never found a locker available without waiting for someone.
There’s a good selection and amount of cardio equipment and I’ve never had to wait for a machine. They have the same equipment as Hard Candy (the ones that rock back to isolate the muscle group you’re targeting).
There’s also a lateral elliptical and an all terrain treadmill that mimics running outside.
Of course, there’s a lot of people who are people watching but a good amount of people who are just there to work out.
If you’re looking for a personal trainer, I highly recommend Julian if you’re just starting out. He focuses on building strong legs and a tight core.

I haven’t been here since it was Extreme, but it has always been very clean. I like the new tiles and showers they put in the women’s washrooms, but they didn’t repaint the worn concrete. Everything looks so nice except for that. Place is set up pretty much the same, i like that it is so big that you don’t feel cramped.

I have had the pure pleasure to find a perfect trainer in my books for the past 2 years! Alvaro Perez Pinto from ‘GoodLife Fitness’ at the Richmond location has been a critical counterpart in keeping my health a priority in my bustling lifestyle. He has allowed me to achieve some personal miracles in correcting my posture and developing and maintaining a strong core that supports my career as a hairstylist of 15 years on my feet. His attention to detail and the integrity of his personal programs are tailored to my immediate needs and are designed to allow for growth and change as I age. I look forward to each session and have developed a confidence that I have never known previously in any class, program or educator with thanks to his expertise in consistently challenging my limits safely. I strongly recommend him as he is very personable, patient, focused and extremely devoted to the success of his clients. I feel very lucky to have him as apart of my weekly healthy habit. (11 out of 10)

I like this gym because they have a great number of lower body exercises. For example, they have a calf raise machine, and a calf press machine. They have a variety of leg press and squat machines.
The TVs are individual to the cardio machines, which is great if you want to come in and watch a show or a game.
The juice bar has a lot of choice, albeit one should remember to watch calories because its so much easier to ingest calories than burn them.
Fun, urban vibe to the place, I recommend it.

Great gym space… perfect for all types (hard core gymers, first timers, all else). Has a great lounge space, a small cafeteria, and loads of free classes. The gym timings are awesome (open till midnight) and the staff is super friendly

I’m struggling to decide on my stars for this gym. I think it’s a 3.5?
This was formerly Extreme Fitness but is now a GoodLife so think it deserves a new listing. One of the main deterrents from joining previously was the very aggressive sales from Extreme and the many unhappy customers with billing problems. GoodLife doesn’t seem to have quite so many issues so hopefully this won’t be the case.
The gym itself is a nice space-​very loft-​like which is kind of appropriate for the Entertainment District location. There are lots of exposed pipes and polished concrete on the staircases etc. More importantly, it’s clean. The changing rooms are actually pleasant and spotless with a little lounge area and hair straighteners! I wanted to stay there for the whole morning but I usually go to McCaul which is a complete dive and makes this place appear spa-​like in comparison.
Equipment is spread out over 2 floors. Lots of cardio machines which are pretty new and appear to work! That’s another welcome surprise after going to McCaul. They’re mainly a mix of Life Fitness and Precor. Love the built-​in TVs. Such a relief not to have to fight over channel choice with a roomful of people. Weight section is decent enough. Dumbbells over 100lbs, a few squat racks, graded barbells… and a ton of machines for people that are into it. No kettlebells or TRX on the floor, sadly. Flooring is a mix of carpet and rubber. There is also a little «Fit-​Fix» room which has some dumbbells, balls and mats in the corner and there’s a separate personal training studio. THAT’S where they hide the kettlebells. They’re apparently planning to add TRX training but it will presumably be limited to personal training clients only.
There’s a pretty wide range of classes including spinning and the times are convenient too.
Staff seem to be mainly former Extreme employees. The guy on the desk this morning was pleasant! Some of the trainers from McCaul GL are moving here and they’re nice guys so that bodes well.
Random points: juice bar if you want to replenish any calories you might have burned and add a few extra for good measure. There’s also a little business section with computers and a health centre.
Opening hours: 5am to midnight weekdays, 8am-​8pm weekends
Overall: nice place! I’ll have to check it out again during peak times though. Minus marks for not allowing the normal members to use kett