Shape Up NYC

Look Good Naked. Who doesn’t want to look good naked, honestly with the horrible fashion sense I seem to have, I should at least look good naked, so I went to the one place that’s lives by that motto. David Barton Gym. I first heard about this gym when I lived in Chicago, I heard it had the most unique atmosphere and that each gym was designed  to be completely different. I decided to check out the Astor Place location. Walking in the first thing I noticed was the arms on all of the trainers, they are huge! Which doesn’t surprise me because with an owner like David Barton, you probably strive to be like him. His personal motto is: “You only go around once. You might as well do it in a beautiful body.” The whole idea behind his gym is a cool place to workout, you don’t have to workout in a boring gym.

The gym has 3.5 floors: the main floor which houses the lobby, a cardio theater, membership services and a small store that sells some of the most random stuff I have ever seen. The top floor holds the aerobic studio, another cardio theater, and all free weights. The basement holds a coat check (which I was told I could take any jacket ) the Women’s locker room, the pilates studio, and the yoga studio. The sub basement (hence the 3.5 floors) holds the Men’s locker room and the spin studio.

The gym is beautiful! It is by far one of the most beautifully designed gyms I have seen. The floors are all hardwood, the fitness equipment is all the most up-to date-equipment, each with their own tvs and iPod hook ups. The lighting is what they call Shakespeare lighting, which makes the gym much dimmer than most and is highlight

ed with accents of blues, purples and yellows. There is a huge disco ball on the top floor where DJs come a play music Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays. The Women’s locker room is beautiful, it was not like any gym locker room I have ever seen. It is like a night club bathroom and everything is done in dark wood, they have all the amenities you need like: towels, hair dryers, shampoo, and razors.

David Barton offers many of classes and all the classes are taught by their trainers. You can take classes like: Guns, Ass Blast, Six Pack Attack, Yoga for Jocks, and Liquid Yoga. One of the things David Barton prides themselves on is their trainers, they were voted best Trainers in New York in Time Out Magazine.

Overall I loved the gym, I will tell you, it is true what they say in the reviews almost everyone that works out here is good-looking and it is like working out in a night club. Low lights, loud music and a DJ. If you need a fun environment to workout in that is aesthetically pleasing this is the gym for you.

David Barton has two locations in New York, Astor Place and Chelsea (23rd and 7th). They also have a location that is solely for private training. As for pricing, enrollment fee is $400. For one location it is $125 a month, both locations is $130 a month and a Travel membership which will give you access to any of the David Barton Locations (Miami, Chicago, New York and Seattle) for $140 a month. After visiting this is not a bad price for a high-end gym. It is less than Equinox ($170 a month). Sometimes you can get lucky and go in when they are offering no enrollment fees to join. If you are interested in joining I suggest you go see Renee Campos at Astor Place, he is extremely helpful.

One of my good friends just said it perfectly… David Barton Gyms are SEXXY. (Yes sexxy with two “x’s”)

Images from David Barton Gym.

Filed under: Gyms | Tagged: Beautiful Gym, David Barton, David Barton Gym, Look Good Naked, New York City | 4 Comments »