The best gyms and health clubs in New York

VITAL Brooklyn has launched a 24-hour bouldering gym inside a former warehouse in Williamsburg, bringing 45,000 square feet of tread walls, tension, kilter and campus climbing, hang boards, slacklines and even other fitness equipment, from cardio machines and aerial silks to a yoga studio and more. VITAL has made its rooftop weatherized and turfed so members can climb on it year-round, relax in a rooftop sauna and even freshen up with an outdoor shower.

In Brooklyn, prices start at $155 for a monthly membership or $38 for a single visit. There’s also a yearly membership option for $1,550. VITAL has also added locations in Manhattan on the Upper East Side, in West Harlem and on the Lower East Side.

Sick of counting down the minutes for someone to get off the treadmill? That won’t be an issue at the Blink Fitness empire’s vast Bronx outpost, which boasts three floors of cardio equipment as well as strength machines, free weights, medicine balls and everything else that could suit your iron-pumping fancy. (There’s also a handy “Real-Time Gym Capacity” alert on Blink’s website, letting you know how full each location is at any given time.)

While Blink does not offer classes, its dirt-cheap monthly fee can’t be beat: It amounts to about half of what you’d pay for a single boutique-fitness session in lower Manhattan. Blink has dozens of locations throughout the five boroughs with a variety of plans; we’ve seen ones as low as $24.99 a month.

This indoor-cycling center live streams all its classes from a basement control center to at-home riders who purchase a Peloton bike, which features a near-silent belt drive in place of a chain, resulting in a much smoother ride. If plunking down $1,500 for your own equipment sounds too expensive (is it just us?), drop by Peloton’s gorgeous mirrored studio, whose 60 bikes are comfortably spaced out across the stadium-style floor. If spin isn’t your thing, the studio also offers running and walking, rowing, strength, bootcamp, and yoga classes. At $35 per class, you may just have to try them all.

Afterward, stick around to luxuriate in the spa-like locker rooms featuring Malin + Goetz skincare products, Dyson hair dryers, easy-to-use keyless combinator lockers and a Peloton Studios retail store.

A fitness center in Manhattan is taking rock climbing to new heights. Open just across from the Apollo Theater in Harlem, the 15,000-square-foot Movement Harlem space is Manhattan’s largest rock climbing facility and features hundreds of climbs. Among its offerings are campus boards, a tension board and LED MoonBoard for customized training programs, cardio and strength training programs, yoga classes and a gear shop for indoor and outdoor climbing needs. If you’re new to rock climbing, you can also head to the gym for some hands-on training. The venue offers a range of classes and clinics led by industry experts for all experience levels.

Pricing is $119 per month for a membership or $32 for a day pass. If you’re ready to commit for a full year, the rate is $1,299.

There are gyms, and then there’s Equinox Printing House in the West Village. Here, you’ll find the typical amenities—personal trainers, cardio and strength equipment, and a full schedule of boot-camp, yoga, cycling and other classes. But members get extra motivated to conquer their resolutions due to the gorgeous rooftop pool, riverside views, sundeck and the luxe locker rooms with all the Kiehl’s skin-care products you’d never splurge on for yourself.

Membership starts at $300 per month, with higher tiers that add access to additional Equinox locations.

The 16,000-square-foot Bouldering Project Brooklyn (formerly Brooklyn Boulders) in Gowanus offers a dynamic hub for climbing, wellness, youth and coworking. A renovation in late 2023 increased climbing terrain by 60 percent, including diverse bouldering routes for all skill levels. They also offer state-of-the-art fitness equipment to complement climbing training. Plus, there’s a suite of classes for beginners and intermediate climbers.

It’s $120 per month or $1,200 per year to join.

This outer-Brooklyn gym (in existence since 1991) offers holistic health counseling and nutrition help along with the usual health club features like free weights and group classes. The Bay Ridge flagship is super-spacious (20,000 square feet), which is a refreshing plus when you compare it to all those crowded gyms in Manhattan. Not to mention the space is open 24 hours a day from Monday through Friday (opens at 5am on Monday and closes at 11pm on Friday.)

If you’re looking to get out of your ho-hum treadmill routine, Harbor Fitness offers group fitness classes that run the gamut from Pilates and HIIT to cycling and barre, which are all included in the membership price—rates vary, but flagship pricing is $82 per month or $864 per year.

With locations scattered across all five boroughs (and several other cities), the colorful logo and block letters of this gym are a common site in NYC. With a bright palette and plenty of equipment, Crunch’s locations seem designed to be pleasing both for the body and the mind. Fun features like live DJs on certain nights liven up the experience, as well.

Month-to-month pricing is $88 for unlimited access to one Crunch location, or $111 for club access to multiple locations, plus seven-day advance class reservations.

Opened in April 2024 alongside a new apartment complex, Brooklyn’s second Life Time location combines luxury and fitness for the ultimate workout experience. Deemed an athletic country club, the 37,000-square-foot space has three floors of machines and free weights, group fitness studios, coworking space and recovery equipment like saunas and Normatec recovery boots (these use air compression to massage your legs and increase circulation). Members have access to classes like yoga, Pilates and boxing, plus signature formats like GTX, a bootcamp-style class switching between lifting and treadmill, as well as Alpha, a lifting class that resembles CrossFit.

Access to multiple locations will cost $329 a month, but if you’re under 26 or over 65, you can choose one location and pay $299 a month. 

Are you looking for a way to combine your love of dance with a great workout? Look no further, DanceBody is here. The flagship location in Nomad offers multiple types of dance-based workouts, including three types of sculpt classes that use weights and three cardio classes featuring hip-hop hits and HIIT, which combines cardio and sculpt. New to dancing? No problem! Classes are designed for all levels of experience. Private training is also available, with in-person, at-home, or virtual options. 

A single class drop-in is $42, but the studio offers a three-pack for $126 or a six-pack for $240. There are also monthly options that include various discounts on equipment, apparel and DanceBody LIVE, an online platform to take classes at home. For monthly memberships, eight classes per month is $304, 12 per month is $432 and an unlimited monthly membership is $650.

Beach volleyball isn’t just for the summer anymore. At QBK Sports in Long Island City, Queens, you can play beach volleyball indoors all year round. The facility offers adult and youth classes, leagues and even birthday parties or corporate rentals. The space includes three full-size courts, a party space with cornhole, Ping-Pong and games, and a full bar with food available to order. If you’re new to beach volleyball, you can book a free trial class catered towards beginners, then join the intro classes weekly. For more experienced players, classes are available in four levels with sessions at various times throughout the week, so there’s an option for everyone. To join a league, choose between intermediate or all abilities, pick a day of the week and time, and get ready for eight weeks of gameplay, new friends and fun!

A single class with no commitment is $52, a five-pack of classes at any level is $230, a 10-pack is $410 and unlimited classes (with a year commitment) is $230 a month.