Eclipse Fitness Club

I think it’s fitting to give this place a score of «Meh, I’ve experienced better» because I have indeed experienced better, right here at this exact same location! Allow me to explain. Eclipse Fitness was a small quiet gym which did very little advertising and seemed to survive based on a loyal membership base and some word of mouth. This fall, Goodlife purchased the two-​location chain and quickly converted it to a Goodlife-​branded location. I have no doubt that this was a good business move for Goodlife. For such a huge chain, not having a location at Yonge and Eglinton was surely a significant gap.
When Goodlife took over, they made some immediate improvements. A significant amount of equipment (including all the free weights) was replaced with new stuff. The place was painted and the floor was re-​done. It looks great. Unfortunately, I’ve also observed the following changes:
— Not surprising since most Goodlife members have a membership that allows them to go to any location, the gym is now much, much busier. I used to be able to go at any time I wanted (including a Monday at 6 PM) and not feel crowded. Now, sometimes you can’t even find a few square feet to do some pushups, without feeling like you might be stepped on.
— I used to almost always be greeted with a «Hey Terry!» as I walked in. The personal touch is now lost, as I’m one of 750,000 members (across Canada).
— The gym is dirty. Ok, it’s not filthy, but Eclipse had a cleaning staff of 3 – 5 people in the gym most evenings, and the place was spotless. Now I sometimes see one cleaner, sometimes. The mats and exercise balls have a permanent layer of dust over them from people wearing their outside shoes in the gym, towels are scattered around, etc.
Despite my complaints, I still think this is a decent gym, as long as you have some flexibility in your schedule and can go outside the peak evening hours. The equipment is up-​to-​date, the prices are reasonable, and for the most part the staff are friendly.

This was the first gym I had ever joined and serious meh.
The location was great — right at yonge and eglinton, which meant I actually went.
But it was super expensive for a super small gym! There were very few mirrors — and for me when doing exercises form is incredibly important and I want to see what I’m doing!
the gym was also kind of dirty. They did a good job of cleaning it but the members were disgusting — I found chewed gum in my shower someone had just left there, no one ever cleaned their machines after using them, and while in winter I might normally get a minor cold, while at eclipse I got H1N1, a really bad cold AND strep! ew!
I really enjoyed the yoga classes. The teachers I had while there, except for one horrible sub, were amazing. The pilates class on Saturday morning was also really good and was taught by a dancer. BUT they cut down on their classes in the summer, which sucks, especially as you’re still paying the same price.

I’ve been a member of the YMCA
I’ve been a member of Extreme (access to all locations, primarily going to the wellington location during work week and sheppard on weekends)
I’ve been a member of Frog’s.
I’ve been a member of Goodlife (yonge and queen)
I like Eclipse. It’s more expensive than the gyms i’ve been a part of (except for Extreme multiaccess) but these are the reasons its worth it for me personally:
1) Most importantly, it’s downstairs from where i work. Lunch work out sessions are now something i don’t feel guilty about.
2) Classes are good and part of your membership. This is a huge plus, because the classes are good. Yoga, spinning, etc. But they do tend to get full fast.
3) Gym is small. This means it’s not a meat market, and you can actually generally get access to all equipment without a wait
4) It attracts a certain type of clientelle that i like. lunch is all work crowd, older, and alot of cardio ppl. Evenings are when the younger crowd come in, but not the intimidating work in groups type.
5) staff are extremely nice, and everyone seems to be nice as a result.
6) Membership includes a personal training package and towel service. I hate having to pay ‘extra’ for this.
7) Membership terms are realistic and flexible. I wanted to try it out for a month before joining, so i paid a monthly amount that is larger without contract. then i went on vacation for a month. when i finally became a member three months later, they prorated my initial try out payment as part of my yearly cost. I didn’t even ask for this. Good service.
I wouldn’t choose Eclipse if it weren’t downstairs and didn’t have the extra perk of classes. the lack of extra amenities like pool and sauna etc is a downer, but the advantages outweigh it for me personally.

I’ve been looking for a new gym for a while, so I decided to check out Eclipse Fitness on Eglinton and Yonge. The location is terrific. The gym is a short walk from Eglinton subway station, and there is almost anything you could want in the area surrounding the gym: cafes, banks, restaurants, a shopping centre, and even a movie theater! There’s plenty to see and do after you hit the gym.
The gym is very modern, but small. When I got there, there was nobody at the front desk. So I sat down and decided to wait. I waited a good 10 – 20 minutes before someone appeared at the front desk. I inquired about the prices. The gym apparently does not give out prices. You have to fill out a form to get a tour of the gym, and if you are interested, you have to contact the gym representative. Sounds like a lot of work, right?
The service at Eclipse Fitness is atrocious. After filling out the form, the lady at the front desk told me she was too busy to give me a proper tour, so I should just look around. I walked around the gym, alone, until I decided this was not the gym for me. What a disappointment.