The Gramercy Park area has a number of studios devoted to Pilates, yoga, kickboxing, and other disciplines. If you do not want to limit yourself to one type of exercise regimen, however, and would rather be able to, say, lift weights one day and work out in a spin class the next, you will find several gyms with myriad options—ideal for those who believe that when it comes to fitness, variety is the spice of life.
14th Street Y Fitness Center
344 East 14th Street (at First Avenue)
Like to swim? The 14th Street Y’s swimming pool is heated to a blissful 84 degrees year-round. Prefer to shoot hoops? The fitness facility’s full-size basketball court hosts classes, leagues, and pick-up games. Need a class to keep you motivated? There are more than 50 to choose from, including Aqua Boxing (a high-intensity, low-impact workout), tai chi, several types of Pilates and yoga, and quick but effective Lunch Crunch sessions. Rather exercise on your own? Take advantage of the treadmills, bikes, strength-training machines, weights, and other gear. The fitness center also includes personal trainers, showers, and for extra pampering, a sauna.
CrossFit Union Square
One Union Square West (at 14th Street), Basement
Image: Unsplash
CrossFit classes—high-intensity sessions encompassing calisthenics, gymnastics, rowing, weightlifting, and other disciplines—are the cornerstone of this gym, but the facility also offers open-gym hours where you can make use of the wide array of equipment on your own or with one of CrossFit’s personal trainers. In addition, there are classes dedicated to Olympic-style weightlifting and, on Sundays, yoga.
IG-Fit
242 East 14th Street (between Second and Third Avenues)
Image: IG-Fit
This self-described health club, which opened in October 2018, includes three lounge areas where you can relax after working out, solo or with a trainer, on its bevy of machines and weights. You can also rehydrate yourself with a beverage from the in-house juice bar. Classes include Pilates, spin, yoga, Abs & Glutes, and Total Body.
New York Health & Racquet Club
270 Park Avenue South (at East 21st Street)
The 21st Street branch of New York Health & Racquet Club has a two-lane, 45-foot-long saltwater pool. (Because they use less chlorine, saltwater pools are gentler on swimmers’ skin and eyes.) Other amenities include showers, a sauna, personal training, and massage therapists. And along with a full gamut of cardio and strength-training equipment, the gym offers a diverse range of classes, from Vinyasa yoga to cycling to Cardio Kick. The intriguingly named Pilates Turned Inside Out combines Pilates with dance-based exercises to strengthen and tone muscles; just a half-hour long, the fast-paced Burn 30 provides an intense core workout.
New York Sports Clubs
10 Irving Place (at East 15th Street)
113 East 23rd Street (at Park Avenue)
Both New York Sports Clubs outposts are fantastic for those who like to fit in a workout before heading to the office: They open at 5:30 a.m. on weekdays. Both boast saunas, a wealth of up-to-the-minute fitness machines, and complementary fitness assessments too; in addition, the Irving Place gym has a steam room and babysitting services. And you are certain to find classes to pique your interest at either facility. Boxing, cycling, Pilates, Zumba, Bodypump (a resistance workout that uses barbells), Cardio Kickboxing, Vinyasa yoga, and Bodycombat (a noncontact martial-arts-inspired workout) are just a few of the options.
Get Physical in Gramercy