Everett Community Health and Wellness Center - Everett, Massachusetts

Torrance H.

TL;DR – It’s a big gym with 3-lane indoor track. You’ll get a decent workout in. $150 for a yearly membership or $15/month. NO MERCH!! High School crowd pours in after 3PM and they can be a little annoying.

Holy cow!! I can’t believe there’s a gym one street over from where I live. And I’ve been here for a whole five months already!

I came to this blue state from Texas a few months back for school. I needed to find a gym that can keep me fit. I tried all the places – BSC, Planet Fitness, Crunch Fitness, and Life Time Fitness. The commute here really sucks. Especially when I have to take public transit. Driving is a whole other nightmare.

I searched Google Maps again, lo and behold I found this little nugget hidden one street over. The Everett Community Health and Wellness Center!

As I walked over to the gym, I noticed the building was built in the early 1900s in Roman Numerals. Yikes. What am I walking into? I was met with a series of brown double doors. As I entered, I came into a shady-looking and dirty clearing. The inside instantly reminded me of my dad’s old high school. Good thing I went to a clean, modern high school cause this place looks depressing!

I pushed on. After passing a second set of brown double doors I came into a massive open space of a gymnasium. There’s an indoor track!! I was relieved about that because I hate running on treadmills.

I greeted the front desk staff. Two girls and one guy. The first girl was very nice and inviting. She knew her stuff. Then there was this other girl. She was quieter and more reserved. I don’t know. Maybe I’m too strong for her. The other guy left. He made a beeline towards the exit. I think his shift ended or something.

I refused the guided tour. I checked the area out myself. Like I said, there was an indoor track. Three lanes. Roughly six laps equaled a mile. Inside the track were five sections:

- A section for machines. Some of them were somewhat small. I’m a big guy.
- A section for bikes and ellipticals.
- A section for giant tires and squat racks with a long artificial turf for a fitness sled.
- A section for half-court basketball. Unfortunately, basketball is only allowed for a third-party program made up of senior citizens. But I get it, though. Basketball plus hungry, young competitive males can get really tense.
- And a section for more machines.

The front section of the gym had two bench presses. One incline bench. One decline bench. One 45-degree leg press machine. As for the others, look at the pictures and judge for yourself if you want to work out here or not.

On the outside of the track contained section with a dumbbell rack and more squat racks. On the far corner of the gym were punching bags. Four of them. Nice!

After three weeks hitting this gym, I noticed some things. Apparently, the mornings tend to be quieter. With the senior citizens coming in to play basketball sometime around 10AM. Then, between 1PM and 2PM the gym goes dead. And that’s because of another crowd that invades the area – high schoolers.

The crowd slowly starts trickling in one by one. At first, the gym is filled with a dozen Edgars (Urban Dictionary) hogging every machine. Then, every snot-nosed teenaged high schooler comes pouring in. Before you know it, you’re SOL trying to get a good workout in because the gym is packed. I’m trying to jog around the track and these guys decide to park themselves on it. Move or I’ll run you over, pal!! Gen Z and a couple remnants of Gen Alpha running around all over the place like they own the place.

All in all, the gym is decent. It’s not an Alphalete Gym, which I sorely miss every day. But I get a decent work out in. I hate the white walls however. Maybe paint them a darker color including the steel beams. Have some new lighting. More machines. Especially adding another 45-degree leg press machine. If you could, I would avoid the high school crowd.

3 stars for the awesome indoor track!
2 goose eggs for restricting the half-court basketball area and not letting anyone else use it!

Gabi M.

I really enjoy this gym. Staff are always helpful and friendly, the equipments are great.

Kristin K.

Awesome repurposed facility with very welcoming staff. If I could make it my local gym, I would!

Max R.

Decent gym with decent equipment. Staff are mostly super friendly and helpful.

The weekend hours at this gym really suck though. 1 PM close time on both Saturday and Sunday is way too early.

Edward B.

A great place to workout. Open to Everett residents and affordable.

They have fitness classes, all the free weights and machines you need, basketball courts, and a small indoor track. I'm glad that they even have a small 'functional strength' section where I can do my physical therapy exercises for my knee. Even better, you can order pre-made healthy meals at a reasonable cost.

The staff is super friendly and helpful.

Kenny J.

This gym is for Everett residents. With a membership you can sign the whole family. Has babysitting and activities for kids. Group classes, punch bags, speed bags and basketball courts. They close a little bit early but if you can make it this gym is worth it. Parking is limited.

Clarissa P.

I love the family orientation of this facility. Myself, my husband and our 8 year old son have been coming here for a few years and we all have been able to find something we enjoy. The cardio room gets a little crowded during peak times but that is expected at any gym and the fact that theyh have children specific cardio machines makes up for that greatly. My son always has a blast at the kids mixers while I am working out.

ES

IF YOU'RE A PARENT PLANNING TO LEAVE CHILD AT CHILD CARE AREA. ESPECIALLY WITH SPECIAL NEEDS PLEASE READ*
5 stars for the large array of gym equipment, cleanliness and specific classes they have available, even for kids. All at such a low price, $15 monthly per family (only Everett residents). Plus very beginner friendly. The child care center though I would give only 2 stars. Theres not much to do there while they wait for their parents/guardians to work out. There is a large tumble mat/wall, very VERY limited kitchen toys and usually 1 doll but they do have daily crafts/coloring for the kids. They are not special needs friendly by what myself and my child experienced. 1 of my children has an anxiety disorder & on the cusp of ADHD & PTSD but looking at her you'd never know. I was told after the 5th or 6th time dropping her off by 1 of the child care staff members that she suggests I shouldnt take her to the gym with me anymore due to the way she "behaves" and that she isn't a good fit. She said something else but I honestly dont remember because I was floored by this. She also said that in front of my daughter who got very upset thinking she did something wrong. My child never put her hands on anyone, she never tried being unsafe or run out the area, she doesnt look different, she is mentally her age, very smart for her age actually. She is just hyper and talkative but very sensitive at times so if she feels offended she will sit in a corner by herself or cry for a bit. Mentally she is her age, emotionally she is not. She's never aggressive or anything either. She actually loved being there though because she made friends but that staff member made her seem like some outcast. My daughter, 6, completely understood what this woman was implying and she kept asking why they didnt like her and why she cant go back because she didnt do anything wrong, she was a good girl. Breaks my heart. I was blown away by this experience. I spoke with 2 separate females who run the gym as a whole & they tried to reassure me this was the 1st and only time an issue like this has ever come up and pay no attention to what that associate said but the damage was done. I never took my daughter back and I canceled my own membership.