Berkeley Ironworks

“Small gym but great sets, good comp climbs at the nearby training center.”

“The people who work here are lovely, it's never too crowded, and the facilities are nice. Compared to everywhere else I've climbed, Touchstone gyms always feel a bit corporate and uninspired. The routes (both sport and bouldering) tend to be too straightforward to be fun. It's a fine place to train, but if you haven't frequented other gyms, I'd encourage you to spend some time at the smaller ones that feel more like a tight knit community. Unfortunately Touchstone has created a monopoly so I expect a lot of people who love it here don't have much to compare it to. It's unfortunate that this location is a bit stressful - a couple times I was basically yelled at by someone at the counter when I walked by them to talk to the next employee (because I'd already been speaking to them, and needed to step out, lock my bike, etc), as if I was sneaking in.”

“Signed up and prepaid for an intro to climbing class. I'm an experienced active boulderer who has toproped in the distant past, but needes a refresher on belaying. Only evening lesson all week, only day I could make it. I arrived late after experiencing bike trouble on the way. Was told they can't let in anyone 5 minutes after start time. I explained that I had prior experience. My last time being taught to belay, it took about 10 minutes, and this class is over an hour. Utterly inflexible -- claimed it would disrupt the experience for everyone else to let me in, something I don't buy for an instant. And that the 5 minutes thing is a gym rule. Asked about private lessons. None available. I reviewed the website, checkout flow, and receipt afterwards. No record anywhere of this policy. If there had been fine print about this, I'd be quietly upset. Since they're isn't, I've been ripped off -- 1 star review. My money may have been refunded, but my time is gone forever. To add insult to injury, I was not allowed to sit inside anywhere after as I processed what happened.”

“Ironworks gave up my spot in a class when I was two minutes late, saying that "it's in our contract to give up your spot if class starts and you aren't there ". Which means there's actually no grace period for classes. The choice to use "contract language" to justify an unrealistic and business-over-people rule reflects Touchstone's final evolution to Corporate Shill Entity. It really feels like this gym is just trying to squeeze more money out of folks by charging for a service and not providing.”