Amanda Petersen
January 4, 2020 10:42
I have been going to this location for 2 years. I never wrote a review in that time because I was such a huge fan of the childcare, that the only way I would rave about it was to close friends in hopes that the childcare wouldn't fill up even faster than it already did (it filled up DAILY, and required a 5am call to schedule a slot since it was so popular). My kids went to see Angie 5 days a week, and she became family to us. I grew to LOVE the classes, and the mental release. If I would have written a review, it would have been 5 stars BECAUSE of Angie, and childcare. I switched to Crunch because of the childcare, and although the facilities weren't ideal, it was so much better than I'd experienced at other NYC gyms, and for the price, it was totally worth it. I was thrilled. We're not wealthy, and the mental break for me to workout gave me, as a mom of 3, SANITY. I loved it. Crunch had a competitive advantage that no other gyms on the UWS could compete with.
At the end of October, with 2 days notice, myself and the other parents were told that childcare was closing for good. We were infuriated, and very vocal about our frustrations. Although we resisted and vocalized our concerns as much as we could, in every way we could think, the renovations moved forward, and Angie's little childcare space was town down. Literally.
I've gone to the gym periodically (while I have a few months comped due to the inconvenience), and every time I walk by that space, I get sick to my stomach. The changes are terrible. They have generated the BIGGEST waste of space, and a complete downgrade from the "better amenities" that now are in it's place- the little, busy, happy childcare corner, is now a 9 x 7 rectangle of useless BLACK ASTROTURF.
Crunch had something special- something that made me as a customer feel like I was getting a benefit. That benefit is gone, and although I assume corporate made the decision based on spreadsheets and numbers and growth, that decision hurt many, many people. If they would have asked, all of us would have GLADLY paid more to keep childcare, but we never had that opportunity.
Although unlikely, I hope they reconsider and bring back childcare. Until then, I'm giving Crunch (and especially Crunch corporate) and meager 1 star.