Fitness First Richmond Platinum - Cremorne (VIC)

2 /5 Alan Ye: The Fitness first Richmond generally is good, spacious group class studios and well maintained equipment, however, one of reformer Pilates instructors is indeed slack for work attitude and lack of professional knowledge, Loulou L, the very rude and arrogant lady instructor is so disappointing and unprofessional, she keeps telling class members to just watch video instruction without detailed and further explanation of posture, interrupting class members’ standard and right movement and just tell them to watch video, this lady seems slack for her work and need more time to be trained as a professional reformer Pilates instructor, for many times she even forgot to mention the right spring color!

1 /5 Tom: The Revive area at this gym is easily the most disappointing recovery space I’ve seen—especially for something marketed as an exclusive “platinum” membership perk. • Sauna: Barely reaches a proper temperature, which explains why it’s always empty. A recovery sauna that doesn’t get hot enough is pointless. • Infrared Saunas: Out of four, only one has been fully functional in the last three months. One has been completely closed for at least two months, another has a broken heat light, and one doesn’t even have a heat light anymore. The construction is also poor, with visible damage across all of them. Worse yet, they’re never preheated, so by the time your 30-minute session is over, it has only just reached the proper temperature—meaning you get no real benefit from it. These issues have been ongoing for all of 2025 with no signs of improvement. • Amenities: It’s honestly shocking that platinum members don’t even get free towels in the recovery area. Nearly every other premium gym includes this as standard. While the gym equipment itself is solid, the overall gym experience has been declining rapidly since opening. If recovery is a priority for you, I’d strongly recommend looking elsewhere because Fitness First has completely dropped the ball

2 /5 Big Chungus: A lot to say about this gym. If you like squat racks, free weights, and space for powerlifting/oly lifting, this could be a really good gym for you. There are more cons than pros though. The gym is extremely packed during morning and evening peak (I’ve had to wait for bench at 5:45am before). The dumbbells are disorganised and misplaced. Staff should take time to rearrange them. No mirrors, just black reflective panels (?) Too many cardio machines means people are often competing for limited number of weight machines. Random sitting areas that are useless and could be better served as more machine space. Fake grass is an odd choice for warm up area. If you’re not fully on your mat, the fake grass kinda hurts your skin. Would prefer flat surface like at Flinders St or QV. They do have some great niche machines, but they are often out of order. Toilets are usually dirtier than the other FF locations. The crowd at this gym leans more inconsiderate compared to the CBD locations, a lot of members don’t put away weights after finishing. Steam room operates at very limited hours. Lack of slip mats at steam room doors is not good. It’s a liability risk for the gym given myself and many others have slipped before. I don’t think those tiles would pass a wet slip test. The sink area is always strangely super wet. I would justify getting a membership if it were much cheaper, but otherwise, I would recommend training somewhere else.

1 /5 Ry: To Potential Members and Senior Management, After joining Fitness First in December 2016, I have recently terminated my contract and frankly, it feels great. Since relocating to the new Richmond gym, the standard at this club has consistently declined to the point where remaining a member is no longer justifiable. The list of issues has become so extensive and so frequently ignored by staff and management that continuing to tolerate them is impossible. I know a number of long-term Fitness First members, friends and even Personal Trainers who have already terminated their contracts and moved to other gyms for the same reasons. It’s worth noting that despite numerous previous emails and requests to management, it wasn’t until I terminated my membership that the receptionist offered for the club manager to give me a call - which perfectly sums up the reactive and careless culture of this club. Key issues include: • Insufficient lockers in the change rooms. • Wet floors outside the steam room, which opens directly into the change room rather than a designated wet area – I’ve personally witnessed two people slip over, one left bleeding from the forehead. • Weights (plates and dumbbells) being left everywhere with no effort from members to re-rack them, nor action from staff to enforce any standard. • Staff are consistently idle behind the front desk and are rarely seen tidying or maintaining the gym floor. • Repeated requests (in person and via email) to place signage encouraging members to re-rack weights have gone ignored. Particularly the dumbbells in any respective order. • Plyo stack boxes left scattered around the gym and blocking walkways. • No proper clock on the gym floor to time rest periods – the only “clocks” are on the TV screens in tiny font. When the screens are off (e.g. most Sundays and public holidays), there is literally no way to keep time between sets without constantly checking a phone. • Emails regarding club concerns sent directly to Huwyn Andrews (who I was told was the Club Manager at the time) all have gone unanswered. • Lack of parking despite an obvious increase in membership numbers. • No loyalty shown to long-standing members – my membership had gone up three times in the last year alone. • Poor layout with minimal natural lighting. Black tinted mirrors make it feel like a basement. • For a long period there were no hairdryers in the men’s bathroom. • The steam room is constantly out of order. • Inadequate amount of equipment for the number of members. • Constant issue of missing carabiners on cable machines. • Antibacterial wipe dispensers are routinely empty. • A personal safety lanyard had been left hanging in the men’s steam room for over three weeks – a serious concern and evidence that no safety checks or audits are being undertaken by staff. • Cables on most machines are too long, especially on the pieces that require extension attachments. • Showers, steam room and toilets are regularly dirty. I have witnessed human faeces and vomit on the floor in a toilet cubicle. • Poor music. • The gym is constantly overcrowded and clearly oversold. • Shower products are regularly empty. This gym could be a great facility, but it has clearly been designed and continues to be run by people who simply don’t care. The only reason it survives is because there is no large-scale competition on the east side of Melbourne. Many of the above issues have been obvious since the day the new gym opened, yet management have done very little to fix any of them. A single proactive walk-through by staff would make these issues blatantly obvious, but even that appears to be too much to ask. The sad reality is that like every other bad review, Fitness First will respond saying they value customer experience and take feedback and reviews very seriously, when in reality nothing will change or come from this on their end. I can only hope this review helps others reconsider their options. If you value good customer service and a positive training environment, this isn’t the place for you. Yours truly, Ryan

5 /5 Angel Chooky: The new Fitness First Richmond Platinum is a seriously impressive gym — modern, spacious, and designed with everything you could want for training at any level. From the moment you walk in, it feels fresh and motivating, with a clean, open layout and a real sense of energy. The facilities are outstanding. There’s a huge range of brand-new equipment — plenty of squat racks, benches, and free weights so you’re never waiting around, plus state-of-the-art cardio machines and functional training zones. The layout is smart, with dedicated spaces for strength, cardio, stretching, and group training, which makes it easy to get through your session without feeling crowded. The group classes are a big highlight. There’s a wide variety on offer, from HIIT and boxing to yoga and cycle, and the instructors are consistently enthusiastic and professional. The atmosphere in classes is always fun and motivating, no matter your fitness level. The recovery and comfort features are another standout — spacious change rooms, excellent showers, and well-maintained facilities throughout. Everything feels premium and thoughtfully set up, which makes training here a much more enjoyable experience. Staff are friendly, approachable, and genuinely helpful. Whether it’s showing you how to use a piece of equipment, helping with membership options, or just offering a quick check-in, the team make you feel welcome and supported. What makes this gym special is how it combines premium facilities with a community vibe. It has everything you’d expect from a top-tier fitness centre, but it’s not intimidating — it’s motivating, well-run, and accessible. For anyone looking for a new training space in Richmond, the new Fitness First Platinum is a game-changer. Top-quality equipment, great classes, excellent staff, and a space that makes you actually want to train — it’s one of the best gyms in Melbourne right now.