A close friend recommended that I consider training at Rival to achieve a personal goal. She was a member since its opening. I noticed the kindness of the staff greetings when I arrived and appreciated the cleanliness of the space. My early observations about Rival continue to be validated every visit. My initial meet and greet with the owner also exceeded my expectations. When I shared my pullup goal with him, he knew how to tackle it immediately and recommended that I work with Heather. I have had many trainers over the years but my training with Heather has been first-class. She pushes me physically while emphasizing mindfulness for focus. Her expertise and care allowed me to get beyond past limitations, get stronger and stay positive. After every session Heather emails me thoughtful summaries about what we accomplish during our workout, then delves deeper into topics around diet and form, always providing action steps to take outside of our training sessions. When trying to meet a goal, I can be my own worst enemy. If you have a goal like me, the encouragement, professionalism, and highly qualified trainers like Heather make Rival the place to be! And YES, I met my goal in less than four months.

I started at Rival fitness with the strength squad which helped me learn lifting with good technique, introduced me to friendly people, and helped me go through some rough times since that was right after I moved to Seattle when things were under COVID restrictions, so the place means a lot to me personally. That was over 3 years ago, since then I have been a regular, 4-7 times a week, mostly very early mornings, the owner, the staff, trainers and trainees are very friendly, there is a lot of free weights as well as machines and I have done some powerlifting training, bodybuilding training, cardio, fitness classes, cycling classes, rowing class and a few other things so I think it’s a VERY well-rounded gym where you can find equipment and classes for most training modalities. The one thing I do not like would be when they do group classes on the gym main floor that takes roughly half the space, making it hard for anybody to train during those times. It’s definitely my favorite boutique gym in Seattle, 100% would recommend.

I went to this gym 5-6 days a week (usually early weekday mornings) for about 3 months straight while I lived in Seattle temporarily. This is the ideal community gym. There is so much equipment here, all clean and pretty new, and just enough of everything. It was never, ever packed, and I'm not sure I ever waited for equipment once in three months. The general vibe is also excellent--people are low-key and nice but also serious about working out. I always felt safe, respected, and welcomed here, especially as a woman. All of the staff here were extremely helpful and friendly, and Jim even greeted me by name every day despite me being brand new. Other gym members were also extremely polite and respectful of each others' space. I'll miss this gym a lot, and it'll be the standard to which I hold all my other gyms to going forward.

It’s been a painful experience working with Rival’s GM Zach. He is unresponsive and non-communicative, almost like he doesn’t want to do the job. I purchased a personal training membership package, and went to speak to him in-person to schedule the lessons. He said “email me”, completely shrugging me off although he could’ve booked me right then and there. After I emailed him, he took two days to respond and confirm a date/time. When I went to the gym, there was no personal trainer - Zach had not gotten me scheduled with any personal trainer. I lost 60 min of travel time and parking fees. After all this, there was not even one apology from him. His response was “wires got crossed”.

Constructive feedback: For how much the gym charges, it is pretty limited in terms of range of equipment. Positive feedback: Staff members very friendly and personable. Overall a pretty clean gym environment. Complaints: Ripped my Achilles tendon (minimum 3 months before I can even limp around again). Justin, the owner, refused to extend the membership pause period for an extra two months while I was disabled. I eventually cancelled after paying for two months of wasted membership due to its predatory cancellation policies. At no point did Justin attempt to make this right.

I've always found the personal trainers there to be just what the name calls for, "personal" in the way they tailor a work out to make sure it's working and right for your body and you have an opportunity to give continuous feedback so that you feel like an integral part of your fitness team. I have not had that same personalized service in any of the big gyms where I've worked with trainers in the past. Rival is just the right size gym, too, with a focus on more contemporary approaches to fitness. They've become an iconic part of Capitol Hill!

The best gym by far I have ever been to in Seattle. Classes, instructors, equipment, staff are all top notch. The gym is also very well designed. I mostly go to classes, but I did some personal training with Heather and she is awesome. She strikes the perfect balance between being supportive and encouraging, and being challenging and honest in her feedback. She is very attentive and follows up with recommendations after each session.

Nothing but good things to say about Rival. The staff is wonderful, trainers are knowledgeable and authentic, the facility is always clean, and it’s rarely “too” busy like most gyms can be. Overall, this is the most welcoming gym I have ever been to. The energy in this place is always great. I tried all the other gyms in the area before coming to Rival and they really do not compare. It was a a no brainer the moment I walked in.

Great little gym, i love going to it cause it doesn't feel like a meat market! Just everyone doing their thing, has most of the things i look for in a gym ( no pool though) and the classes are a great way to get your sweat on with top notch instructors!

Pros: Clean and well maintained equipment overall Great staff Cons: PREDATORY cancellation policy Limited hours even for the higher tier access Hard to get online support Small number of gym equipment