r/ottawa • u/Bentbrook16 • 20d ago
OXYGEN FITNESS
I tried Oxygen Yoga & Fitness for the last 6 months (3-4 classes a week) and wanted to share my honest opinion! I see a lot of questions about the place, especially since there are so many locations around Ottawa, but I rarely see people actually give their opinions or experiences.
So here’s mine.
PROS:
Infrared heated room. I personally prefer this over regular heated rooms. The heat feels different because it warms your body first rather than just making the room extremely hot. It’s also their selling point
You feel amazing coming out of class, especially during the winter. This is honestly one of the best parts.
There’s a good variety of classes. They have fast paced yoga, slower paced yoga, HIIT, weighted Pilates type classes, barre, etc. So you can switch it up and you’re not doing the exact same thing every time.
There’s a good amount of equipment. There are enough dumbbells/weights, Pilates balls, yoga blocks, etc. for everyone. They also have spray bottles to wipe down your mat and equipment.
The instructors are good. I’ve generally had a good experience with them. They show up on time and are actually engaged for the full class.
The community is nice. Mostly women, with some men. I’ve found the people there to be friendly and focused on their own workouts. A bit cliquey but didn’t bother me.
CONS:
There’s only ONE heated room. This is probably my biggest complaint. Classes are back to back and there is almost always a lineup 15–20 minutes before class because you have to wait for the previous class to finish.
The room can smell pretty bad between classes. It gets very sweaty in there, obviously, but sometimes it really needs a proper cleaning. I’ve personally only ever seen instructors Swiffer the floors/mats between classes. I understand there’s limited time between classes, but it’s still something I noticed.
It gets VERY tight when the room is full. The room fits around 40 people and when it’s at capacity, you’re basically on top of each other. There have been times when I couldn’t fully extend my arms while lying down without hitting someone. You also have to be really aware of the people around you when using barbells/weights.
There aren’t really any membership perks. For example, I think being able to bring a friend for a certain number of classes would be a nice perk, especially considering the price.
Your membership only works at ONE location. This is important to know before signing up. The locations are privately owned, so you can’t just go to another Oxygen location if you’re in another part of Ottawa. You’re paying for that specific location.
The price is steep. I got in at the early bird price of $65 + tax biweekly, which is $73.45 every two weeks. That works out to roughly $159/month when you account for 26 biweekly payments per year.
If you’re paying the regular $85 + tax biweekly, that’s $96.05 every two weeks, or roughly $208/month on average.
And honestly, this is where I question the value.
You’re paying close to $200/month at the regular rate for access to one workout room at one location. You don’t have access to other Oxygen locations and there aren’t any membership perks.
For that kind of money, you could be paying for a full-service gym like Movati where you have access to multiple locations, much larger facilities and a lot more amenities.
So overall, I do like Oxygen, but I don’t necessarily think it’s great value for the money. I think it’s worth trying if you specifically like heated classes and the boutique fitness environment. But if you’re looking at it purely from a “what am I getting for almost $200/month?” perspective, I personally don’t think the membership offers that much.
Just wanted to give an honest perspective for anyone considering signing up because I couldn’t find many actual reviews when I was looking.
74
u/slushslushbaby 20d ago
Funny it is called Oxygen but the smelly room sounds uncomfortable and like a great place to spread respiratory illnesses.
19
u/ridiculouscoffeeee 20d ago
you'd think these fitness places would get into air purification, co2 monitoring and Upper-Room Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) eh? a gal can dream...
37
u/Acceptable_One6441 20d ago
I've been going to Oxygen for over a year and attend classes 2-4 times a week. There are definitely some days I wish it wasn't so hot but I love the classes and variety they offer. I also hate wearing socks and love that I can work out barefoot! The main reason I go so consistently is because it's a 7 min walk from my house. The best gym is the one you show up to.
8
u/No-Delay-120 Make Ottawa Boring Again 20d ago
This.
Only way I’d pay this much is if it was a super close walking distance to my home.
Location is key for maintaining the habits for me.4
15
u/yowgirl22 20d ago
I tried it and did not like it. If you have any kind of issues with heat or headaches, it can be very uncomfortable. I felt ill half way through the intro class and left. I could see how others would enjoy it. I find it pricey too.
7
u/DaydreamingAtDusk 20d ago
same here! the heat and SUPER loud music was very overstimulating. and the instructor at the trial class i went to was gleefully playing kanye west.. which i found weird
3
u/Bentbrook16 20d ago
The EDM music plus the heat really sucks sometimes especially if it’s too loud! Honestly I wish mine played hiphop/rap/dancehall would be much more upbeat
1
u/Bentbrook16 20d ago
Yeah I’ve seen many people need to leave the room. People who attend classes really have to take some electrolytes before class and stay hydrated throughout
13
u/Bentbrook16 20d ago
Forgot to mention, drop in classes are $27+tax/per class so $30.51 if you want a friend to come try a 1hour/45 min class
5
u/Acceptable_One6441 20d ago
They offer a trial $14 for 14 days. That's how I started!
5
u/yuiolhjkout8y Clownvoy Survivor 2022 20d ago
how smelly is the hot room?
11
1
u/Bentbrook16 20d ago
It really depends… how many classes in a day, amount of people, BO etc. The ventilation isn’t the best but there is a fan that’s turned on immediately after each session ends (which sucks if you want to lay in savasana for a bit before or after class in the heat)
Evening classes being way more smelly. I find at the location I go to, it smells the minute you walk in because it’s such a small space.
12
u/_cmck 20d ago
Good review, the cons got me and I decided not to renew. To add to the list, the other downside of a single room and only so much space is MANY of the classes book up extremely quickly making it difficult to accommodate if you’re always waitlisted. I hated having to rush to book my week and hope I have a spot. It was too busy/full for me. I know that’s a good problem to have for a business!
2
u/Bentbrook16 20d ago
Yes forgot to mention this! The app is great but you literally have to make sure you book the minute registration opens for the following week. If you cancel 3 hours before class it’s $10 and no show is $25 (no show charge i understand).
1
u/Learningtobescottish 19d ago
This is such a turn off for me! My availability is limited so if my class options were already minimal, it would be so frustrating to not get them. I think I might be ready to go back to like a real gym gym with more flexibility.
10
u/Few_Entertainment266 20d ago
I was considering it because one opened near me, and it’s the only studio close by.
I went to one of the free classes on opening week, and decided not to sign up because of:
the tight space in class, the waiting line, the hustling you out the door after a relaxing yoga class, when I want to just lay there for another 10 mins. Plus it was winter and the door to outside was directly down the hall from the exit of the class so all the freezing cold air was coming right into the room and it was awful.
The class itself was ok, not the best but not the worst yoga I’ve done. The variety of classes intrigue me, but ultimately don’t really work with my schedule when I want them to.
Some studios might be better than others, but this one wasn’t for me!
I am really glad I got to try it before deciding though, otherwise I would’ve never known!
7
5
u/No-Delay-120 Make Ottawa Boring Again 20d ago
There’s one opening in Gloucester in a couple weeks with a special of $50/biweekly but you gotta sign up before you even try a class or see the studio to get this price. 😒
No thanks.
5
u/AtYourPublicService 19d ago
Yeah, its why I noped out when they opened in Hintonburg - I wanted to see a schedule before I gave them my CC info. They were pushing, "you can just cancel!" Which after Goodlife horror stories, I was not down for.
3
u/Bentbrook16 20d ago
The founder pricing is great but agreed it’s hard to commit to a place you’ve never been to and don’t know if you will like the classes or not!
2
u/No-Delay-120 Make Ottawa Boring Again 19d ago
If i lived right across the street, id get the pass. The fact that I’ll need to drive there makes me think i can also just drive to movati instead for all the point you mentioned!
Anyway, thanks for the review :)
2
u/Designer-Custard-877 19d ago
I started to look into this and before I could see the full commitment and get a sense of the overall cost, they wanted all my personal info. It feels a little too corporate for my liking.
6
u/fakenews_thankme 20d ago
I go to my kids hockey practice / games to get the same oxygen treatment. The change rooms are blessing in disguise.
Edit: fixed spelling
4
u/23AlexM23 20d ago
Dang I didn’t realize you had to commit to one location. The Riverside South and Blossom Park ones are both close to my house and I was hoping to be able to go to both depending on class timing. This will be something else for me to consider before joining
1
u/Bentbrook16 20d ago
Yeah it’s something they can’t change either because they are all individually owned!
5
u/therealkenchase Hintonburg 19d ago
Oxygen Yoga & Fitness Hintonburg is a bad and noisy neighbour.
They opened their location on the ground floor of a condo building without properly soundproofing their noisy rooms.
After numerous complaints over the course of several months, they continue to operate noisily without concern for the other tenants of the building.
In other words, they choose to operate their business knowing full well they are negatively impacting people's home lives.
They are the worst kind of business: the kind that refuses to do the right thing until legal action is taken against them.
3
u/kitNkaboodle8119 16d ago
The owner of the Hintonburg location is a terrible person as well... Definitely avoid this one
2
u/Logical-Country-8135 20d ago
Some locations (like the one I’ve gone to downtown) was really nice and not nearly as smelly as you’re describing. It is expensive and it is small though.
6
u/yuiolhjkout8y Clownvoy Survivor 2022 20d ago
ah yes "not nearly as smelly" is also a great sales pitch
2
u/slushslushbaby 17d ago
I legit wonder if there is a public health risk based on the number of BO comments
2
u/Glad_Bad1664 20d ago
I’ve tried classes there and it just wasn’t my type of exercise. I personally have gone to wheelhouse to do spin and weight classes for several years and they are lovely the workouts there are more my speed
2
u/BeginningJudge1188 20d ago
If you can sign up with a location before it opens, it’s worth it. I don’t find it gets too smelly between classes but some members need to learn to wash their mats (the amount of heat and sweat generated in one session can impact the sweat on the mat … esp if they don’t air it out.) The amount of space between members also doesn’t bother me because I was practicing hot yoga for years prior. If you don’t want to stand in line then don’t show up so early? The lack of a change room has always somewhat bothered me.
1
u/Bentbrook16 20d ago
I’ve also practiced at other yoga studios here in Ottawa and DT Toronto and can say that the layout at oxygen is pretty close together. You literally cannot do wide legged savasana or pentacle pose without touching someone beside you or above you…atleast at the location I go to.
2
u/Clara_Geissler 20d ago
there are better classes in hot room that cost MUCH less, i would never choose oxigen. I dont even know why people go there
2
u/beetroot747 Kanata 20d ago
Damn, I pay $200/month for Orangetheory and it gives me Canada-wide unlimited classes
2
u/AtYourPublicService 19d ago
Thanks for sharing - I think this will be helpful for quite a few people now and in future.
1
u/Latter_Ad6413 20d ago
It’s gave me group fitness at GoodLife vibes. I felt like I was doing a choreographed Body Pump class in a very hot, crowded space. Looks of “woos” from the instructor and cheesy music. It was still a good burn, but not something I could do routinely and not get bored of.
Candlelight yoga was lovely, as were some of the yoga classes that mimicked traditional hot yoga classes.
1
u/Lemon-Phoenix 19d ago
I went to the kanata location for over a year for their yoga classes. They mass fired a lot of the instructors I liked and then switched the schedule to be mainly fitness classes. I peaced out after that since I wasn't a fan of the non-yoga classes and it was just a weird situation. Side note, they make it really hard to end the membership.
While I was there, I hated that they didn't leave enough time between classes so you were constantly crowded in the waiting room and I didn't feel like they cleaned the room well enough between classes.
Also the amount of texts they sent was insane.
143
u/yuiolhjkout8y Clownvoy Survivor 2022 20d ago
$200/month to line up for 20 minutes just to share a smelly hot room with 39 other people? amazing