3/5 Peter B. 6 years ago on Google
TL;DR
-
Upscale,
class-style
gym
in
Amsterdam
Oud-West
that
still
needs
to
work
out
a
few
kinks
before
really
being
an
elite
option.
Full
Review:
Cost:
20
EUR
per
credit,
one
credit
per
class.
Gloves
are
1
EUR
for
hire,
45
to
buy.
Introductory
Offer:
20
EUR
for
three
credits.
Overview:
Amidst
chique
surroundings
and
design,
Saints
&
Stars
offers
two
HIIT
classes,
Holy
Shred
and
Holy
Box,
each
with
its
own
dedicated
studio
for
40
or
20
participants
respectively.
Facilities:
Saints
&
Stars
has
gone
all-in
on
hi-spec
facilities.
The
speakers
are
BOSE,
the
computers
are
Apples,
the
floors
are
marbled
and
the
towels
are
soft
(and
free!)
Front
of
house
staff
are
friendly
and
helpful,
with
a
full
stocked
juice
and
coffee
bar.
A
little
over
the
top
for
my
taste,
but
clearly
no
expense
was
spared.
Unfortunately,
a
lot
of
this
attempt
at
luxury
is
undone
by
the
strange
choice
of
placing
the
cleaning
cabinet
in
the
men's
locker
rooms
-
I
only
saw
female
cleaning
staff,
and
their
frequent
incursions
can't
be
appropriate
for
anyone
involved.
Holy
Shred:
A
well
designed
workout
combining
treadmills
and
free
weights,
but
the
execution
of
my
class
was
poor.
The
trainer,
Lea,
gave
the
class
in
Dutch,
asking
(also
in
Dutch)
if
she
needed
to
do
it
in
English
a
full
five
minutes
in
-
we
got
away
with
it
on
our
class,
but
it
showed
a
lack
of
consideration
and
should
be
addressed.
Worse,
there
were
errors
throughout:
long
pauses
between
workouts
disrupting
momentum,
a
lack
of
count-ins
to
guide
participants,
and
few
speed
suggestions
for
treadmills:
it
was
disappointing
to
see
those
around
me
conducting
'sprint'
rounds
at
a
10km/h
pace
without
being
corrected.
At
one
point
Lea
proceeded
to
call
out
two
participants
out
for
stopping,
despite
it
being
due
to
her
mistake.
Finally,
the
cool
down
was
much
too
short,
paying
limited
attention
to
lower
body
stretches
or
heart
rate;
my
heart
was
still
bumping
in
the
shower.
I
liked
the
work
out,
but
I'd
avoid
this
trainer
until
she'd
picked
up
some
more
experience.
Holy
Box:
a
HIIT
combo
class
of
floor
work,
grip-weights
and
boxing
with
the
gym's
aqua-bags.
With
Master
Trainer
Roberto
at
the
controls,
there
was
a
marked
improvement
in
the
Box
class.
He
switched
easily
and
with
humour
between
English
and
Dutch,
counted
in
exercises
and
explained
them
clearly
without
breaking
momentum.
Sadly,
poor
workout
design
meant
I
found
myself
frequently
bored
(I
counted
8
minutes
of
dribble-jabs.)
While
Roberto
explained
he'd
be
laying
off
the
boxing
technique
to
help
the
large
number
of
first-timers,
the
much
heralded
aqua-bags
are
going
to
be
far
too
loose
for
anyone
that
likes
to
throw
some
power
into
their
punching,
and
the
layout
constricts
movement
work
-
so
I
wonder
how
far
they
can
really
go.
Again,
a
limited
cool-down
was
frustrating,
though
it
frankly
wasn't
necessary
following
such
a
low-intensity
session.
Conclusion:
The
lush
interior
is
great,
as
is
the
look
and
lighting
in
the
session
rooms.
However,
those
of
us
willing
to
fork
over
20
EUR
a
class
expect
an
elite
level
work
out
to
match,
which
this
was
not.
Things
to
improve:
-
Separate
the
cleaning
closet
from
the
men's
changing
area.
-
Ensure
all
trainers
are
using
clear
count
ins
and
instructions
to
maintain
momentum
and
guidance.
-
Conduct
proper
cool
downs.
-
Deoderant
and
wet-bags
(for
kit)
in
changing
rooms.
For
me,
Saints-Stars
talked-the-talk
but
failed
to
really
walk-the-walk.
That
said,
I'd
like
to
come
back
once
thy
gym
has
found
its
rhythm,
and
will
be
saving
my
final
credit
for
another
try
in
six
months.
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