Edit: I really enjoyed my second visit and have purchased a 1 year membership with Grotto. I will recommend this climbing and yoga gym to friends, and highly suggest you, the reader of this review, give this gym a try. I came here with a friend to try rock climbing/ bouldering. Front desk associate was very kind. I signed up for a 1 week deal which comes with shoes and chalk for the visit. My friend who has a lot more experience showed me around, then after a warm up we climbed for about an hour. It was a great experience, and a surprisingly hard physical activity, Doing "easy routes" was challenging for me, but also very rewarding. I will be back in my week membership to try the last route which kicked my butt again, but refreshed. I have not decided if I will continue my membership after the 1 week at this point. The Gym is well maintained, and the staff are awesome. I do not have much to compare to, but for me this is definitely a 5 star place to learn, or advance your climbing enthusiasm. Thank you Grotto for creating an environment where my first experience climbing an enjoyable one.

Grotto hasn’t changed in years and I love that for them. My bro intro’d me to this gym when he was an Aztec and their new location puts my Triton gf and me within biking range to some of the best bouldering on the west coast; the community is top notch and so are the routes!

Tldr: sketchy owners call woman “emotional” and live up to their reputation of having not paid employees during the pandemic and having not given members a chance to cancel their memberships, and then not giving anyone a refund even though they shut down. Do not recommend supporting them. The story: I had a groupon that was incorrectly marked as redeemed. Seemed like a backend issue so i contacted groupon support. They said okay no worries just need confirmation from the gym that you never went that day! Easy. So i email them, explain the situation, and ask “can i just get a simple confirmation”. The owner, Matt, replies (i assume he meant to change the recipient to his co-owner) “maysam do not reply to groupon emails we dont do refunds” 🙃😂 So i reply back hey i get it but i just need confirmation from you guys so GROUPON can handle the technical error. No response so i try again. And again. And finally Matt replies again “do not reply to this email” again to me instead of maysam lol boomer behavior… So i call. And i find out its matt whos picked up. So i ask him then, “hey i just need the confirmation” and he says i should email billing, theres clearly some miscommunication, we dont do groupon stuff, contact groupon support—and i say again and again, no i did all that, all i need is confirmation from you. And then he calls me emotional. Lol Classic move from a beta male — super not cool… sounds like he’d be a beta sprayer… Anyways so i just emailed groupon support again to update them whats going on bc im def not gonna talk with him again yuck. Like if dealing with this groupon issue is gonna make or break ur business, you gotta rethink ur business model. 🧐 So yeah, highly do not recommend supporting this business. What a shame.

I loved this place while I was there, I even continued to pay through out the pandemic even though I could not go. I’m giving 2 stars because of issues that happened once I asked to cancel because I moved out of SD. I called and informed them that I was moving and needed to cancel. The person said okay no problem and I thought I was canceled. A month later I was charged, so I called again and the person said she was so sorry and she would tell her manager and again no other information given to me. At that point I also emailed them to make sure the membership was canceled, I never got a response and I was charged again. Turns out you must fill out a hard to find form that no one tells you about when you want to cancel. Update - Matt the owner called and discussed the issues I had with canceling services with them. He was very understanding and did everything he could to make it right.

The routes, weights area, yoga classes, and showers are solid and clean. The staff and fellow climbers are friendly too. It is bouldering only so the rates may seem a little high and if it’s the midst of summer the building can get a bit warm. Yet the fact that this gym feels like part of the community and not corporate at all is a big pro!

Great boulder specific gym!! Had a chance to climbed there when visiting SD and chatted with the head route setter (forgot to ask his name lol) and really love his setting philosophy. Unlike many commercial climbing gyms that have “soft grades” which protects my fragile ego, this gym’s grade is based on outdoor boulders (at least for the over hang area shown by p2). If you love hard, old school powerful boulder problems with a fusion of big dynamic moves, this is where you should go!! The only minor complain was the padding. The wall was pretty high but the padding was not as soft as I expected, especially for the corner areas in the over hang wall. Was a little worried if I will get injured if I fall so this is my excuse for not committing. The price for a single day pass is definitely on the high end, more expensive than other gyms in SD but imo, worth the price!

Great mix of grades and decent size training area. Friendly staff, cutest dog (hi Bear!) and clean bathroom facilities with a reasonable amount of parking. Only thing I could suggest improving is that your day passes are a bit more expensive than some other local gyms… maybe consider a cheap first day pass to encourage more people to give it a go? Great spot though, will visit again when I’m passing through.

Upbeat and friendly atmosphere. Frequently changes the routes or climbs! Yoga classes are available and the instructor is knowledgeable and helpful.

Welcoming gym, super friendly staff and community. The setting is challenging in general, and good for first timers as well. I'd recommend avoiding the 5pm-8pm hours because it can get super crowded, and the space is a bit small. They usually reset every other Wednesday, so those days are the most crowded. Weights, campus boards, moonboards, kilterboard, spraywall, and yoga are some of the amenities they also have.

Amazing staff. Great (and frequent) setting. Great deals. Great for all ages. Did I mention I think this place is great?

Great place for bouldering, they've got great staff, routes, system boards and one of the few big slab walls in SoCal. They have really made the best of the small building they’re in

My GF went with me and she fell. she sprained her ankled pretty bad. The staff was very responsive and kind towards her. They helped me carry her to her car. Best bad experience i had.

Left another gym to join the Grotto and I'm super happy with my decision. The gym aesthetic at the Grotto 2 is really awesome, and the setting style has really brought my stoke back after taking a break (gyms closed due to Covid). Also love having easy access to the Kilterboard at the mission valley gym. I am recommending this gym to everyone I meet.

Checked this place out yesterday with a friend. The blonde lady at the desk was very helpful and nice, and let us know how the everything worked. The people there were friendly as well. I'm very new to rock climbing and places like this in general. I felt very welcome and free of judgements. Wonderful place!

The climbing community is always great. This is no exception

Route setting was imaginative, challenging and altogether quite different than what I'm used to in other gyms I have visited. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there.

I love this place. The problem setting is fun, there are plenty of awesome yoga classes which are included in your membership/day passes. More importantly, the staff is in general very personable, including the yoga instructors. It has a community feeling, like family. The members are also generally friendly. The price is more than reasonable for what you get. Highly recommend it!

Love my gym! Excellent facilities and even better staff. Bradley and the whole Grotto team are like family. Would highly recommend Grotto to anyone at any skill level.

After enjoying climbing here for about 9 months I had to cancel my membership because I was in a motorcycle accident, and was initially frustrated that I was charged again due to not cancelling 30 days before billing date, as if I could have chosen to cancel before my crash. The staff quickly reached back out to me and refunded the month I was charged for that I couldn’t use, seemed to genuinely care about my recovery, and more than made the situation right. Excellent customer experience.

It was very fun. Very relaxed. It was our guest time doing anything like this and Justin was really helpful and kind. We will be back. With friends!

Good vibes, friendly staff, nice training area, Moonboard, hang boards, etc. Only wish the hours were extended and you could rent or use towels for the shower.

super cozy and modern. It has a nice training area (moonboard, spray wall, campus board, hangboards, weight lifting) and focuses exclusively on bouldering.

Grotto is awesome. They've taken care of my students many times over the past few years, and always leave me with a good impression. It's because the ownership/staff/clientele are just plain happy to be there doing what they do. The facilities are well configured, and the range of support and services is impressive. Thank you, Grotto, for making my students happy to try climbing for the first time.

Grotto has been my favorite climbing gym since I started climbing almost a year ago. The staff is always talkative and helpful, the routes are super fun, and the community is hands down the best in San Diego. You seriously won’t get a sense of community this strong at any other climbing gym. They have routes for all skill levels, and you’ll be the perfect level of challenged at all times. I started off here as a total beginner and never knew what I was doing but: Maysam, Tony, and Troy, have seriously propelled my skills and technique way past what I’d accomplish on my own. For those of you who like pros and con lists here you go: Pros: -staff -quality -cleanliness (other gyms let their holds get slimy and disgusting, not grotto) -community -availability -youth team (they seriously run a strong youth program) -difficulty Cons: -only bouldering (this is a pro for me but bothers other people) -would be cool if they were open later on weekends Super sad I’ll be moving away from San Diego, but whenever I visit I’ll be climbing at grotto!

Great bouldering gym, clean, organized. Yoga at the Grotto is excellent! I'm also really enjoying the gym equipment they have, weights, rowing machine, treadmills, bikes, etc.

I was so nervous to go in my first time but the front desk lady was so chill and helpful. Even teached me the basics and i was there for a whole hour! Exhausting workout there, but loved it and cant wait to go again!

Great place to climb, friendly staff. Wish they gave a little more info on Yoga.....also the Mission Valley location doesn't have lots of parking, be prepared for that.

Best bouldering gym in San Diego. Friendly staff and they have been champions throughout covid allowing people to continue to climb. Thanks folks!

I can't remember the girl who worked the fronts name but she just made us feel really welcomed and the atmosphere wasn't judgy. Very easy to get setup and go

The person working the front desk (Tony) was extremely welcoming and made the entire process for signing up super easy. The facility was really calming and the atmosphere was very welcoming.

Grotto has a friendly environment, one of our kids practices with the recreational team and loves her teammates and coach, and our family of beginner climbers always have a great experience. I recently went to my first Grotto yoga class and the vinyasa/hatha session was a strong practice with excellent cueing for modifications. The membership is an excellent value.

A+ bouldering gym. The yoga instructors were phenomenal. Helpful, friendly staff.

My niece has been here a few times and she just loves to climb now! One of the best places.

Spent this past summer in SD. Grotto was my favorite part of it! Super cool community, great climbing, and respectable yoga. This is THE gym to go to!

A perfect gym is one that you WANT to go to every day, where you feel welcome every time you walk in, you are challenged constantly, the clientele is friendly and looking for the same experiences you are, oh and not to mention has all the right facilities. This place is the closest I’ve ever seen. Grotto climbing and yoga has made exercise fun for the first time in my life. Thanks guys!

I like the gym a lot but the monthly fees are a little high. 50$ a month... it’s fun but not accessible financially for us broke people. Lol great place though small and fun. It’s a vibe

Everyone was super welcoming and that made it a very good environment for someone climbing for the first time here.

Friendly staff, good vibes, happy experience, ran into a friend and was offered a yoga teaching position lol. Great time!

Great place, amazing yoga teachers. They have some of the best bouldering in San Diego and their customer service is on point. I even get a Happy Birthday wish every year via email. GOOD PEOPLE, GOOD Route Setters, and hard problems. This place is a must if your looking for a local gym in the area.

Great place for Kids

I recently decided to try this place out after a long hiatus from climbing, and I'm glad I did. After taking their intro to bouldering class as a refresh, I was totally hooked and got a membership. I really like that they make bouldering feel accessible to people who have never done it before. They also have a weight room and various fitness and climbing classes, which I'm excited to check out.

Very friendly staff and regulars, chill vibes all around. Only bouldering walls so keep that in mind.

So much fun, they change the walls so there is always something new!

Great place!

Good bouldering training place for all levels! Love this place! ; )

I’ve been coming here for almost 10 months now and I love it compared to the other gyms! Small community, lots of trust, and super friendly staff 🌻

The grotto is an awesome place to start getting into bouldering and everyone is so friendly! I especially like the yoga classes here before or after a climbing session ;)

Love it! Plenty of yoga classes and the staff is super relatable and friendly. I love coming here especially after a stressful day. The yoga, conversations, and vibe uplifts my day. Highly recommend!

Awesome rock climbing gym and the best yoga classes ever! Yoga studio is extremely clean and the rock climbing equipment is superbly designed. Love it!

Bees knees

Love everything about this place!

Clean route and great staff

It was freaking awesome

Awesome climbing gym with a really friendly staff. They make sure that all levels of climbers feel welcome. Definitely try it out!

Definitely some of the friendliest staff of any place one might frequent. They accommodated me when I was in a bind and went out of their way to make it especially convenient.

I came to LA Boulders the other day for a double-date and it was so much fun! I must say, I was a little worried at first since I'm not too big on rock climbing walls and I didn't know if I would have the upper body strength to climb the wall but it really wasn't that bad!

Very welcoming atmosphere with the staff and the community of people that climb there are easy to get along with, helpful, encouraging, and fun! Good vibes every time ✌️ Definitely recommend

Friendly staff and great setters!

Climb, workout & yoga all in one place! Parking in the back. Great for a party on the deck.

Kinna pricey haha, but overall was a good experience. Everyone super friendly, good music, good equipment. Make sure to bring good workout clothes, u sweat. ALOT. #cardio

Fun routes, great staff!

Great first time deal for climbing! Rex is the best yogi in SD!

I boulder off/on for the last five years and have visited this location about ten times. I think they have a great variety of routes for different levels of expertise (especially for me as a novice); Ive enjoyed going around to the different walls/sections during a session. Never too crowded. Good value for punches. Last time I was here I saw a staff member climb in their normal non-climbing shoes (super gross!) which turned me off from coming back. Most times I visit I also end up with mosquito bites.

As someone who has gone to many non-commercial lifting gyms, the Grotto is a clean and tidy facility compared to what I’m used to. We went in as a party of 7 new climbers and the staff was very friendly and helpful. There was a kind older gentleman who may have worked there who gave us tips to improve and made the gym welcoming. The nice lady working the front provided perfect customer service. Communal stretching and massage gadgets were a very nice touch. The bathrooms have lockers and are bigger than other lifting/CrossFit gyms I’ve been to. The space is cozy and the walls are covered in interesting routes. The Grotto is probably the best place to boulder in San Diego.