Crunch Gym Is Finally Coming to Boston

Crunch in NYC exterior provided.

National gym chains have are finally seen the sweat of Boston’s burgeoning fitness scene and are giving our fair city the love it deserves. In just the past 12 months, SoulCycle, Flywheel, and Barry’s Bootcamp have opened. Plus, David Barton Gym signed a long-term lease at the Park Plaza Hotel and is slated to open in January 2015.

Now, it’s Crunch Gym that wants a piece of Commonwealth pie.

Cambridge Day reported that the gym chain, which already has more than 45 locations in 10 states and Puerto Rico, has signed a lease in Somerville at 240 Elm Street. The location, Boston reported Tuesday, is being eyed by Wellesley-based Roche Bros. for a first floor “Brother’s Marketplace.”

We reached out to Crunch’s reps and they confirm that the first-ever Crunch location to come to Mass. is definitely opening at the Elm Street location in Somerville. It will take over the top floor.

Crunch may be a breath of fresh (err, locker room?) air for the neighborhood. It’s what industry folks call a “mid-priced” gym. There are sign-up fees which can range anywhere from $20 to $170, with a low-ish monthly fee, usually around $20 to $40. That said, prices vary from location to location. I’ve seen monthlies as low as $10 and as high as $93.

What sets Crunch apart from other lower-price gym models—if we are lucky enough to be on the lower end of the pricing and if you consider $40 to be low-priced—is the classes. Crunch offers the usual suspects of classes such as indoor cycling and Zumba, but it also has a plethora of unique offerings: Bellatone (combines Arabic and Reggeatone music to create a fusion dance workout); Laugh Your Ass Off (a barefoot training class that combines comedy routines and fitness routines to make you laugh); Top It Off (a shape and sculpt class that uses weights and isometric exercises); and a “Sexy Series” featuring pole dancing and cardio stripping.

While reps for Crunch will not provide any details at this time (the franchise owners are on vacation), they promise that further details are on the way. We’ll update this post when we know more. Until then, go outside and enjoy what’s left of summer.