Hard Candy Fitness

The worst GYM in the city when it come to staff and WORST TRAINER IN THE WORLD.Mrs. Kirsten Just-​McCarthy, she offered steroids to my friend to help him get in shape, wow a trainer that likes like a ma, but its a woman… she is the picture of health. She got so many people bad from the gym, just because… they always said the person was harassing, threatening and intimidating, like all people are all three all the time. This is what really happens at this gym… I could not believe it for staff to treat members like this.
Dear Mr. Rysinski,
This letter is in response to your unexpected, misinformed and retaliating phone call on January 28, 2016.
Last week I had approached management with very disturbing and pressing issues concerning another staff member. I was involved in two separate incidents with a personal trainer named Kristen Just-​McCarthy and more recent three other incidents involving Tiffany from the front desk.
On January 18^th 2016, by the fountain across the turf area, after my workout, I was approached by Mrs. Just-​McCarthy. In an aggressive and intimidating tone, intruding in my personal space, began to threaten me about another member. To sum up the conversation as politely as I can, she told me that she flagged the other member’s membership and that he was banned from the gym and that if this member were to return that she would physically remove him from the premises. I was shocked and taken aback by this whole conversation and the method in which she addressed me. I took a step back and told her that it was none of my business and that it was something she had to address with that member. Shaken by this confrontation, I ended the conversation and turned to leave the gym. What I didn’t understand at the time was that she had seen this member on the gym floor just feet away from her, thirty minutes earlier but yet said nothing to him. It seemed as though she approached me to engage in a confrontation stemming from the other incident I experienced with her.
The other incident had occurred sometime last year but had come to my attention in August 2015. Mrs. Just-​McCarthy had been gossiping, spreading rumors, lying and distributing personal and confidential legal information about me to other members and staff that was illegally obtained through a friend of hers. Her actions have caused me much distress, anxiety, depression and not to mention, defamation of character. For the longest time I couldn’t understand why other members and staff were avoiding or distancing themselves from me.
The following incidents involved Tiffany:
On the evening of January 21 2016, I was waiting at the front desk for a friend while he was speaking with Sarah Enman in her office. During that time I engaged in conversation with three staff members at the desk. The staff had quickly converted the conversation into that of a sexual nature about me. All they spoke about was my body, how I should be a stripper and how I must have a large «member» and wanting to see it. It was very degrading and uncomfortable. I asked them to stop but they continued this rude behavior. I ended my conversation and left.
On January 25 2016, I engaged in a conversation with Tiffany at the front desk. We spoke about many things and I had made a comment of something I would do if I had found myself in a particular situation. I shortly left there after. On the following day it was brought to my attention that a comment I said from that conversation was misconstrued and manipulated by Tiffany. She had ran to management and claimed that comment was said by another member. The office staff then told Mrs. Just-​McCarthy and she then began to tell other members about it. It eventually found it’s way back to my ears.
On the evening of January 27 2016, I had gone to the gym to workout. Upon entering and scanning my membership card as usual, I was greeted by Tiffany. I turned to her and said «Don’t talk to me. I don’t talk to liars», and made my way to the change rooms without looking back. As I passed the front desk leaving the gym, Tiffany called my name. I ignored her the first few times she called me. She tried to engage me into interacting with her by saying we need to talk. At that point I was at the entry doors and she was well behind the desk. I placed my hand up, palm facing her and in a collected manner told her that I didn’t want to speak with her because she lied to management about something that was said and I told her that I’m refusing to engage in any other conversation because I was afraid she was going to lie about that as well. I wanted to avoid any possible conflict. I left after that brief interaction. There were plenty of people there that witnessed the incident and you can verify my story by looking at the closed circuit footage (which you obviously didn’t do to arrive at your conclusion). Also what you don’t know is that I couldn’t yell at anyone like you stated in your phone conversation wi

Walked by this this week and noticed it is no longer call Hard Candy Fitness — it is now Aura Fitness. I checked the Hard Candy website and Toronto is not listed. Also the
website redirects you to GoDaddy’s website.

The absolute worst gym I have ever joined. Membership services is horrendous — they steal money out of your bank account without permission and have frequently «made mistakes» in their billing. I canceled my membership 2.5 years ago and paid in full, however continue to receive bills from JOPP claiming I owe them (even though I have proved multiple times that I paid in full. Horrible gym. Do not ever sign up here — it is a complete scam!

It’s a nice gym but I’m not loving it and honestly, I’m waiting for my membership to expire so I can cancel without penalty and join a different gym.
Good:
*aesthetically nicer than the mass chains
*less crowded than the mass chains
*no need to bring a lock
*free towel service
*well-​stocked changerooms with lots of products — mouthwash, razors and shaving cream included
*nice reception staff
*(from their perspective) very strong salesperson who signed me up — he demonstrated very good customer service
*lots of equipment
*always has cleaning staff around maintaining and cleaning
*sliiightly cheaper than some competitors if you’re under 30 (eg. Adelaide Club)
*nice group classrooms with good equipment
*amazing candlelight yoga class and cool off the wall yoga class
*many of the cardio machines have their own TV
*privileges with the Mansfield Club in Montréal, if you go there often for work
Bad
*the towel service was interrupted for a long time with no ETA for recovery, which wasn’t great, especially since this is supposed to be a premium gym
*the locks sometimes don’t work because they run out of batteries — also not great for a premium gym
*limited channels on the cardio machines
*TVs and internet browsers for at least half of the treadmills weren’t working for a long time, which was also off-​brand for a premium gym
*farther away for people like me, who work in the financial district
*in trying to be unorthodox, all the classes end up being very similar — some form of HIIT or other kind of interval training — so it gets boring really quickly
*many of the classes are quite high impact with limited modifications — not good for people with back/​knee/​joint issues
*I wish some of the classes were more traditional — there are no martial arts-​based classes (though there is a little bit of kicking and punching in some of the classes), and the dance-​based classes don’t feature much dancing at all (the couple I tried featured high intensity interval training for 75% of the class with like 10−15mins of breakdancing at the end, which I must confess I enjoy watching but do not enjoy doing)
*some of the after-​work classes can be almost as crowded as the mass chains
*no pool privileges with any establishments, unlike some of their competitors
*a bit of a pain to access the Mansfield Club privileges because you need to ask Hard Candy to notify them beforehand every time
Conclusion:
It’s a decent gym but I don’t feel like I get good value for what I pay, so I would rather and will be paying a little bit more to join a different gym as soon as my membership contract ends.

This must be the best gym I’ve ever tried. A friend of mine has been going here since they open a couple of years ago and also got to go at the grand opening when Madonna was there and did a class with her: she was ecstatic!
She always talks about it, how good it is and that I should give it a try with one of her weekly passes.
So I finally decided to go ahead and go in one day with her. The décor in the entrance is great and very modern but cozy and not intimidating. The people at the front desk they are surprisingly nice and helpful and they don’t care if you are a member or somebody that just came in for a trial. The lockers room are great, spacious, filled with amenities and mostly of all: clean. I like that you can close your own locker with a magnetic card that you just keep in your pocket or you can request a bracelet –helpful for when you want to take a shower there– with the locker card attached.
The cardio area is gigantic and there are really plenty and plenty of machines that you can use, so you’ll never have to wait once to get on and kick it.
The weight areas and equipments is very spacious too and I love the décor and relaxing ambiance.
They have different rooms for spinning, yoga, hot yoga and dance classes which are really great by the way.
The music playing is very energetic but not too loud so you can listen to your own beats and not be disturbed by it.
They also offer free wi-​fi which I think it’s a big plus for me, since I usually stream my music from my phone with some music services.
The other patrons are really nice and they respect others by cleaning every equipments after use and they always stack back the weight after use, which I think in other gyms nobody cares or picks up after themselves.
I do totally recommend this place.

I write this review with a lot of internal conflict. I have been a member at this gym for about a year now, and don’t intend on cancelling my membership any time soon. The membership costs about $ 90 a month, which is pricier than standard gyms but good value for the interesting classes and beautiful facilities. The equipment is well-​maintained and there is no shortage of both cardio and weight machines. There are a lot of unique contraptions like the cardio machine that simulates hiking, the ropes machine, and the free heavy ropes in the turf area.
The group fitness classes are great — I particularly enjoy the Body Blast Boot Camp classes on the turf area and Ripped Yoga (yoga with weights). They also offer classes like barre, off-​the-​wall yoga, and tornado (a 50 minute class from hell, in a good way).
The change room is fine and there are always plenty of towels available and decent toiletries. The main area is beautiful — there are windows everywhere, lots of natural light, the floor is SHINY and clean, and there are vibrant pops of colour throughout (i.e. sky blue bosu balls, apple red weights, and the green turf).
That was all the good stuff, now onto the not so good. I truly do not think it’s an exaggeration to say that most of the people who work out here are skinny, neon-​wearing, midriff-​baring 20−30-somethings. Having come from Goodlife, I don’t think this Hard Candy has the same welcoming, inclusive feel. Firstly, it is rare to see diverse body shapes and ages here. Secondly, some of the instructors have a devoted posse of followers who consistently reserve yoga mats for each other at the front of the class, hearkening back to the days of saving seats for the cool kids in high school. I’m actually surprised that other reviewers have found this gym «friendly and welcoming» because that was not my experience at all.
All in all, it is a good gym with nice facilities and inventive classes — just make sure you buy neon pants to fit in before you go.

If I could give this place less than 1 star, on the basis of customer service, I would.
Newly returned to Toronto, after being away for a number of years, I was looking for a gym. A friend recommended Hard Candy. I walked in on a Monday, and met with a sales rep, and took away the literature. She said I could sign up for a free trial visit on their website.
I signed up (or so I thought) on the website that evening. When I hadn’t heard anything back from them in two days (the site promises that they’d be in touch), I walked into the club on Wednesday. THEN I was told that I needed an Ontario Driver’s License to work out as a guest! (Remember – I’m just back in Toronto – no Ontario DL yet.)
When I related this to my friend, he called the former manager of the place (whom he knows) who made a call to the current manager, and was told that of course I’d be welcome to work out. Great! (So I thought.)
So I called early Thursday morning, and Savannah on the phone said of course, I’m welcome to try a work out. I showed up later on Thursday, quoting the names of the people I was told to mention, and AGAIN I was refused admission. It was 11 AM, and Savannah had «left at 10.» I had been told to bring my passport with me for identification, and they didn’t even want to see it!
The customer service is a joke folks. STAY AWAY! They don’t deserve your money if this is the way they treat prospective members.

The facility is great (the space, the interactive strength training machines) but there are some improvements they could make to the following issues that are more service and maintenance related:
1. Long period in break of towel service
2. Tv doesn’t work lately on cardio machines that I have been on
3. Lockers are sketchy as many of the batteries are dead. I have to try multiple before finding one that works
4. Frequent hot water issues
For $ 100+ per month, it may or may not be worth it!

This is a great gym. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. The equipment are all new and well maintained.
The group classes are fun and offers a variety of levels from beginner to expert. Regardless the instructors are welcoming and will not make you feel insecure.
The change rooms are immaculate and offer free shampoo/​body wash, razors, body cream, hair gel and mouthwash.

I joined about 3 months ago hard candy at Aura condominium and I have to say that this is definitely the best facility to work out and fitness that I’ve have ever been.
I lived over 3 different continents in the past 3 years and tried the most expensive and classy facilities of all of the biggest city in North and South America, Europe and Africa.
In the U.S. I’ve tried also Equinox that would be another alternative to a downtown Toronto upscale and classy facility but nothing compared to this place.
The classes are fun, it is never over crowed here, never had to wait for a weight or to use equipments.
Everybody is very friendly and tries to accommodate you in every way.
People working out here are very good and not trashy as at facilities like GoodLife that is by far the most disgusting and dirty place I’ve ever been to work out.

On September 28 I attended Lori K.‘s Electric Yoga class. This was my first traditional hot yoga class. I’ve participated in infared hot yoga classes and found the differences both subtle and dramatic. As with infared hot yoga, I found my muscles were very relaxed. For example, I was able to sit cross-​legged easily (biking tightens my hips which usually makes sitting cross-​legged difficult). The dramatic difference was the hot humid air and I can see how this type of environment would present a challenge for individuals with respiratory issues.
The energy for this class was very high. After an hour, students began streaming out of the class. Only 26 students of the original 50+ made it through the entire hour and a half class. I managed to participate for the first hour, but spent the final half hour admiring the Hard Candy eye-​candy. I had difficulty hearing the instructor’s instructions over the booming music and when I checked out other students, there seemed to be confusion about her instructions. Students were doing different things, looking around to see what their classmates were doing and trying to keep up with the quickly-​changing poses.
The class included spinal twists, forward folds, leg lifts and bridge, but no inversion.
The club itself is beautiful, well-​maintained and very hip.
I intend on returning to the club for more Hard Candy yoga classes.

Have been waiting to write this review to see if it still is as awesome as when I first toured the place — and it is! I have been going to this gym for about 6 months now. It still has that «new» feeling to it; equipment seems state of the art, turf area and hot yoga studio are fantastic and the locker rooms are clean and well-​maintained. My favourite part is the group fitness classes that are included with your membership! Honestly makes membership worth it. Best yoga teacher is John T! The live DJ classes are always fun to try. They open til 11pm on weekdays, which is convenient.
Areas to improve/​Suggestions:
— Please offer more classes in the early mornings and late evenings! Also, I love hot yoga, but would be nice if they offered some more regular yoga classes as well.
— The class schedule is kind of disorganized — some class descriptions aren’t included and when I’ve tried asking for more information, sometimes the front desk doesn’t really know.
— I wish teachers would respect the start and end times of classes. There is one class on Wednesday evenings that always starts 10 minutes late because the previous class using the Energy Studio doesn’t wrap it up in time.
— The toiletries offered in the showers are pretty generic and of low quality. I’d suggest bringing your own.
If you live or work in the area, I highly recommend it!

Won a membership to hard candy fitness, and was eager to start my trial membership. The space is very clean (spotless!), and the equipment is top notch. However, what was lacking was the customer service. I was introduced to Sean, who took down my particulars and got me started. However, he did not offer me a tour of the facilities — which is odd considering this is standard fare for a new member. He did not seem very interested in orientating me to the club… But when two individuals who came right after me (I.e potential paying customers), they had the tour of the facilities by Sean. Was rather put off by this behavior, as I felt like a second class citizen at this gym.

While the gym is beautiful, nice locker room area, showers, studios, equipment and has great selection of classes there are few things that I find unacceptable for a gym that is supposed to be upscale.
Often luke warm water in the showers, steam room out of order, today sauna was cold, when I asked the receptionist she didn’t know why and said that she thought members warm up sauna themselves. I asked about instructions, she didn’t know either. Said she’d have a manager call me back.
At the beginning I expressed my concern about losing the locker card and wasn’t informed that there are bracelets available, found out from another member.
It’s really annoying having to carry that card with you in the shower etc.
Classes:
While some instructors are very good (Carmen — her Tornado classes are great) the biggest disappointment were spinning classes. I have seen better spin instructors at GoodLife.
They rely on the equipment and music video playing tv screens and that’s it. Super loud club music throughout the class, so loud that your head is about to explode. Instructors do not have any plan/​excercise sequence for the class, it’s just mindless pedaling while they either scream «whoooo whooo» or talk absolute crap.
I’m considering switching to Equinox.

In summary, for those in a rush:
— Very friendly staff
— Facility is incredibly clean and well maintained
— Lots of machines available even at peak times
— Lockers use an annoying «key card» system but bracelets are available for purchase
— Showers are sometimes out of body wash
— It would seem some gym patrons in the men’s locker room have «sticky fingers» — watch those valuables!
— An excellent, friendly and modern gym that I highly recommend.
I was previously a member at another, higher-​priced Bay Street «luxury» gym and while I liked it, the location and hours proved inconvenient and shelling out over $ 150 per month for coat check, fancy locker rooms and eucalyptus towels was a bit much (sorry, Equinox!)
So, back on the fitness wagon this summer, I went in search of a new gym; but didn’t want to become a faceless member of «that» behemoth chain that’s always crowded at peak times. Enter Hard Candy Fitness!
CLASSES: I generally focus on cardio and weight training, so I can’t comment on the group classes personally; although I have heard lots of good things from fellow gym patrons.
STAFF: All the staff from desk attendants to membership sales and maintenance crew are very friendly. An interesting observation is they seem to have lots of Australian staff here. All very helpful!
FACILITY/​EQUIPMENT: The gym is quite new and this is evident in the modern machines and overall quality of upkeep through the facility.
With plenty of cardio and weight machines, I’ve never once had to wait or felt that the place was too crowded even during peak hours. To me, this ease of working out is worth the slightly above average price point on its own!
LOCKER ROOMS: The locker rooms are well maintained and spotlessly clean, with plenty of clean towels readily available. Hair gel, mouthwash and disposable razors are also provided. That said, this is where the gym falls just short of a 5-​star rating. I have found on numerous occasions that most of the showers are out of the body wash in their dispensers, and have had to «hop around» to another stall or two before finding one with a filled cartridge.
My second gripe with the locker rooms is their «key card» lock device. It becomes quite cumbersome to carry a lock mechanism the size of a credit card through the gym and into the shower. Along with many patrons I have lost my card and as such trade a piece of ID for a temporary card each visit. There are far superior bracelet locks available for $ 30, however the gym has been out of stock for about a month at the time of this review (July 26, 2015)
My only other issue (and I imagine this is typical of many gyms) is that I had left a hat on the coat rack as I was changing one day, and when going to retrieve it a few hours later it had been taken. My own fault for not being more careful, but a point to watch out for especially if bringing valuables to the gym!
All that said, I am a very satisfied member at Hard Candy and would certainly recommend this gym as a «step» above life at the not-​so-​Good (haha) major chain gyms I’m the city.

I love this gym. I wish I could take it with me everywhere I go when I travel. This really is the best gym I have ever worked out in.
I don’t do classes so cannot comment on them other than it is funny seeing the people gyrating around through the glass in their dance routines.
It is so clean here. That is so important in a gym. There is a good selection of equipment as well as a freestyle area with a few kettlebells, boxes for box jumps, mini monkey-​bar thing. There are also 2 squat racks which is good. I wasn’t there during peak hours, so didn’t have a problem waiting for equipment, but I hear it gets busy in the weekday evenings.
I love this place.

I tried it a few times but opted for a place closer to work.
The Good:
— Super clean! Oh, this is so important.
— The gym is stylish and has state of the art equipment. It’s also huge, which means if you run into someone you know, you can avoid them without sacrificing your workout :)
— I imagine it’s a great place for singles to mingle. Lots of young professionals here. I hear they’re doing social events for the members – not sure if it this is actually happening though.
— The padded flooring is a nice touch.
— The classes are really engaging and fun. I tried off –the-​wall yoga, which was really fun and challenging, and as a yogi, something I’ve never done before.
The Bad:
— The lockers require your card to open – kind of annoying to have to carry it around while you’re working out. Mine stopped working and my locker wouldn’t lock, I had to go to reception to get a new one. Using my usual gym lock would have been a better alternative.
— It’s pricey, but you get what you paid for.
— There’s only one location in Toronto – not very convenient if you want to have access to a location wherever you are.
— My cousin had a fitness orientation when she joined, and she was fat-​shamed. She’s not fat or obese or anything. So, I would say that part is standard as far as gyms go (Extreme was the worst offender, in its heyday), but it’s still super unwelcoming. It took a bit for her to come back (and probably only because she already paid for membership). She doesn’t talk to any of the trainers, even if she needs help.
–Some might call the place, with it’s trendy music and clientele, douchey.

Pros
Clean, lots of equipment, clean towels available.
Yoga instructor John T was very good.
Cons
Constant loud club music.
Most classes involve some element of dancing (which I found obnoxious).
Busy at peak times.
Too many clients and staff strutting around watching people.
Small change rooms.
Not good value for money.
Many classes require additional fees.
Stiff cancellation fees.

For those Vancouver Unilocalers with Steve Nash membership, workouts are complimentary here ;) Staff professional and courteous, just registering once that didn’t need any more ID checks.
as to be expected with Madonna’s name to it, the latest in equipment, spacious, even trendy with the red and white décor.
Liked the padded flooring.
Change rooms not as spacious but still good. great additional benches with hooks, this was the best part lol, for jackets and bags. Nice lockers and card locking system.
Bonus is free WiFi, no password.
Towel service.

Hard Candy Fitness
Hands down the best gym I have ever been to!
I went with a couple of friends to a spinning class here and the instructor was great! Lots of energy and the sound system was really good. They kept the room cool which is I liked. They also had a Dj spinning EDM in the class so it really pumps you up!
I wish I could of tried some other classes I’m sure they are amazing!
All of the gym equipment is state-​of-​the-​art! I love the yoga room and the gymnasium as well!
There was no foul odours in the gym either which is rare.
The bathrooms were immaculate and I like that they provide alcohol wipes in some areas. Gyms are generally really disgusting to me!
The only thing I didn’t like was the locker key. Call me old fashioned but I like using combination locks. The membership card doubles as a locker key. It is efficient and it’s pretty cool how the card works but I just don’t want to carry it while I’m working out.
All in all a great gym!
Kudos Madonna