Fernwood Fitness

Fantastic experience: I love this gym - have been here since it opened in Annandale. Everyone is friendly and the equipment is good. I moved recently but decided to keep the membership (it takes 30 mins bus to go to gym), so I really love this space!

Negative experience: I got stuck on the leg press machine. I’ve used it many times but this time the safety latch didn’t work and thankfully there were ladies nearby to help. It took three women to help get me off it and I’m relieved it didn’t happen when no one was around. I was sore the next day from the length of time I had to hold the weights for and didn’t trust it again. I brought it up with management via email to examine the machine and didn’t hear back until I cancelled my membership because of it and still had to pay the two direct debits despite what happened to me.

Fantastic experience: It was my best decision to join this club at early 2024. The environment is very nice, keeps me coming back here consistently. Staffs are really nice and facilities are clean. Love it!

Fantastic experience: Staff are so caring and accommodating. They go out of there way to help. Great selection of classes to choose from. Safe environment.

Fantastic experience: A beautifully created gym space in a heritage listed building that has been completely modernised with lots of lighting and plants. More than a gym it's a community and I love leaving work to come here. Being ladies only it's very comfortable and non competitive. Love Susie's Pilates classes. She's so wonderful.

Fantastic experience: Incredible service. Staff go above and beyond to help. They make you feel valued and part of the community. Jo was outstanding. Highly recommend!

Negative experience: Fernwood gyms do not offer a trial package or casual passes to test out a gym before making a commitment. You must take a 12 month membership minimum. This gym in particular was good at the time- clean, great instructors & reasonable classes. I moved 2 hours away from any fernwood location, and I needed to cancel this membership. There is no reason good enough for them to waive the $200 cancellation fee. Unless you’re dead of course. I tried to transfer this membership to someone who wanted it, but this club said we could not transfer over the phone, it had to be in person. Neither one of us was going to travel 2 hrs to transfer a membership. Which apparently you need to pay $90 to transfer too. I will never get involved with a gym franchise ever again.

Fantastic experience: This gym is a haven. I exclusively do classes and they have a great variety of them. The instructors are all great. Despite it not being the closest gym to me I will happily walk 20 min to the venue it’s worth it.

Fantastic experience: Love this gym. The space is so serene, the equipment state of the art, and most importantly, the staff and trainers exceptional.

Fantastic experience: Can’t recommend this gym enough! The classes and instructors are amazing, and the reception staff are super friendly! The gym has a nice and non-judgemental vibe and I’m so happy I found a gym that I actually want to go to. 10/10!

Fantastic experience: Nice and clean. Very friendly staffs there. Susie is the best instructor. She is amazing

Fantastic experience: Joined about a month ago and love it!! They run a variety of classes every day every hour from Pilates to cycle with a 5 hour break at lunch which is the best time to go and use the equipment and I have no issues with waiting to use a machine. Super clean and super friendly staff!! It’s great for people like me who get overwhelmed in crowded spaces. So glad I found this place

Fantastic experience: Great gym, friendly staff and members, clean and modern facilities

Fantastic experience: Amazing place to workout! Pilates is my favourite workout exercise! !

Fantastic experience: Love Fernwood Annandale Susie is fantastic

Fantastic experience: Great place, women only and really great moments with Danka who explained me everything about the gym place. Nice environment to make sport for women.

Fantastic experience: Such a welcoming, friendly and supportive environment. So many different classes to choose from! I always look forward to coming in.

Fantastic experience: Great beginner reformer Pilates classes and friendly staff

Fantastic experience: Love the experience at this gym. They have fitness classes and personal training tailored for you!

Fantastic experience: Loving the experience. Best time at the gym for years. Great instructors, Susie Fitzgerald is amazing

Fantastic experience: Best all female gym in Annandale!! They have an amazing range of classes from cycle, HIIT, Yoga and reformer pilates. It's the first gym I've signed up to that keeps me motivated to go. Amie's yoga and pilates classes are Zen like and leave you feeling like you've had a massage, tight muscles loosen and weak muscles feel stronger. Suzie is a PT & gym class Queen. She works you hard but leaves you smiling. I've definitely discovered new muscles in weird places after her reformer class. Kristy, Danka & Sonia on front desk are wonderful. I've needed to make adjustments to my membership & had many questions. They have always been so helpful. The only thing I would critique is emphasising to newbies that the pass to open the door also signs you in for a booked class. I came in a few times when the door was already open and didn't tap my pass on the door. I didn't realise until later that this flags you as a No Show. Other than that, an amazing safe space & worth every cent!

Fantastic experience: Very nice gym, lots of friendly people! Went to one of the classes today, instructors and reception very friendly and helpful

Fantastic experience: I've been going here for over a year and I love it! The change/bathrooms are super clean with free toiletries and staff are always friendly and ready to help.

Fantastic experience: Very helpful staff

Fantastic experience: Clean and beautiful space to be active and healthy. Gym instructors are lovely and provide a watchful eye on your form.

Fantastic experience: Love this place! Atmosphere is so welcoming to all ladies and the safest space.

Fantastic experience: Love this gym, beautiful and clean. Adore Susie’s classes, she is a wonderful instructor and we all love her creative classes! Her Yin and Pilates classes are the best classes and I look forward to them every week.

Fantastic experience: I highly recommend fernwood Annandale. Situated in a beautiful space with friendly staff, this is a lovely place to train and catch up with fellow exercisers!

Fantastic experience: The staff and team members here are exceptionally friendly, welcoming and supportive. Shout to Siobhan! What a star! The Annandale club offers over 10 classes a day including Reformer Pilates, which is my personal favourite! The club is always clean and tidy, and has great showers and kitchen facility.

Negative experience: This gym is a scam. They have been secretly charging a woman (with Alzheimers and Parkinsons) for personal training who has never used that service. They refused to refund the money. Absolutely despicable and disgusting.

Negative experience: I've heard from very reputable sources that this business steals money from elderly women suffering from neurodegenerative disease. Choose another gym.

Negative experience: I have been putting off writing this for a while, but sadly the situation has reached a point where I can no longer do so. Fernwood prides itself in being a community-oriented business that prioritises the health and empowerment of women, yet in all my years as both a member and a professional PT across many gyms, I have yet to encounter such callous and unethical behaviour. I will be posting a far more extensive review in the near future with all supporting documentation, but for now it's suffice to say that this business has no qualms in covertly charging my mother, an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimers and Parkinson's Disease, for personal training services she never commenced. Not only this, but upon being notified of their mistake, they not only refused to acknowledge and apologise, but have instead doubled down and will not refund the money. Besides being in the wrong, they have knowingly and unnecessarily contributed further distress and heartache to an already awful situation. A disgraceful and morally bankrupt business that hypocritically markets itself with the idea of bettering women's health. The review posted by Rebecca Ha, which Fernwood has attempted to undermine, provides a more detailed account of the situation to date.

Fantastic experience: Tried my first reformer class with Susie! Wow! And Kristy is so welcoming and fun!! Thanks ladies! I’ll be back!!!

Negative experience: I loved this gym when it first opened but cancelled my membership some months after the change of management. Unfortunately the new owners seemed to be rarely there, the reception desk was unattended for morning classes (& the new receptionist never said hello), and many of my favourite instructors left. The old owners used to spot clean during the day, rather than just waiting for the cleaners to come in, and so the space started feeling much dirtier and more tired. It's a shame! Shout out to Bernie and Suzie who are both great. In response to owner feedback below - I did share my concerns with the staff member when I cancelled my membership, and in an automated survey, and was surprised that no one from Fernwood Annandale or HQ bothered to contact me to follow up. Your rude and defensive tone in response to any negative feedback (not just mine) says a huge amount about the new management's approach to members.

Negative experience: **In response to Fernwood's reply: No, Fernwood Annandale is the correct gym. Please see Jennifer Min's review which corroborates this. We will not be removing our reviews or ceasing our inquiries for legal advice unless this issue is resolved with your reaching out to Jennifer Min via her email, which you will have on record in your database and inboxes. As someone who works in a role that oversees administrative operations, I can't believe that Fernwood is refusing to redress their very basic administrative error and demonstrate some level of compassion and flexibility in the face of what is obviously a disastrous and tragic situation. A close family friend of mind has been diagnosed with rapidly degenerative Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. It was requested that any correspondence relating to her membership be directed to her legal guardian, who is her daughter, as her mother no longer has the capacity to make her own legal and medical decisions. The owner of the branch confirmed that they would do so and that there would be no further issues. Despite having confirmed the above, the Fernwood team have continued to send important information relating to additional payments and services (this so-called "Personal Training Membership" that is charged in addition to a gym membership) to the mother. My family friend was hospitalised and receiving critical care during this time. We discovered that Fernwood had been debiting hundreds of dollars from her on a fortnightly basis, and so we requested a full refund of any fees relating to personal training -- as no contract was signed by her legal guardian and no services were rendered, which Fernwood confirmed understanding of. They have refused to refund the fees for the unused services that were not consented to by a legal guardian, stating that they had "sent an email" to her mother.... the same mother who was in hospital and who can no longer make her own legal decisions. It is astounding that these people can sleep at night knowing that they're using bureaucracy as a justification to profit off of a woman who is on the verge of dying, when that money could be spend on the life-saving care that will cost upwards of the hundreds of thousands. This isn't a change-of-mind situation, this is quite literally a violation of contractual law given that the mother had no ability to agree to a contract, and the company was fully aware, with the owner having confirmed that issues wouldn't arise. Shameful and horrendous practice that will be shared publicly with friends in the media sector in the months to come once we are able to arrange for appropriate care for our family friend. Gyms are notoriously underregulated and engage in dodgy practice, but this was a real shocker from Fernwood given how excellent they were prior to the change in management. Even from the more recent lower reviews since the change in management, it's evident that this is no longer a gym that is worth going to if you're truly searching for a compassionate and humanised approach to womens' health. While the gym is sure to be fine for an able-bodied person in fit health who is searching for classes or equipment, it's clear that they refuse to demonstrate flexibility for those with particular needs.

Fantastic experience: I came from doing all reformer Pilates at another studio but wasn’t losing weight, only building muscle, dietician told me I needed to do at least 2 x 20min cardio a week to burn more fat. Joined Fernwood and now that I have more variety of Cycle, Pilates, Tone, Stretch etc it’s finally working. Love that it’s all woman, low fi, supportive, friendly and chill. 100% happy that I switched and wish I’d done it sooner.

Fantastic experience: Have been a member since Nov 2020 and love coming 3-4 times a week for the wide variety of classes. Highly recommend HIIT with Bernie, Tone with Koula and the Yin Yoga classes. Love the option of being able to add on reformer Pilates classes too.

Fantastic experience: I've signed up to 3 different gyms in the past 2 years and honestly I'm shocked at how welcoming and non-judgemental this gym is. Especially for women who need a safe space and encouragement to reach their goals. Kristy and Sophie make me laugh but on a serious note, I can't wait to train with their support. Lets go!!!

Fantastic experience: Great staff amazing gym

Fantastic experience: Kristy is lovely and very helpful and makes coming here an enjoyable experience so lucky to have a staff member like this.

Fantastic experience: Suzie wrote me a great program for a quick HIT session - thanks suzie!

Fantastic experience: Awesome place to work out. Great classes and lovely reception shout out to Kristy and Danka

Fantastic experience: First time reformer class. So good! Lovely staff too xx

Fantastic experience: Kristy was particularly fabulous but great gym for ladies on a health and fitness journey.

Fantastic experience: Easy signing up process, clean facilities and helpful staff!

Fantastic experience: Nice clean facility with amazing staff that help you with any problems.

Fantastic experience: What a fabulous place to get fit and healthy. Safe, inviting with caring staff. I look forward to a long association with this gym!

Fantastic experience: Clean, spacious and welcoming staff

Fantastic experience: Great gym Lots of options for classes and equipment. Very aesthetic gym with lots of facilities.

Fantastic experience: Lovely sign up experience!

Fantastic experience: Gorgeous gym, clean and brightly lit with great equipment facilities

Fantastic experience: A great space - so welcoming. Great equipment and lovely members and staff.

Fantastic experience: Every staff here are sooo nice and lovely!! Great environment great classes and I really love it !!!

Fantastic experience: The club is excellent really welcoming and a great place to work out!

Negative experience: Very rude staff. They didn't let me put a feet in, coz only woman are aloud, without even give me the opportunity to talk. Very disappointed. You guys should change business

Negative experience: Super expensive!!! And be aware that you will have to paid 200$ when you stop your membership!!! ( has the owner accused me of lying about the fee cost, let me rephrase this) Fernwood will charged you 1 month membership when you cancel this one. So $200 will be charge from your bank account when you decided to stop your membership. Be aware of this when you signed in.

Fantastic experience: Fernwood staff are wonderful and friendly!

Fantastic experience: Just did a great Reformer class today with Rochelle Beautiful space and lovely welcoming owner and staff.

Fantastic experience: Great gym, with friendly staff and great equipment.

Positive experience: Solo traveling from NY to Australia and a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, it was huge to find a space where I can work out and feel safe. Onboarded and greeted by an amazing receptionist who at the time I thought was the owner Jen. Unfortunate to hear the news of the new owners discontinuing the relationship with her, such a shame. You can tell she cared for the members, even myself just walking off the street and a person of color, solo, not knowing anyone. I paid one of the highest memberships in the club (reformer Pilates, pt sessions and the base membership) all because of Jen and her customer service along with the environment of inclusive women. Despite the abrupt change of staff , which for my social - emotional needs was huge as they were all so amazing - Maddy, Jen. The membership is great and the community is as well, I’ve gained friends and felt welcomed. Great equipment and clean facility! I’m sure the new folks are great but wish the others were back.

Negative experience: I am so disappointed with the changes made to this once-beautiful gym since the new management came on board. I am especially upset to see the managers sacking much-loved, long-time staffers, for inexplicable reasons. Particularly horrifying was the dismissal of Jennifer, who was loved by every member, and who for years kept many of us coming back to the gym. Apart from being a total joy, she was also a top performer who had won awards for her work, so we are all utterly confused as to why she was marched out the door. This used to be such a beautiful, inclusive, happy community for women. It's not anymore.

Fantastic experience: Always enjoyed the attitude of the staff, trainers and members. Great gym!

Fantastic experience: I love this gym so much!!! It has helped me so much to attain my goals within a gym that makes me feel comfortable being all women !! The equipment is great and I feel so welcomed :))

Fantastic experience: Such a lovely clean facility. The staff are always so friendly and welcoming when I come in. I have been loving Reformer Pilates and have been seeing great results! Always such a positive environment at Fernwood Annandale!

Fantastic experience: The most beautiful gym, it is always clean and tidy and everyone is very welcoming and supportive. In particular, the staff are all friendly and very helpful which has really helped me get back into a good exercise routine. I am so happy I’ve found this gym, I love the Reformer Pilates classes and have really seen great results since starting. Thanks to everyone on the team!

Negative experience: I have been a member since 2018, when they were in Broadway. I loved all the happy, friendly staff. I have tried other Fernwood, but no where beat the customer services of the Broadway team!! They care, they listen and always ready to help. Previous instructors were amazing. Truely caring and open to discussion on women health issues and mental health. I decided to stay on, when they moved, simply because of those friendly staff.. They never made us feel like a number, we were Fernwood family.

Fantastic experience: Such an amazing facility!! Staff members are super lovely and welcoming!! The vibe there is amazing!!!

Fantastic experience: A beautiful, light-filled space for all your workout needs. Clean and well-appointed with knowledgeable and friendly staff. A friendly and supportive environment for all ages and fitness stages.

Negative experience: OMG, just heard that Jen the Receptionist was sacked! She has been such a great part of Fernwood both at Broadway and Annandale- everyone will miss her, this is sooooo sad- yes I have cancelled my membership. I was a member of Fernwood for 12 years and I loved the family atmosphere. But the new owners came in, removed all the special touches that made you pay extra to be a member, removed friendly staff- such as Jen- and brought in staff who ignored members. I don’t understand how this can be seen as a good business model. I have joined another gym and pay $50 per fortnight for more activities- such as squash and tennis with a pool- and friendly staff. They even give you a towel if you need it

Fantastic experience: Really welcoming atmosphere, great equipment, super friendly staff

Fantastic experience: Love this gym! I joined because they offered reformer pilates but what made me stay was the friendly staff and the welcoming atmosphere. The classes are catered to all level and as a beginner this was really helpful. Highly recommend this gym.

Fantastic experience: been going here for a couple of months now and am already loving it. the staff are very welcoming and lovely!

Fantastic experience: Wow such a great gym for women. I love the class options and the facilities are always clean.

Fantastic experience: Very friendly staff, great modern facilities.

Negative experience: Was considering joining this gym, but now seeing it’s not worth my time or money. After reading reviews from change in management who seem to not care about the safety of their clients and staff in regards to the cleanliness of their work environment - it seems like the worst place to be. Also why are unjustly firing employees, especially queer employees? Very disappointing to hear. And i heard you’re allowing kids anymore? Thought I was going to be welcomed here and comfortable but I guess not.

Negative experience: The previous owners did an incredible job of making this gym a welcoming, friendly place with a beautiful atmosphere. Sadly, since it's been sold it has not been the same. It doesn't have the same friendly, family feel and they have been changing little things that made it great, like aspects of the complimentary breakfast. They can't even seem to reliably provide a non dairy milk option in the fridge when there used to even be back ups in the cupboard. I felt like the staff really cared about me, but no longer. I am especially disappointed to see staff fired, particularly queer staff members who made me feel comfortable. Feels like everything the previous owners built is being neglected. Really disappointed and considering moving gyms as I'm not sure it is worth the expense anymore as it feels like any other gym. I hope they consider this feedback and try to do more to make members feel supported and not like customers.

Fantastic experience: I just wanted to give a huge shout out to Pilates instructor Suzie Fitzgerald. I started Pilates at fernwood annandale approx 6 months ago with zero flexibility and other health issues. Suzie has taken me from a zero to 10 I can’t believe how knowledgeable she is but at the same time so accommodating to all abilities. With a great sense of humour and an ability to adapt to the class at hand, A huge asset to Fernwood Annandale. Thanks Suzi

Fantastic experience: Loving the classes, especially reformer Pilates. Gym is very clean.

Fantastic experience: Love the open, clean and friendly atmosphere. The group fitness timetable offers so much! The staff are so welcoming and it’s such an enjoyable place to train. Highly recommend

Negative experience: Since new management the cleaning has not been acceptable. No cleaner comes in on Sunday evening after the weekend and so Monday morning (peak period) the bathrooms are dirty. Apparently they don’t get cleaned till Monday afternoon. I had raised this and was apparently going to be fixed. Not so. One of the reasons I was prepared to pay a higher premium was the guarantee of cleanliness. Especially in COVID times. I am disappointed that something so critical has been cut back to save money.

Fantastic experience: I’m a new convert to Fernwood and it’s the first gym I’ve gone to that I’ve genuinely looked forward to visiting every day. I’ve never been this regular and active at a gym before. The absolute highlight is Susie- her pilates classes are one of the best parts of my day! Her energy and positivity is so motivating and inspiring and she makes me laugh every class. I’m so happy at this gym x

Positive experience: Have noted that it's not as clean as it was. It used to be spotless but now the entrance foyer and stairs and flooring/other sections look like they needs to be cleaned/vacuumed. It's disappointing as it used to be the most wonderful gym. I hope it's only temporary

Positive experience: Staff are super friendly. The PTs are excellent. The equipment is great. A great atmosphere. I just miss the fruit and bread. Plus I’m a extremely forgetful person and the towels you can normally hire for $2 are gone. Any chance they can come back with the fruit and bread.

Negative experience: Love coming to the gym. I joined Fernwood Annandale in January 2022, I joined to get fit and do classes, it has been life changing, I do 7 sessions a week plus more if I can fit it in. . Love Love the gym workout classes and Love love love the PT’s. Unfortunately, since new management have come on board it has lost its friendly supportive feeling. Classes have been cut and it seems the focus is on getting more people in the door. And to pay for the Pilates and yoga classes. Not enough equipment for the classes, as we now have classes that are too big. It’s no longer a place where you have the camaraderie of fellow gym buddies. Or feel it’s a space for a chat. I miss the friendly hello as you walk in the door. This new look nolonger fits into the full time working mothers timetable. So really disappointing. If management are on the desk they don’t even say hello mostly on the phone. Doesn’t take much to make people happy. New fernwood Annandale management have lost the uniqueness of what made this gym above the others

Fantastic experience: Friendly Team, great group class options and equipments. I love how bright, spacious and well desgined the warehouse style building is too. Highly recommended for ladies who are looking for a friendly and relaxed environment. Improvement I'd suggest for the new owner is "can we have the free fruit bowl back?" My daughter loves the little apple or piece of banana when she waits me in the "recharge" area. It was a very nice point of difference that i really liked.

Negative experience: Whilst initially enjoying this place it had gone completely downhill since it changed hands. I rang on Wednesday 29 May to cancel my membership speaking with Jo but was informed I had to come in to fill in paperwork. Remind me is it 2024 or 1920. Anyway due to work and illness and time in hospital I was unable to get in to fill in ancient paperwork until 4 June. Once I got there I was advised that my cancellation would be effective after two additional direct debits even though my membership finishes on 10 June. Pathetic.

Positive experience: Well appointed. Great amenities. Really friendly staff.

Fantastic experience: This is so much more than a gym. Fernwood Annandale is a lifestyle club. There are so many options - something for everyone. The space is AMAZING. It’s a welcoming environment and trust me, all levels of fitness are welcome.

Fantastic experience: Honestly love this gym so much. The instructors and staff are so good at what they do. I Feel happy and safe and really good about myself when I’m there.

Fantastic experience: Great facilities, classes, price, location, staff and members - what more could you want from your gym? Special shout out to Jen who is always a joy to deal with.

Fantastic experience: New equipment, clean gym and welcoming environment. I found the trainers to be friendly and always happy to help. When completing a reformer pilates class the session was catered to a variety of abilities and feedback was given on technique so that I could get the best out of the session. A variety of classes are available, with plenty of time slots on offer. I would highly recommend checking out this gym, you won’t be disappointed!

Fantastic experience: Love our ladies gym. Al the trainers are excellent & very in tune with us over 60's plus. Jen the receptionist is amazing too

Fantastic experience: Fernwood Annandale is friendly and welcoming space. I have recently joined and found the team and other members to be super supportive. The gym is spotless, has small personal classes plus expert female instructors who know when to correct your form or get extra effort from you in a smiling way! I am really pleased I joined and it's fast become a highlight of my day. Thanks for helping me get back into a regular exercise routine with the added bonus of social connection to this lovely group of ladies. PS: The APP is super easy to use.

Fantastic experience: This is the nicest gym of I have ever visited, great super friendly staff, lovely very clean and bright and very well air conditioned space. Excellent equipment, a huge variety of classes throughout the day!

Fantastic experience: Firstly the space is incredible, really clean with great equipment and lighting. I love that there's lots variety and there's the options; to do weights, yoga, HIIT & cycling classes and the bonus is everyone is friendly and puts your fitness needs first. Having an all women's gym also allows you to just focus on the workout! Honestly can't say enough good things!

Fantastic experience: Joined Fernwood Annandale which had just opened post lockdown. Converted warehouse which has a great modern feel and design. Staff are very welcoming and helpful. Have a personal trainer helping me reach my goals. Modern facilities and all machines can be connected to apps and phones. Clean and covid safe. Highly recommend for all ages and fitness levels.