Information about Project Better Brunswick East

421 Lygon St
3057, Melbourne
+61391176344

Opening hours

  • sunday: 0h-0h
  • monday: 0h-0h
  • tuesday: 0h-0h
  • wednesday: 0h-0h
  • thursday: 0h-0h
  • friday: 0h-0h
  • saturday: 0h-0h
Project Better Brunswick East, welcomes customer from in and around Victoria. We are your local dog friendly, mirrorless, hipster cafe looking gym. Project Better is very excited to announce that we have a second venue in Brunswick East. Following our very successful first space in Collingwood it will be more of the same but BETTER. We are committed to building a beautiful new space for people of every level to enjoy on their fitness journey. We use best in the market equipment and our service is the same to match. We offer Gym Trials, Personal training and have an Infrared Sauna to relax. Please check out our website for more information.

Our comment from FitFit Australia about Project Better Brunswick East:

Project Better Brunswick East is a well-loved gym in Melbourne that offers a fantastic workout environment at an affordable price. Many users appreciate its cleanliness, especially for a 24-hour facility, and highlight the excellent amenities such as ice baths and saunas. The gym promotes a welcoming atmosphere with lots of natural light, plants, and the friendly presence of dogs which adds to a positive vibe.

Key highlights include:

  • A great range of state-of-the-art equipment.
  • Friendly and knowledgeable staff who are dedicated to creating a supportive community.
  • Inclusive culture that welcomes individuals from all backgrounds and fitness levels.
  • Innovative features like infrared saunas and body scanners.
  • Affordable pricing with no hidden fees, making it accessible to a wider audience.

While the gym's cozy size offers an inviting ambiance, it can sometimes feel crowded during peak hours, making it challenging to find space for workouts. Additionally, some users noted that certain equipment could use better maintenance and that the absence of mirrors might be an adjustment for those wanting to check their form. However, the gym's unique charm and commitment to fostering a friendly environment ensure that it remains a favorite among locals.

Overall, Project Better Brunswick East stands out as an incredible place for fitness enthusiasts seeking a community-oriented gym that prioritizes member experience.

Services, Machines and Guided Classes

Fit
Training
Personal Training
Sauna

Project Better Brunswick East: Opinions

4.7/5 (40 Opinions)
Morgan H 9 months ago

Positive experience: Overall, this gym is pretty great for the price, fairly clean for a 24hr gym and really good facilities like the ice bath and sauna. Staff seem friendly and I like that the place has a lot of natural light, plants and puppies - it's a good vibe. Couple of things to note: 1. No mirrors - Not necessarily a negative. Pro: As a woman working out in a busy gym, it's nice not having to worry about being watched from multiple vantage points. Con: You can't check your form. 2. Some of the equipment isn't very well maintained with rubber grips peeling off handle bars, rusty areas and I'm not sure the lateral pulldown machine is calibrated properly? It has quite a short range so if you're under 5'6" you might not be able to achieve a full rep. 3. The gym is quite small and very busy. It was really difficult to find a time where the gym wasn't packed and in a small space it was hard to find a spot to workout, plus pretty overwhelming as a neurodivergent person. Plus, with the addition of dogs - I love seeing them in the gym but with so many people and heavy equipment I'm always worried they might get hurt. I tried going at off peak times/late evening but it just didn't fit in with my schedule or didn't feel safe walking there at night. Ultimately, this is why I've made the tough decision to cancel my membership but I still recommend this gym to friends, especially for the puppies <3

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks for detailed review Morgan. Very thoughtful and we appreciate you recommending to your friends.☺️

Denise Heckmann 10 months ago

Negative experience: It’s such a shame that the people running this gym lack any form of customer centric thinking. As they demonstrate here with any review that isn’t 5 stars, they’re hyper defensive and unable to take on any form of constructive criticism. The gym itself is fine - albeit very small and not designed with a customer focus (e.g. some chin up bars back onto big pipes so you can’t actually do chin/pullups on them?! For the price it is great nonetheless but the staff & manager(s) just ruin it. I’ve tried out two locations and had a bad experience each time. Firstly, the hygiene (or lack thereof) is super off putting. The showers and saunas are pretty dirty, already shortly after opening. I’ve seen people (including staff) not following basic sauna hygiene and when raising the issue I was sent screenshots from their CCTV footage to help identify the culprit! Not only did I find that whole experience super uncomfortable I’m also pretty sure it’s not legal to share recordings from customers?! The very worst inexperienced though was on a Sunday night when my locker didn’t open which had my keys in it. I tried to call the gym number but hung up when the voicemail said to call back during office hours. Little did I know that the “in case of an emergency” message would play AFTER you don’t follow the instruction to hang up. How logical?! I was super distressed and had to call in a locksmith who luckily was as an absolute legend and managed to open the lock after more than hour. You would think that the manager would express sympathy that a customer had to endure such a nightmare in their business. That, sadly, wasn’t the case. The guy blamed me for not staying on the phone to hear the emergency message!! After I wouldn’t accept the blame he banned me from joining (not that I would have wanted to pay money to someone like that anyway.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Hi Denise,

Hope you’re doing well!

I’m Jess, one of the owners of Project Better. I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge your feedback and share our perspective on the situation. We always take these concerns seriously and do our best to understand things from all sides.

I have to say, I was a little surprised to see this pop up - especially since it’s been over 9 months since you were a member and our last interaction ended with you saying, “Now I’ve said my peace and am happy to move on.” after we covered the $250 locksmith fee and refunded your membership in full. Regardless, I want to address your points.

Regarding the locker situation, we completely understand it was very stressful in the moment. We do have a 24-hour emergency line, and when you listen through the full voicemail (which I personally recorded), there is a prompt to press 2 for immediate help. I can imagine in the moment you were stressed and probably a little panic’d which meant you didn’t listen all the way through, I get it, I have done this with things, and still do sometimes, so I know it happens to all of us.

The following day we received your email about the situation we offered to pay for the locksmith - I’m pretty sure no other gym would do that.

As for Tristan’s response, his only goal was to make sure you knew how to reach us in the future. I imagine he was a bit frustrated because, despite us covering the cost and resolving the issue, the emails that followed were still quite rude and aggressive, took no ownership of your possible part in the situation and offered little acknowledgment of the effort we made to fix things.

We understand things happens and people make mistakes but we do not tolerate bullying or unkind behaviour, which is why we thought it was best to part ways.

About the cleaning - it’s hard to say what the gym looked like 9 months ago around the time we first opened, but I will say we now have professional cleaners in nearly every day, so that’s hopefully improved.

As for the CCTV - This feels more like an attempt to be vindictive than a real concern. You brought to our attention a member violating our rules (which we very much appreciate) and we needed to know specifically who, which is why we sent a screenshot of the area. Our intent has always been to ensure the space is safe and respected by all members. It was never about singling anyone out, but rather about addressing issues that affected the community as a whole.

And finally, the claim that we lack “customer-centric thinking” just doesn’t sit right with me. From day one, our entire mission has been to create a space that feels welcoming and inclusive to all. Not having mirrors, making it dog-friendly, keeping membership prices fair with no hidden fees, including saunas and ice baths at no extra cost, running free community classes and run clubs - I may be tooting our own horn but I think we do an excellent job of being a people first business.

Again, leaving this review so long after everything was resolved—and after you agreed you were satisfied—feels a little salty. But we can’t please everyone hey.

Hope you enjoy some sunshine today.

Kelly Bensimon 11 months ago

Positive experience: Sadly no hip abductor/adductor machine :( pretty small functional area and no space for things like walking lunges when there are dogs. Great deal with the sauna though!

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Wow Kelly Bensimon! We loved you on the Real Housewives.
Don't love the 3 star review, we purposely have minimal machines, plus being dog friendly is literally our schtick. Understand we are not for everyone though - so if you're ever come back and need alternative exercises for those ab/adductors holler at one of us trainers and we can help.

Aaron Low 1 year ago

Negative experience: I attended this gym on a free trial with a friend who was new to working out. The gym itself was fine- well maintained equipment and a decent layout. However the staff made the experience extremely uncomfortable. I’ve been training for over 10 years and I was simply helping my friend navigate the equipment and get comfortable. Despite explaining this to the staff, they still approached us and I couldn’t “personally train” my friend. I repeatly clarified that I’m not a personal trainer and just a supportive friend but they continued to make unwelcoming and strange comments. This staff member behaviour felt intrusive and not all inclusive and supportive which is unfortunate because the gym has potential but the attitude of the staff made it so unwelcoming to me and my friend who was new to working out. I wouldn’t recommend this gym if you’re looking for a supportive or encouraging atmosphere

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

We love that you wanted to come with your housemate and give them some guidance, however training WITH someone is much different than actually coaching someone. As it seemed from the outside that you were coaching them it is our obligation to enquire.

Coaching someone in our space without insurance or a discussion not only violates our rules (and is terribly rude) it's actually an insurance and liability issue that could bare major consequences for all parties. So you can understand our concern when we see this happening in any of our spaces. I understand you are not a personal trainer but your actions showed you actually coaching your roommate which is why you were approached and spoken to.

I cannot say whether the person who spoke to you was "unwelcoming" as i was not there but I will venture to guess seeing as you are the kind of person to leave a 1 star review that you just didn't really like being called out.

We did see as well on your memberships that you two have different addresses which also seems concerning when you are claiming to be housemates.

Anyways, I strongly disagree with your 1 star review as I think us looking out for the safety and wellbeing of our members is actually pretty amazing.

One last thing for future reference, if you are going to train a mate in any gym space probably best to let the staff or owner know up front as no business owner will be happy seeing this regardless if you are a certified Person Trainer or not.

Amy Woodley-Davis 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Hands down the best gym I’ve been to in Melbourne. State of the art equipment (including infrared saunas and ice baths), super friendly and knowledgeable staff and best of all, no ego training. This is the gym that makes everyone feel like they could be a “gym person”. Girls, guys, gays, theys, older people, teenagers, people who are there for their first visit and people who are athletes - everyone is truly welcome here. It’s one of a kind.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much for kind words Amy, really appreciate you!!

themoxapunk perth 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Same minimalist, functional kit out as the OG Collingwood space. Top quality gear. Friendly, on point staff. No mirrors or screens! This is how small neighbourhood gyms should be. Kinda miss the old school hiphop playlist of the Collingwood gym tho.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much Giles for the kind review! Music changes daily - so gonna have to come back to get the old school hip hop!

nicholas orr 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Very new and well maintained gym, friendly atmosphere, a great range of equipment, comfortable showers. I'm happy to recommend Project Better!

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much for the nice review Nicholas - we're glad you loved it!

Mark A 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Love this gym. Clean and has everything you need. Staff are friendly and always greet you with a smile and hello. Coach Jamie is friendly, knowledgeable and has really helped me re-engage with my fitness goals. Highly recommend.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much for the kind words Mark! We love Jamie too!

Delilah Hair Studio 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Love this place, right across the road from us! What a comfortable and friendly space to work out in.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much for the kind 5 star review team!

Pallavi Yagnik 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: This gym is a vibe. It actually feels like a chill space to be in, which makes exercising a pleasant experience

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much for the loveliest review P!❤️

Calebe de Roure 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: I’ve been using many different gyms with the fitness passport and this is my favorite. The free body scanner and ice baths made my day!

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks for the kind review Calebe! So happy you had a great experience at our space - we'll see you soon!

Mitch 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: This place is great if you're looking to lift heavy weights and get strong. If you don't want to lift heavy weights then luckily they also have weights that aren't as heavy to lift so you don't have to lift heavy weights. Thanks Mitch

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much for the 5 star review Mitch, we got all the weights!

Luke Nash 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Really nice gym with a welcoming vibe. The staff are very friendly and facilities are great!

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much Luke!

Rachael Peri 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Lovely, inclusive gym. Highly recommend!

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks for the kind review Rahael! We really appreciate it!

Emily Gielnik 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: One of the most accomodating and friendly spaces in Melbourne. The staff are unreal, the facility is top notch and the vibe here is so welcoming and to be honest one of the best gyms I’ve been to in terms of equipment, facilities and environment by a country mile. Couldn’t recommend this place enough for people that are serious or just wanting to get started with their health journey. 5 stars all round ☺️

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much for the kind words Emily! We love having you as apart of our community!❤️

Chelsea 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: The best gym I have ever been to! I enjoy coming here and look forward to all my workouts. Beautiful fit out, environment and lighting. Excellent equipment plus two saunas and a cold plunge with unlimited access as part of your membership.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much Chelsea! We really appreciate the review and the kind words!

Jarrad McLean 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Every time I show a friend this gym, their jaw hits the floor. Great vibes, gear, and location. Thanks team, I'm a fan xx

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks Jarrad, we're a big fan of you too!

Ashley Tonelli 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Great equipment and lovely staff, would recommend!!

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks for the kind words Ashley! :)

Miranda Ward 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Love this space. Great equipment, 2 infrared saunas and an ice bath make it potentially the best gym I’ve ever been to. Also - cute dogs

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks for the lovely review Miranda. We love the cute doggos too!

Beth K 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: The best way I can describe Project Better is the vibe is just right, it feels like a safe space. The trainers are friendly and the equipment is in good nick. I also enjoy smiling at peoples dogs when they come in. Thanks team!

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Aw thanks Beth, what a lovely review! Thanks for being apart of our wonderful community!

Mark 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Trained here when visiting Melbourne. Good kit, clean, and lovely staff with special thanks to Jess!

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Glad you loved it mark, come back anytime!

Andrew 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Great gym- modern equipment and reasonably priced. The community class on Saturday is a highlight

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks for the kind review Andrew - we love the CC also!

Andy Du 2 years ago

Fantastic experience: This is the best gym- hands down. The equipment AND the people are top of the line.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Awwww thanks Andrew! We think you top of the line too!

Cassius Hynam 2 years ago

Fantastic experience: Clean gym with everything you need. Love the sauna and ice bath when I'm in a heavy training block. It is relatively small but even at the busiest times have never found myself waiting for a rack or a bench. No judgey vibes or overly aggressive gym bros. Only negative is that there is very little floor space for stretching and mobility exercises, which are quite popular. It just makes it a bit awkward. A dedicated spot would be great (remove the ski ergs, I think I've seen them used once!) Overall would recommend.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Hi Cassius! Thanks so much for the lovely review!

Yeah we wish we had a bit more space for stretching too, I do love the ski ergs though.

Come back anytime!

Nicholas Boserio 2 years ago

Fantastic experience: Went for an ice bath and a sauna, looks like a super clean gym also. Lady who ran it was so helpful also.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks Nicholas for the kind words! We’re glad you liked the ice bath and sauna!

Dr Damian Poustie 2 years ago

Fantastic experience: Great gym, nice ice bath and sauna.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much for the kind review Damian!

Dimitrios Kailaris 2 years ago

Fantastic experience: Such a lovely facility! Sauna and weight section were great! Such friendly staff too! Highly recommend!

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much mate!

Sam Wines 2 years ago

Fantastic experience: The sauna and ice bath combo plus a decent gym with no TVs or mirrors is

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much Sam! We love having you be apart of the community as well!

Tek 909 2 years ago

Fantastic experience: This is an incredible space to train. The Equipment is absolutely mint and is only surpassed by the staff and the community they have built. This one goes up to 11 out of 10 when you want something that little bit better.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Awww thanks so much for that lovely review! We think you’re a 11/10 too!

Devereux Seear 2 years ago

Fantastic experience: awesome gym with infra red saunas , cold plunge tub ,

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much Devereux! We're so happy you love it.

Nick Macky 2 years ago

Fantastic experience: Amazing gym with a great aesthetic, super clean facilities, quality equipment and really friendly staff.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks so much Nick!

Michelle Tran 2 years ago

Fantastic experience: Amazing gym with top notch facilities; good vibes, a friendly community, plus dogs!

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks Michelle!

A Glaister 2 years ago

Fantastic experience: Such an amazing space, and a caring team

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks for the kind words A!

Patrick Jenkins 2 years ago

Fantastic experience: So much room and fantastic equipment!

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks for the kind review Pat!

Nadia Hammoud 2 years ago

Positive experience: The gym recently opened up, has new equipment, within walking distance of my house and lovely staff, which are all positives. The gym allows dogs, which I have no issue with, I have 2 dogs of my own, however, there are those who bring in dogs who continually bark. It’s very frustrating when you’re trying to work out and all you can hear is dogs barking. There are groups of people who do workouts in the morning. The gym is quite small and they seem to sit in a circle and block equipment and areas for people to walk through. Seems to be no consideration for other people in the gym who are not part of the group. It would be great if the gym could provide some direction so groups don’t interfere with individuals trying to do a workout. The gym is fine when it is quiet, however, once it’s busy, you can’t do a proper workout. I found another local gym, that’s big and allows for groups and individuals to do workouts at the same time without getting in the way of equipment or in your personal space. I have been going to gyms for a very long time and this gym is just not worth the money.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Hi Nadia,

Thank you for the feedback we always appreciate hearing how we can do better.

Sometimes the dogs do get a bit barky, we agree. If you would have mentioned something to us that you were finding it frustrating we could have spoken to the owners and set better boundaries with them.

Just to clarify a few things though, we only run group classes on a Saturday. One of our coaches runs a Strong Women’s only class 8-9 and our free Community Class is on from 930-1030. We do try and leave a few rigs free and some of the space open as we understand people will want to use the gym at that time outside of the class. We do post this very often on our instagram but could probably do a better job of mentioning this to the community and current members so they know the space will be a bit busier than usual.

We’ll have to agree to disagree with the ‘not being worth the money’ part as we believe the Basic Membership which includes 24 hour access, infrared sauna use, ice baths use, body scanner use, run club 2x a week and a community class 1x a week is an excellent deal.

Sounds like you found the right gym for you though and that’s great. As long as you’re training and moving and continuing on your health journey that’s all that matters.

Chloe Nauschutz 3 years ago

Fantastic experience: ABSOLUTELY the best gym we have EVER been to. Truly. My husband and I joined our friend for a few days ( as he is a member ) and WOW. Absolutely unreal set up, friendly staff, insane facilities, ice bath/sauna, so many state of the art pieces of equipment, dog friendly too, and just so clean and immaculate!!!!!!!!!!! 10/10. Can’t wait to come back ASAP.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

CHLOE! that is the nicest review. Thank you so much, we are so glad you love the space! Come back anytime

Portia MacDougall 3 years ago

Fantastic experience: This gym is amazing. Beautiful aesthetics, top quality equipment and super friendly and helpful staff. Not crowded, lots of equipment, no meatheads, just great community vibes. And you can bring your dog! So happy the infrared saunas are now open!

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Aw thanks so much Portia! We love having you be apart of the community <3

Jonathan Minter 3 years ago

Fantastic experience: Best gym. Awesome space. Nice staff

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks for the 5 star review mate - you're a legend!

matty williams 3 years ago

Fantastic experience: Best gym no question!!!

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

thanks for the 5 star review homie!

Kyle Smart 3 years ago

Fantastic experience: Love the space, and the bathrooms, saunas and ice baths are super lux. Great community vibe.

Project Better Brunswick East
Project Better Brunswick East

Thanks for the 5 star review!

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Project Better Brunswick East appears in the following listings:

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