Bridges Rock Gym

5635 San Diego St, El Cerrito, CA 94530, USA

Address:	5635 San Diego St, El Cerrito, CA 94530, USA
Phone:	+1 510-525-5635
Site:	bridgesrockgym.com
Rating:	4.8
Working:	6AM–10PM 6AM–11PM 6AM–10PM 6AM–11PM 6AM–10PM 9AM–7PM 9AM–7PM

Location

Photos 68

Reviews 7

Jonathan Gelbard

Updated 3 (7/2013): After nearly three years here, my conclusion is that this is a climbing gym with a lot of potential that is not particularly well managed. The staff, while generally nice (though one new staff member has much to learn about customer service) is not very motivated to respond to customer complaints (again, with a couple of exceptions). For example: 1. The soap dispensers in the showers are almost always empty. I can mention it days if not weeks in a row and NOTHING changes. If you come here and need to leave clean (e.g., if you are going to work or a meeting after you work out), bring your own soap. 2. The Pilates balls are almost always under inflated. After mentioning it for about a month, maybe they will get inflated. Sometimes it takes 2-3 months. 3. The fan near the elliptical machines is invariably so caked with dust it might as well be called a "dust mite dispenser" -- it is truly gross. When somebody accidentally knocks it over, it emits a dust cloud that spreads for a good 20 feet in all directions. I always make sure to turn it AWAY from me when I am working out. 4. The sauna is broken in some way about half the time, which would not be the case if they posted the sign with the language that I recommended 2 years ago to tell members not to douse the coals with water, which fries the coils. 5. They also need some kind of protocol for what kind of behavior is acceptable versus nauseating in the sauna. For example, there is the guy who stands there naked with sweat dripping from his, um you know, creating a big disgusting puddle of genital sweat on the wooden bench. There are others who leave the sauna soaked with sweat and water and the coils shorted out, so you have to reset the unit. Some seriously strange behavior... 6. The toilet stalls are frequently out of toilet paper 7. My wife and I tried their massage program over a year ago, but after two cancellations in a row for me (one of which I wasnt told about until I arrived) and two more for my wife, we moved on. 7/13/2013: my apparently tried the massage program again and her Saturday morning massage was just cancelled last minute b/c therapist was "sick" (right...we are guessing "hung over" is more accurate). Unbelievable - again?! Really?! In conclusion, the ownership should really take some steps to hold staff accountable for taking care of the facilities and maintaining the equipment. If they did, Bridges could quickly rise to 4 or even 5 stars. But given some recent bad experiences, it is back down to 2.

Anonymous User

Were again heading over to Bridges today for climbing fun with our little ones. This gym is a lot smaller than Ironworks and has much better lighting. They dont have a whole lot of top ropes. But for beginners the top rope climbs they do have are great because they are A: short, B: easy, and C: a fast set up. Theyve already got caribbeaners(sp?) tied in to everything so you can just clip in and climb rather than having to mess with all the knots. The slacklining area is fun and offers a bit more variety than is typical in climbing gyms. Its also harder than youd think and great exercise! There is a variety of bouldering. Some hard stuff thats more geared to adults and other super easy stuff that even the littlest kids can scramble up and around without worrying their parents much. The gym is extremely clean. So much so that I wasnt at all worried about my babies crawling around on the floor (and there were pretty safe areas for them to do that), unlike Ironworks where Im convinced theyll come home sick if I put them down for a second. They even offer child care here! All in all, Id say they dont offer as much for the serious climbers as Ironworks and other established gyms in the area. But I think its a much better overall gym for young kids, beginners, and folks who are interested in broadening their climbing experiences rather than seriously honing their lead climbing skills. As a bonus the owners are young, enthusiastic, and helpful. They infuse the atmosphere with positive energy and obviously love to teach and share their passion for climbing.

Karl He

Good bouldering puzzles that are very fun to complete. As with most rock gyms, its pretty expensive to just visit, if you come more than twice a week its worthwhile to just get a membership. You can get student discounts on certain days. There is a little bit of top rope but I would go to Ironworks if thats the main thing you want to do. They do have a slacklining area if youre into that, and have free slacklining lessons every Saturday. It does get crowded at times, especially when student groups show up, which means you may have to wait a bit to do the puzzle you wanted to. However, both the staff and the people there are very respectful, and Ive never had a complaint about anyone there. The crowding is really more annoying in the locker room than anywhere else.

Timothy Tran

Bridges Rock Gym has just about everything: many walls for bouldering, several slacklines (and a looseline), sauna, weight machines, free weights, and a variety of fitness classes. If only it had a swimming pool tucked away somewhere... thatd be golden. Bouldering problems get changed on a regular basis (with sections of the gym being replaced on a weekly schedule. The gym also holds competitions from time to time. Note: theres also a top roping wall, but its only used for childrens parties. If youre interesting in rock climbing, look out for Groupons to Bridges Rock. The gym, during certain times of the year, will also offer certain deals such as waiving the initiation fee.

Eli De la fuente

Place to practice rock climbing + with slack line, pluses : - 6 to 22 hours M to F and S 9 to 19 - Membership whit other classes You should look for a Groupon deal of $25 for 3 days. The staff mmmmm well if you are female you will love it. If not it will be a walk through a gym area with no representatives to get to the front desk and if you are lucky the "representatives" will instruct you to fill out on a Ipad. Legal you should get a copy of the waiver. The representatives should explain to all, without preference. The price is affordable if you are student, veteran.

Josh Rodriguez

Ive been a member of this gym since 2011 & still find time to go at least 2 -3 times per week. The staff is friendly & really helpful if you have any questions. In addition to the bouldering, Bridges has a complete weight gym, a few machines, and many classes that are free for members & inexpensive for drop-ins. One of the great benefits of this place is they keep their routes fresh & often change a section every couple weeks. The routes are set pretty accurately to their rated difficulty, but I always like finding that "easy" V6.

Danielle Gloystein

I will admit, first times at a gym of any kind can be intimidating. This place gets BUSY in the evenings. I went here to take their Intro to Bouldering class. Jason was my instuctor -- he was super nice and gave really helpful tips for a beginner like myself. The only downside is how busy this place is. It was genuinely hard to hear Jason at times, and there were people all over the beginners stuff that we were trying to learn on. I guess I can try coming at a different time and see how that goes.