TNH

Nshapefitness is one of the best gyms in Hanoi. Even though it is not without weaknesses, it is still a very good gym that makes a difference in a city whose gym goers are becoming increasingly more savvy.

This is not a huge gym by any means, but it has recently been expanded and now has two classrooms, a free weight area, and a cardio area with treadmills, bicycle, and elliptical machines. The locker room is very clean and has good-size lockers, though you have to pay extra if you want to have a private one. There’s also a sauna room but I don’t like sauna and have never used it so I can’t comment on how good it is.

The best thing about Nshape is the personal touch that is given to each member. The staff remembers your name and interacts with you. The fitness coaches are quite good and will point it out if you are doing something wrong. I find this most helpful because even though I understand most exercises pretty well, I can get complacent and have bad form while doing them. The coaches are quick to correct these mistakes and they also have time to spot you should you so require. In general I feel very well-taken care of whenever I work out here. I have come in here at 9pm and still found the staff very attentive. The free towels and water are a nice touch. They even keep your protein powder at the bar and will mix it with banana or milk should you so request.

However, there are a few things that could be improved. First, there are not a lot of free weights. There is only one bench for doing bench press and one inclined bench. There is no free squat rack (only an assisted one) and no military press station. The inclined chair can be adjusted but it’s not fully extended to a 90-degree angle so it’s not great when I have to do dumbbell shoulder press. In general, it’s a pain to do shoulder exercise here, literally and figuratively speaking. The lack of free weight equipment in general means that if somebody is using the bench press you’ll have to wait until he/she is done before you can start using it. Speaking of which, I think that it’s a rather stupid policy because in all the gyms I have worked out at you take turn to use an equipment. After all, people take breaks during their sets and you can certainly share the equipment during this period. I haven’t run into this problem too much because I tend to work out at odd times but the times when I wasn’t able to use the stations were very frustrating indeed.

Overall though I’m still happy with the service and quality of this gym and would recommend it to anybody who lives around the Dong Da – Cau Giay area.

Full disclosure: I recently won a New Hanoian prize whereby NShape gives me three month's Platinum membership.

NShape is very clear about what they are trying to achieve: "We are trying to be the friendliest club with the nicest service now. Our dream is to create a kind of healthy atmosphere in NShape Fitness by excellent, personal service that would make members, who we call "friends" at NShape, really look forward to going to the gym."

My experience, over the last week of membership, tells me that NShape is achieving their aims. All the staff at NShape are very friendly, willing to help whenever you need it, or just happy to see you exercising and enjoying their facilities.

And the facilities are excellent - small but excellent. I have been to a number of different gyms in different places and NShape has some of the best equipment available. it will not suit every gym goer, that is for sure. More specifically, it is not trying to be a place where iron pumping, steroid abusing blokes go to compare pecs. NShape is about fitness and family and that shines through everything they do. From bikes to treadmills to cross-trainers. Assisted weight machines, free weights, multi-purpose machines, mats, medicine balls, fitness rooms - the list goes on. Yes there is no rowing machine, and I would love one, but that's not a deal breaker for me.

All the staff, save one, have been a delight to interact with. I don't need a lot of assistance as I am reasonably familiar with most machines (not that you'd know to look at me - yet!). However, the odd tip or suggestion from some of the team has been helpful and welcome in the manner it was provided.

So, who was the one? A personal trainer. New members will be approached by personal trainers to see if you want to take up sessions. I figured I would give it a go. Didn't work out for me, for a bunch of reasons I will share privately rather than publicly.

Usually I workout during the middle of the day so it is pretty quiet. I imagine it gets very busy in the evenings. During the day there is never more than 8-10 people using the facilities at any one time so I never have to wait for anything.

I love coming here. It's fun, friendly, light, bright and a conducive atmosphere for working out. I get to go at my own pace and feel good about that. I fully expect this free membership to turn into paid membership. Give NShape a go if you are looking for a gym and it is relatively handy for you.

Thanks New Hanoian and NShape for starting me on the road to fitness. Much appreciated!

I love this gym. I verify all that reviewers before me have said about the weights, machines, facilities and classes.

I would also like to add that there is amazing attention to detail, e.g.: the towels are very fluffy and sweet-smelling, there are two TVs -- one shows cooking and travel shows (sometimes the Olympics) and the other shows fashion programmes (oooh the subtle marketing) -- the yoga teacher has no ligaments and assures me that if I practice with her 4 times a week I may also one day have this charming impediment, there are a sauna and steam room in each changing room and the steam smells of lemongrass, the showers have TWO shower heads (a hand-held and a 'waterfall'), music pumps in the gym but the changing room has classical (and the occasional easy listening rubbish), cotton swabs and shower gel and hair driers and shower shoes are provided, you can attach your ipod to the cardio machines, the staff all know me by name and no one makes fun of me for lifting the lightest weights, water is available in two temperatures and most AMAZING of all, every time you use the loo someone comes in after you to tuck the end of the toilet role into a little triangle, all ready for the next guest.

In summary, I love this gym with an undying love.

I write this review with relief and sentimentality as at last Hanoi has a fitness club that is worthy of the title and at a price that won't break the bank. For some the price will always be too much as you cannot please everyone but I think the price range is more in the middle. A far cry from the over priced hotel gyms with a huge amount of equipment that should leave most fitness fanatics feeling satisfied.
You can check their prices on their website but beware that they also include a 10%VAT surcharge so the off peak 12 month package is still appealing but not as exciting as it initially appears to be. For the moment they have a special 25% discount valid to the 14th of February so if you are quick you can get a bargain.
Furthermore, it has only been open 3 months and they already have regular classes in body pump, pilates and kick boxing to name but a few.
I think this is without a doubt the best gym in Hanoi right now in terms of price, equipment, facilities and membership options. I would have liked to have opened a gym like this :-(

Too bad there isn't an option of giving out 0 star. After 10 months of being a member at Nshape, I'm back to write another review- expressing my 180 degree changed outlook toward this now hidious place.

Three words to decribe Nshape nowadays: unprofessional, unsanitary, and unmanaged. The much liked cardio group classes are now taught by Vietnamese instructors only and are often cancelled without giving any headsup to members. The locker room always smells like the slumps of Mumbai. Staff and some local members always nap on the bench and sofas inside the locker room, I couldn't help but wonder if you were that exhausted at 2pm, why bother to change into full workout gear only to sleep in a smelly space? The space in front of the only mirror in ladies locker room is occupied by staff 80% of the time after bathing during their work hours, styling their hair and putting on makeup.

No offense but this place was much, much better managed under foreigner managers, to say Nshape is poorly managed these past few months will only be a compliment since there seems to have no management at all!

I'm switching to a different gym in 2012 even though my membership with Nshape hasn't ended, 'cuz this place is dead to me now!