Bakar Fitness & Recreation Center at UCSF Mission Bay

Fantastic experience: Perfect gym

Negative experience: Not enough classes, the outdoor pool is extremely cold and always super busy, so you will have to swim with 3-4-6 people in the same line. The indoor pool only have 2 lines, so the same but worst. Not enough classes, the Millberry location not even have a pool, less classes that in bakar, plus: is super expensive. Not recommended.

Fantastic experience: love this gym

Negative experience: They are very slow at fixing the broken instruments. Also they don’t have some basic instruments

Fantastic experience: An amazing gym! A large facility with two pools, weight rooms and great classes! The facilities are very clean and not crowded. Everyone working there is super friendly and helpful! The pilates mat class with Andrea is worth the membership on its own!

Fantastic experience: Fantastic gym. Good gains.

Fantastic experience: Great

Fantastic experience: Really nice gym for the price

Fantastic experience: Day pass $25, huge gym with a wide variety of machines, free weights area, squat racks, mat area, cardio machines. I found it best to go in the morning before work if possible as its really quiet then. Very pleased with my visits here.

Fantastic experience: A good gym with abundant equipment and different classes, which is not crowded.

Fantastic experience: Awesome gym with great equipment, pool and sauna.

Fantastic experience: A great gym, mainly distinguished by its two 25m saltwater pools, one indoors, one rooftop.

Fantastic experience: Really nice, clean, large facility open to the public. You can pay for day entry or longer term memberships. Not crowded.

Fantastic experience: F45 is the best here, the coaches, the community....the price. Seriously the best.

Positive experience: Decent number of squat and deadlift racks. Nice locker rooms and showers. Haven't tried the pools and sauna yet, but am planning to. Would like it better if there was a machine for chest supported rows, chest flies, and more cable machines.

Fantastic experience: As a UCSF student, I have to say this place is great!

Positive experience: Gym membership - basketball courts usually not available due to club sports.

Fantastic experience: Great gym.

Fantastic experience: Great facilities with space and views

Fantastic experience: Clean, plenty of cardio equipment, towel service, group classes, F45, dry sauna, two pools, friendly staff and courteous members. Discounted parking during off peak hours.

Fantastic experience: A great space! Well thought out and full of top quality equipment. Pool on the roof...shhhh

Positive experience: This is only from a first impression -- this is the nicest public gym I've ever been to.

Positive experience: Staff does a great job on keeping the gym(s) organized and clean at all locations. Would like to see staff address members when staring at their phones while sitting on equipment. The lack of gym equipment is laughable. Especially at Bakar, even before the flood (pools above the gym floor?) and covid; appears to be $12m facility w/$32 worth of weights. Appears most of the budget was spent on cardio and sub-standard cable machines. Sure UCSF outwardly advertises having pools, but the absence of the lap pool @Parnassus and the circus @Missions pool on the weekends due to the restricted hours is off-putting. Due to the fact the members are still being charged full price for memberships but only getting 40% of the ROI.

Positive experience: Spacious, modern facility. Indoor and outdoor pool. Nice gym for basketball. Only issue is parking is expensive even with validation. $9 for 2-3 hours...

Negative experience: I started two months ago and I still have not been able to get a place in the classes even once after 5pm which is the time when most people can because they get off work and go to the gym. I love the staff, the gym, but you should consider larger groups for the classes or adding new ones, a solution. I think that the covid and pandemic verse is no more valid, we are all vaccinated.

Fantastic experience: Great place to maintain your physique.

Positive experience: I'm a calisthenic guy so take my commentary with a pince of salt as my experience with machine might be subpar. Pretty good, under construction for the past 6month or so (not sure) after one of the pool leaked. Good cardio equipment, decent free weight and machines installations. Although very poor installations for bodyweight training : No decent pull up bars (too low, dented, no parallel bars, no cage) so difficult to train calisthenics. Other than that is pretty decent and affordable for San Francisco.

Fantastic experience: This is a great place to work out! There are two pools! It doesn't feel like a gym really. I saw a trainer there and she was awesome. If you're looking for a great trainer try Lorna! The locker room is very nice and has a great steam room. I haven't gone lately since it's out of the way for me, but this is my favorite place to go if I want to work out in a gym environment. The cafe in the same building is also a great place to grab a quick bite.

Fantastic experience: Rooftop pool is the best!

Fantastic experience: Top notch pool (seriously the best in SF), friendly and accommodating staff. Solid.

Negative experience: It’s ok pools are open at random times that don’t always work for your schedule the security around campus is poor and the are is dangerous - thieves will steel your bike or anything else you leave anywhere unattended for longer than a min. Security on campus is negligent be careful

Fantastic experience: Liked the atmosphere and the friendliness off the workers . Really enjoyed the view of the 4th floor. My first time there and I enjoyed myself.

Fantastic experience: Nice open pool in the top floor for lap swims!

Positive experience: Full service gym, with pools, weight rooms, classes. Personal trainers available, and they have basketball, squash, pickleball. Membership includes both locations. Special pricing for seniors. Friendly, well maintained facilities.

Fantastic experience: This place e is awesome but very pricey.

Positive experience: It was great before the covid...

Fantastic experience: This is one of the places UCSF has utilized as a Covid-19 vaccination site for its patients. The clinic uses the lobby, big glass doors, facing Owens Street as the waiting area. Then after you are screened you are seated in a large conference room on south side to get the injection. The whole process took about 45 min, including the mandatory 15 min waiting for adverse reaction. There is additionally validated parking in the adjacent parking structure, have to get a sticker from one of the workers for your parking pass that is vended at front of the parking structure. Really well implemented and organized. Yay.

Fantastic experience: A little pricey for non-students, but the pools and basketball court are great. They also don't play music over the weight room speakers which I kind of like

Fantastic experience: Fancy fitness & rec center WITH parking.

Fantastic experience: If only I'f go. It's really a fantastic gym with all of the amenities, For those who hate the machines, they have an abundance of other resources like racquetball, swimming (two pools, one well-heated on the roof with a spectacular view of SF.) If you like old balls, this might not be the best gym for you. If you like activities rather than rote exercise, this is the gym for you. Remember though, unless you're super committed, a gym is only effective within a short distance of your work or home. Bakar is just far enough for me to not go. 5 stars though, very nice.

Fantastic experience: If only I'f go. It's really a fantastic gym with all of the amenities, For those who hate the machines, they have an abundance of other resources like racquetball, swimming (two pools, one well-heated on the roof with a spectacular view of SF.) If you like old balls, this might not be the best gym for you. If you like activities rather than rote exercise, this is the gym for you. Remember though, unless you're super committed, a gym is only effective within a short distance of your work or home. Bakar is just far enough for me to not go. 5 stars though, very nice.

Fantastic experience: Very clean gym and so far doesn't seem too crowded. Also very well maintained.

Fantastic experience: Great gym, great views with lots of new equipment.

Fantastic experience: Really love this place. Not pretentious and really nice and well maintained with all great equipment. Swimming in the pools is such a pleasure!

Fantastic experience: The newest gym in SF! It's full of cardio machines, free weights, exercise machines, group exercise classes, yoga studio, and pool. Clientele is primarily UCSF staff, students, and residents. Only downside is the location, which is at the base of Potrero Hill.

Fantastic experience: Good, clean, convenient gym with nice facilities and an awesome roof deck pool.

Fantastic experience: These facilities are amazing! Make sure you take an F45 class too

Fantastic experience: Clean, plenty of cardio equipment, towel service, group classes, F45, dry sauna, two pools, friendly staff and courteous members. Discounted parking during off peak hours.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic, affordable gym in Mission Bay. I spend most of my time here on the roof, where there are squash courts, a rooftop pool, a climbing wall, and a lovely view. Great for sunny days in the city. Staff is chill, amenities are very clean and everything is modern.

Fantastic experience: Great fitness classes!

Fantastic experience: Perfect. Join now parking senior student faculty discounts

Fantastic experience: Great classes, super clean facility and a very non- competitive workout/ weights floor that is not intimidating to join. From a woman’s perspective some gyms can be uncomfortable to work out in but everyone at Bakar minds their own business, cleans up after themselves and gets their burn going! My kids swim here too, instructors are really friendly and calm. My kids have progressed consistently over the years.

Fantastic experience: Great facility, relaxed brainy clientele. Full disclosure: I teach spin there once a week!

Fantastic experience: I love, love, love my gym. Everyone is so nice here. Wonderful staff! Very disappointed that free 3-hr parking no longer included, but it's still worth keeping my membership. Beautiful rooftop. Love the sauna & group fitness classes.

Fantastic experience: My favourite fitness centre. Very affordable programmes for students, even those on a tight budget.

Fantastic experience: Wonderful atmosphere.

Fantastic experience: Great pool for family swimming.

Fantastic experience: Even if you only go once a week the classes make it worth it. Especially Barre Pilates, P90X, and Body Combat classes!

Fantastic experience: Great workout experience

Fantastic experience: Gym

Fantastic experience: I came, I saw, i joined. If you want the best place around with parking and you don't mind some pretty reserved super serious members, this is a fine, reasonable place. All kinds of membership discounts for sge, studentness, etc. Towels, sauna gym, pools, you name it pilotes, weights, machines designed to stretch you, sweat you, bend and straighten you. Lots of programs including volleyball badminton bball racquetball squash (international) lockers, food, coffee, tables outside in and on. You can use the Parnassus facility too as part of your membership

Positive experience: Great place to work up a sweat.

Positive experience: Great facility, but a bit pricey. There is a discounted membership for students and seniors. Kids can also take swimming lessons here without any membership. Parking garage is expensive and no nearby street parking.

Positive experience: Nice place for work out, well equipped gym, lots of options for different classes, option for personal trainer, swimming pool, climbing wall activity, squash and may be few other things that even I also don't know. Give 4 star as it's a bit expensive.

Positive experience: I liked the gym

Fantastic experience: Pretty good gym facilities with many different classes and training programs. Semi-olympic swimming pool on the rooftop and saunas on the locker rooms are the highlights to me.

Fantastic experience: You can workout here even if you aren't affiliated with UCSF. Classes, squash courts and 2 pools included.

Fantastic experience: Great child swim lessons and basketball lessons. Pool is very warm. Hard to get off the waiting list though.

Fantastic experience: Very clean with lots of options for your workout.

Fantastic experience: Have swimming pool, shower places, lots of equipment, pretty safe, nearby metro and bus.

Fantastic experience: Great facilities. Though i think their normal initiation fee is too high.

Fantastic experience: Fun pickup volleyball and basketball

Fantastic experience: Great gym, as well as pool and locker room/sauna facilities. Equipment is modern and everything is very clean and well maintained. The staff is very friendly and other members are nice !!

Fantastic experience: Best gym in town. For $30 - $90 a month you get pools, basketball court, huge gym and lessons.

Fantastic experience: Outdoor pool, indoor pool, racquetball courts, basketball courts, weekly volleyball, even a climbing wall sometimes....but paying for parking as a member is agitating

Fantastic experience: Great fitness center for training. Very good equipment, installations and cleaning

Fantastic experience: Family friendly gym

Fantastic experience: Always clean, friendly staff and great equipment and facilities

Fantastic experience: Great facilities, an indoor and outdoor pool in addition to loss of different workout areas and equipment

Fantastic experience: The place is clean, the trainers are friendly and it's never really too crowded. Everything is well maintained and the patrons are for the most part respectful of space and time. During the rush hours I usually don't see anyone waiting on weights or machines for more than a few minutes. The weight area is well populated but there is plenty of equipment to revert to. Swimming upstairs and rock climbing every T/TH.

Fantastic experience: Nice huge gym which has the best swimming pool(s) in San Francisco!

Positive experience: Clean, organized, friendly environment

Positive experience: Great place but missing a few amenities, for example a hot tub and free parking which they just took away from the customers

Positive experience: Clean, amenable, and friendly customer service. Perfect for getting a post-work workout at Mission Bay. The facilities are well kept, and the customer service is on point. All kinds of patrons workout here, so you definitely see a good variety of fitness and skill levels. I definitely feel welcome and awed working out here. They also offer personal training classes! Plenty of Group X classes to go around. One big downside though: you won't find a calf raise machine anywhere, so expect donkey and dumbell calf raises when it comes to leg day. Other than those, it's a solid, low key gym. It's nice that there's no contract commitment, even though the monthly fee is a bit steep ($68) compared to chain gyms.

Positive experience: A great gym.

Positive experience: Decent gym with a good number of machines and classes. Great kids swimming lessons, but hard to get in!

Positive experience: Good Gym; allows community members to join

Positive experience: Love the outdoor pool here.

Positive experience: For such a large and new facility, they are SORELY lacking in equipment. There are enough cardio machines for two gyms but if you want to do ANYTHING else, good luck. There is probably someone using the machine you want, even during slow times. It's also pretty pricey for the limited hours and the lack of parking. MEH.

Positive experience: Great equipment and not too crowded. Only complaint is that the hours are often restricted whenever the board of regents has a meeting in the building, which can seem pretty often.

Fantastic experience: I've been a member here for about a decade, and I love it. This information is probably dated, but after doing a survey of gym options, I concluded that Bakar was the most fully featured fitness center that did not employ questionable tactics like exorbitant joining fees or onerous contracts. (The JCC is a comparable option for people living on the west side of the city.) I probably regularly use less than 10% of what it offers, but it's nice to have two swimming pools (including one outdoor rooftop pool), a climbing wall, 4 squash courts, and basketball courts — in addition to the usual exercise equipment — in this three-level facility, which also provides a 6-story parking garage with validated parking.

Fantastic experience: This is a lovely gym. Never seems crowded and for a swimmer there's not a more beautiful rooftop pool with large lanes anywhere else!

Fantastic experience: I have been a member for over a year. The location is extraordinarily convenient, and as a UCSF employee, i pay a reasonable rate. The gym's equipment is clean and seems new. The facilities are clean and well-lit. There are numerous machines so waiting around is not a common occurrence. The locker rooms are spacious, and the shower walkway has a mesh covering to prevent slipping. The sauna us extremely relaxing. All in all, an awesome gym!