Movement Callowhill

This place was awesome! The staff was really sweet and charming, climbing was good, and despite the fact there were a lot of people there, I didn't feel like I couldn't get on anything or there were significant slowdowns. Really good climbing gym culture. Be aware that you need to pass an auto belay quiz to climb, or take a belaying test. You can't test the day of unless you come hot and ready, but there's also plenty of bouldering upstairs you can do if you are a first-timer and don't remember the belaying steps.

Honestly half of the reason I got my membership was to attend Caroline’s yoga class, she is AMAZING! love the climbing and the people are always friendly. Only knocking down one star because they need more - and experienced - route setters. Complex routes tend to be inaccessible for short climbers. The grading - at least in the top rope area - is very inconsistent so I just climb what seems fun. However, the climbing community is pretty inclusive and awesome and this location is easy to get to so I highly recommend!

This is a great climbing gym in the city. Finding parking can feel very taxing however once you do, you will be all set for some great fun. It’s a clean gym with many challenges available. The walls do become very packed with people, you will find yourself waiting on the next route from time to time. With that said it’s still definitely worth the visit. There is a large area upstairs for bouldering and slack line walking which is a lot of fun. Great vibe here.

Tldr; Same dirty cliffs, however with much friendlier staff and way more fun climbs that aren’t sandbagged. Since the new ownership ‘take over’ the facilities have not been updated at all which is a huge bummer. Movement has a ton of gyms across the country and financial backing to invest in new mats and equipment. Other people have complained about the ‘sketchy last move’/poor route-setting with the bouldering, and tbh that’s why I stopped visiting for about a year. Upon return, it does seem like the setting has become extremely better on some routes. This is actually over taking Tufas imo as far as setting and fun is concerned. But I still see a consistency in making the last hold the worst hold/crux of the boulder. Nobody is trying to get hurt; we work and have lives/jobs/kids etc. Philly is a huge city and there’s no reason that Movement shouldn’t be comparable to Reach. However, at this space it is miles apart. Movement has the financial investment to be state of the art, and this location is just laughably lacking. Reach, Vital, Bouldering Projects. These are all gyms that blow Movement out of the water on so many fronts. A downtown gym in this large of a city needs to be way way way cleaner, and more modern. So there’s room for growth. Some pros since it became movement : Staff seem to be much friendlier and approachable. Inheriting a space has its difficulties. One huge positive I will say is the grading feels more consistent and reasonable. There are some really great climbs here that are fun, flowy and outdoorsy. Much better and appropriate when compared to sandbagged Tufas. The headsetter here is a female, and I dig that. Makes me feel that ego and gatekeeping is not at play with grading. I can also see intended beta building skills within climbers which is the sign of great setting. If the new gym in Kensington is actually clean, keeps an area for kids, and grades in reality it’ll be amazing. I’ll gladly end my Tufas and City Fitness memberships if Movement proves it can step up and become a 5 star gym.

Good location but the gym is always crowded with teens and adolescents when I'm trying to work out. I try and work out around 4-7pm weekdays and these kids have no gym etiquette. They swing around too close to me trying to do muscle ups while I'm lifting heavy and it feels really unsafe. They don't put their personal belongings away or re-rack weights and they're loud. I haven't seen these kids use the sanitation wipes provided by the gym. I often feel crowded out by these annoying children who have monopolized the weight zone. Even if I'm there first they just come and invade your personal bubble. I've been a member for ~2 months and I wish I wasn't navigating this. Last time I used the sauna 3 teens came in loudly chatting and making dick jokes amongst themselves. I'm an adult woman so I was in the women's sauna and was really upset that the girls don't even know locker room/sauna etiquette. I asked them to please respect the sign that says don't talk and so they just whispered their jokes. The next day I called the front desk and homie who answered agreed with me, he said that the teens are detracting from his enjoyment of his workout too so I'm wondering why nothing has already been done to make the weight area more considerate and safe. He told me to leave a google review + fill out a comment card so here we are. On a positive note I like the route setting in the top rope and lead area.