After weeks of being pestered by my sister and my mother, I gave in and went to curves to give it a shot. I had a few misconceptions before going: First, it was for people trying to lose weight only. Second, it wouldn't be that great of a work out. While it certainly wasn't a replacement for tossing around the barbells and dumbbells, it did provide a good upper and lower body work out -- core included.
It consists of a full circuit which alternates between resistance machines and resting areas (forget what they're called). You take 30 seconds on each area before the pre-recorded voice (playing overtime of upbeat music) tells you to change stations. Every few minutes, that same recorded voice will ask you to step aside and count your pulse so you can tell how hard you're pushing yourself.
You make your way around the stations twice and you are all done. This takes about 30 minutes, then you go into the stretching contraption they have to stretch out your muscles. I'm not really a fan of that thing. A lot of the stretches don't feel natural, but I have really strange tendons and ligaments that are flexible in all the wrong ways.
All in all, it is a really fun way to work out. It's a very supportive environment and I didn't feel at all out of place being a slim, semi-fit 25-year-old there. Out with the misconception that it's just for older people trying to lose weight! It's for everyone :)
That said, I'm still on the fence about whether I would like to return to a regular gym or continue with Curves once my 30 days for 30 dollars is over... If you're interested, most Curves locations will offer you the first day free.