Friday, December 3, 2010

In Need of a Gym

A reader writes:
Hello! I was wondering if you could start a conversation on Sloopin about gyms in the area, which ones people prefer, amenities, pricing, why, etc? We're trying to figure out which gym is best - specifically one with an indoor pool.

LH, you're in luck...we've done some extensive blogging about gyms in the area, so click here for more information.




More importantly, does anyone have any thoughts for LH?


If you need a pool, then you probably have to focus on Xsport, Bally's or LA Fitness (I think).

Since we're talking gym's people we also thought we would post a recent email from a reader who has an update on the Bally's at River City. As most of us know, River City had a massive flood a couple of months ago which severely damaged the building (including the Bally's):
Since this was news earlier, it's now back .... After what, four months?, the Bally's at River City is open again. Only about half of though (cardio and weight machines) is open for now. The girl at the desk said it would be 6 to 8 weeks before the pool and weight room on the lower level reopens. The steam rooms aren't open yet either ...
(Hat Tip: LH and JJ!)

7 comments:

JJ said...

You are missing a gem of a "gym" in the South Loop - Interchange Medical Wellness located on the 2nd floor of where TJ's will be soon. Dr. Amanda Herzer provides Chiropratic care and business partner Kathy Trainor provides personal training, pilates and group classes.

The business just won a "Green" award from the Alliance for a Greener South Loop and is active in the community.

Check them out! http://www.interchangemwc.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/interchange-medical-wellness-center-chicago

Anonymous said...

I am a member of X-sport. It is okay and has a pool. In my experiance, it tends to be really busy around 5-7pm.

The pool is 4 lanes and the hot tub is near by. I have not used the pool since last year.

I pay $49.00/mo to go to any X-sport. They have tiered memberships based on the amenities of the club you join and charge something like $5/mo if you want to use other clubs in your same pricing tier.

Anonymous said...

I have an FFC membership which is pretty decent - standard stuff. I like that nearly all of their classes are included with your monthly membership fee, which from what I've heard, is not the case everywhere. Whatever type of membership I have there allows me to use the Union Station FFC which has a pool (South Loop does not).

I also go to Interchange--which I love--for personal training and pilates. It's smaller scale but that's what I like about it, and they offer a much more extensive selection of classes.

Anthony McAndrew said...

Gotta throw out a recommendation for the LA Boxing at 9th and State. Short on amenities but the best workout in the area. I used to belong to the FFC, which was a nice enough gym (Good equipment and locker rooms, I really miss the steam room). However, the classes and instructors at LA Boxing make it a really special place, IMO. Been at the place for over a year and I could not be a bigger fan. Go try a class. You will leave drenched with sweat while having a new appreciation for Manny Pacquiao.

Brad said...

I've been a member at both FFC and X-Sport. The bottom line is you get what you pay for. The quality of classes, staff, trainers, equipment and cleanliness is much higher at FFC than X-sport. My wife and I pay $66/month at X-sport and paid $120/month at FFC. We switched to X-sport because it's two blocks closer to our condo and it has a pool. FFC was offering $5 more per month to visit their Union Station gym, which has a pool, but is still a drive.
Overall if we lived a little closer to FFC I would gladly go there again. X-sport is just not a quality gym; you will typically find machines broken for over a week, only one classroom, dirty locker rooms, and a revolving door of training staff.

Kirsten said...

This isn't quite a gym...but there's a building permit up in the bottom of 1935 S Archer, S Archer and Dearborn. They're building a Pilates Studio! Looks like construction has just started.

Jeff said...

Monkey Bar Gym is opening on Michigan and 23rd in a couple of weeks with the first week being FREE TO CHECK OUT. If you live on south/west/east side of South Loop or if you drive/in out from the south & depending on what you are looking for, I believe they incorporate pilates as well. www.monkeybargym.com click on Chicago tab.