Crunch Fitness
939 W North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60610 (312) 337-1244
- Nearest Transit:
North/Clybourn (Red)
- Good for Kids: No
28 Reviews for Crunch Fitness
I am going on 3 years next month and I think it is awesome; however, I only pay $45 due to the former assocation with Bally's Total Fitness ( sadly, they split up so, no more deals) the classes are fun - the instructors are great - Tamara will try to give you a heart attack (ie., she jacks up the resistence in spinning, etc - love to hate her!) Mario from Miami, Fl - yes! Kangoo - supa friendly, Dee Dee - yoga - very sweet lady.....I don't have to wait long for anything and I love that; clean except steam room a little maintenance needed; sadly the locker room rental is $300 / year - what the f#@%?! My man pays $68 a month - not a bad deal for him........Lastly, the treadmills and incumbants have fans so pretty nice feature, but in the summer too warm due to the windows facing West - still heats the hell up in there!!
I switched from Cheetah to crunch about a month ago and I'm very happy I did.
Its very spacious--- i dont feel like i'm crowding anyone anywhere-- especially in the locker rooms.
Ive never once waited for a machine and I'm usually there either in the morning before work or the 5pm rush hour. I've only had the occasion once of a weight machine i needed being occupied, but there are so many other options that I didnt feel like i couldnt find something else to do.
The shampoo and conditioner in the locker rooms is pretty gnarly-- I wouldnt use it unless I was in a pinch..but its nice that they provide it...I'm also a big fan of not having to bring my hair dryer with me in the morning.
The guy/girl ratio is pretty good-- other than a few of the employees I never get stared at (wait...is that a good thing?). So at least people are polite....
I had a few problems with my membership in the beginning but one call to Brandon the membership director and it was all fixed up.r
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I've been a loyal member of Crunch for years. Unfortunately, my fondness for Crunch has definitely waned over the past year or so. There are still a few classes that I love so much that I stick around, but sometimes wonder if it's worth it.
The good stuff:
- big, spacious facility with lots of equipment and machines. Unlike some places, I've never had to wait for a machine here. Ever.
- beautiful views of the city
- well equipped locker rooms, and there are almost always maintenance staff cleaning it!
- friendly staff
- wide variety of challenging and creative classes (although I wish they held some of them more than once a week)
The not so good stuff:
- despite the gym's overall large size, the group fitness room is sort of on the small side. Some of the more popular classes can be a tight squeeze.
- they definitely continue to recruit members. Monday nights in particular have become a bit of a nightmare. To get in the 6:15 spin class one must claim a bike by 5:45!
- the quality of instructors seemed to have decreased slightly. I miss Annette's treadmill class! There is very high turnover with the personal training staff, and I've not been that impressed with the newcomers.
- the parking situation has become really annoying. Used to be $2 for 2 hours, was $3 briefly, now it's gone up to $4! 4 times per week adds up to $64 per month! As this area becomes more developed street parking becomes less of an option.
- I wish there were more mid-morning and daytime classes. Not all of us are on a 9 - 5 schedule!
Like I said, I stick around for a few of the good reasons, and mostly because I know other gyms in my price range are not even close to the quality of Crunch.
I have a city-wide Crunch membership, but this location is by FAR the best!
The pool is ahh-may-zing! Locker rooms? Awesome. If you have some extra time after your workout, hit up the locker room, slather on some of the complimentary lotion, and head to the steam room! So relaxing, and the hot shower afterwards really will seal the deal for your pores.
Crunch is known for their repertoire of fitness classes. My favorite? The Kangoo Jumps class... wildly fun, and very challenging! It's like strapping mini-trampolines to your feet! I took that class at the Marina City location. At North Ave., I'm a loyal devotee of "Chisel".
Since working out can suck, Crunch does everything in their power to make it more enjoyable. The facility is loaded with cardio equipment-- I have yet to encounter a wait. Also, the gym never gets muggy, it's always immaculate, the views of the city are gorgeous, and everyone (staff and patrons) is down-to-earth and friendly. Smoothie bar puts out some delicious stuff, too! A+!
My only gripe is if you're driving. Even with parking validation, the garage will still set you back $4 for a few hours. Ouch!
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All the Crunch locations, but this one especially, are well-laid-out. I didn't realize how important that is until trying some other gyms around. There is enough room in between all the equipment, and there generally is enough equipment. (Relax about Monday night -- it's just one night, and every place is busy then.) There are two Smith machines, three squat racks, and enough bench presses (including a decline bench) on the first floor. There are three full sets of dumbells -- two downstairs and one upstairs. They also have three full cable cross machines, plus some smaller cable cross setups too. And a full complement of Hammersmith machines. Unlike most people, I'm actually glad the treadmills don't have TV screens on them.
A lot of the other gyms in the city may have enough equipment, but the layout is such that it can't all be utilized simultaneously (i.e. there may be 5 benches in front of the dumbells, but not enough room for them all to be used at the same time).
Crunch puts an emphasis on cleanliness -- you see people cleaning all the time. Locker rooms are very good, but the lockers tend to be on the small size. The coed steam rooms and saunas are good. They are pinching pennies on towels. You can get as many as you want, but they are at the front desk (and a small stack by the pool). It was better when they were in the locker rooms. I realize that towels can be uber expensive to a club manager, but it's one of those things you just need to put up with, I think.
At the moment, parking is generally available on Kingsbury, either behind the Starbucks shopping center (across from Old Navy) or along the sketchier sections of Kingsbury. Mid-day on Sat & Sun, during peak shopping times, it's hard to get a space nearby. Otherwise, you're fine. Yes, there's a strip club there. Yes, there's a construction site there. Yes, there are usually some shady people walking around ... but I haven't had a problem parking my old Corolla there. If you're an over-protective car owner, you'll need to park in the garage and that's a little pricey. However, once the new Whole Foods opens next year on that site, and once the nearby towers are occupied, you can forget about street parking.
Location is fantastic ... a quick walk from the North Ave red line station and not too far from the Armitage brown line station. The North Ave bus is pretty good, but since moving to the north west side, the bus / train combination getting home is wearing on me.
As for the price, they have good pre-payment deals. I paid for a year and got a year free right when Bally's divested itself of Crunch. But you have to be willing to pre-pay for that long ... and I'm pre-paid through October and the location is not as convenient any more.
I have had an absolutly horrible experience with Crunch gym.
While the facilities themselves were nice, and the staff usually pleasant, each month my bank account was charged random amounts, usually a price nowhere near my contract.
This went on for 6 months before I finally cancelled. Since then, I am on the phone with them every few months because they are still withdrawing from my account.
They have been an absolute nightmare to deal with in this regard - incredibly unhelpful, rude, and sometimes saying "There is nothing we can do"
Finally, I had to file a claim with my bank.
Im sure there are many other gyms in Chicago that are just as nice were you wouldn't have to deal with such headaches.
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This is my favorite of all the crunch locations in chicago. It's very clean and the staff has always been helpful.
I really can't afford this..but it's nice to have a gym with late hours, a pool, and enough space that I don't have to interact with anyone.
I'm my most vulnerable at the gym and would much rather be off in my own world...getting this sweaty, dreaded, noise over with.
Other gyms have turned off with over-the-top zombie customer service...this place is pretty great to go in and out, its open til 11 on week nights and if you have some ear buds, you can watch tv when working out.
I love this bike/video game workout they have called expresso! You are so busy playing the video game, you completely overlook that youre about to die of short breath.
My only gripes are the Euro-house-trance music they play...and their billing customer service. Should a problem arise its a pain to resolve.
I HATE this Gym. There are so many reasons that I must put them in a tidy list:
1. They Close early. 11 during the week and friggen 8 on the weekends. I work nights and can never make it there before they close.
2. Their classes suck. Very inconvenient times, bad music and really unfriendly instructors.
3. The Sauna is Dirty(all the time). It often smells like feet...not to mention the fact that men and women have to share it. I can't get really comfortable in a tiny, cloudy room full of sweaty men.
4.There are never enough light weights because the personal trainers have hoarded them all for there clients...I think if I pay $85 a month I deserve to use the weights too.
5. TOO EXPENSIVE! For that price you can go to David Barton which is the nicest gym I have ever stepped foot in.
I am a big fan of Crunch. Sure the price is higher then what you can pay elsewhere.. but I think you get your moneys worth here. The equipment is great and always available.. major bonus. I swear.. I've gone at all times of the day and never had a problem with over crowding.
They have great facilities.. their locker rooms are always nice and clean and stocked with anything you could need. And their showers are amazing.. nicer then mine at home! Plus.. the pool.. oh the pool. I love it. It is nice and clean, good atmosphere, and has a great view of downtown.
I've also used a couple P.T. sessions with Aaron to develop a personal workout routine and he was extremely helpful! If you are looking for a good way to get motivated and get on track I highly recommend it!
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I started out as a member of the Crunch at Orleans, but after seeing this place upgraded to the city wide membership. This place is amazing, its clean, and bright. The showers aren't as clean as I would like, so I just avoid using them. That's the only reason for taking off a star.I love the classes, am totally addicted to the spinning class early in the morning. I have never seen this place overcrowded. I also love that they have a fair number of classes over the weekend, its great for people like me. When you tend to miss out during the week, make it up on the weekend. Haven't tried the personal training but the staff at the reception and the instructors are always cheerful. At 6 am that's quite a feat. I would recommend the yoga class on Sunday at 4.30, Dee Dee is amazing!
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I'm crushin' on Crunch
-Crazy clean facility - there is someone cleaning EVERY time I go
-Great views of the city
-Music (alternative instead of bad rap)
-Nice class instructors
-Taking a yoga class on the deck
-Pool, sauna & steam room
-Towel service
-Friendly vibe
-Locker room has lotion, hair dryers, qtips, shampoo, etc...
-Lots of spots to park my bike
And I will admit that I was lured by their odd advertisements. They're different....and that's what I was looking for. But good ol'Yelp sealed the deal. Loved to read the positive reviews!
After 3 memberships with gross, bad gyms (Bally's, the Y, and Women's Workout World) I decided to treat myself to a fun gym. So glad I did!!!!
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Ok, I've been a member here for close to a year. Although the towel situation has become a little strange, i do like crunch. I have been to a few other gyms in chicago, and it is open, not claustrphobic, and not too crowded (i do tend to work out in the am, so that may have something to do with it)-
I like the classes. The instructors are usually pretty great- and so are the personal trainers. took an am spinning class for the first time this morning, and loved it (i am usually a solo exerciser in the morning and leave classes for the evenings when i am more aware) but i may be an am class exerciser for life.
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This Crunch location is just plain awesome. I have been through my share of gyms, my awful high school gym, the Powerhouse in my college town that was like the bar without drinks and the private club in the burbs where my family goes.
Crunch has a few key factors that are giving it this four star rating... the place is pretty spotless, trendy gym decor, the views of the city are terrific and the place never seems to be crowded, EVER!
The only downfall, and this is probably something that just bothers an OC person like myself, but the weight racking is lazy as hell, I mean it's not that hard to put things back in order! It's a little bothersome but can be overlooked due to the overall atmosphere being great.
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Well first I fell for the "you won a free week at Crunch" gag after entering a "drawing" at some movie place...so I took them up on it. There are a lot of great aspects to the place: sense of whimsy and flair in the design and decor (yet I placed a nice sized burn mark on my knee from sliding down the huge plastic slide), NICE locker rooms with homoerotic see through showers, towel service, and one of the more amazing views of downtown Chicago that you find anywhere. What didn't win me over were the typical meathead "join now" tactics (nothing turns me off more to a gym), the location (while central to yuppie central shopping, there is essentially no parking except near the scuzzie strip joint, where I'm sure my car would have been broken into by now) and the traffic fight required to get there. Also, its not all that cheap even if you have a Bally's membership already. Probably the coolest "mid-range" gym if you live close enough to it. Don't confuse it with Cheetah like awesomely handsome people tend to do.
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I agreed to meet a friend for a yoga class on Sunday to rid myself of the remains of St. Patty's day. When she told me that we would be going to Crunch, my yoga-snob voice screamed, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Not GYM YOGA! NONONO!"
Well little yoga-snob voice can just shut the hell up, as far as I'm concerned. I really liked the class, and although it didn't have the full-on, shiny-happy zen quality I look for in my typical yoga classes, this one hit the mark. Quality instructor!
Like other reviewers, I didn't feel upon entering as though I had been hung on a meat hook and slid on down the line. Granted it was a Sunday, but people seemed to be there to sweat, and not shake their booty or grunt unnecessarily. Down one star for the tanning booths (huh?!) Otherwise, I think this one might be the winner... but hey, lots of gyms in the city to try!
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I had reviewed this location once prior... mostly a positive review at the time.
There have been some changes to the facility in the last year... Cleanliness in the locker room / sauna and pool areas has taken the largest hit. Classes are still largely held during the day / early evening, and it's difficult to make classes if you work until 6.
The location is still a positive if you live close, but parking is nearly impossible and the garage is now $4 for the first 2 hours... not bad, but this can add up if you drive a few times a week.
The largest concern I have to share with potential members is the cancellation policy. When I tried to call and cancel this month, I was told this absolutely had to be done in person. So, I took time this weekend to battle the parking and stop in. I was then presented with the cancellation form, which, by signing, indicates your understanding that you'll be paying for at least one more month. (Even if you're in a month-to-month arrangement.) I don't feel like dropping another $75 for nothing.
There are many clubs in Chicago - shop around.
- J
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Really a beautiful gym. Great classes, lots of machines, good hours. Great locations, etc, etc.
But, bad parking. And, very pricey. (And a 3-year contract, yikes!)
Sigh. The best things in life ARE not free. It costs a lot to work out with the pretty people!
My apartment complex has a gym, but I really like to take workout classes. I feel obligated to go then.
Crunch is great for the variety and diversity of the class schedule. And like others have said, you can get a treadmill at 6:00 p.m. I have recently gotten into yoga, and they have a nice selection of different yoga practices. The teachers are very good at working with all student levels too.
If you are looking for an unpretentious gym with lots of classes to try out, this just might be it.
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I love Crunch. The classes are great and there is such a variety to help keep motivated. Also, the trainers are awesome and worth the price. Nice, clean place, and not too many posers. I have been a member for several years and will be for many more.
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I just signed up this week and found it to be a really nice atmosphere to work out in. I signed up because a co-worker goes there and likes it a lot. There equipment is very well maintained and up to date, the facility is really nice and cleanliness is a top priority (you can tell), I also found the people to be friendly and very service oriented. I plan to visit the Boxing class this weekend so I'll know how they are soon. Also if you give them the UH- well.. hhhmmm.. it's just.. they'll waive the initiation fee and you can bargain on the price.. but you have to have skills.. and offer an alternative.. they will most likely met you somewhere you will be satisfied with, It's kinda like buying a car.
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Crunch is a great gym and I'm always happy that I chose to become a member there. First, the staff and members are very friendly and take the time to know your name. Second, its just sooo clean and big and airy. Even though I am a small woman, I need a lot of space around me and Crunch has it in spades. You never feel claustraphobic or herded in. Everything is provided and some of the teachers are truly wonderful. I only wish they would sometimes change the music in the women's locker room.
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I really like going to Crunch. The staff is very friendly but not too in your face. I took advantage of a free personal training session and the trainer was awesome, very supportive and fun to work with. The machines are all high quality and there are plenty of them, even if I go right after work at 5:30. The gym is laid out really well over the floors it occupies - it's easy to find a space to yourself to work out without feeling surrounded. The locker rooms are really clean with plenty of lockers, and the parking garage is great ($3 for 2 hours). I'm glad I joined! It's been a good experience so far.
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I joined Crunch Fitness at North/Sheffield over a month ago and I absolutely love it! The best part - it is not over crowded even during the peak hours (Monday - Thursday 5-7pm).
Classes are diverse and unique, equipment is top-notch, and the locker room is clean.
There isn't much of a Gym Bunny attitude here as there are at other gyms I have belonged to. People in the classes are knowledgeable and supportive. I feel very comfortable at this gym and I love going!
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I've been a member of this Crunch for about a year now and I absolutely love it! It's convenient to get to and they have a parking garage for me to park in. I love the classes- the instructors are great and really know how to give you a great workout!
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I was very disappointed in this gym. I stayed for the duration of my contract but had so many bad experiences including: stolen iPod (I set it down in the locker room and it was stolen - desk staff told me it was my fault for setting it down); infrequent classes (for example if you want to go to yoga there is only one type and one time per day - max); abnormally warm workout facility (I believe this was due to the windows and may have been corrected); rude desk staff (I once asked to have a tv channel changed when there were 5 people in the gym and the staff member acted as if I'd asked for his limb). Worst of all is the cancellation process - be aware that with a couple membership there are multiple forms to complete to end your membership. I was not notified of this and continued to be charged for months (even after asking that my card number be taken off the account). The account was not closed until my credit card company requested that the charges stop and was notified that the account was not fully canceled. In short - find another gym there are much better gyms for about the same cost.
what's that ol' adage?
you never know what you have until it's gone?
it's how i feel about my dear ol' membership to crunch - and specifically, to the north/sheffield location w/its spacious 3 floors, indoor pool, sauna, steam room, top of the line equipment, and awesome trainers/instructors. *sniffle*
i'm with a new gym out on the west coast, and it's good, but deep down, we both know that it just doesn't compare.
crunch, open up in the south bay! i promise to be good!
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When we joined last year we liked Crunch because it was not over-crowded and the parking was cheap and convenient. What a difference a few months make! Now it is completely packed every night, and with the kind of people who camp out on machines, just chatting with their friends. The classes there are nice, but the facilities are too over-crowded to accomodate them, so people end up spending a lot of time bunched up by the door well in advance of the good classes, struggling to claim a couple square feet of space to exercise in. The garage is packed pretty much all the time now, even though the price of parking jumped significantly late last year. Worse, the parking garage equipment that separates us from our money is chronically out of order. Nothing more annoying than waiting to be taken advantage of, and by rude parking staff! Wait, there is something more annoying: once summer hits, the temperatures in Crunch hit the high 90s in the afternoon and evening. I like the staff there, though, which is why I think Crunch rates 2 stars.
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