Fitness Formula Clubs - Halsted Street
3228 N Halsted St
(between Belmont Ave & Melrose St)
Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 755-3232
- Nearest Transit:
Belmont (Purple Express, Brown, Red)
19 Reviews for Fitness Formula Clubs - Halsted Street
staff is very nice and classes are full, but not so full that you can't get either a mat or space. I've had to wait for treadmills 3-5 min. during prime afterwork hours/cold days, but compared to previous experiences elsewhere, 3-5 minutes is not enough to piss me off. Luckily, I've got the type of schedule that I don't have to always go after traditional work hours.
free parking beni is a nice perk during the winter.
I've been a member of FFC since late last year (2007). Originally using the gym downtown, I'm currently attending this gym on a frequent basis due to its closer to where I live.
It is modern/newer than some other FFC locations near by (Waveland Ave in the New Yorker Building is the closest one), and equipment and condition of the gym is top notch.
There is 2 hour validated parking in a garage attached to the building, though you do have to walk outside to enter the gym which is great in the summer, terrible in the winter.
As many free towels as you want, bathrooms have soap, shampoo, conditioner in the shower stalls, lockers have locks that actually work.
There are a great variety of classes and I have yet to attend one that you could not get into. Free WiFi and a few computers that you can use for free that have internet access.
The gym is great and if you join for an extra dollars a month you can use any of the other gyms in the city. So why is that important....let me explain. I signed up to have the access to use all gyms. I was downtown one day near my gym and had to use the bathroom...just pop right in and popped right out.....also if I need information or directions all gyms have computer access. So it sounds strange, I find this access comes in handy in certain parts of the city at certain times.
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Ok, due to the sub-human temperatures, I need to get a gym. So, the hunt commences!
My first stop is FFC (Halsted location). I have driven past this about a bazillion times.
Plusses:
Free 2 hours of parking INSIDE!
Open 24 hours during the week (til 9pm on weekends)
Clean locker rooms
Free locks and towels
Steam room
Lots of classes (including spinning, which scares me)
Seems clean.
Friendly staff.
Power Plate machines have always mystified me.
Childcare (no I don't have kids! but some do)
Free Wifi...(I never *quite* get this at a gym, but I will probably use it!)
Negs:
None yet. I have to work out a few times...
So, from what I see...this place could be it. They do lots of promo deals, and will almost always give you a 2 week pass before you sign up, so you can try it. Let's all be kind though, make sure to sign up with the guy/girl that gave you the tour. Salespeople work on commission, so if you do decide it's the place for you, and the salesperson was good to work with...make sure they get the notch on their belt, so to speak :) They'll be very appreciative.
SO yep, this place actually makes me want to go work out, hooray!
(I'll edit after I've gone through the sign-up process/worked out for a few weeks so I can attest/whine about other aspects)
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For what you pay, you'd expect a lot more. I think you can measure a Gym by how clean the showers are, and these showers are never clean. There is mold forming on the ceiling acoustical tiles, and there is always slime in the floor and wall grout. The difference in price between this place and Lakeshore Athletic Club is really negligible when you consider how much cleaner LSAC is.
This is the schizophrenic gym, but in an endearing way. It has a distinct daytime personality, and a nighttime personality, and they couldn't be more different.
Today this wasn't my scene: Loads of people. Nowhere to stretch on the mats. Shoulder to shoulder guys in the steam room. Bumping into each other in the locker room in various stages of undress when there were no tall lockers for street clothes available. Had to stand in line to piss, and there were no razors to shave with, It was 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.. But, this was the ONLY remarkably bad experience I've had here since 2003.
Usually, I've always come to FFC at off-hours, when the place is empty and immaculate. My suggestion: if possible come after 8 a.m. and before 4 p.m.. You'll have the place all to yourself.
Parking is basically guaranteed: 2 free hours at the adjacent Go Parking, but be vigilant with Go Parking. I caught them shaving minutes off their time clock and at least one of their attendants can be a real bastard to deal with if your cell phone or watch doesn't match their possibly rigged time clock. See my review of this Go Parking at
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Personal service and attention: Always first name recognition and greetings.
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I like this gym. It's always clean and the staff is nice. My only complaint is the price, but I guess this complaint is better addressed to the gym market as a whole.
I know I'm paying for the hip location and the company of the hip clientele, (ooh and the really cool TVs on all the machines) , which is obviously reflected in the price. The Fitness Formula owners must be millionaires.
On the brighter side I do go to the gym regularly since I'm paying for it. So hopefully in a few more months the price of the gym membership will reflect my stellar health (and not so much the hipness factor.)
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I love this gym! The atmosphere is clean and inviting, the staff members are friendly and helpful, I've never had to wait for a machine, and the classes are excellent. I'm especially impressed by the quality of the yoga and pilates classes; sooo much better than those at the gym I belonged to in Boston (which was comparably priced). You won't find better classes outside of a studio. The towel service is a huge bonus, as are the individual TVs on all cardio machines.
Another great thing about this location is the sense of community; little things like the monthly book club (with wine and cheese!) and member appreciation days really make this gym something special.
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My fiance and I both belong here and love it. We have a great rate and have never had to wait on a machine! I was also really impressed with the pilates class. Normally, gym classes dont hold a candle to the studio ones but the fact that I cant move today says it all. My only advice is to definitely sign up with someone else, so that you can get the couples rate. One of my single friends pays $30 extra dollars a month and cant even go at peak hours!
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Nice looking gym with nice equipment and a trendy Lakeview location. So, why only one star? Because (I think) a guys experience at this gym is MUCH different from a woman's. Why? The locker room. There is way too much creepy, nasty, shady cruising going on in the locker room. There have been times that the same creepy dude was trolling the locker room from the time I got to the gym, changed into my clothes, worked out, came BACK to the locker room, showered, changed back into my street clothes and left. The.Same.Dude.Was.Still.There! Hanging out in his towel and going back and forth from the steam room to the showers to the lockers. It's really creepy.
And this is not to mention of all the screwing around that happens in the steam room aka the petri dish of filth. Back when I would still frequent it, I would routinely come into some scene out of a (poorly produced, low budget and unattractive cast) porno. Bald guys with wedding rings trying to shimmy away from each other - as though no one could figure out what was going on. What was my breaking point of going to the steam room? Slipping on "There's Something About Mary" hair gel. If I hadn't been wearing flip-flops, something very bad would have happened that day. Doubt me about these happenings? Check out Missed Connections on Craigslist and look at how many 'encounters' guys talk about on there. And the REALLY stupid thing about all of this? There's a freaking bath house right next store! Dudes, you can get all the nasty you need if you walk twenty paces to the north. And it's probably less expensive than the gym!
I don't know if the management has done anything to fix this problem. After I slipped on 'gel' (and cut myself on the razor blade edges they have/had attached to the soap dish; true story; I guess $.10 plastic covers for the edges are too much to expect), I was done. Machines that aren't wiped down? Annoying. The faint aroma of b.o. + perfume. Unappetizing. Dirty towels. Starting to get the heebie jeebies. Wondering if you picked up an STD from your gym? Criminal. If this gym can't enforce some sort of rules that ensure that the membership respects that this is a gym and not a sex den, then I don't see how and why it's still open.
Oh, wait. I just got it.
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I love this place. FFC is super clean and everyone that I have ever talked to is super friendly. The hours are great, the price is the only thing I'd change but I guess they are pretty competitive with other clubs in the area. Classes are included with your membership so that is great too.
As with all fitness clubs this place is slammed typically between 5:30-7:00. It's hard to find a mat sometimes and an elliptical machine during these hours however with the weather getting nicer it's starting to clear out.
All the classes I've taken with John N have been super sweet. He's a great instructor, really friendly.
Love, love, love this place. I also go to the union station one and both are great. They are never overcrowded, machines are always available and weights are plentiful. Not having to lug my towel and shower stuff is wonderful. Also, showers that are actually clean are something I wasn't sure existed after being a member at bally's for years. Also, the free parking really comes in handy when I dont feel like going to the gym because it is cold out.
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I love this gym. The staff, particularly the front desk staff, are awesome and friendly. This place is CLEAN, cleaner than those bigger falshier gyms in town, thanks to hard working locker room attendees Fidelina and America. The machines are great; they've recently updated them with individual TVs...how cool. Also this place is generally not a fashion show gym, folks go there to work out. The trainers are awesome too, paricularly Josh Zaffino, who is hard on the body but not on the eyes (wink wink).
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I work out both at this location, as well as the East Lakeview and Union Station locations, and have to say that this is a fantastic gym.
The staff is very friendly and cheerful, the locker rooms and gym areas are always clean, the machines all have their own television sets, and I never have to wait for cardio equipment. In addition, they offer a wide variety of classes, and the instructors are fantastic.
I have worked out at other gyms in town (Crunch, XSport, and Ballys) and Fitness Formula is by far the best around!
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I started off with multiplex/fitness formula clubs, at this location. I still belong to this one, but added on east lakeview as well, but rarely ever use this one anymore. I really liked this location, easy to park in the garage, quick entrance and locker room change, back to the workout area. The only problems I had was the amount of socializing overpowering the working out aspect. Chatty women who like to primp. If you're into that, go for it.
My husband and I officially started paying to work out here in April. For the most part, we have been really impressed. The staff are super friendly, the equipment is clean, and the towels are plentiful. Also, the showers are stocked with shampoo, soap, and razors with blow-driers available for pre-work primping.
We shopped around to a couple of gyms before joining and are very happy with out choice. We are not fancy people and it is nice to see a good mix of older people in dumpy sweats and hot ripped young people. I also appreciate that people here actually work out.
This is hands down my favorite gym in Chicago... and I've been to east bank club. This is better.
The halsted multiplex is defintely the cleanest gym I've ever been to and they have the friendliest staff. They've given me hair ties and headphones to use when I've forgotten my own and I even got free personal training from a manager who worked out at the same time as me and wanted a training buddy.
Other perks: free parking and free coffee on weekends.
I can't say enough good things about this gym, and I really miss going here. I had to cancel my membership since I travel with my new job and we have a gym at work.
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Great gym. Even at 7 pm on Monday evening I have never had to wait for a machine. Also rarely wait to work in on strength equipment.
Very clean, helpful but not pushy staff, wonderful locker rooms with oddly calming new age music. Also, no trixies in full face of makeup and thong leotards, which is a definite plus.
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I'm going on month three of becoming a member here which is normally when you realize just how long that gym contract is and you curse yourself for ever signing the paperwork.
I called FFC because they were just down the street. I wanted to know how much they were a month because I *knew* they were out of my price range but I didn't know by how much. I needed to know just how much was too much in Chicago so I could figure out what was reasonable.
The person I talked to was very helpful and not stand off-ish at all. I was very frank about not having any intent of becoming a member because of cost. He explained that they have something called a 'matinee' membership which basically means you're only able to use the gym during their non-peak hours.
I work at a job that either has me getting off work at 12:30pm or 8:30pm and I pass this gym on the way home. That means I can get to the gym after work at 1pm or 9pm and neither of those are peak times so it just so happened that the matinee membership works out great for me. Its $55 a month which is around what I was expecting to pay so it worked out.
The gym itself is so nice. I don't dread going there, Ive never had to wait for a machine (non-peak hours) and its always so clean! The staff has been so nice and helpful and I really appreciate their non-judgmental attitudes. I feel comfortable using this gym even though I am neither a super model nor a muscle builder.
They use a program called Activtax for personalized work outs. Its included in the monthly fee and it takes all of your personalized info (they spend an hour with you at the start giving you a health assessment) and prints out a weight training routine for you to use. All of their machines are numbered and the sheet tells you exactly what to do. A great perk if you use it. I have and love it.
All the machines have TVs, the lockers lock using your card so you don't need to worry about having a lock with you. In all I am 100% satisfied with this gym.
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This is an enormous gym with very clean facilities. Everything is spaced out so there's room to workout without trampling everyone. However, its only open until 1030 at night which sucks sometimes when you get those late night workout cravings but on the plus side, there's 2 hours of free parking in the lot next door... rare for anything in the city! They've got a good selection of workout classes with qualified instructors and they also have a list of personal trainers who can kick your butt.. Its expensive to join but its worth it! They have a bunch of different membership options to suit most people's needs..
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