Great gym. Very gay, but welcoming to all. Steamroom and sauna…read more Good price for Chicago. Great energy: busy, but never overful or cramped. LOTS of open space. All solid, new equipment, friendly staff and clientele. 2 very large adjoining workout areas: 1 for free weights and cables; the other for machines, more dumbbells and benches, big turf area, etc. Separate stretching room (with walls and door), with mats, rollers, etc, and 1- to 8-pound weights for light stuff. The deck is 2 feet away, and stretching out there is encouraged, including bringing out ot the matts, etc. Many people take advantage when it's nice, leaving unlimited space. Not much waiting: the usual few choke points: barbell benches and (to a lesser extent) the cablec rossovers (where you need both.) Way more dumbbell benches than most gyms this size, all adjustable to incline/flat. 12-15 cable stations, always a few open. Group classes included, with large spin room and vert big class studio. Pool. Roof deck. Everything included: towels in 3 sizes, including shower size, soap, shampoo, conditioner, hairdryer, etc. Built in combo lockers, so you never bring a lock. I was very happy using trainer Troy Myree. (See below on great offer.) All the other trainers seem excellent (watching them with clients.) Very cleaning including spotless locker room. I'm satisfied enough to commute 1.5 miles with no car. (Bike except very cold winter or wet, then bus.) --- WHEN JOINING OR CONSIDERING: They officially give you 1 free workout, but I asked my sales rep for more to try it at different times, and she happily gave me 3. (I let her know I was definitely joining LVAC or FCC, and wanted to try them both a few times. That was true, and LVAC was an easy call. (About half the price, much better energy and clientele. FCC is over a mile closer to me, but I still picked LVAC.). Take advantage of the 1-time joining offer of 3 personal trainer sessions very cheap. (They offered to anyone for a short window 9 months later.)

Not a safe gym! Especially the men's locker rooms (steam room and sauna). Staff were not helpful.read more

Big park located in North Center. Hamlin Park is known for its athletic fields. It has a few…read morebaseball diamonds, as well as basketball and tennis courts, along with a pool. Also has indoor facilities like the fieldhouse and the gym. There's also a dog area where they can run around and stuff. A place that's pretty much for the neighborhood but it's still big enough for a crowd. It's best known for the athletic fields. This is a popular place for youth baseball leagues. Also offers lots of fitness programs you can sign up for. There's weightlifting, yoga, and more. It was created in 1909 by the Lincoln Park Commission. The fieldhouse was designed by architect Dwight H. Perkins. It was the most impressive of the fieldhouses he designed. This has two gyms and an assembly hall. Easily among the best places to play sports or just watch others do anything. It's got tons of fields to play on. There's baseball, basketball, and tennis among other things.

This review is mostly about the pool - the playground is nice, there's a lot of area, and the…read moreChicago Park District has programs here that we hadn't had the chance to participate in. We've been here through two summers, and unfortunately our first one most of the public pools in the city stayed closed due to a lifeguard shortage. We did come a couple times with our toddler this past summer. The obvious nice thing is it's a free pool, and the pool is pretty clean, though not heated at all. It does become a bit of a mad dash to get a chair or table to put your stuff down at once it opens so it pays to come early. However, there's one thing we learned that makes coming here extra annoying - after 45 minutes, they kick everyone out of the pool area for 15 minutes. Not just the pool, but you have to physically leave the whole area and line up back outside and wait to be let back in. Then the cycle repeats, with everyone having to leave after the 45 minutes again - and this doesn't include the where they close the whole area for a full 45 minutes in the middle of the afternoon. You definitely need to keep track of the schedule to know when to come, and be prepared for the hassle of having to jump out then back in. It's a great perk of the neighborhood, but I wish it didn't have to be so annoying.

We love this park! It has a little bit of everything. Lots of grassy areas like baseball and soccer…read morefields, a rubber track, and a large playground for the kiddos. The park is great for picnics, people-watching, or walking the track. We typically come here to play on the swings though! They have baby swings which is perfect for my 9-month old. The playground is large with activities great for children of all ages that I know my baby will grow into along the way. On the weekends it can be busy, but adults and kids have always been respectful when playing. It's a great park, and we are so happy/lucky to live close by!

Nice courts in a friendly park setting…read more I found the court and hitting partners on joinplaytennis.com/chicago

Nice park with plenty of green space. So close to the walking paths and river! Great for picnics or…read morea nap after a long walk or bike ride.

Clean, has a playground, dog park, pool tennis courts, and a trail by the water. Pleasant and good…read morefor walks

Brand new treadmills upstairs at the YMCA! I like the layout of the Lakeview Y - lots of space and…read morenot too crowded. They have some great group fitness instructors. This YMCA also accepts nationwide, which is what I have! Only issue is parking, but there are usually some spots nearby. Nice sauna and usually empty!

In terms of the facilities, I enjoy the Y tremendously (minus the cold pool). Great weight room,…read morelots of treadmills & cardio equipment, I play basketball there weekly with a group of great guys, I know they've got good classes in terms of Zumba or some of the other HIIT classes. What royally sucks is I've had 2 bikes stolen from this location (one locked with a strong steel U-lock, one with a strong Kryptonite lock), and one bike stolen from the elementary school just up the street. This area is a hotbed for criminals to come & steal things, even with very quality equipment to lock your things up. I've been in communication with the Y for over a year to ask for inside access to park bikes, no resolution. They have one of the perpetrators on video stealing my bike, but can't do anything about it. I emailed them politely to ask for 2 things from them: 1. Inside place to park our bikes 2. I don't expect any type of reimbursement for the bikes, but I asked if they'd take the hardship under consideration & comp a year of membership for our fam of 4 who is their weekly. Response I received from Elena Garcia, the community concierge director: Hi Kyle, Thank you for being a valued member of our Lake View Y community! I understand this is incredibly frustrating, especially this being the 3rd time. While the incident occurred in front of our hub, unfortunately the area is not our property, which limits what we are able to do directly. We are glad to hear you have already filed a police report, and we also encourage you to reach out to the alderperson's office, as they may be able to help advocate for additional safety measures in the area. We also appreciate your suggestion about indoor bike parking. At this time, we are unable to offer indoor bike storage due to limited space. Regarding your request for a complimentary year of membership, we truly understand why you asked. However, since the incident did not occur on our property and was outside of our control, we're not able to honor that request. If we can of further assistance at this time, please let us know. Not your property? You mean the bike racks, directly outside of your front door, on your sidewalk, that your staff tells us to park our bikes at, that is surveillanced by your cameras, isn't your property? Interesting. No offers of any type of resolution. No offers of any type of compensation. Just pass the buck to someone else. Deplorable display of leadership.

Looks like a solid gym, with decent amenities. I was here for a class, specifically BURN…read more 5 stations, 2 times through, approx 45 minutes. Good workout, great instructor -Kristin! Location is a little far for me, but again, the gym itself seems to have a ton of equipment and good layour.

I've been a member of this gym for the better part of a decade. Let me paint you a picture of a…read moretypical visit... You enter on Diversey Street through two sets of narrow double doors. Someone is always leaving at the exact moment you arrive, and the two of you engage in a polite yet awkward standoff over who will hold the door. One of you finally relents and slips through, and just like that, the first small irritation of the day has landed - forgettable on its own, but the first of many. By the time you leave, they'll have accumulated, and you'll walk out slightly worse off than when you arrived, unsure exactly why. Next comes the card scanner. There is a self-scan device on the counter, and you will try earnestly, hopefully, to get it to work. It rarely does. But not never, and that's the problem. If it never worked, they might be forced to fix it. But because it flickers to life just often enough, they don't. So you stand there, twisting your card around like an idiot, while the staff -who've watched this same futile ritual unfold thousands of times - eventually wheel their chair over and press a button on top. This, too, rarely works on the first try. You both fiddle . Smile nervously. You both pretend it isn't ridiculous. Finally, you're through. Next is the locker-room, which is carpeted- an ideal environment for mold, bacteria, and athletes foot fungus. To reach it, you'll navigate a cramped zigzag chute that I've come to think of as the "butt funnel" - a design that ensures those entering and those exiting will collide in the tightest possible space. Once inside, you're greeted not by open space but by a bench placed directly in the entryway, flanked by lockers. This leaves you weaving through a maze of naked limbs and gym bags just to get in. Then comes the locker hunt. There is no system - no visual indicator of a locker being unused, no light, no logic. You must walk the perimeter, trying each one in sequence. Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked. Locked. Open. By this time, much of your desire to workout, which you had just a brief time ago, has diminishd significantly. Upstairs, unless you've come during workday hours, you'll find the place packed. Not just busy - packed. Every machine is in use, often with someone standing nearby, waiting. You'll find people on the floor, doing pushups or crunches in the narrow spaces between equipment. There's no rhythm, no flow - just bodies everywhere. oh, and forget going late in the evening - they reduced their hours significantly after Covid and then never opened them back up (almost certainly because they realized it increased their profit margin to not have to pay the staff). And the atmosphere - this is harder to define, but you'll feel it. It's not unfriendly exactly, just... off. No one talks. No one makes eye contact. I'm not looking to make friends at the gym, but I can't shake the sense that something in the bones of this place is just wrong. It takes more than it gives and it's hard to put your finger on why. When your workout is over, you descend through the same gauntlet of hell on your way out, a staff member will mumble a required, monotone farewell in your direction without looking up - a forced practice that you know is equally as painful for them as it is you . You'll hold the door for the next person as they awkwardly try to hold it for you. And you'll step back out onto Diversey having completed your workout. Technically, you've gained something - but it won't feel that way. Why, you ask, do I continue to attend this godforsaken place? Because it the only gym in the neighborhood - and I, like so many others around here, don't have a car in Chicago. Therefore I will continue to attend - losing something every time I go. Something hard to name - a little wellbeing, a little peace. A little of myself.

Awesome place. I play tennis there, use the gym and even pilates which is my membership. Huge…read morefacilities, nice courts, nice gym, nice instructors, nice lessons. Very satisfied. My only qualification to change the rating to 4 stars is that their billing/finance/etc. processing is a nightmare. They charge too much and then you must go back and straighten out the books now and then, that is no fun with such a good place.

The good: 1. Great…read morefacility and amenities 2. Indoor tennis (monopoly) 3. Amazing restaurant with good prices and really good food 4. Sauna and steam room 5. Plenty of exercise machines and programs for work out 6. Last but not the least, despite all the negative reviews I think the staff is amazing and deserves kudos The not so good: 1. For the price, not really worth it when you consider you have to pay additional $$$ for tennis, Pilates etc 2. Multiple people have shared my observation that the yoga program is below average and my partner attended one class and never went back because of an abrasive the yoga instructor. Overall if you have additional $$$ and don't mind paying more than what you are getting (like the Bucktown housing market) then you will certainly enjoy this place. If you're looking for something that makes sense from a value perspective then there are other options.

This is a fairly large no frills gym with a good variety of the equipment you would want, but it…read morehas one fatal flaw: It's overcrowded, particularly if you're looking to do weight training (cardio never seems to be an issue). If you strength train at an off-peak time, say first thing in the morning or late at night, you'll be just fine, but most other times expect to wait to get on certain machines and good luck trying to secure a weight bench or squat rack. A locker room makeover is also much needed. I've seen the membership at this location grow significantly over the years and can't help but wonder what LA Fitness' portfolio strategy is. Since LA Fitness bought X-Sport and then closed their nicest location in the North Side on Broadway in Lakeview, many of those members now come to this location and the infrastructure just doesn't support so many members at peak times. LA Fitness Corporate, I hope you are reading this. There is an obvious solution right in front of you that should have you seeing dollar signs. There is a massive gap in your portfolio in Chicagoland in that you don't have a Signature Club anywhere on the North Side of the city. The Loop downtown or Niles are the closest Signature Club locations. Not only is this location on Lawrence the home club of many LGBT members who likely would be more than capable and willing to pay a little more for a nicer facility and less crowding, the gym could easily expand on the cheap into the former Sears Auto space right next door as it has been sitting vacant for years. Instead, they're competing on the Planet Fitness end of the pricing spectrum with no membership cap in sight. Time to upgrade and expand to a Signature location to give everyone a better experience and reduce overcrowding. It would fulfill a much needed and unmet need in the local market and prevent members who have about had it with the overcrowding from turning elsewhere.

We still call this gym THE PHONE BOOTH. Anytime you go there…read moreare machines you can not use because people are just sitting on the machine staring at their phones, scrolling instagram, watching videos, doing everything except actually using the machine. If you ask if you can use the machine while they are one the phone you get major attitude. Luke the manager is practically useless, he just sits at the front yelling HALLO at people as they enter. Meanwhile back in the gym, there are bags and other things scattered in the walking areas creating a hazard and the endless machine hogging cell phone zombies taking up the exercise machines.

No complaints here great location with nice views of the city as it's located on the 7th floor of…read morethe Century building. There is no free parking so if your driving you have to pay in the lot or find street parking. Equipment is older but in good working condition and the staff is great. Gym is clean for a gym. Locker room and shower are old but well maintained.

I'm extremely frustrated after a recent call with customer service. The representative I spoke with…read morehad a very dismissive, "it-is-what-it-is" and "take-it-or-leave-it" attitude regarding my concerns about the gym's yoga mats and exercise balls. Nearly all of the yoga mats are severely deteriorated, and the gym has only three exercise balls available for the entire facility. I've raised concerns about the poor condition of the mats multiple times, but nothing has changed. During this call, the representative flatly stated, "These are the mats we are going to purchase," despite my explaining that they tear easily, wear out quickly, and provide little to no padding or comfort. When I mentioned that I can feel my knees hitting the floor during floor exercises, she bluntly told me I could bring my own mat. The conversation became even more unprofessional when she asked about my "future plans," clearly implying that if I was unhappy, I should simply cancel my membership and go elsewhere. She repeatedly emphasized that no one is forcing me to remain a member and that I could either accept the equipment as-is or leave. I also mentioned that XSport previously offered high-quality mats and a large supply of exercise balls. In response, she sarcastically remarked that XSport is no longer in business. I acknowledged that fact and explained that their closure was due to the COVID period, as happened to many businesses, but that didn't change the point about quality equipment. What is most upsetting is that my core concern--that it makes no sense to continue repurchasing low-quality mats that deteriorate quickly--was completely dismissed. The representative made it clear that the company has no intention of considering alternatives, regardless of member feedback. I find it hard to believe that a business would knowingly continue to waste money on poor-quality equipment that neither lasts nor benefits its members. I have attached photos of the mats currently in use; some are even worse than those shown and are nearly ripped apart. Additionally, the lack of exercise balls is surprising and inconvenient, especially when comparable gyms offer a dozen or more. Again, the customer service agent insisted I could just leave if I'm unhappy. I truly hope LA Fitness addresses these issues. Customer service attitudes like this, combined with ignoring valid concerns about equipment quality, will inevitably drive members away--including myself. While the representative treated my membership as insignificant, if enough members share these concerns, the impact on the business will be undeniable.