Note: This review is updated for the 2014/15 remodel.
This was the first Lifetime location I joined, originally as a single-member club and eventually buying a more expensive membership to access more clubs. Be warned that joining as a single-club member may be your gateway drug!
FITNESS FACILITIES
Fitness facilities are pretty great. All strength and weight equipment is brand new. They have an entirely new training area around the basketball courts for what they call "alpha" training, which is basically a Crossfit area. The squat racks they have here are particularly nice and versatile.
Some of the resistance machines have some "gee whiz" features like being able to tap your phone and record your reps via NFC. I haven't used the cardio machines as much, but they seem to be generally nice, although I personally dislike that every machine is bombarded with a built-in television. I believe the only TV-free cardio option that exists today is the ergometer (rower).
The pool is good for lap swimming. A bit colder than I like, but not icy cold. The max depth is only 4 or 5', but it is quite long. There is also a unisex jacuzzi tub in the pool area, as well as smaller jacuzzis in the locker rooms. The track is also a welcome treat. The only track I'm aware of that's better at a metro Life Time is in Fridley. The track was narrowed considerable to make room for the Crossfit area, but it's still nicely surfaced and nearly a full 1/8 mile distance.
My only real complaint with the general facilities is the hours are not great, especially during weekends. The club is clearly aimed at downtown workers, not people who live downtown (or are willing to make a trip downtown to work out).
GROUP FITNESS AND PROGRAMMING
The club has two group fitness studios, a cycle studio, boxing studio, two yoga studios, and a pilates studio. All spaces seem quite nice. However, the programming here is not as comprehensive as some of the other clubs (especially St. Louis Park). However, the instructors are good (I especially recommend Michelle L) and the classes are much less crowded than many of the suburban clubs.
LOCKER ROOMS + AMENITIES
The new locker rooms are beautiful, although the very narrow and tall lockers prove awkward when several people in a row are trying to get things out of their locker. Combination locks are all on all the lockers, so you don't have to keep track of a key (but do have to remember where you locked up and what your combo is!). Like most other clubs, this club now has individual shower stalls, and like other Life Time Athletic location, the showers include body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. Each locker room also has a steam room and sauna.
Upstairs, there is now a cafe and bar. The cafe's food is terrific, and they really paid attention to presentation, with porcelain plates and metal silverware. Supplements are kind of a ripoff, and I wouldn't recommend buying them there unless you really want their house brand or need something in a pinch. Food is more expensive than a lot of fast food, but not dramatically so. Good, healthy options, although the vegetarian selection is a little lacking. The bar looks really cool -- but who wants booze after a hard workout? I don't get it. I've never gone, so can't say anything about the quality of drinks.
ACCESS/OTHER
As others note, there is no free car parking at this location. But it's downtown, what do you expect? Most people seem to walk from their downtown job; this club is on the north side of downtown, but easy walking distance for most downtown workers. It also has excellent access to transit, just one block from the Blue and Green LRT lines and three blocks from the Marq2 express bus corridor. At one point they did have a monthly contract deal with the ABC ramps (it was something like $30/mo for unlimited 2 hour parking stints), but I haven't seen that advertised lately, so I don't know if it still exists.
Bicycling accommodations are one area that are really lacking, though: this is the most bikeable location in the metro, at the intersection of three major bike routes (and close to the Cedar Lake Trail). So wouldn't you expect there to be ample bike parking to accommodate this? Nope, not a single rack -- or so I thought for 9 months. I later found some racks hidden below the main entrance on 6th Street. This is a very poor location, with no pedestrian traffic or much vehicular traffic to discourage theft. Despite a multi-million dollar renovation, they still haven't managed to come up with $200 for a proper bike rack near the entrance.
One other frustration can be getting here during a sporting event. Obviously, it's inside Target Center and right next to Target Field, so the street is chaos when there is an event. Driving and parking is not even an option during these times (presumably your workout isn't worth $15-20 to you). read more