Had been with another health club some 20y. I figured Princeton Club would be too pricey for me. I went in and discovered for the same price I got everything I needed in one space instead of making the rounds to 3 in the hopes of needed equipment working. Staff and members have been there a long time and I have never been to a gym where the lockerrooms smell good(women's). It's set up for community-building too with work out areas consolidated. Love all the classes to(spin & BodyPump being my faves). We have been to Westside and New Berlin locations as well. Great club! read more

See all

The club itself is nice. Seems clean overall and reception is always friendly. Haven't had a bad experience with other guests. Bathrooms/showers are usually well kept, lockers are large, and the classes are fun. My only complaint is that the last time I went to use the pool, the room smelled strongly of urine. It was not a pleasant area to be in. I don't know if this is normal for this location as I am still new- but I just could not get over that smell. read more

Good variety of strength and cardio equipment. I love the free weight room set up and that there are 3 smith machines. Pool, sauna and steam room area are great. I love the variety of workout classes here too. Also nice that they have a women's only area upstairs! Only thing though is that when I signed up I was told that I could bring the same person up to 8 times in one year. However, when I brought the same guest in a second time they said that wasn't allowed for a free pass and I was very upset about this misinformation. I brought it up to management and I do not believe anything was ever done about it. Furthermore, an out of town guest always has to pay for a guest pass which is another thing I was not told about when I signed up. read more

Clean, friendly & professional. There's almost always equipment and the membership contract doesn't require a law degree. If you like bigger gyms, East, West and South are all great. Smaller express clubs are great too. I just read surprisingly negative comments. My experience makes me wonder. read more

Just don't go Monday morning at Fitchburg location. Heidi is the iwoman in charge of the water classes and she is mean. Not only can you not say a word in her class she actually yelled at the people quietly talking in the hot tub area. (Seriously can't hear her anyway due to all the splashing) Doesn't help to talk to Jake (the manager) . He says it's not up to him. Cop out. Imo. The rest of the classes are great. read more

Princeton Club's Madison are clean and well taken care of and ready to use when you arrive. They give you a Towel. Best Fitness Club - beats the YMCA. read more

Princeton Club is pretty much my second home! It's by far the best gym I've been too because it offers so many great amenities! It has a huge cardio section, multiple weight rooms, a track, pool, hot tub, sauna, steam room, hydro massage, basketball courts, a roof top turf section, and more!! There are also huge locker rooms with hair dryers, multiple showers, and lockers. They've taken COVID-19 very seriously by making sure machines are spaced out and by giving everyone an individual towel and spray bottle to clean surfaces and equipment. The gym is also in a great location. It's right by the mall, the Hy-Vee grocery store, Target, several restaurants and coffee shops, and much more! Plus, it's right off the highway and has a large parking lot. Love the Princeton Club East!! read more

See all

I enjoy going to work out here in a relatively cool environment, peaceful and can really use whatever machines I am in need of. Grateful for a great place to get in shape! read more

This place is so rundown. Millionaires own this place yet the equipment is pathetic. Minimal squat racks, zero olympic weights and plenty of ancient and unhygienic machinery. Let's chat about the weight benches all cracked and probably full of MRSA, the cable machines being completely off tension levels and the rusted parts on nearly half of the free weights. Many don't wear their masks and staff don't care. Countless trainers look directly at people not wearing masks and say absolutely NOTHING. It baffles me! I only am here to use the childcare while my primary gyms childcare remains closed due to covid. read more

Been going to PC for several months, usually in at early morning hours, no issues with front desk staff at that time. Have been pretty happy with our membership but on 3/16 I arrived with my wife who is also a member and my brother in law who was in from out of town. Front desk girl was slightly rude and also got into a disagreement with a family right next to us and had an attitude with them (family with small children too). Then we were told it was $20 for a guest since my brother in law was "not local"...kind of ridiculous for $70-80 a month you don't get a couple free guess passes. $20 for a guest of a member is quite out of touch with most other gyms who include some free guest passes for similar scenarios. Good gym if you can get past some minor issues with customer service. Again, one off issue but still a bit of a disappointment. read more

Let me start by saying I use my membership to lift weights and shoot hoops at their basketball courts (which is becoming more and more difficult with their new operations..). The weight room is solid, no complainants there. My location (Princeton Club East) chooses to be a venue for special events on the weekend and blocks off the ENTIRE gym for days at a time. The management team shows little to no empathy when I have voiced concerns about this which is extremely discouraging. I understand they are a business, but I think it is RIDICULOUS how often this occurs. I got my membership under the impression they were a gym and not a venue. I guess I was mistaken. This poor customer service honestly makes me want to look for a new gym. Be better Princeton Club East and put your members first read more

Great gym. Yes some machines could be updated, but most are completely acceptable. Plenty of variety and plenty of space. Most poor reviews are about masks. If you are worried about covid so much, a gym is not the place for you right now, stay home. read more

Have been a long-time member, 5+ year. The majority of the treadmills do not function unless you hit "quick start" which only gives the runner 20 minutes. The touch screen on every treadmill does not work. I've also had treadmills randomly shut off on me during all-out intervals. I have told staff and they say, "okay". Some of the weight machine's sticker labels fell off so you have no idea how much weight you're using on the machine. read more

Nice equipment, friendly staff, but EVERY time I've been there in recent weeks I see a minimum of atleast one dude down on the floor in the most crowded area with no mask on like it's no big deal. Staff doesn't seem to notice or care- as if we're not being hammered by a pandemic and they haven't heard... please enforce safety standards, the current practice is not working. read more

I absolutely love the princeton club. If you want to surround yourself with fitness minded motivate people go to the classes they offer. Classes are free minus TRX as is childcare. They also have a small wave pool great for physical therapy, a huge lap pool (also offer water aerobics) a sauna and a jacuzzi. This place is my sanctuary... I have easily spent 5 hours there and felt absolutely refreshed and energized when I left. Huge field house, punching bag, handball courts, hella cardio machines and weight lifting area. Love love love the princeton club! read more

Princeton Club has allowed far too many people to join, and it has become so packed that I can no longer get my full workouts in. I would highly recommend looking elsewhere for a gym membership until they get this figured out. I also tried to cancel my membership based on this situation, and Princeton Club was not accommodating or helpful in any way. I was not able to cancel my membership, so unless you are 100% confident that you want to stay with them no matter how things might change, you should look for another gym. read more

Update: this review was written before the club and I came to a peaceful solution (which was to let me out of my contract). It took me calling the news and reporting it to the county for them to do so; but I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt as they eventually did do the right thing here. They did, however, ask me to remove this review, which I will not do. Everything in my review is the truth and if you wanted people to speak more kindly of you, you should have behaved better. The original post: This is for the poor customer service. I have been going to the club (east) for nearly a decade and loved it. I was even impressed with their Covid protocol roll-outs, which is why I continued to work out there. Until I started noticing a free-for-all on the floor with maskless members. I stopped counting at 15 people one morning. I brought my concerns to Ted Gerry who immediately dismissed me and said mask-less members would be wearing a wrist band. I told him this is NOT happening, people are being let in without a mask (or wrist band), and not turned away. Those that are "medically exempt" are not required to show proof of a doctor's note. And his response was they are "too exhausted" and have "too many members" to actually enforce the mandate. Ted Gerry could benefit from a 101 class in Customer Service. There are a thousand different (better) ways he could have handled it, but his arrogance ended up costing the club decades of future business from me and my family. DO BETTER. The Princeton Club: where masks are "required"... but you can come in without one anyway because our staff is too exhausted to actually enforce it, putting all our members at risk. It's not a good look. read more

I like the place. Lots of basketball areas that seem to be hardly used and plenty of free weights, resistance machines, and cardio equipment. However, the interior decoration looks like a paper cup or Doritos bag from the late 80's. No natural light like the P club on the west side... Still a nice gym, though read more

I have been a member for about 4 years now. I would have gone with something slightly cheaper like Anytime Fitness, but PC has three things combined that most other gyms and clubs in the area don't have: pools, hot tubs, and 24 hour access. If you don't need or want those things, I recommend the slightly cheaper membership to Princeton Club Xpress. Those locations have a decent selection of equipment and very nice showers/bathrooms. They also typically save you a few minutes on just getting in and out. If you want a full membership that includes a pool at each of the main locations plus hot tub, steam room, sauna, and (at this location) a current pool, a PC membership is probably your best option in the area. The good: The equipment selection is pretty good overall. It is fairly well maintained compared to other places I've been. Etiquette is much better for weight machines and free weights at this location than at West. The pool is usually 1 degree warmer at this location than at West (83 degrees vs. 82 degrees). For those who want a slightly warmer temp, go here vs. West. The men's locker room is spacious, with plenty of urinals and bathroom stalls. It's nice having full size lockers all through vs. West which has lots of half size lockers. I haven't worked with any of the personal trainers, but they all seem friendly. The workouts they seem to be doing with clients and members appear solid and well designed. The bad: There are only two "bad" items over which I think they can have some control. First, I think management and staff could be a little more proactive in enforcing rules and encouraging good etiquette. Perhaps include that discussion when new members sign up? I am sure some of that is in the membership documents, but I doubt anyone reads any of it. The second bad item is the scheduling of classes in the pool. It is a bit challenging to get my swimming in when all classes occur at the time I would prefer to be in the pool. Most classes at both locations take place between 8 and 10am and 6 and 7pm on weekdays. Between other classes and the family swims on the weekends, the pools are usually a no-go from 9am to noon on Saturday and noon to 3pm on Sunday. The next bad item is something I am sure one would have to deal with anywhere - it is the result of the generally poor etiquette and lack of common courtesy that exist in our society today. Relatively few members bother to take a shower (or at least rinse off) before entering the pool or hot tub. When it is obvious, I will usually call people out on it. Many folks will hit the steam room to generate a nice sweat before jumping right in the pool or hot tub without rinsing off. Reviews that mention cleanliness of the locker rooms and showers are not wrong. However, the reviewers misplace their ire. The cleaning staff works tirelessly. However, there is only so fast and thorough you can clean up after such slobs. read more

Well - I had to drop this to a 3-star review as I am becoming more and more disheartened when I go to the "express" clubs....I mean they really should have someone their cleaning them regularly and repairing things. The equipment is for the most part in good shape but its the little things that I keep seeing over and over, week in and week out, that leave me wanting more from the club. Examples - Light bulbs burnt out for 3+ months, broken/missing coat/clothes hooks in bathrooms, dirty bathrooms, garbage cans full and broken. It just really irks me when I see an employee at the site, sitting in the office doing nothing when there is trash to be taken out? I also received the following message from "Taryn B." regarding my last post about the club - "Yesterday Jason, I read your review about the weird church thing at Te Princeton Club on Sundays. For this reason, I am going to check it out! Thanks for telling people about it. Have you ever socialized with the owner? He is a fantastic man and I bet ou wouldn't find him creepy if you gave him a chance. You might actually want to go to these creepy church things. He is one of the most caring individuals I know. Sounds like you could use some church in your life. You should give it a chance. You will not only strengthen your body, but mind and spirit." I mean......it is just weird, right? At least work on your spelling before you try to convert me? Anyway - I really hope someone at the Princeton Club is reading these from time to time and tries to step it up at these express locations. read more

Not that expensive for the all the amenities. Actually a really good deal compared to other similar facilities, but perhaps people think it's expensive because there's nothing similar in Madison. Speaking from personal experience, Princeton Club far exceeds the quality of 24 Hour Fitness, Golds, or Ballys for about $10-20 less per month. You really can't compare Princeton Club to places like Madison West YMCA or Harbor Athletic Club (I think Harbor might actually be shut down by now)...these other places are not open 24 hours, are about a quarter of the size, and have machines twice as old...so it doesn't surprise me that a membership at Harbor is $20/month. In my experience, Princeton Club is always clean - including the main area, the track, the outdoors roof area, the basketball courts, the racket ball courts, the pool, hot tub, and tanning beds. The lack of yoga thing is weird, I agree. I don't do yoga, but it is absurd if the only reason they don't offer yoga is because it's "sexually explicit". That's almost comical in 2010. Considering the origins of yoga, Princeton Club's policy is A) insulting, and B) really shows a lack of education. Oh yeah, there are some REAL big douche bags that workout around 5-7PM. You know, the 30-40 year old unmarried men that wear Ed Hardy, cover themselves in Axe body spray, and talk about "banging broads" like they did in college....oh wait, no, they never did that in college either... Anyways, overall the pros outweigh the cons. I come in, get a good workout, get a tan, run some laps, beat my buddy in racquetball, grab a protein shake - seems like a good plan to me. read more

Well, I am a yoga fan, so now I know why there is no yoga here, which is why no 5 stars for me (friggin wierdos. Do they not eat foods like cucumbers and popcicles because they are overtly phallic?) I am visiting Madison, working out here. Super clean. Friendly staff (exception one older lady at the front desk) NO WAIT. Its a gym, not a restaurant, so I dont care if they are friendly. I shower at home. I want good equipment, with no wait, so I can work out. If I was looking for a date, or to hang out in the locker rooms, I might have a different opinion, but I got enough of that in HS and College. Give me some free weights, a pool, a track and a court and I am a happy chica! read more

While in town visiting the boyfriend's family, we stopped in to Princeton Club for a day pass to get in a workout. First off, it was $20 per person!!!! Now, as a gym rat I've been to some of the best of the best athletic clubs and some so-so's....and this was definitely down in the so-so range. I liked the open set up, with separate areas for weights and the open cardio area. However, we went to hit the treadmills and I'm sorry but the 80's called, and they want their treadmills back. Seriously, upgrade your equipment! There were also no towels available - and after an hour on the treadmill, we needed a towel. It was gross. Maybe there are some available if you ask, but no one at the front desk was offering. The place is definitely in need of renovation, from the treadmills to the pool. And for $20 for a day pass, I definitely was disappointed! Side note: the boyfriend's father likes working out there because it's not intimidating, so maybe that's the crowd they are going for. read more

Women are taking pics in the locker rooms while you're completely naked, mold in the pool area, disgusting machines, and employees are rude. The amount of times I've gone in to talk about my membership, and there's NO ONE there to help me is insane. Highly recommend going somewhere else. read more

No one enforces wearing masks. When I ask people who aren't wearing them to please put them on, they get incredibly angry. Been trying to go back periodically, but every time I go, I see idiots not wearing them. Don't feel safe. read more

MASSAGE REVIEW - For a wonderful and effective massage, I highly recommend Dianne O'Meara at Princeton Club East on Eagan Rd., Madison. I've been going to her for years, even before she began at Princeton Club. She has been an important part of helping me keep my spine, shoulders, and neck working well despite the physical problems I have, compounded by a couple of car crashes. She is knowledgeable, thoughtful, and respectful. She is top notch! read more

I am not sure what Tony R. is talking about, I have been going to Princeton Club East for 2 years, using assorted cardio, weights, and assorted free weights, and almost never have to wait on anything,. ever. They get busy, but they have a ton of equipment. Maybe he mean Princeton Club West, I have never been there. This is also a pretty clean gym, which is important to me. Unfortunately for me, it's got a Christian fundamentalist vibe (Christian business directories in the lobby, Christian events always posted on the bulletin board, some association with the unmarked building next-door that uses their same posters to advertise events with lots of attendees sporting Jesus fish on their cars) which makes me uncomfortable, so I'll be moving to Fords Gym when my subscription expires. For others, that will be a plus. More info from http://madisonmagazine.com/article.php?section_id=918&xstate=view_story&story_id=221438 "Owner David Gerry says the clubs' extensive hours, affordable rates, cleanliness and incredible wealth of equipment and classes have enabled them to snare one out of every ten Madisonians as a member. But more importantly, Gerry says, is the fact that he's put God first in everything he's done, which is the true key to Princeton's success. 'Whether people realize that's what's behind our club or not, it's made a difference and they respond to it,' he says." read more

I've been going to the Princeton Club for over a year and I like it there. I exclusively go to the east side location so this review is based entirely on my experiences there. In general the place is kept pretty clean, with the exception of a leak that led to a flood or something a while ago that left the whole place smelling musty for a couple weeks. The locker rooms are decent with plenty of lockers available. The main workout area is set up with a mass of cardio machines and a weight lifting area surrounded by a 1/10 mi track. Nearly all the cardio machines have individual tvs on them and there is also pop music playing throughout the gym. I tend to run outside, so I haven't used the cardio equipment much. The weights area is pretty nice. I've never had to wait to long for a machine or free weights. I tend to use the free weights and haven't been intimidated by all the guys in the area which at first I was worried might happen. There is a little side weight room that has smaller barbell weights, benches, and a mat that tends to be used more by the ladies. Upstairs there are several basketball courts (which can be converted to volleyball courts with a drop down net), a few raquetball courts, a cardio class room and a spin class room. I've taken several of the cardio classes. My favorite is the PACE class offered in the gym. It's more varied and demanding than any of the other classes I've taken and is attended by nearly as many guys as gals. My only complaint about the class is that it is only offered once a week. They don't offer a yoga class exactly, but they do offer some deep stretch classes that seem pretty similar to yoga just minus the meditation aspects. I've enjoyed the cardio kickboxing classes although they can get a bit repetitive. I only took a spin class once and I wasn't that impressed by it. The pool is decent, but can sometimes get busy. Also they have water aerobics classes two nights a week that take for the pool for a few hours eliminating the time to do laps. The owners do have a big christian bent to them which normally would turn me off to a place. They say they are open 24/7, but are closed for major christian holidays including the last easter. read more

Usually the fact that the owner leans fundamentalist would be enough for me to join a different gym, but there really is no comparison in Madison. I usually use the West Side location. I chose Princeton Club for a few reasons- it's open 24 hours, it has a pool (also open 24 hours) has a great variety of weight machines, lots of cardio equipment, is new, clean, and has lots of parking, since both locations are out by the beltline and I have to drive to get there. I just can't beat a 24 hour pool! I even missed this place when I moved away, even though at that time it was $62/month to be a member. read more

During peak hours the Princeton club is very busy, but otherwise this is a good gym. The architecture is basically the layout of an aircraft hangar, but has a large number of each type of equipment. During the evenings, I didn't have much of a wait for equipment. The gym includes most of the "extra" amenities including an indoor track, volleyball/basketball courts, pool, childrens daycare and an ungodly number of tanning beds. Membership at the UW gym is probably a better price deal if you're a student or staff there (which is probably at least a quarter of the population of Madison). Some of the local health plans offer cash back if you work out enough days per month (mine offered $100 back if you worked out 10+ days per month for 6 months). Needless to say, this is the closest I've ever been to a professional athelete. read more

This place is honestly just out for your money. For $40-60 dollars this place is way over priced. First off, tons of the equipment make weird noises and/or are stuck at a single weight. Secondly, they rent out the basketball courts for parties in the summer constantly, maybe this isn't a big deal to most people but honestly I don't like that my fitness club is being used as a party venue, especially since the membership fees are not cheap. Once there was a party that got completely out of control, with some of the kids getting into the gym and being obnoxious, then the fog machine spread into the main gym and made it difficult to see, along with a strong smell of party food, not exactly the conditions I'd want at a FITNESS club. Honestly, disappointed at the management, when I complained they just told me they'd tell me when events were so I could avoid going to the gym. Funny, when I signed up I thought I'd be paying $40 a month to be able to use all the amenedities when ever I wanted. So glad I joined a gym where they value temporary party goers over long time fee paying members. I'm going to be finding a new gym soon, I would't recommend this place if your looking for good management. I don't mind the parties, it's just the way the management handled my complaint by telling me not to come to a place I PAY to go to. Hate that the gym prioritizes money over its members. Additionally, after voicing my complaints, I decided to just give up and let it go, but the next day, they decided to just cancel my membership, and essentially kick me out. All I wanted was some accountability and transparency, but I guess it's clear where the club's values lie. read more

The Princeton Club - East Side is a large gym compared to the Anytime I use to go to. Pros: Lots of equipment, changing room/showers, a pool, sauna, steam room and a gym with lots of basketball hoops. Cons: Most of the equipment is fairly old and somewhat dirty and it is extremely congested at night after work. All in all, I live less than 5 minutes away, so the pros outweigh the cons and I will continue to use this as my main workout facility. Hopefully they can continue to upgrade equipment as time goes on. read more

Nice and clean facility. Nice variety of equipment available. Rates are kind of high... they also offer membership plans for teenagers for $15 a month. Childcare is free so that's a plus! They also offer a free trial for a week. Heard prices were going up soon for member rates. I would highly recommend getting a membership soon if you were thinking about it. The staff is really nice and friendly. I really like the indoor track as well. read more

Princeton Club - Tastes like Cherry Dr. Hahaha - Gyms Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I've been a member here for almost 2 months and I love it. Group exercise classes are great, there's always enough equipment/machines for everyone, and the locker rooms are very clean. I'm giving four stars due to the fact that there is no public schedule for the gym. For example, there are club volleyball and soccer practices that can take up half the gym. A normal member wouldn't know this until arriving. As a paying member, I think it'd be nice to make this schedule available online or something. (Someone point me to where the schedule is if it exists) Other than that, I love this location and the west location. Great gym! read more

What can one say about the biggest facility in Dane county! It's amazing. Classes, facilities , machines all of it is top notch. Took kids there when little for soccer and family fun-- et al., now I go for me. It's wonderful. Great prices. read more

I've been a member for nearly 19 years now with hardly a complaint. However, I'm not a high maintenance member either meaning I rarely need anything from the staff. I go in, do my workout, shower and leave -- nearly every day of those past 19 years. When I joined, and hopefully this is still in place, your membership fee is locked in for life. This is what will keep me renewing as long as I continue to live here and want to workout. Truly their best policy. I just recently got involved in group training with trainer Lauren. Classes are once a week for 8 weeks for $149. This definitely has ramped up my workout, something I've really needed after a 19 year rut. Lauren put me and the others in our group through our paces, cheering us on and correcting our form. This is a general body transformation workout and next time I'm going to do "Buns and Guns". Coupled with eating right and my regular workouts, I've managed to take off 13 pounds and I love the results! There are the usual things probably most gyms of this age have -- older equipment, sometimes out of order, but nothing that prevents me from getting my daily workout. Thanks for being there Princeton Club, it's nearly to the point where my car could just automatically drive me there with the amount of time I spend there read more

Very accommodating!! Doug teaches an awesome spinning class and is very informative. Nick was wonderful to work with. Great health club. They have everything you can think of. Highly recommend getting a membership here. read more

Princeton Club - Awesome equipment - Gyms Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I totally love this place. It's the first gym I've gone to that I don't feel any "fat shaming" going on. It's clean and a good atmosphere!

My friend had a 2 week Complementary Membership. I decided to tag along to the Westside location on a morning before work. Arrived around 7am. They took my license, scanned it in, and told me that the next time I came in, I would need to sit down with someone....more than likely to hear a sales pitch....come in between 9am and 8pm to talk to someone. The facility in itself was more than adequate. Spacious locker rooms as well. Decided to give it a go on a subsequent morning and was turned away, as I did not have time to sit down with someone during THEIR hours, and was also told it was outside of membership hours. My schedule only fits the 7am work out time, and I have a complementary membership pass, why would I need to chat with a salesperson to sell me on the Club-life?? That same day I heard an ad on a local radio station asking people to come in from other clubs\gyms to try the PC out, no strings attached...whatever... read more

Before I moved to Chicago, this was my home gym. I loved loved loved coming here. The facility is clean, well put together, and had everything from cardio machines to squat racks. The gym is so big that I rarely had to wait for machines or racks to workout. What's in the facility: There are many cardio machines ranging from treadmills, ellipticals, stair masters, etc. Cable machines, benches, squat racks (4), 2 dumbbell rooms, TRX room, many mats to stretch/workout on (4), etc. they also have a basketball, volleyball, and racquetball court. On top of this, they have a swimming pool, hot tub, a wet and dry sauna, and super clean locker rooms with great showers/steam showers. They also have many different classes you can sign up for. The staff: the staff will always greet you as you walk in. They are friendly, attentive, and always willing to provide great customer service. If you're in the area, I would definitely recommend this gym. The price isn't the greatest (especially for a college student), but you get what you pay for. read more