Best Gyms with Free Parking near Chicago, Illinois

I have been a member here for over ten years and I have slowly seen this place go from good to awful. First it was the demise of kids club, now it’s the limited hours and overcrowding. If you are going at peak times it’s near impossible to navigate. Since the pandemic the hours never returned to normal and the classes didn’t either. If anyone is reading this it needs to be turned back to 5am opening and stay open a couple hours later, especially on the weekends. I sent a message to someone in aquatics about an issue I was having and never even received a response which lets me know how valuable I am as a member. The only reason I am giving this an extra star instead of the one it takes to write this is for the front desk staff who are just lovely people. Jen, Jojo, Jackson, Canon and anyone else who mans the front desk is in desperate need of a well deserved raise as are the cleaning staff. Everything else about this gym makes me wish harder that the equinox hotel that was supposed be built actually came to fruition and that there were better options that were walkable. Overall: seek an alternative if possible and if this is your best option try to come at off peak times. *Cutting this down to one star that I have to give to write this review because all the above mentioned people are no longer there and the HVAC isn’t working properly.

Best thing in my day! Staff is incredible, music is always on point, the cleaning staff keep the facility pristine. Ive lived in the city my whole life. Ive been to all the gyms including lifetime 1. West loop athletic wins Gold in all category's. If you're looking for a good gym community it's the place to be. Ive been a member for several years ,so my review is a solid one.

WLAC has been an important addition to my routine. My personal trainer Zac Bernat has made all the difference with my relationship with the gym, fitness and working out making it not just positive and fun but educational and informative. I've seen huge results in my body and physical skills since working with Zac. The facility itself is always clean although I do wish there was more parking as it can be tricky at times.

Wouldn’t recommend signing a membership here. The gym itself is kind of a dump, but more importantly, the 3rd party the gym uses for payment processing is extremely shady. They’ve charged me a “decline” fee on my account twice in the past 6 months for literally no reason. To be clear, the card is not declining. In fact, the bill is still processing on the first day of the month. WAC refunded this fee the first time, and stated that if it happened again, they would refund me again and resolve the issue. Welp, turns out that was a lie. The in-house billing staff is incredibly kind, and even stated that this isn’t the first time members of this gym have had issues with bills processing accurately. If that’s the case, why are you still working with them? Your 3rd party vendor messed up, and now I am responsible? LOOOOOOOOL. Whoever is the decision-maker to keep that partnership alive is MINDLESS. Get a new job buddayyyyyy. Quick math: I would have gladly stayed a member of WAC for the next 3 years minimum. That is $3100 in revenue. Instead, now that they won’t cover a $25 fee from their sack of shit payment processing vendor, I am cancelling to go elsewhere. FFC is more expensive, but hey, at least I feel like I won’t get a fungal infection walking around their locker room. Lmao! Piss off WAC.

This place has gone downhill. The hours are weird, staff unprofessional. Management needs to retrain their staff on basic customer service skills. There’s plenty of gym options in the area, do yourself a favor skip out on this place.

This is truly the most disgusting studio for cleanliness that I have ever been to. The core power studios in the city of Chicago do not have a real cleaning staff and something should be done about it. The CEO, Niki Leondakis, of this company should come take a look and see how nasty this place is kept up. This corporation needs to hire a real cleaning service across all studio locations. Since Niki used to work as the CEO for the Ritz and Equinox, she should know what a clean place should look like. The men’s bathroom is in complete disrepair. It is never cleaned. Showers are broken and piss all over the floor. The studios are not never cleaned with a vacuum and there is hair and dust all over the studio floor. Mirrors in the studios frequently are not cleaned and have sweat all over them. At best your membership pays for the instructors and otherwise you would be better joining another place like Equinox, Midtown or FFC where they actually have a third party cleaning service to keep their fitness centers clean.

The facility is clean and modern. The studio was quite warm even though it was a non-heated class. The staff are friendly and helpful.

Great workouts from specific instructors across Core Power Locations. The difference with this location is the cleanliness. The men’s locker room has mold in the showers, soap dispensers and overall is skeevy (walking barefoot is a risk!). For an organization that should pride itself on hygiene and keeping their customer safe and healthy this location is lacking attention and support for regular cleaning. I hope it gets addressed soon - looks to be an ongoing issue. FYI this would be a 5 star review if about the instructors.

This place is terrible. The “yoga” is more like a fitness class. I’ve been to several locations and the west loop studio is by far the worst. Rude staff. Other yoga studios I’ve been to are more positive, supportive, and encouraging. This place is run by mean girls. Definitely not renewing after my month is up.

I took my first CorePower class with a friend a couple weeks ago in West Loop; The staff were so friendly and helpful right when I came in. They definitely eased that awkward "hi I'm new here" feeling. And the yoga sculpt class was great! Perfect mix of yoga, cardio and weights and really allowed me to cater to my body to take breaks/go lighter/etc.

Friendly instructors, easy access to free parking, classes aren’t extremely full which makes it easy to book during a convenient time.

Amazing view with windows facing the skyline make for a great session! Unfortunately with all the windows- that also means that the rooms get INCREDIBLY hot! Even for non-heated classes the rooms have sometimes been unbearably hot making some classes difficult to participate in. Instructors are great, plenty of parking available, bike parking at ground level also available. Wish they’d have a way to cool rooms off more effectively at this location.

I love this studio. It is my favorite CorePower. It is the best studio in Chicago.

This location represents all that CorePower is about. Great instructors, clean studio and hot studio for a great yoga experience. I highly recommend this location. The West Loop location is the one that needs significant attention around the cleanliness of the location.

I cannot say enough good things about Corepower Yoga South Loop. The studio is great, and the people who work there are incredibly welcoming,and knowledgeable at what they do. But I have to give an extra special shout out to ANDREA G, She is absolutely amazing. She has helped me grow so much spiritually ,and physically since I have started practicing yoga. I never knew I could feel this good at this stage of my life. She is truly one of God's gifts. I am So grateful that Andrea,and RO where there the First day I walked in that studio. Thank you so much For what you do, And who you are. MUCH ❤️ !!!

Best gym in Chicago by far! Between the vast variety of machines, equipment, trainers, nutritionists, masseuses, massage chairs, dry sauna, steam room and the very friendly staff and management, the Premier Package is worth every dollar! If your looking for a gym where people go to actually work out and not take TikToks, this is the gym for you! Also ask for Leo, one of the personal Trainers, he's helped me not only lose weight but also fixed my stretching techniques

⭐ (1 out of 5 stars) While the gym facilities themselves are decent, I've had a deeply frustrating experience with their membership management and billing practices. I've been a member for a long time and travel frequently for work. When I discussed this with their staff, I was verbally assured that I could freeze my membership without any concerns due to my travel schedule. Unfortunately, this turned into a significant problem. Despite the verbal agreement with their staff member, they sent my account to a debt collector. When I tried to resolve this, I was told I should have followed up on an email that contradicted what I was told in person. The staff member who made these assurances is no longer with the company, and management seems unwilling to acknowledge or honor the verbal agreement made by their former employee. What's particularly disappointing is that I expressed interest in continuing my membership and working things out, but was met with inflexibility. While they did offer to waive some fees, being sent to collections without warning, especially after receiving assurances from their staff, is not how you treat loyal members. Pros: - Good facility and equipment - Convenient location Cons: - Poor communication between staff and management - Inconsistent information given to members - Aggressive billing practices - Unwillingness to honor verbal agreements made by staff If you decide to join, I strongly recommend getting EVERYTHING in writing and recording all conversations about billing or membership changes. While the gym itself is fine, the management practices have made me question my choice to be a member here.

FFC Gold Coast is looking like its going to be my 2nd home. Its a large gym with huge selection of weights, equipment and variety classes. There is also an indoor lap pool, 3 indoor basketball courts that quickly convert to indoor Pickleball courts. There is also a rooftop for warm weather classes and member events. I regularly work with Personal Trainer Leo and he is awesome. The gym is constantly being cleaned and equipment is maintained daily. I've never seen an "out of order" sign. The demographic is a diverse mix of ages 20-80, and all of the employees are friendly and helpful.

Michelle has been rude every instance I have interacted with her, I would highly recommend they choose another representative to answer the main phone. The gym and the majority of the staff is great.

The astroturf field in the image is the roof of the gym! What a great view and overall amazing property. Special shout-out to Carlos who has saved me many times from a lockout without judging

They offer many different boxing classes. Youth, bootcamp, FITE club, etc. As a hobbyist I really enjoyed the bootcamp class. All trainers I've had were awesome; they tailor the training to your skill and conditioning level. Jessica has exceptional people skills - I recommend her to beginners. Overall an outstanding organization.

I LOVE it here!! I attend the boxing boot camp classes. I had never done boxing before and it was intimidating at first but now it has become my favorite workout. All the trainers are friendly and are always willing to help you improve your form and technique. I 100% recommend to everyone (they have opportunities for all age groups).

Matt is a fantastic boxing coach/trainer. If you just want to get in great shape for beach season, he's got you. But if you want to master the fundamentals, practice the finer details & nuances, and hone your overall grasp of the Sweet Science, he's got you there, too! Sign up for a Private Training Session - I guarantee that you won't regret it🥊

Mia and Summer are great trainers. Good role models for young kids. My 10 yr old daughter started in May. She loves it. Real workouts. No joke. Clean gym Helpful staff RickRamos 🥊 Body Shot Boxing Club

The trainers are real boxers that teach proper form and technique. The gym is clean and accessible for men, women and kids of all experience levels.

1 of few indoor tennis courts in the city and no membership required to book court time. Books up fast during the winter, more availability during the warmer months when playing outside is an option. Ball machine rentals available.

The only year round park district skating rink. Reasonable prices. Skate rental available. Classes and public open skating. Family bathroom, snacks, recycling, music piped into the skating rink, lockers. Water fountains, playground and some tennis courts outside.

This is one of the best park districts in Chicago. There are various sports classes that you can participate in at a very good price

I absolutely LOVE Mcfetridge! I have been going there for years, I took lessons as a kid and I go for Free skate on weekends. Great affordable price. It is indoor so it is year round. I always get a couple of friends and go for an hour. There is also indoor tennis and a gym! Great and well kept facility. Yes, there is a place to sit and wait if you don't want to go on the ice.

Tried visiting here last time. Too bad this place is private property for us minorities.

I've been a member here for a few years and I really enjoy coming here. The staff and coaches are all great, very warm and welcoming. The gym is clean, has all the equipment that you need and is never too busy. I began taking the small group classes and personal training sessions a couple years ago and I've really noticed the positive changes that comes along with that, physically and mentally, especially with Coach Bryana's expertise. She has been an amazing personal trainer! She started me off at beginners level, teaching me proper form and mechanics as well as diet and nutrition to support my workouts. Now I'm dead lifting heavier than I ever expected!

I joined the Anytime Fitness Rockwell location about a year ago. I am not a "gym person" but I was out of shape and in pain from being too sedentary during the COVID pandemic. I started going to the gym to feel physically and mentally better and get stronger. I stuck with the membership because of the welcoming, supportive community the coaches create and maintain. I love the group classes and being able to access the gym 24/7. I still struggle with chronic back pain but the coaches are always willing to provide modifications to prevent further injury and check-in on how you're doing throughout the class. 10/10 would recommend!

Absolutely horrible. Staff hasn't refilled the kleenex in weeks. People resort to using tissues for wipes. There's never enough towels either.

So far, I love this place! The coaches/trainers are knowledgeable and know exactly how to correct my form to assure maximum gain from a workout and also to prevent injury. They’re very attentive with my concerns and willing to make suggestions for improvement, like flexibility. So far, Katelyn, Ashton, & David have been amazing! Thank y’all for being patient with me! 😜😁

Great space. Nice ambiance and a very friendly staff. You can build up the calories next door and then come here to burn them off

I worked out here for the first time today and the vibes are really weird overall, it's not a welcoming environment. This is something important to me when I look for a gym. There was a trainer named Patt (I looked at his name tag) who took a piece of equipment from me while I was using it (no, I didn't walk away from it and I was in the middle of my sets, I briefly stood up to take a sip from my water bottle), he did not acknowledge me at all and did not look at me, he just plopped his client on and completely took it, the moist annoying part about this was the other lat pull was free, he was just too lazy to get the proper attachment and decided to take mine because that is more convenient for him. I think that behavior says a lot about the gym itself and the culture at this club. The facility itself was also pretty dirty overall and a lot of people do not wipe down equipment after use despite the signs to do so, there is a lot of stuff on the floor (salt and dirt). I think for the actual price of the membership, it's definitely not worth it. There are so many better options in Chicago at that price point with better energy and well maintained facilities.

I've been a member at Lincoln Square Athletic Club for over a year now, and it’s been excellent! The gym is always spotless, and the staff members are very friendly. Recently, I needed help adjusting my membership, and Danny made the process smooth and easy. He was incredibly helpful, professional, and clearly dedicated to making sure members have a great experience. I always feel comfortable working out here, and the welcoming vibe keeps me motivated. Highly recommend LSAC to anyone looking for a nice neighborhood gym!

If you value being treated like a human when you need to cancel your membership because you moved 2,000 miles away, I don't recommend this gym. I actually enjoyed the facilities, but my experience with the customer service of their third party billing provider has been absolutely dreadful. Signing up is easy and then they'll hold you hostage once they have your credit card info.

Predatory membership and credit card policies, avoid this place and all its other affiliates. I forgot to update my CC after it was stolen and they charged me $23 with no warning via email, text or in person at the gym. Cool way to scam your members guys :p

Joined in mid February- Danny helped us and was super cool. I really love the robust class schedule, I pretty much only do classes. My only complaint about them is that I feel like I’m always stuck focused on the same muscle groups even in different classes. The locker rooms are nice and the gym is always clean- overall a great experience and a place that makes me actually enjoy exercising. The trainers are usually great and I never feel like I’m being shamed for moving at my own pace.

Char and Jon are master teachers, some of the best in Chicago. They speak a whole language, are impeccable spotters, and I always feel incredibly safe learning anything under them.

Came here with my Dance company to work on some acrobatic tricks. The space was so nice and clean. One thing that set this space apart was how clean it was and it actually had a very pleasant smell as well (if you know you know). We’ve been to lots of different gyms and practice spaces before but this was definitely one of the most welcoming experiences we’ve ever had! It was very easy to get signed in, the other coaches that were there explained where was, and let us know to reach out to them if we needed anything at all. Highly recommend!

Char and Jon have created an amazing space and I feel so lucky to get to train here! The community of coaches and people that train here is the best in Chicago!

10 out of 5!! Char, Jon & Danielle are amazing coaches. No nonsense, but inspiring and encouraging of progress. I am consistently pushing my limits because I know I'm safe with their instruction and spotting. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this team and this school.

This is some of the best circus training you can get in Chicago. The coaches are wonderful, knowledgeable and create a tight, supportive and kind community with which to learn and grow. As someone who has worked in circus for over 20 years and seen a lot of circus centers, I can't recommend CCDC enough!

I've been a member of Cheetah for several years and enjoy going (when I can force myself into leggings). The trainers are knowledgeable and there's plenty of equipment. The yoga and Werq classes are fantastic. Their hours accommodate early birds and night owls alike. The part that gets frustrating is that there are lots of classes, but many of them cost extra (sometimes up to 25$) on top of what is already a not particularly cheap monthly payment. There are cheaper gyms around, but Cheetah is so welcoming and such a good community neighbor that I do love being a member. However, not being able to take strength training or pilates or boot camp or whatever because I don't have an extra $$$ in my budget makes annual renewal a much more difficult choice than it should be. Still, the staff are lovely and it's a nice place to workout.

The free weights, strength machines, and cardio machines are all adequate but the locker room facilities are sub par. The towels are smelly and the soap in the showers is really cheap, plus they have disgusting shower curtains. Location is excellent (1 block from my home)

I'm incredibly pleased to have this as my neighborhood gym. There's plenty of options for machines and equipment to use. I've been looking for better structure for my workouts and got a personal trainer from Cheetah. It took a little time to find the trainer that was right for me, but along the way, staff has been incredibly accommodating to my needs. I am much more confident about my fitness journey since starting here and my current trainer has been great about improving my form and addressing questions/concerns. Thank you Angie and Josh!

I toured Cheetah recently being new to Chicago looking for a gym that checks all my boxes (which Cheetah does). However, the person that conducted my tour didn't make me feel welcome at all. As a person of color this was disheartening because I was so hopeful for this place given the area it's in. Towards the end of my tour I asked some questions about rates, and when they responded it felt like they were intentionally telling me that I wouldn't qualify, instead of just letting me know what the qualifications are or how I could learn more about specifics. I was debating writing this, but I thought it would be something important to call out for both the business and potential members.

I gotta be honest. I really wanted to like this gym. They have a really cool interior and local neighborhood vibes. The trainers are friendly and the space is big. But there are a few reasons I left once my 1-year contract was up. I came here wanting to take classes. I previously worked out at FFC, and would have stayed there forever for their stellar classes and instructors if I had not moved too far away from any of their facilities. I was hoping Cheetah could offer comparable class options. Unfortunately, there were not enough class options for my schedule and I was disappointed by all the classes I took except the Wednesday night cycling with Kathy. I didn’t feel I got a good workout at any of the other spin classes nor the few conditioning/hiit-type classes I took. The only yoga instructor available for evening classes made the class (which was supposed to be for all skill levels) way too advanced, with students doing headstands for most of the class and me sitting in child’s pose most of the time because *shocker* I can’t do a headstand. This particular instructor would come over and touch my body to adjust me without asking, which I hated, and when I asked her to stop touching me, she ignored me. Red flag. Aside from those issues, the locker rooms often smelled like sewage and it was frequently way too hot in the summer months. To cap off my experience, my annual contract ended July 31. I emailed the gym to terminate my membership and they informed me I would be charged for August because they had sent me an email warning me my membership was up 2 weeks ago. I never received this supposed email. Not only that, they charged me $99 for August when my previous bills were $75 per month, because they considered my roll over into August to be at the monthly rate. The whole process was not transparent and clearly set up to squeeze more money out of me when I was not satisfied with the product. When I emailed to ask for some help with this I was met with immediate and strong rejection, almost as if they had dealt with this before. Hmmm… I am disappointed that this process ended up being as impersonal as you would expect from a big corporate chain gym. Not the friendly customer service I hoped for.

Some improvement is needed but it has its advantages. You get 24 access and you can just come in and do whatever. Rules are common sense nothing weird. It’s a small space so sometimes it can feel crowded but comparing to La fitness and your other gyms it’s not as dense for sure. There are two things that are noticeably wrong though. 1) the ventilation isn’t good so it always smells musty, u can almost never see out the windows in the front bc of how foggy they are due to the sweat and poor ventilation and while this is unpleasant in the winter, it’s even worse in the summer time when they don’t have the AC at a good temperature. My other complaint is that often it’s not clean when you start paying attention. Like the machines, weight resting areas and sometimes the carpet. I’m sure it’s a hard job to have but this would make a huge difference. Could use a little more upkeep.

I don’t know about the negative reviews but I liked it. I never ran into staff and there’s usually 3-4 people in the entire gym. It’s cleaner than any other gym I’ve been to and everything has always worked. I wish they’d dim the lights a little but that’s just my personal preference. They also replaced “Member of the month” board with a “Pet of the month” and I got to enjoy looking a cute pets when checking in. In my opinion, the manager’s replies are what any person with common sense would think to say, but wouldn’t since ya know…corporate. I find it brave and refreshing. I’d recommend this gym without hesitation.

Devon Washington was an awesome person for streamlining and getting us ready for a week pass during my visit with my parents in Chicago. He was able to address any concerns I had and was very helpful. The gym was pretty cozy with very clean and updated equipment, and kudos to whoever organized the weights; it was no problem trying to locate the right weight to rack on to the squat bar. I am definitely going to reup my week pass next time I'm visiting my parents.

This is a great neighborhood gym. The staff is super friendly and they go to great lengths to ensure everything is always clean. The membership is a great community - never seen anyone with negative attitude or any kind of body shaming. And, if you're able to go during off-hours, the place is hardly crowded and equipment is always available. Plenty of cardio machines as well. This is a great local business to support - highly recommend.

I encourage anyone who is considering going to this gym to look at how the owner (or social media team?) replies to negative reviews so that they can see how unprofessional and egotistical they are. Instead of putting their efforts into improving the customer experience, someone is spending hours going on bizarre power trips where they reveal personal information about former clients? On the plus side it's really funny how dramatic they are. It sucks that I have to go to a gym further from my house to avoid this toxicity, but at least I can check back every once in a while to laugh at these small-minded weirdos. Hopefully at some point this place is under new management, because it would be nice to go to the gym that's closest to my house but there's no way I'm going near it in the meantime.

Edited on 12/13 to add: The reply from the owner is strange. I was told to contact the manager. Is the owner too lazy to contact his own manager and tell him to clean the place? What a joke this gym is. I took my review from 2 stars to 1 star because the owner seems like a lazy slob that can't even contact his own manager. Perhaps the owner should clean his own showers and replace the nasty rusty lockers with the gang graffiti! The gym area is nice enough (except for some areas that badly need cleaned), but the locker room is DISGUSTING! The lockers are rusty & dirty, have gang graffiti, and the showers looked like they hadn't been cleaned in weeks. GROSS! Do better, Planet Fitness.

Mostly not busy even after all the new years resolution people started (which is pretty cool). Nice people and great workers there. Been going here for almost a year now. No complaints so far.

I've already bragged about this location! New to the city! Honestly best Planet I've to. Tommy,....my trainer AMAZING ! sign up with him if you're Black Card member I'll work out with you! Nicest guy ever! Super patient! From California! He will whip you into shape

The most important reason that I like this club is the personnel. The manager, Eric, welcomed me and has always been pleasant and professional. I truly appreciate his responsiveness to my suggestions. Ricardo, Mariah, Dalia, Louis and others have been kind, helpful and always provide encouragement, which I truly appreciate because I truly DISLIKE working out. The cleanliness of this club is outstanding. I work out in the morning between 4:30a-7a, 4-5 days/week. The dressing rooms and showers are always clean. I appreciate that since I leave and go straight to work. I live over 45 minutes away but this location is less than 15 minutes from work which is excellent. And lastly, I enjoy the people that work out at the gym. I tend to see the same people and everyone is friendly and respectful. They are quick to offer a smile and space when I don't feel like being social or advice and/or conversation if I'm open to it. Ultimately, no complaints.

Recently they remodeled the place and it looks much better, I like that they added from small to big items around the place. I like that they divided the stretching area upstairs, making the space bigger, they added more machines and the setup is better. I like the LED lights in the washroom as well as the addition of the hair drier, and the soap in the showers is a plus. The Black card area also got a makeover and it looks better than before. I do miss the chairs in the space after taking a shower, it makes it easier to put on my shoes. I'll keep coming back. The WiFi does not work but hopefully it will get fixed. older review is as follows. Signed up since the gym is not far and it's inexpensive. 10 for just one gym and 22 for access for all locations and you can invite someone with you. As for signing up, I had to come back a few times since they weren't clear on what I needed. But once signed up, I am going on the morning and it's usually not crowded. Plenty of machines and lockers. Got a free shirt unfortunately it's made of cotton so I will not be working out with it. Plenty of parking.