Best Gyms with Saunas near Chicago, Illinois

This gym is exactly what I was looking for. Clean, up to date equipment, plenty of space to workout and the steam room and saunas are amazing! Shout out to Robert who went above and beyond for me!

This gym is the perfect combination of elevated fitness, luxury, and wellness. Lots of machines available and always easy to get a great workout at this location.

The team is so friendly here and the gym is a great option for after-work workout or a morning workout before work! Great sauna and spa options!

Great club. Checks all the boxes. Clean locker room, clean and always-organized workout areas, great Kiehl’s amenities, towels, etc. Even the patrons seem to be good about reracking weights (mind blown). Everything you’d expect from an Equinox. A bit on the small side…but still I’ve never seen it too crowded when visiting this club.

It's a nice gym but the GM here isn't helpful at all and overall, Equinox is always playing games with their rate increases with no notice, above market personal training rates and more. It's so frustrating.

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

This bouldering gym is insanely fun. There are multiple levels with full workout rooms, yoga classes and locker rooms. The bouldering walls were super fun and challenging. It is in such a fun location directly across the street from Wrigley. I do not live in Chicago but I have climbed at this gym at least 3 times. I will definitely return for more!

I trained here only for about nine months, but I really appreciated the gym's size and equipment offerings. I didn't climb very much, but it's clear there are a lot of routes for people with different skill levels. I also liked how friendly the front staff were. I was a month-to-month member and it was very easy to cancel when my time came - it required request I think just two weeks or something before the end of the month/billing cycle, and I did it all online.

Easily my favorite climbing gym in the Chicago area! All Movement gyms are wonderful, however this gym is especially inclusive and friendly. The staff is always kind and helpful and I love climbing here! Note that this is a bouldering-only gym (with the standard yoga and gym rooms also), but no top roping here. The bouldering is ON POINT with two huge floors and plenty of routes to climb. And not just challenging routes. Movement Wrigley has a ton of beginner and inclusive routes for all skill levels for any body! As a fat and queer person, I feel especially welcomed here. Thank you Movement Wrigleyville!

Changing my review based on the response from the owner. With the grading system changing from what they have now (range of four in some colors). I would definitely come back to this gym. Staff is super friendly and welcoming. Huge facility and great location.

I have been a member of movement for a full year now! It has completely changed the way I feel and think about working out! The environment is so welcoming and the gym is so beautiful and fun! I no longer think of working out as something chore that I “have to do” but that I get to do. There are many things to love about movement (the exciting and ever changing climbing routes, the meet up events, the saunas…) but my absolute favorite thing is the workout classes. This fall the switched the scheduling to include 6:30 am morning classes which meant I had time to attend a class before work. I started going to Hayley’s body pump classes and am honestly addicted. I’ve never been a “regular” at a workout class before, but this one is so incredibly fun and the results are so satisfying that I try to go to every session I can! I’m so excited for 2025 and to commit to another year of 6am body pump!!

What defines a system is not the issue it faces, but its response to it. The last problem with a 2-week breakdown of the steam room showed that this complex system - FFC Fitness reacts poorly to the problem. On the coldest days of Chicago, the steam room breaks down and they can't fix it. I'm getting it. But for me, this fitness is becoming useless, I already have a fitness in my building and another one - Planet Fitness for $10 a month. You have lost the key element-steam room, that differentiates you from Planet Fitness but you continue to charge people 14 times more, how can this be normal? I don't want to pay 2 weeks for a very expensive fitness where what I need no longer works. But the manager replies that they can't freeze my membership for 1-2 weeks, especially for free. Why can't they? They don't want to or don't know how? In any case, this is a poor reaction to the problem.

I had such a fantastic experience signing up at FFC, thanks to Kelly! She was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and made me feel so welcomed from the moment I walked in. She took the time to thoroughly explain all the membership options and answer my questions, making the entire process smooth and stress-free.

It's gotten a bit to expensive to see the hot tub this dirty and they clean it during business hours very often. It takes 4 hours to heat up. It will bubble like a bubble bath lol The steam room has been broken for about two weeks and no idea when it will be fixed.

I recently moved to Chicago from Philly and was on the lookout for a great gym experience; I found exactly that at FFC Lakeview! From day one, Sarah and her team have gone above and beyond to accommodate my needs, diligently working with me to explore the best membership options. Their professionalism and eagerness to help truly stand out, making my transition much smoother. While everything has been top-notch, my only wish is for a sauna upgrade to match the premium nature of the membership. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a gym with stellar customer service!

Went to check out the gym to see if I wanted to enroll, my partner asked why they needed a picture for a test and what they are going to use it for. The desk attendant had no answer and left us in. We actually enjoyed the time at the gym and we're thinking about signing up. Well today we went to sign up and apparently they "had case notes of us being rude" when asked for specifics of what was rude the manager said my partner not wanting to take a photo. When asked if it was so rude, why did they let us continue to have a test day she had no answer. When asked what more the "case notes" said she wouldn't elaborate. When asked if she wanted our money for a gym membership or not, well I'll go spend $100+ on membership else where. If asking for data privacy and asking what they plan to use the picture for is so horrible it warrents rejection AFTER being allowed a test day, so be it. If they want to discriminate that's on them, becasue I'm sure it was more discrimination than him "being rude" since they couldn't even answer what happened and what was rude.

I just finished my two week trial membership and here's what I like about my individual plus kids membership: *FREE 2 hour childcare *Variety of classes - Pilates Mat with Zineb and Fuerzo Kickboxing with Marcelo have been my favorites! *Special programming! Kids are in a free weekly dance class and they had a reptile show where we could touch the animals. Negatives: *Parking is a challenge despite them having two parking lots. I had to park on Fullerton this morning around 9AM. *Family pool access is limited on weekends as 3/4 of pool is used for lessons in the morning. Definitely worth the investment for the childcare alone!

I booked a birthday party for my daughter because it was hard to find someone who would respond ahead of time. I chose this place out of a few last minute options. The upside: The party was very nice. The hosts were amazing, friendly, down to earth, and social. I didn't have to do much running around because they did everything for me which is serving the guests, lighting the cake candles, and cutting the cake. It was a nice and cozy atmosphere. The party was expensive but the host gave me an alternative to take the sides away from the choice of pizza which ended up being $150 cheaper. They decorate for you, too. The downside: the minimum guests allowed was 15 children. I had a hard time finding 15 kids for my daughter and I reached 12 but some people canceled. I still had to pay for the absent people. Which is $40 per child including their pizza fee which is $22 per child. The boxes of pizza were so small and the pizza was mediocre. The cake tasted "different" as one guest said. I tasted it myself and it was ok. You can't bring your food. If you're not a member, you get charged an extra $350. Overall: the children had fun and enjoyed it. I think the party is expensive to pay the hosts equally but the food didn't make sense with the expensive. I would book again if the downsides improved.

If you are a childless adult looking to workout - do not go here. Join FFC, Midtown, or even Xsport. This place is terrible value unless you have young kids and need daycare. The membership rate is $150+ for outdated equipment, kids running around everywhere at all times, high schoolers misusing and hogging equipment, and overall just very little space to actually workout despite the facility being huge. There isn’t that much actual equipment in comparison to commercial gyms. Also the front desk staff is not helpful and it’s impossible to get ahold of anyone in billing or membership. I’ve been over charged several times for things I didn’t sign up for or incorrect membership fees. Honestly a scam. I’m really disappointed in my experience here, with the exception of the tennis programs which are great.

I love this place. It has absolutely everything an individual or family could want. I joined as a college student at DePaul university and then returned with my children as well. Excellent exercise and yoga classes and the best tennis courts and coaches. The outdoor deck and dining area has some as the best views of Chicago which makes up for the lack of outdoor pool. There is an excellent indoor pool for serious swimmers. Did I mention the customer service is stellar.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’ve been attending Lakeshore Sport and Fitness for over eight months now, and it has been an incredible experience! The classes are fantastic—Monday yoga with Manny is the perfect way to start the week, and Dylan’s cycling sessions on Tuesdays always keep me motivated. Carla’s body conditioning on Wednesdays is tough but so rewarding! A special shoutout to Kid Kampus and their amazing counselors, who have made it possible for me to maintain my wellness routine while being a busy mom. I can’t recommend Lakeshore enough for anyone looking for a supportive, fun, and effective fitness community!

Steam room is great! Pool is saltwater- staff is very helpful and friendly - club is always immaculate -gym equipment is varied -spin classes are great

This gym is pretty well maintained for such a busy location. The staff is pretty friendly and attentive. The gym is generally clean all the time. My only gripe would be the awkward layout and the equipment is very dated with limited choices. You get a mix of young professionals and DePaul university students that frequent it. The college bros are little irritating sometimes and a bit unhygienic. I’ve noticed a lot of harsh reviews stem from the entitled clientele that frequent the gym and don’t really “workout” but go just for the prestige of saying “I go to equinox”.

I had a fantastic experience at Equinox! From the moment I walked in, the staff was friendly, welcoming, and incredibly helpful. Abigail and Michelle were wonderful—communicative and eager to answer all my questions, making the whole process smooth and enjoyable. I even had the chance to do a private Pilates reformer class with Kiara, who was phenomenal. Her expertise and enthusiasm made the session both challenging and fun. Highly recommend Equinox for anyone looking for a supportive and well-equipped fitness environment!

The newest-looking of all the Equinox clubs in Chicago. Good mix of equipment and great light-filled space. However, I find the Lincoln Park location to have more equipment

I had a facial appointment coming up this week and it’s been canceled due to the manager Rachel Rayburn letting the esthetician go. I was going twice a month to Nashylee for facials. She always gave me the best treatment and best advice on skin treatments. Very humble girl. This gym is over rated and front desk was always clueless as well when checking me out.

One of the better PF locations. I feel comfortable coming here. Has more equipment than other locations and the locker rooms are kept up with pretty well.

This location was my primary location while working in the area. Parking can be challenging first thing in the morning. I appreciate that they have a Total Body Enhancement. The locker room is huge and well-laid out. The free weights area is really cramped which leads to limited availability. I really enjoyed the music played here. The staff could be a bit more friendly.

The staff is always hospitable and the gym is always clean. The only thing I want more of is the Physical Therapy bike and the pectoral swing arm machine (You can take the bars and you can sit backwards and swing your arms.) Other than that, I love this gym.

The guy at the front desk was very friendly, and the facility was clean. Bad news: the music was very loud. It was like a rap gangster club. Why? Absolutely no need for the gangster rap or volume. Everyone wears earbuds now.

Great workout in Pullman! I received great service and was happy to see a strong 5 AM crowd! Grateful to my colleague for inviting me! I am getting closer to achieving my bucket list item for this year which is to work out in the 77 neighborhoods of Chicago! #77ChicagoStrong

Fantastic first experience climbing. Daughter is on climbing team in NC, visiting from out of town had to check it out. Very impressed! From Bouldering to Auto Belay to Lead…there is a little something for everyone! All levels! Clean bathrooms and very friendly staff! Overall great experience thank you.

Great first experience with my little girls. The space is clean, calming, and thoughtfully built-out. The staff were really friendly over the phone answering questions about my girls’ apprehensions. They were even more friendly in person. Em and a fellow female staff member working with her this morning were awesome! Em walked us up to the second floor, explained everything to us after answering all our questions, and then we proceeded to boulder. The girls loved it, and the next time I look forward to bringing my son to join in on the action. Lovely facilities with a laid back atmosphere. They offer plenty of areas to sit down and rest between climbs 🧗‍♂️, have a ping pong 🏓 table on the first floor, and a cute gift shop that has a few light snacks to power-up if you need a little pick me up. Fresh food and drinks would be a nice amenity or addition in the future for those looking to make a day of their experience without leaving the gym to eat. We can’t wait to come back!

SUCH A NICE GYM! I typically go to Movement gyms in Colorado but I stopped by here a couple of times on my trip to Chicago and I’ve got to say - it’s so nice! A very large 3-story facility with a good number of top rope and bouldering routes and challenges. They have lead climbing too but I didn’t try that out. The facility is new and has great new equipment. The ratings are a bit more vague (e.g. uses +/- instead of letters such as 5.10-). There’s a nice sign up white board where you can look for partners. The yoga studio is very clean and calming and has the equipment you would need to practice yoga. The gym on the top floor is very spacious with a lot of equipment. People are friendly and I feel like I wouldn’t have a problem finding some climbing partners and meeting new people if I were to stay in Chicago. I’ve got to say this seems nicer than the Baker gym in Colorado and I’m a little jealous.

Never bouldered before- still felt like home and had great interactions with people. They also gave a class for free to me and my friend. I love the vibes of the place, much different than a regular gym and staff is so nice. I also spent a long time on Ping Pong table 😂

Another excellent climbing gym here in the city. I didn’t get lead certified so this review is just for bouldering. The bouldering routes are excellent, the long 45° roof area is such a fun challenge. I’m not the biggest fan of the color coded vague rating system. Really excellent facility, the top floor is a standard gym that is pretty large for a climbing gym. Staff was super friendly even though they were busy opening day.

I love this place! The group classes are excellent, the staff is incredibly friendly and helpful, and the gym is always clean and never too crowded. I highly recommend it.

Best gym ever! I went here for 2.5 years and loved it every time I set foot in here. With Ramie, Bob, and Michael running the place you’ll always be greeted with a friendly smile. The gym has great energy but isn’t overly busy. Great equipment and the group classes are awesome. Highly recommend this gym to anyone in Chicago.

Has almost everything you could want in a gym, with some great extra perks (hot towels, pool, smoothie bar, snack station, free samples). It's a little pricier but worth the cost because their group classes are actually very good here. People from other FFC locations have come to be my guest here because of the instructors. Only downside is parking can be difficult (there is a parking garage but it's always very full) and it needs more free weight/open space for workouts. Otherwise, very highly recommend!

I did 2 private Pilates sessions with Grace and she was 10/10 wonderful! She was very supportive and a great teacher during these beginner sessions.

Ramie Reed, the Membership Director, was absolutely wonderful to work with. She has always been exceptionally pleasant, supportive, and understanding. I also loved working with Michael for personal training. He supported me with very thoughtful, beneficial, and fun workouts. The facilities were always in great condition. Thank you FFC! The only downside I have to report, which is mostly out of FFC's control, was repeatedly encountering people in the sauna who seemed to have a cold or some other transmissible respiratory illness. I just think it's inconsiderate to potentially get other people sick by using such a small, unventilated space while ill.

First would like to say enjoy my time at Midtown Athletic Club when i went a few weeks ago. The tennis court, the gym, and pool etc. All the other amenties are very great quality. My only issue i would say is the staff. The customer service needs to be retrained it's like everyone needs a coffee break. No type of Good morning or hello from the front desk. For that reason 4.3 out of 5. Will be back soon. ❤️🎾🏊‍♂️

Top-level facility! The decor in the various group workout rooms are out of this world. Also, big kudos to Sara from the sales department for being very professional and doing a great job showing me the gym. She even took the time to show me the basketball court which is across the street.

Customer service could be better. I brought my mother with from out of town as a guest and was told I couldn’t bring her in due to it being a holiday. I mentioned I was unaware of this policy as it was never mentioned before. There were also no signs put up anywhere and when I mentioned the lack of communication I was told it was mentioned in the weekly newsletter at the very bottom. Well, not everyone checks their emails all the time. So my mom was not allowed in. When I got inside the gym it was empty. I mentioned this to the manager and she told me the gym was packed. Attached photo shows how empty it was. The pool was busy, but I told her we didn’t want to use the pool, just workout. Well no exceptions can be made at this gym even to loyal customers. The burden of responsibility falls on me for not checking my email and reading through the entire weekly newsletter. The facilities themself are very nice. Gym can get crowded quickly and you may have to wait for equipment. Locker rooms are clean and well kept. Would like to see a decline bench added and perhaps a cold plunge would be a nice touch. The childcare has also been great, the staff there are very friendly and my son loves going there.

I must say that this nice gym has a hotel in it! This hotel has the most impressive gym I've ever seen. When you stay at the hotel, you get to use the facilities. Otherwise, I would not be able to afford the hefty fees to go here. The gym is so nicely decorated. So many machines. I noticed a lot of people would come to the gym, hang out, work on their laptop and then use the gym. There is even a golf simulator - two of them actually! The walls in the hotel room are a bit thin, as you can hear weights dropping and group classes, but the attentive staff provides earplugs to mitigate the noise. The room is spacious with a well-thought-out layout. Overall, a great experience for fitness enthusiasts.

One of my favorite experiences in Chicago area! They take very good care of the facility and hotel rooms. Very pleasant workout areas. As for me, I love my boxing and it’s hard to find a nice clean athletic facility to accommodate the many training styles but here at Midtown, everyone has a space.

This club is so nice! Staff is friendly, the locker room is clean and spacious, the floors are open and airy with natural light, and the mind/body studio is quite pleasant. The outdoor pool is my favorite. It gets great sun and you can order smoothies and snacks right to your lounger. Nicole is the cafe manager, and she's super welcoming. It's just a really fun vibe at the pool!

While the fitness areas are more crowded than I’d prefer, the spa is super underrated. Been working specifically with therapist Huber regularly and he hits the right blend of being therapeutic and relaxing. He can dig in while also very attentive to what you’re looking to achieve. Try FFC union station for better fitness experience.

One of the best gyms I have ever trained at- however- people give off an elitist vibe which is kind of a turn off. 4/5

I just hate the fact that to get an answer for monthly membership, you need to hear a whole script then be told how the prices vary, then be told someone will have to call you back. I had a membership & cancelled but my son would like one now, I was willing to see if it would work but I feel like I’m at a timeshare event, Everything a secret… then you sign!

This place has really gone down hill. The one true positive here is the cleaning staff - they do a great job keeping the place looking good. Almost everyone else on the payroll from management to the front desk is either completely inept or entirely indifferent to doing their job. Equipment is also often broken for prolonged periods of time, the layout of the gym itself makes no sense, and the showers tend to go from hot to scalding without notice. The pool is great, that is until it gets so crowded from all the outside nonmember day guests they let in on the weekend that you can't find a chair. They also keep raising prices, and for what you are actually getting in return it's pretty ridiculous. It's basically a way overpriced LA Fitness with a pool. We've decided to cancel. It's just not the same gym it used to be before covid.