Awesome gym. It's small and affordable, but they have everything you need. I like that they don't play music over the loudspeakers until 10 a.m. (I don't know why more gyms don't do this, everyone has their own headphones these days.) Also, unlike other gyms that have tricks and fees and make you jump through hoops to cancel or change your membership, EFC is very customer-centric. No tricks, no hoops to jump through. Good gym culture. People re-rack their weights and wipe down machines. Very happy here. read more

I've been going to this place ever since they opened in the neighborhood. It's clean, has a wide variety of machines and well-maintained equipment. If you have never considered working out with a personal trainer, I highly recommend it. I was skeptical at first but quickly found what a great motivator it is to have someone expecting you at the gym and there to lend their expertise and undivided attention. Once they get to know your limits you will have the best workouts of your life. We never challenge ourselves as much as a professional who knows what we can do and can't do. There are many group classes however, I've only taken advantage of the candle-light yoga, which is something else that previously was not in my comfort zone but have really enjoyed. read more

There's a lot to like about this place: its local, it's super affordable, it's small and convenient, it's rarely busy. I much prefer EF to the larger gyms in the area. My main beef is that, while the workout space is typically clean and well kept, the women's locker room/bathroom is usually pretty bad. Like, sometimes it grosses me out just to wash my hands. (See photos.) I know you can't get all the bells and whistles with an affordable gym, but I wouldn't mind a clean bathroom, a hand towel that hasn't been used multiple times already, and some actual hand soap that isn't grimy. read more

Great Gym, Great Staff, Great Members. I had a great experience being a member here for the time I was. Sadly, with Covid restrictions the gym hours work for a lot of people but I like to work out early in the morning so I no longer will be returning as a member. Better believe as soon as things are back to normal with regular hours I will be back. Wonderful neighborhood gym that has everything you need for a great price. Thanks for everything!! read more

I am a long-time resident of the Edgewater Neighborhood, and just recently decided to join Edgewater Fitness Center. I left my few-year-long membership at a fancy schmancy athletic club (I won't name names...) for the convenience and no-frills environment of Edgewater Fitness Club. I personally spend most of my time running/triathlon training, so I simply wanted the benefits of access to weights, classes for cross-training, and a treadmill for when Chicago hits subzero weather. EFC provides all of this. Again, this is a no-frills place. There is enough equipment to please the crowds, but it is tight and you may have to wait for specific weights if it is crowded (I personally have not run into this problem and have never seen EFC "crowded"). There are locker rooms with a shower or two, but EFC does not provide towel service. The machines and the space are well-kept and clean, and I have seen the staff replacing the towels/cleaner quite often. The staff is super friendly and always willing to help. Chris (the manager) is particularly kind and will walk you through the different membership options so you can get your best deal. EFC is a neighborhood gem and a great place to get your hard workouts in. No, it is not your fancy "club", but that's also the appeal. read more

I love this place! The staff provide a clean, welcoming environment. Everyone is really friendly, but not too much so--if you want to just come in, work out, and leave without chatting, you can. Classes are challenging, but the instructors are really great at accommodating all fitness levels and injuries. It's a nonjudgemental place where super fit people, average people, and people who are trying to get back in shape work out side by side. There are two gendered bathroom/locker rooms, plus one single occupancy gender neutral bathroom. It's a small gym, so it can get kind of crowded during the evenings, but I can almost always get to whichever machines I want to use. Overall, great place to work out! read more

Affordable option with clean showers, lockers, and everything you need for a pre-work morning workout. The gym is small but never crowded during morning hours. The floor area has a good selection of free weights and I've never had to wait for a machine. Sign-in with a card swipe and auto-pay online make membership pretty hassle-free. Unlike many gyms in Chicago, management is responsive and reasonable. When I had to move unexpectedly, Chris was flexible and far more generous than expected. Love this place! read more

I haven't used any of the gym equipment here, but I have gone to several classes in the 2 weeks that I've had a membership, and I have thoroughly enjoyed them all. My only gripe is that they're scheduled so close together that you have to sprint in as soon as one class is over in order to get to the next one. For yoga, where the class ends in a very relaxing manner, this practice really forces you to break out of that peaceful state. It would be really nice if there was a good 10 minute break in between at least the yoga classes and the next one. read more

I was a member here for years and had to leave due to a move - the only thing that could take me away from this gym! The facilities are clean and well-cared for, and space usage in this urban gym (particularly the Edgewater location) is remarkably efficient and effective. The staff is kind, proactive, and helpful. I took yoga here and trained for many distance races using the cardio machines and weights. Loved it here, miss it every day! read more

I've been going to Edgewater Fitness Center for 2 years now and I love it. All the staff is really friendly and helpful, the place is always clean, and they offer a ton of group fitness classes that are included in the membership. Price is affordable and you can't beat the overall feel of the place. It really is your neighborhood gym where they actually care about their members. This gym is by far the best. read more

I love this gym! I joined this gym when I first moved to this neighborhood and that time this gym was new. I started by attending different classes and each one of the instructors are super friendly, knowledgable, and helpful! All the classes are really great and push one to do his/her best! Don't shy away if you're new at this whole thing, the instructors never make you feel like you suck (which I did in the beginning) and they will guide you based on your own pace and body type. The staff is really friendly and the atmosphere is motivating and clean! AND they are constantly improving and adding new classes and weights/machines/equipments. Definitely worth the money, time and effort! read more

It's a nice neighborhood gym. I have been going here for few weeks. It has never been too crowded or too busy. I don't like over crowded smelly gym. Here, there are usually few people and clean. Also, they offer good group class program. I enjoy Cecelia Zheng's Zumba. She is awesome instructor. read more

I joined this gym in June of this year, and I'm quite happy with it. The staff is friendly, and the locker facilities are clean, with plenty of lockers and showers. The gym is never packed, so you don't have to wait for a machine. There are a good variety of weigh machines, free weights, and the usual treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes. The patrons do a good job of cleaning off the equipment after they've used it, and it's meathead-free so it doesn't have that air of intimidation. I haven't taken any of the group classes, but there are a lot offered and run at convenient times. There isn't a pool or a sauna or any of that fancy stuff, but what you do get is a friendly neighborhood gym for under 50 dollars a month. read more

I left Cheetah Gym 2 years ago because I was sick of the creepy guys staring in the window at fitness classes and their managers not doing a darn thing about it. I took my $ over to Edgewater Fitness and AM SO GLAD I DID. Instructors are fabulous, class sizes are manageable - no fighting for space or equipment. I've taken classes with Brooke, Caitlin, John, Frank, Bianca, Brittney, and Meridee & love them all. Prices are reasonable, and I had a great experience with personal training with Caitlin. She listens to your concerns and works with you on what *you* want to work on. As long as I live here, this is my gym. I also attend classes @ Ravenswood Fitness - same gym, same excellence. I agree w/ the commenter who said "perfect neighborhood gym." read more

This is probably the worse customer service I ever encountered! I needed to cancel my membership and I called the place first and the lady on the phone said that I won't be charged for July if I came in before the end of June. I came in the 29th and signed everything I needed to sign and still tried to get charge for July! I called and the lady on the phone said that's no paperwork and gave me the managers email. The manager said that since it's a 30 day cancellation policy that I still get charged for July--then better train your staff to know the policy! Now, I am out $40 to a gym that I won't use cause I no longer live in the area. read more

I love this gym. It has a wonderful neighborhood feel. The gym is never too crowded but always has a great energy. The classes are so fun and the instructors make working out fun! It doesn't matter if you are horrible at the task, they will cheer you on and keep making you feel like you can do it! The neighborhood feel from your fellow gym rats is all the more welcoming. For those who feel uncomfortable working out in large groups this place is the place for you. read more

Great gym, with friendly staff. The gym itself has everything you would need, and never crowded. The classes are very energetic, and will get you in the spirit, even if not a part of the class. It's located in good area near cta train, restaurants, subway, and of course starbucks : ) read more

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I've been a member of this gym since it opened. It's the perfect neighborhood gym: friendly, affordable, clean, great equipment and cardio machines, and awesome staff and management. Great management always hires great staff. The best part is that classes are included in the membership fee, taught by knowledgeable and encouraging fitness experts. There are classes for every fitness level taught by instructors who are welcoming and interested in teaching. They motivate the class and give extra guidance and tips when you aren't doing something quite right. Even though I've been doing classes for over a year, I'm still learning things that improve my technique. Workouts are now more productive, meaning that I'm maximizing my time. Really fortunate that it's in our neighborhood. If you're looking for an unpretentious place that respects those at all fitness levels, this place is definitely for you. read more

The perfect neighborhood gym. I've been a member for 4 years because of the low prices, awesome staff, and INCREDIBLE group fitness instructors. Bootcamp with Lamont, Pomsquad with Brooke, and Tabata with John are classes I will rearrange my social calendar to try to take! If you're looking for an elitist gym with lululemon and juice bars, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a no-frills gym with great people, awesome classes, and good equipment at a price that doesn't make you cringe, check out EFC. read more

I've been a member here for 5 years and only recently left because I'm moving. This gym is super affordable for what you get. I've never had to wait for a cardio machine or weights, even on busy nights. I wish they had more room (perhaps expand to the open space next door?) as sometimes the "free space" near the weights and the back door is slammed and I would just have to skip abs or lunges that day. They have free wi-fi which is awesome for streaming music while you're doing cardio. The management and trainers here are awesome and I've loved all the classes I've taken. read more

I was happy to see that a fitness joint was about to open just down the street from my apartment. And the rates were really good. I went in and saw a nice, bright and shiny under-construction space that was about to open in a few weeks and signed up for a year. But yeah, bright and shiny! A welcome change from the usual...gray...gyms with their gray walls and gray equipment, making you feel like you're in the Soviet Union at best, prison at worst. So when the gym opened, I was so excited to walk in and find...that they painted the walls gray. The locker room: gray, with gray lockers. Gray equipment. Gray everything. Gray, gray, gray. *gag* Okay, no problem, I'll just tune it out and watch some videos on my phone while I excercise...except...that it's hard to maneuver around the place because there's too much equipment in too small a space. And I can't hear what's going on in the video because the instructor in the classroom feels the need to bust out some booming tunes with the volume cranked up to a level that would put Nigel Tufnel to shame. Really? You're three feet from the speaker and you don't think your students can hear it? Well, might as well lift some weights...except they only have one set, meaning that the most popular weights are hardly available. :( But yeah, overall, not happy with Edgewater Fitness. And the final straw that made me write this review: recently there was a promotion for free personal training once a week in August. Now...I've had personal training before, but this was in another state, so maybe the definition of "personal training" differs from state to state, but my previous experience with "personal training" went like this: I had an initial appointment with a trainer, who took a few minutes to talk to me and get a feel for what I wanted, what I was currently able to do, weigh me, measure me, basically know what I'm all about. He had me start with 20 minutes of cardio, then we went through a regimen of various exercises, weight lifting, and whatever else have you. He guided me on the way, telling me what I was doing wrong, what I was doing right, what I was doing too much of, what I was doing not enough of, and clearly demonstrated what I needed to do. He had me push myself but not strain myself. And this is how pretty much every session went. Well, this "personal training" at EFC was...a boot camp class with a handful of exercisers, probably ten or so. I guess what made it "personal" training was you'd write down what you did and try to beat that record the next week. And with annoying music as a backdrop...ugggh...couldn't hear a damn thing the instructor was saying because of the surprisingly resounding echo in such a small room (a room small enough that when we were doing our warmups a few of us ended up kicking each other because there wasn't enough space) combined with the annoying "music" that was competing for her voice. So I guess to anybody who couldn't get into this "personal training" because the space filled up, on one hand I'd like to apologize for taking your place because I'm NOT going back, but on the other hand, you wouldn't actually be getting personal training any way. Not only am I not returning for the "personal training," but I'm not going back PERIOD, as I've found much more satisfying ways of getting back into shape than what this gym can offer. I know that that's basically wasting money on another five months of my year-long membership that I won't use (and I'm not counting on a goodwill refund), but lesson learned. Two stars for the positives: - One star because the price is decent compared to most other health places, and - Another star because the staff is very friendly. read more

This past winter, I was thrilled to see that a neighborhood gym was opening up a block from my home. (Previously, I had been a member of Cheetah. I thought Cheetah was a little over-priced, and had somewhat older equipment.) I've been a member of Edgewater Fitness since they opened their doors in mid-January, working out approximately 4 or 5 times a week. I have to say that I LOVE this gym! The staff is very friendly and helpful. The gym is reasonably priced and it has everything I need. It has plenty of treadmills, bicycles, ellipticals, free weights, benches, strength training equipment for every muscle group, and a separate room for classes and floor exercises. I've never had to wait in line for any of the equipment, ever. I have only attended a few of the group fitness classes because I prefer to do my own workouts -- but there are a lot of classes to choose from, and they are all included for free. read more

Great gym I highly recommend it..been a member since they first opened and so far its been great experience. The staff is super friendly and always happy to help the members, if you have any question regarding using the machines or how to do certain exercises the staffs always willing to guide you and teach you the proper forms and techniques. The fitness classes are free which is amazing, the instructors are very knowledgeable and take into consideration that not everyone is an expert at taking these classes, they push the veterans harder and make sure the rookies are learning the proper forms and techniques. I wish they had more machines for back and shoulder but do to limited space they wont be adding more machines but overall the gym has everything you need for your weight training, the fitness classes and the helpful staff is big a plus. Definitely worth stopping by and doing a free trial. read more

I joined this gym a couple of weeks ago, and I'm in love. It's a very tiny gym, but it's never very busy when I'm there. Even at peak times, you can get on the machine you want with no problems. I don't know about weekends because I'm only there in the morning. When I got a membership, I thought I would just run on the elliptical a few times a week, but their class schedule is incredible! They have a 30 minute core workout class on Mondays, zumba, hula hoop fitness, a cheerleading cardio class, candlelit yoga late on Wednesdays, boot camp, cardio barre, yogalaties, everything! I look forward to classes every week. The only thing I don't like about the gym is that the machines don't have their own televisions. There are only a few televisions spread out around the room. I'm VERY happy with my overall experience though. read more

I Love Working Out At Edgewater Fitness. This place is Clean and the classes are challenging enough for me. The Staff is also Great. If you are looking for a Gym and not a Meathead Hangout, this is the place. read more

This fitness center is located near by me. This was the first reason to chose it. Only for 1 month I worked with them and loved it. Especially their group classes are perfect. You can pick any class depends on your schedule. Instructor and other employees are very friendly. I'm planning to go on! read more

Love this gym! Classes are small and the instructors are really nice. I think membership is $49 a month (more or less depending on auto pay and stuff like that). read more

Best gym in the area! Always clean, not too busy (never have had to wait for a machine), staff is friendly and they offer some really fun group fitness classes like Zumba & Hoop Method. Free wifi too! read more

Fantastic gym. Not usually crowded, friendly staff, clean, good class selection. Highly recommend. read more

This is the best gym ever! The facilities are always clean, and the machines are well-maintained. The staff is warm and helpful. The workout environment is welcoming and never intimidating. I've never felt comfortable working out at a gym, but when Edgewater Fitness moved into the neighborhood, I thought I'd give it a try. Thank goodness I did, because I now look forward to going to the gym! Do yourself a favor and get a membership here! read more

Great gym! It's small, everyone is friendly and nice, the classes are spread out enough that I can always make one if I can't make another. I'm more into the classes than working out in the facility, but when I do work out there it's great - the machines are all new (gym just opened this past winter). Highly recommend! read more

Recently moved to the edgewater area and I was looking for a place to workout. I went in for a one day pass and the staff was very friendly. The rest of the gym was just so small though. The locker room had a very bad smell and was very small as well. There are barely enough lockers if you wanted to bring your stuff with. As for the workout equipment itself, there are barely enough weights and benches. I felt very limited in the workouts that I was able to do. The quality of the weights is not the best either. If you're looking for a place to workout I highly not recommend this place. However if you wanted to do cardio then this place would be for you because they have a decent amount of cardio machines here. read more

I've been a member of this gym for just about a year now. It's got everything you need, whether you're into cardio, free weights, machines, or classes. Classes aren't really my thing, but I know they have a wide range of them available, so you'd probably find something you really like if that's what you're into. Staff is incredibly friendly and helpful and it's never crowded. I've been going to various gyms for about 30yrs now and this is definitely one of my favorites. I tried all the other places nearby and I highly recommended checking this one out if you're looking for a gym near Edgewater. read more

I want to join others in pointing out the friendly staff and the very reasonable price for gym membership. The reason I haven't given this establishment 5 stars is due to their extremely limited hours, especially on Friday and the weekend. I don't have the luxury of working a typical 9-5 Mon. through Fri. job so it's pretty disappointing to know that I can't get a workout in at the gym on Saturday because they're closed at 6. I am by no means a gym rat, but I would definitely appreciate more flexibility in the gym's working hours. This, more than the size of the gym (pretty cramped--I never do any stretching there after my runs) is making me reconsider my membership. read more