This place has improved 100% in the last two years. Thank you to the new managers! Several Silver Sneakers classes are available. In addition you can also pay for individual classes. Plus, the staff is a lot of fun. read more

The only reason I gave the north club a one star review is because of well the womens restroom. The rest of the gym, especially the downstairs is outdated in both gym equipment and the ceilings/walls. This gym is poorly run and does not put money back into gym equipment or fixing simple things such a leaks or broken gym equipment. The gym equipment has dust all over them and never see other gym goers wiping down their equipment after use. Their is a centipede infestation downstairs near the platform. (I have had run towards me as well as see babies) and numerous of other bugs I have seen on the floor while working out. They might be coming from the gaping holes in the wall near the platform ??? (The platform is also unleveled and has holes in them) Their is a speaker downstairs that high schoolers will connect to blast the music so loud that you can hear them through your headphones. That's 100% aloud, but god forbid you hold the door open for someone while they swipe their card in. You will get yelled at for "coat tailing" and be told "that's not tolerated at that gym". Also don't use the mat or colored weights downstairs in the corner, those are off limits to anyone is who is not in "Sean's lifting group" whom pay extra to have their own space in the gym where no one else is aloud. I have gone to my fair share of gyms and I would never spend a dime here ever again. The owner pays the staff 10$ a hour but I heard he drives around in Lamborghinis. He is an owner that's purely out for money and does not care about his customers. read more

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Friendly staff, not crowded. Love it. Great for causals and big bodybuilders. Does not smell bad last time I went.

When you show up on your third visit to the club and no one can scan in. I got up, made a priority to get there before work and myself and 25 other members can't get in to work out before work. Huuuge waste of my time, thought it would be more convenient than planet fitness as it's closer for me. So far I am regretting my decision to switch. Hopefully they get the technical issues fixed or I'll drive the extra to go back to PF. read more

This is the worst gym I've ever been to in my life, and I'm 52 and have been to my share of gyms. I can't even believe people pay to workout here, with as disgusting and as antiquated as their rusty equipment is combined with the horrible and inefficient layout, they shouldn't charge anymore than 5 bucks a month compared to the 30 bucks they charge. I am currently a member of Planet Fitness and because I live on the other side of town, I thought that I would scope out something closer.....sadly there isn't any freestyle gym other than the North Club located at my end of town and all I can say is that I am sooooo glad that I didn't pay for a membership and only paid the overly priced 10 bucks they charged for a one day pass. I will continue to go to Planet Fitness even though it's inconveniently located for me, but considering I only have to pay 10 bucks a month and they have awesome, clean, well taken care of equipment and a great layout (especially since they recently renovated), I will be glad to travel the extra 10 minutes to use that gym instead. read more

I've been a member for 3 years now and I love it. Up until I joined, I was not into fitness at all. I didn't want to join a fitness club because of the fitness stereotypes (i.e. people who are already fit and have always made fitness their priority) and, quite honestly, I didn't want to feel embarrassed not knowing what I was doing. But, I was ready for a change and went to see what the North Club was all about. When we first went there, they gave us a tour of the facility and explained the many types of cardio machines, weight lifting equipment, and types of classes offered. They were very nice and helpful right from the beginning. The facility is quite large and I've never had to wait to use a machine. However, the parking lot is quite small compared to the amount of space they have inside. If you arrive and the parking lot is full, wait a few minutes. It seems the parking lot gets quite full when classes/end start and waiting those few minutes will help you get a space. The cardio machines each have their own TV's. Many of the newer ones have an iPhone (1-4s or legacy iPods) hookup built right in that will also charge your device. For those who want it, they do offer personal training. They also have a ton of group classes, but I can't review those as I prefer to do my own thing. And lastly, they do have a daycare to allow parents to workout when they want to. Overall, the staff is very nice & helpful, the machines are kept up nicely, and you never need to wait to use the equipment. The only two cons I can come up are sometimes parking can be an issue during the busy times and when the weather changes outside it seems to take a day or so for the temperature inside to match (i.e. spring to summer--the first few days it's warm outside it's very hot inside). At any rate, I would highly recommend this fitness club to anyone looking to get a bit of exercise without having to worry about any gym stereotypes. read more

The North Club - Front of the North Club. - Gyms Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

Smells nasty, old equipment. This place is one of the muskiest gyms that I've ever been to. At least it's cheap and it doesn't get overly crowded? That's what comes to mind when I think of the North Club. The North Club is located right on Martin Street, behind the Weis. If you don't have a car, then N bus drops you off right in front of the gym. In State College, there aren't that many options to choose from as far as gyms go. You either can choose from the Penn State gym, North Club, Lionheart, YMCA, and a couple other really small ones. Out of all of those, I'd say the Penn State gyms have the newest and best equipment, but it does get crowded. All the other gyms have much older equipment, but not nearly the crowd you'd see at the campus gym. Anyhow, onto the North Club. The North Club is 2 stories, with the workout floor on the 1st, and the dance/classrooms on the 2nd floor. Upon entering, I got this sense that this is where seniors go to workout. It had a old look/feel to it, and I instantly felt gross. The locker rooms were pretty sizable, and there were enough lockers to go around. On the plus side, there are even hangers and a rack to hang your jackets/sweatshirts. In addition, if you're looking to shower, there is a shower are. Just make sure to bring your own towel and soap. As far as the workout floor goes, it is pretty grimy. The equipment here has to be at least 10 years old. Maybe even 20. Weight machines are heavily worn down, and just has that smell of rust an worn iron to it. If you're looking to stretch, the mats are probably not the best spots to sit down, let alone touch. I don't know if anyone cleans them, because people who use them clearly don't. For people looking to do cardio, you're in luck because they have tons of cardio machines. You can't really complain about those machines because they work. There are personal TVs for you to watch, which is always a plus, but for people who are looking to lift weights, I fell bad for you. Old machines, little variety, and of course, the overall nasty musk that permeates throughout the gym. The North Club is definitely not for me. Maybe I've been spoiled by my beloved Equinox, but still. Even for $20 a month, at least clean your gym and improve the ventilation system. Students looking for a gym should just stick to the PSU gym because at least its well maintained. For others, look for the YMCA or even Lionheart. read more

I've been a member of The North Club for awhile and I love it. All of the employees are so friendly and the machines are awesome. I love going into the women-only room, plugging in my headphones, and zoning out while burning calories. I've never gone in without being greeting sincerely. As stated by other reviewers, it's an average person's gym. You won't find any hotheads or creeps hanging out here. You will find friendly dogs hanging out behind the counter. Some of the regulars are in super shape, which is a great motivator. Every time I think I should give up & submit to the changes Mother Nature has bestowed upon me, I see an older woman with a six-pack and that changes everything. :D They have a ton of windows, so you don't feel cooped up. The place is huge, so you never run out of things to do. They also recycle, which is a huge deal to me. read more

I have been a member for almost 2 years now and it seems as if the service has gone down since I first joined. The weekend hours are especially short and the staff is especially inattentive. They are either on their phones are sitting down talking to each other. When asked a question, they act as if they can't be bothered to answer the question or that they have better things to do than help customers. A year ago the staff was friendly, offered help, and were trained trainers. Now they have a bunch of lazy entitled boys who stand at the counter to look pretty. The management needs to get a handle on what constitutes as a good customer relations employee. Would not recommend this gym to anyone except it is one of the only ones with a sauna. The membership cancellation is probably the most outrageous I have ever seen before as well. Always be wary of an organization that requires you to cancel two months prior to a cancellation date. They are likely having a hard time retaining customers and need to cheat them in order to stay afloat. Bottom line, avoid this gym. Based on customer service alone, hands down the WORST gym I have ever been a part of. read more

This place is okay when it comes to equipment. Nothing fancy and nothing new. The bathrooms are a little dated for me and the showers just seem to gross to go in. Two things that turn me off about this gym, well actually three things are as follow: 1.) Greenery. There is way to many green ugly plants hanging around the gym. It makes it look super creepy, cheap and it gives it a weird vibe. ( Trust me, I'm a plant lover so I can talk and comment on this.) The plants are placed all thought out the facility in every room and in every area making it and giving it a very old and unappealing look to it. 2.) Cardio machines. There is way to many cardio machines. Its like a sea of treadmills all in one huge room plus greenery all mixed in together. Just awful! Horrible lay-out and like I mention very unattractive to the eye. Its way to overwhelming, chaotic and as if it wasn't enough; claustrophobic. My phobia kicks in to MAX!. 3.) The weight room. The weight room and cable machines are in three different sectors?!. Like wtf. I have to leave one room to travel to the other room to walk to a different area all scatter and in between the massive sea of carbio machines plus dead brown un-keeped greenery all over and all in between the process.. Beyond chaotic and like I mention the gym lay-out is very annoying. Not the best place to get a work out in if you're picky and sensitive to the eye. Just Ugly. read more

I was a member from about 2011 to 2018. There were some times when it was super clean and other times when it was just gross. I cancelled my membership because they sneakily implemented a new annual fee and I just hadn't been going often enough for it to be worth it for me to maintain a membership. I called to cancel 5 days before the end of the month and they gave me a difficult time; I ended up having to pay for an extra month because they require that you cancel "more than 5 days" before the end of the month. read more

If you're in anyway associated with Penn State, it's a lot better to just sign up for the new rec center. It's a modern and clean facility with better parking. The new management at North Club is pretty terrible. The people at the counter are more interested in their cell phones, don't say hi or bye, like it was with old management. They're also pretty confused about the rules and regulations at the place they work at. I've also heard from other members that the child care is unreliable. Sometimes there's no one there, you're there with your children, no one's there during the advertised hour. They overcharge for group fitness classes. Within a two week period, three classes I went to were cancelled simply because the instructor didn't show up!!! What the hell is that?! I stopped going to the classes because it was wasting my time. ALSO, they put the schedule up month-by-month, it's usually late by a few days, I would call and email the place for the updated schedule, and, again, the staff don't really know what's going on. Although, I have a feeling it may not be their fault. The attendance in the classes is severely low, they're definitely feeling the result of their actions. Don't join this sinking ship. I tried to cancel my membership one day late because I'm moving. I've been a member for over 4 years straight and I've successfully referred two people. This is the response I received... 2 days later, very punctual: "ME Apr 2 Hi, I am moving out the area in early May and would like to cancel my membership. I paid for April already, but I would not like to be charged for May. I called regarding this and they said that they may overlook that since I am only one day beyond April 1st in canceling my membership and I've also been a member of North Club for over 4 years, and I have referred at least two people to you in the past. Please, let me know if this is possible. Thank you, Me Response 10:09 am to me Hi Lauren, Please consider this as confirmation of cancellation, with May being your last EFT payment, per your membership agreement. STAY FIT!!--the North Club staff" Yeah, so, I've had it. read more

The place has older equipment except for some treadmills and bicycle equipment. I originally chose this gym due to its proximity to where I live. To the best of my knowledge both this gym and Lionheart fitness located downtown State College are managed/owned by the same company. My biggest complaint was how they handle membership cancellation. After finishing my final semester at Penn State I attempted to cancel my membership 2 weeks prior to the end of the month. Apparently in their contract you must cancel it before the 1st of each month which meant I needed to cancel my membership by November 30th in order to avoid being charged for January!?!? I agree I should have read the membership contract in more detail, however, I believe such a stipulation is outrageous as it only enables the gym to reap more $$ from their "valued" customers. In addition when I explained my case (finals, graduation, etc.) they could not lift the January membership charge and allow me to leave a happy customer. I would rate this gym 2.5 stars strictly going by gym appearance, cleanliness, equipment, and staff. The gym does its job efficiently to make it a profitable business but I cannot accept the way they handle their customers SIMPLE requests. BTW I had a similar experience at Lionheart fitness so fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me I will never associate with this company again. read more

Friendly people, good atmosphere, relatively low monthly cost. Hours are so-so - they close early on Fridays. The online system is unpleasant. Now they're requiring you to change your password every 90 days to something that is impossible to remember. That's ridiculous. Must use a password storage program for this. At least it lets you track who much (or little) you've been there. read more

I have been a member for 4 years now and love it! Always a friendly atmosphere and love the fact I don't feel pressured buy any "muscle heads". Love that all the cardio machines have their own TVs which keeps my mind off the fact I am working out. The ladies room is fabulous! You can either do the weight machines or free weights. Lockers rooms are very large and plenty of lockers to go around. I am very pleased with the North Club. read more

If you are looking for a conveniently located building to use a piece of equipment and nothing else, the North Club will likely suit you just fine. There is quite a bit of cardio equipment and the things in the women-only room are great (I never spent much time anywhere else). I really liked the Expresso bikes. However, if you have any expectations for customer service from the management or administration, you should definitely look elsewhere. They have no concept of the term nor apparent care to learn. And I learned the hard way that if you complain about that lack of customer service, they will ignore you and cancel your membership. There are definitely friendly people on the staff, but the management and administration either fire them or drive them away with the mismanagement that prevails (as of the time of this writing). In 15 months, I saw an almost 100% turnaround in the staff, which is very odd considering I most often visited the gym in the midmorning on weekdays, when one would expect to see little turnover because people available to work those hours aren't college students with part time gigs, they're people in fitness for a career. Yet, every few months, it was a new set of faces at the desk. But, high employee turnaround is a symptom of poor management, which is my main complaint. If you need a gym that provides any extra services, this gym is also not for you. The management does not care whether or not there are lapses in service (in my case, the child care service) and if you complain to the daytime manager at the front desk (again, as of the time of this writing) he will tell you it's not a problem from his point of view or explain why it isn't his fault--but he will do very little to take accountability, address your concern and actually solve the problem. It's shockingly poor leadership. That is only one example of the poor leadership and management I either personally experienced or received first hand accounts from other members or employees I befriended a long the way (which is wont to happen when you go to a gym 3-4 times a week almost every week for over year). For weeks, I called and left messages for the club director (an administrator over the management, the third to hold that position in less than a year, yet another symptom of poor administration) to complain about this manager. Finally, I wrote an email to him and a few days later I received an unsigned email terminating my membership. When I got him on the phone the next day (go figure, I would want an explanation for that extreme reaction to an email message) in an exasperated voice, he told me that, "Child care is not our niche!" Granted, while I had brought some concerns about child care to the manager (isn't that weird, I want reliable child care that I pay for as part of my membership and for the workers who care for my children to have all the equipment they need and be appropriately treated by the management?), my email was to complain about the manager and his complete lack of customer service. And you know what? Not only is excellent customer service the factor that not only would have resolved ALL of my concerns about services and management, it would have prevented them across the board, and it absolutely is THE niche of every good business. But then again, the whole purpose my one-star rating for the North Club is to publish my experience that it is NOT a good business. Update: after my membership was cancelled, I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. They neither contacted me nor the bureau to resolve the matter. I think that speaks pretty strongly of the type of place this is--the people who run it really don't care. read more

When I lived at PCT, I couldn't make an excuse for not going to the gym since I lived a block away from it. The convenience forced me to start getting back in shape. So, I love this gym! First off, it's CLEAN. Secondly, most of their cardio equipment are all either new or upgraded and with its own personal tv. They have plenty of free weights and machines for those who want to buff up as well. The staff are very friendly and respectful. You are not going to find the cocky steroid type of people here. It is like the "average joe" kind of gym, but trust me, you'll still be able to find good looking gents and gals here. Oh, and you may notice during your first visit that It's a huge gym! It has something for everybody. Literally! From a women's only gym room for those ladies who are shy to work out in the main area. But also, they have all of the right equipment in there to tone the female's body in the right places. To rooms for cycling, aerobics, raquetball, etc. You get my point... it's one of my favorite gym I've ever been to. I moved to CA about 5 months ago now and I can't find a gym like here. Nothing compares to the quality and service of this place. I miss working out at the North Club. read more

I'm not sure where the pp was working out, but clean is not an adjective I would use to describe this facility. It's probably one of the dirtiest gyms I've worked out at actually. The ladies showers are disgusting. The garbage can in the locker room is downright crusty. It's just not hard to keep that stuff clean. That said, they have a lot of equipment, each machine has it's own dedicated tv. The weight rooms are in need of serious updating. The ladies only room sounds like a great thing, but it's wicked small and if there is more than one person in there at a time, you're on top of each other. Climate control is a huge issue here. It's often overheated and the windows are dripping with condensation. Since the last review, the monthly fee has gone up to 30 a month, and on top of that there is a $12 a month charge for unlimited fitness classes. $42 a month is highway robbery for a club in State College. But there is not much to choose from here. If you're not using campus facilities, you have very limited options. The staff are great, people are very nice here. It seems like they want to have a strong connection to the community. They might want to start by cleaning the place a little better. read more

While The North Club has decent equipment, their communication skills are seriously lacking. Back in about 2009, the staff were responsive and professional. I'm not sure what happened. For example, in August 2012, I had to email them 4 times over a span of three weeks before someone bothered to respond to my email. read more

Equipment is old, free weights and dumbbells have some rust. Some benches are fraying. Space can be tight. There are more than a few obnoxious gym goers who don't respect personal space, or sing aloud to their music, dance around, have loud-a** conversations, etc. There are one or two guys who shave in the locker room leaving a mess in the sink (I mean shave! You can't do this in the morning like everyone else in the free world? C'mon, why is this allowed??). They blast the music for some reason even though the vast majority have earbuds/headphones for their own music/podcasts/etc. The HVAC circulation is not so good especially with humidity. But hey, I can walk to this place from my house, and dammit, it has more equipment than most places (even if it's painfully old). read more

Love the group power classes! Rachelle, Val C. and Val K are great motivators and instructors!! :-)

Don't let the fact that the parking lot is always full prevent you from going. Once inside there are plenty of open machines. I only do cardio, so that's what's important to me. read more

Great experience, not expensive, and very well located. Staff was very nice. Well equipped. Not expensive at all to work out just for couple of days working out at State College. read more

After moving away from State College and trying to find myself a new gym in a new city, I cannot tell you how much I miss the North Club. The gym is huge, with state of the art machinery. There are so many machines that you never have to wait to get the machine you want. My favorite part was that each machine had it's own built in TV, with 50+ channels to choose from. It really made my workout go by so much faster when I could watch whatever I wanted. I also loved that there was a women's only room, so I didn't have to worry about creepy men staring at me while I worked out. The staff was very friendly and everything was kept very clean. I would absolutely recommend this gym to anyone. read more

Buyer beware. They don't respond to emails, and good luck when you try to cancel. You may be charged for several months before they actually cancel your membership. When I was laid off from my job, the clever guy at the desk convinced me to 'hold' my membership for $10 a month, and I thought, OK, I hope I do get back. But then it took longer to find a job than I expected. Before I knew it, they raised my rate almost to the level of a membership. I never agreed to that, so I called, and emailed to cancel. A few months (and more emails) went by before they acknowledged me. I requested the additional monies back, they lied and said that my request was with the home office, but a few more months later and I still have not been reimbursed. Do yourself a favor and join one of the better gyms in town. read more

I have been a member of the north club for one year now and I highly recommend it. The staff is friendly and helpful. Being brand new to weight lifting and group classes in general I was nervous testing out my first group power class. I was pleasantly surprised to find guidance and encouragement from not only the instructor but from fellow class goers. The women's only room is nice - nice equipment, well let with natural light and never crowded. The price is great, especially with unlimited classes. I have never noticed the odor other reviews talk about and the locker rooms are nothing fancy but do the trick. I will agree with other reviews that the weight machines in the main rooms are old, which is why I gave 4 instead of 5 stars. But, they've got a good variety and fully functional. Great gym for the price. read more

Worst club I've ever belonged to. Filthy, old equipment, rude staff and a horrible billing process. Beware of hidden fees and charges after you cancel. Go to planet fitness. read more

I agree with the other reviewers that this place has really gone downhill over the past several years. The gym used to be friendly with good customer service and a wide array of personal trainers to choose from but now the customer service is terrible, there's been almost complete turnover among the staff, and the atmosphere is unfriendly and uncomfortable (which is bad if you're a little self-conscious about working out to begin with). There are plenty of other places to work out in State College. Also, the cancellation process is unnecessarily annoying. I tried to cancel my membership over e-mail and never heard back despite repeated attempts. read more

DON"T JOIN THIS GYM!!! They offered my wife and I a free trial of their group fitness classes, then we canceled before the cut-off date so we wouldn't be charged. Well we got charged for it. We told them about it and they said it was canceled, then I got charged again the following month! I later canceled my membership because I moved, and the manager told me they would mail me a check for $36 as a refund. It's been back and forth for weeks, yet I HAVE NOT GOTTEN MY MONEY!!!!!! THIS GYM IS A SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

I have never encountered such rude and inept management. I was due to receive a refund for a cancelled membership and had to call multiple times throughout the last three weeks to receive it. Management never returned any of my phone calls or emails; when I did get someone on the phone to discuss the issue (someone deleted my account without refunding me which made it challenging to process the refund) there were no apologies, only explanations for how this was my fault, not theirs. The gym itself is functional although not the cleanest, i.e. chunks of dust on machines. read more

The management is a joke. They are not concerned about their customers. Their gym costs less than some, but they will get you on cancelation policies and extra fees. Their group fitness classes are disorganized and expensive. The classes are often canceled so I would not recommend paying double the membership fee for them. If you're looking for group fitness, don't sign up here. They do not have a janitorial staff so gym is filthy and bathrooms are worse. They care more about their bottom line then they would ever care about their customers or employees for that matter. read more

I joined a few months ago. Great place. Always a kind smile and happy greeting. It gets me into the mood to sweat for about an hour. I love the Ladies Only room. I love that I can lift what is possible and try out machines I have never seen before without feeling foolish or trying heavier weights. I see lots of people at certain times and at other times I could be the only person on the elliptical and maybe another lady in the weights room. Nobody chatters. Everybody is busy doing what they want to do. I love this place and would recommend it to anybody. Heck for 25 dollars we get machines in tip top condition, clean atmosphere and friendly people. I will recommend this place to anybody. Even though there are many cars parked outside, it is easy to find machines to work out on. Also, you can for an additional 18 dollars go to all the various group workouts. Since I am not interested in that I have not joined. Nobody so far has pressured me to sign up. They have a free class now and then. read more