Excellent classes. Staff is kind, helpful snd highly professional. Facilities are clean and modern. We have been members for three years. There are folks in my classes who have been members for decades. That speaks for itself. read more

I personally think TC is great value for our family. Year round swim and movie night have been excellent for our kids. The classes and facilities have also been easy to reserve and well maintained. read more

Best fitness facility I have ever been a member of in my 60+ years. Love the staff, pool, fitness facility and tennis! I've been a member for years and love it here. read more

We have been on the swim team at Thoreau for many years and have been so impressed by Coach Jordan and Radi who inspire our kids each day to swim their best and improve not only as swimmers but teammates. We can't thank them enough for cheering them on and providing such a safe and fun team atmosphere! We wish the swim team would get the recognition like tennis does. Jordan does a fantastic Job giving all swimmers a chance and built the team to lead them to successful season! read more

This is my fitness center and community and I couldn't recommend it more highly! I have been a member of many fitness centers and gyms over the decades and the Thoreau Club is hands down the best I have experienced. The friendliness of the staff and trainers is wonderful and the cleanliness of the equipment, pool, workout areas and locker room is top notch. I absolutely love it here and it is worth every penny. :) read more

I belonged to this club for years and worked out often (3-5 days a week). The space is nice but the staff, especially the personal trainers are rude. They are hostile to members not working out with them and often create uncomfortable moments for members using areas or equipment they want to use. There are so many great clubs in the area, I would avoid this one unless you like being made to feel uncomfortable by arrogant personal trainers. read more

The place is great, reasonable and very clean.There are a few things that would make it perfect. First off ....get rid of the coffee machine or get one that isn't operating about a 2/3rds of the time Nice touch though. Someone to be checking out the exercise room on a regular basis. Often there are people that may hurt themselves and or the machines as they are not being properly used. Same individual could gently remind a few folks that cell phone conversations are best done elsewhere......texting and reading is fine but sometimes I don't need to be distracted by a verbal conversation. Wiping down the machines after using them is common courtesy that only takes a minute and placing the handles in the holder after using the Concept 2 rowing machine is also better for the machine and next person. There are signs some either don't see or chose to ignore. My Wife is a water aerobics nut and loves those classes and the instructors. We enjoy the club immensely and try to get there 3 to 4 times a week It's a great way to start of the day I am unable to speak to tennis or free swimming but have friends who use the camp in the summer and love it. All said the entire staff is great and the locker room is spotless. Great place ....tweek it a bit and in my opinion you have a perfect place. Was there this Am and will be back Tues......fairly priced and as I said great way to start or finish your day read more

Our family loves the Thoreau club. The staff throughout the facility are so helpful and so kind. Our children love Kaleidoscope and all the staff that work there. It's so important to have a fun, safe space for the kids to go while we use the gym. The summers here are the best and something we always look forward to. We couldn't recommend Thoreau enough! read more

The fitness area is terrific - they have a wide range of cardio machines and loads TVs which is a nice distraction. The pool area is delightful in the summer but sometimes a wee bit chilly in the winter in the bubble but my daughter doesn't seem to mind at all. The water was refreshed in the Fall which was good bc it seemed a bit funky post-summer. Hopefully, that is something the will monitor in future seasons too. Locker rooms are clean but slightly outdated in some places. Pool staff are kind and swim instructors are great! The spa is terrific and the masseuse Kristin is seriously a gem. Seeing her is truly one of the highlights of my visits there! read more

The Thoreau Club is an interesting place. It's true what others have said about the quiet nature of the place. Doesn't really feel like a gym. More like a serene place for the 50+ set to do some light exercise. There are some suburban (Concord/Sudbury)housewives who frequent this club, but the average age of the members is in their 50s (We are in our early 40s, so we are on the younger side of the members) Thoreau Club is expensive, and the fees creep up on you if you use the child care, the pool, tennis, etc. Lots of facilities and options, but get ready to shell out hundreds per month for your recreation. It's really a tennis club, and my sense is the tennis program is excellent. Lots of instructors and leagues and lessons. So if you play tennis, this is a good place to do it. Keep in mind you have to have a tennis membership (extra money) which gives you the privilege of booking a court. The cost for the court is $40 per hour, so if you play a lot of tennis, it will be expensive. Twice a week, eight times a month would cost you $160 over and above your membership fee. Make sure you question the membership person about the additional costs. (BTW: I've never been to a club with so many offices and people sitting at desks with computers. The overhead must be staggering.) When we joined, we were offered complimentary massages and personal training appointments but once we signed on the dotted line those services were not available. The lady in the massage area disputed the offer and told me to print out the email to show her what was offered. She didn't want to honor it. I didn't bother to argue. Too much trouble. We are leaving the club soon. Just too expensive for us, and we plan to seek out other options. But I recommend you go and check out the place. It is set in a very nice environment, and is a very nice property. If you are older and are looking for a place to relax and play tennis and swim, it might just be the club that fits you. read more

My 3 year old daughter almost drowned during a swim class. DO NOT enroll in swim classes here. The staff is completely negligent! I had to pull my own 3 year old out of the water when she was drowning. The teacher (Jennifer) had her back to her (which is rule #1 for instructors...never turn your back on a student). The life guard didn't even move! He didn't come over to check for secondary drowning. No incident report was filled out. Had I been on my phone or not paying attention, my daughter wouldn't be here right now. A pool FULL of swimmers, families, instructors, lifeguards let my child almost drown. The director called me the next day admitting of all their wrong doings. The class had 6 students when the max was 4. This club only cares about money...not safety. Do not make my mistake...save your money and go to a safer place. Shame on Thoreau and their negligent instructor, Jennifer! Update: I am thinking of taking legal action. It's been 1.5 years and my daughter is just NOW becoming more comfortable with water...after a year of private swim lessons. The distress this has caused her is so sad to see as a parent. This club and it staff are disgusting! They even had the AUDACITY to call me a few months after asking if I wanted to come back. Awful! read more

I just recently moved to the area with my husband and 2 year old daughter. A friend recommended the club and I am so happy she did! I get to bring my daughter to their (newly renovated!) childcare while I take a class or sit by the pool for some, much needed, alone time! The staff has been so kind and I love that they already know me and my daughter at the club. We always get a warm welcome and my daughter is always so sad to leave the play area. We have had so much fun this summer so far and I am happy we found a home at this facility. read more

Since my last review, they've updated the facility with new equipment, paint, etc. Nice. But they continue to steal real estate from the fitness center, most recently by creating a little-used wellness center on the first floor, creating a now-empty room on the second floor and putting pilate machines used just a few hours a week in an area with weight machines. In order to do that, they've crowded exercise machines and pushed mats used for stretching into weird corners or uncomfortably visible areas. Most recently, they've introduced a new exercise program that uses pounding, techno music that can be heard all on both floors. If cell conversations annoy you, this takes it to a whole different level. If you just want to use the cardio machines and weights, Thoreau doesn't care about you. They make their money selling classes and individual fitness training and passes to tennis and swimming. The head of the fitness center is unresponsive to complaints. It's a bright, clean facility, but I am looking for an alternative. read more

We've been members for 8 years and the quality has gone downhill over the last year. A few years ago, I'd have given 5 stars despite the expense. The recent renovations are what you would expect for the cost but their programming and instruction have gone awry. One of the most attractive attributes of a high-end facility like this are the classes and instruction. Unfortunately, the quality of programming and instruction are not acceptable anymore. Scheduling makes it difficult to get consistent full-body workouts. One or two of the new instructors make it feel more like an 80s aerobic class or middle-school gym class. While there's more sizzle, there's less value. I'm not sure what the goal of it all is unless they're prepping the club for sale. We used to have a Constellation membership with allowed us access to the whole facility and free guests but we scaled that back, saving a lot of money. Leadership matters a lot and it's not what it once was. read more

The club is very nice, and the facilities are clean. I do not have trouble getting on machines that I want to use (weights or cardio). However, I have a MAJOR complaint: no wi-fi. With their location, I can't get decent reception (Verizon or AT&T: I've tried both). There is just no excuse for no wi-fi in this day and age. When I asked the member services director, she said she didn't understand IT issues, but she's been assured "it's complicated." This is really troubling. So we're supposed to believe that Starbucks and McDonalds can manage wi-fi, but not this very high priced club? read more

I have a love/hate relationship with the Thoreau Club. We used to go here when we could afford it. My wife and I were members for years. Then we had kids and we continued as members as a family. It was great because we could swim, workout, and relax as a family. Our kids loved the activities. They liked it so much that they called this "Kids Place". Then everything changed. Thoreau Club dropped their family discount pricing. They also required you to pay for both the gym and the pool even though one of us used the gym. The result was that our bill tripled in the span of one year. It was insane pricing. Easily several thousands of dollars. When we complained we were told that there were people that could afford the price and those that couldn't. They told us that if we could not afford the price that we were welcome to go elsewhere. This was after we were members for 5+ years. Now that the Beede Center in Concord is open, I would definitely go there instead. They have all the features of Thoreau Club, but it is a community facility with family friendly pricing. read more

Update: they've re-done the fitness areas since I wrote this, and each piece of cardio equipment has its own tv, eliminating my biggest pet peeve. Thoreau continues to get better, and they appear to be working at it. read more

People often say you get what you pay for. I'm not so sure in this case. You pay an awful lot at the Thoreau club, but what do you get back? The pool and gym are well-upkept, mind you, and the price tends to keep everywhere relatively empty and enjoyable. With regard to the atmosphere, Thoreau Club seems cold and professional. If that's what you're looking for in a gym, it's not a bad spot. My main complaints with the Thoreau Club come primarily by way of service. While the front staff are friendly enough, I never got the feeling that they are interested in you. They just want you to get in and get out with as little trouble as possible. This is compounded by their distaste for anybody who stays even a second after Thoreau has "closed". I can understand their disinterest in letting people stay late, but surely you can remind people of hours in a more friendly manner? For the raw amount you pay to use the facilities, it's only fair to expect top-class service. Thoreau Club doesn't really come close. read more

I recently joined the Thoreau Club and I'm so glad I did! This isn't like other clubs I've belonged to in the past, no mug shot ID card, the staff at the front desk actually knows your name as you walk in, imagine that! It's the little things like that which really add up here. The view of the trees and pools out the window as your working out is so much more appealing than the walls or the standard parking lot view you get at most places. The class schedule is convenient and I've never had to wait to use a treadmill, etc (and you don't have to sign up either!). The staff and members are all very pleasant and it's a very comfortable place to work out. It's a bit more than a standard gym, but not by much, and the extra you pay is well worth it! read more

Call me crazy but if you really want to test your relationship get yourself and your partner joint tennis lessons. This past x-mass I did just this.. In the end it worked out but my girlfriend figured out that the racket could be used to hit me not just the tennis balls. I called the Thoreau Club (as I happened to take lessons here as a little one) and a very nice, knowledgeable tennis coordinator helped me figure out what to get. They do have a policy that if you are not a member you can only get 2 semi-private lessons. This is what I did and we had a blast! Their were a few frustrating moments but we worked through them. The club is spotless and looks like a country home. The tennis pro was EXTREMELY helpful and more important patient. This is a very family friendly tennis club with a pool and work out facility. They also have a very extensive summer camp. Which I know nothing about. Not sure how expensive the club dues are but I might look into it. read more

Love this club! The first time my daughter ever stepped foot in a pool was at Thoreau. The instructor is kind and so patient with the kids. Three years later my daughter is swimming in her own ( she was 12 months when we started). Staff is great and the equipment is being updated regularly. You can tell the staff really care about the facilities. If you want a small town feel instead of the giant chain gyms Thoreau is a great option! read more

The Thoreau club is so-so. It used to have a diving board which disappeared during covid and never returned. They really cater to people who want to swim laps with 12 lanes in 2 pools which limits the actual space people/kids have to free swim - this totally sucks when the pool is busy on a hot day. Lots of activities here as well so when swim team is doing something (racing or practicing) you are limited to one pool and then there are swim lessons and some sort of water fitness things that shut down parts of the pool or the whole pool so you have to check the schedule. They also claim to have two hot tubs but in the 5 years I have been there only one has ever worked. So at the end of the day it's a place to cool off but explore other options for the money you pay. Great if you have small kids as there is a splash park and basically anything goes for pool toys - again a bit annoying if a few people are throwing a ball around - the lifeguards blow the whistle for very little here. read more

Front desk and people answering phone are not welcoming nor helpful. Club is not well marked on the road to it.

Fitness center totally renovated with all new equipment on two floors. Great mix of equipment for all types of workouts and training, with and without weights. It can get busy so plan your workout for off hours if possible. Only downside is the hours, they close by 9:30 weekdays 8:00 on weekends which is a little early for people that need a later workout, especially on weekends. read more

One thing you will notice about the other reviews is that most of the positive ones are several years old. The physical space and views of the club had been a great drawing point. There used to be lovely bucolic views in the weight training area. But they have changed their business model so that they generate income by offering physical therapy, private pilates classes and all kinds of 'pay extra for something new or interesting'. They also have moved the 'private' pilates machines in to the 'public' weight area, too, and have begun to wall off those areas so that there are no views in those areas any more.They have also taken away a bathroom so that the private therapy clients only have access to it. That has made the work out space much tighter, and given the fact that their trainers give more or less the same work out routines to people, it has made it difficult to find space work out. Given how expensive it was and how little they offered in return, coupled with little interest in my happiness as a customer, I decided to let my membership expire. I had been a member for a long time, but became more and more dissatisfied with the self serving practices and direction of the club. read more

Great facilities: newly renovated weight and fitness area with many machines, big, clean pool, many group exercise options, including spin. (I'm not a tennis member.). BUT: the locker rooms are disgusting. Mold, rot, rust everywhere, especially in the showers (even saw worms), ancient hair dryers, carpet not replaced in years. Administration is unresponsive and even hostile to members' input. Instead of the urgently needed locker room renovation, they updated the child care facility -- hardly a priority and not used by all members. I've brought friends to consider joining, and they decided against it when they saw how gross the locker rooms are. read more

Thoreau Club is a well run fitness center that is more than a gym. There are numerous workout options that help me stay motivated including spinning, barre, and yoga. Just like other clubs, you can pay additional for personal training, but you get a training session when you join which I found helpful. Oh - and they have WI-FI now - which I'm so excited about. read more

I visited this club today as a guest. It was so clean and we spent the afternoon in their pools. It's a very nice area for families to hang out all day, food, games, grass area, lots of pools and very helpful friendly staff and respectful patrons. If you are in the area in the summer, don't have a pool and have a few thou to throw around, it's great for families! read more

Great club... even better accompanying camp!!! 5 stars for it. Absolutely send your kids, and learn about it at the club!!!

There's a lot of Thoreau reviews already, so I'll just comment on their tennis program. Although this was 8-10 years ago, parents with kids interested in tennis may find this useful. Thoreau was where I was first introduced to tennis, and I did group lessons for a few years with a close friend. It wasn't a bad experience, but I ended up learning very little. The instruction just wasn't very good, and I've heard parents describe it as "glorified babysitting." There's nothing wrong with having laid-back tennis lessons that are mostly games, but parents who are expecting actual teaching are probably wasting money. As an example, the instructors there just assumed I was right handed instead of lefty and only taught that way. It was only months later that my family realized this mistake. Hope this helps! read more

We love this place. Parents work out. Kids swim. Little one has the kaleidoscope. Everyone plays tennis together. Summers are relaxing and a chance to see friends. read more

I think the Thoreau Club is an excellent health club! I enjoy going to the club several times a week. I use the fitness center as well as the group classes. The spin classes are challenging and fun! The weight room offers plenty of variety as well as as organized and clean. The staff throughout the club is helpful, supportive AND friendly. read more

I have been a member for about 1.5 - 2 years. First of all, the facility is nice and well kept. It is warm and has a nice entrance with fireplaces. There is a big pool with a bubble and it is nice in the summer with events for the kids and nice places to lounge. The fitness rooms are large and well lit, and have a variety of equipment. But the club is waaaay too expensive. I pay about 350 per month for a family membership without tennis. The fitness area is "self serve". They give you a free orientation, and after that, they try to push expensive personal trainers on you. If you go there, you will always see personal trainers helping out people, but nobody from the club walks around doing anything. Much of the fitness equipment needs repair. The Precor AMT machines are rusty and dirty. The club has some group exercise classes, mostly at times which serve the suburban housewives, vs the working people, and the really interesting classes are at an additional fee of something in the order of 80 - 100.00 for 6 classes on top of your membership fee. The people at the front desk are constantly looking at computer monitors (what are they doing?) and are not friendly if you want to make suggestions or ask questions. They act like you are imposing on them. And as someone said, no wifi. We too asked about it and were told that it is too expensive, or too hard, or they cant get a feed. Utter nonsense. They are just too cheap to pay for it. There are very few clubs like this around the area. Longfellow is not too far and I used to be a member there too. Longfellow has better equipment and is about a thousand a year cheaper (none of these clubs publish their rates by the way - I wonder why - well actually I know why - different members pay significantly different rates), but Longfellow's pool is too crowded in the summer and you cant get a chair. I have been in clubs in Delaware and Texas and elsewhere which put this place to shame at less than half the price, but when you are in Concord, you get used to getting ripped off. read more

Club is expensive charging for classes where other clubs it is part of the membership fee. And don't get sick the morning of the class because you will be charged. It is their 24 hour policy. The club steals the money from you upfront. I'm a long time member too. I don't know why I stayed as long as I did. But I'll be looking or working out in my own home gym. read more

In it's "hay day", Thoreau was a clean, well-groomed state of the art facility where the employees were always happy and you felt well taken care of. Since new management, it is painfully clear just how downhill this place has gotten. When you walk into the front doors, you're greeted by ripped leather chairs with the stuffing popping out of it. The floors are dirty, the treadmills are more than 10 years old, the TV's are completely out of date, they don't have wifi, they don't have towels.... and the list goes on. While the facilities are less than acceptable, the management is worse. You can taste the negative energy among their staff. From the front desk staff, to the group x instructors, to the head of departments - people are over worked and under compensated. To add fuel to the fire, the Thoreau Club's website is the worst I've ever seen. For a facility with as high membership dues as they have, you'd think they'd invest more in how they are conveyed to the public. The website is extremely hard to navigate and you are constantly re-directed to PDF files and confusing instructions. They do not have online payment. Rather than continuing on with all of the very visible negative attributes of this club, I will summarize. I find the Thoreau Club's "way of business" offensive. To ask members to pay exorbitant prices to begin with, and then charge us extra for every class we'd like to take, the Thoreau Club feels like a slimy organization whose only mission is to get into our wallets. Because you have to commit to a year and can no longer buy 1 or 3 month memberships, I am a prisoner to the remainder of my membership... so I will continue working out there until my contract is up and I will go elsewhere. My advice to the public: check out Longfellow, Bosse, and other nearby health club facilities where they actually care about investing in their facilities and their staff. read more

As a member for over 13 years, I'm leaving. In that time there has been constant nickel and diming above and beyond the membership cost - taking away previously included services/classes while happily increasing the membership cost every year. Most recently, excellent long time instructors as well as new instructors were unceremoniously fired by a new interim group exercise manager who has the personality of a cactus and no management experience. While shuffling of talent is a must if things aren't going well...things were going just fine. Classes are well-attended. Many members are/will be leaving as a result. Save your $ and do better elsewhere. If it's the overpriced pool or tennis membership your after for your kids, fine but forget the rest for yourself. Even the spa has fallen apart...they haven't had a nail technician who would take the job in many months. read more

I recently joined. Club very clean and pleasant-not too crowded. Only club in the area that has the full set of machines I need to continue my physical therapy. Somewhat pricey but I get a senior discount. Less $ than Healthpoint but more than Longfellow. read more

I'm 25 and I've been a member for more than 15 years - so have experienced the institution at both locations and both are/were great. I mostly utilize the fitness center/weight & cardio machines and they are almost never out of order. They also usually have unique or the latest credible fitness tool/technique available upon/after inquiry if not freely available. I've never been left wanting for use of a machine, even during traditionally busy days. Staff are super-friendly. I broke my headphones before my workout was complete once, went to the front desk seeking a temporary pair, and the nice lady working lent me hers for the remainder. read more

Extremely overpriced and poorly managed club. I have been a member for about 5 years and wouldn't be if there was a suitable alternative. In recent years customer service and attention to members' needs have been on the decline while pricing and fees have been on the rise. Every time you turn around, there is a new fee leveled against you. At the same time, every year they decide to drop another service or membership benefit. Of course, they never announce these changes, they just blindside you. Their primary focus is selling memberships and recruiting new members instead of taking care of the members they currently have. They think nothing of holding membership recruiting events on a busy summer weekends thereby over crowding the facility. Similar to the way gyms will over sell their facilities. You can't get on a machine or nudge your way into the pool. If I didn't have school age children that enjoyed the pool in the summer time, I wouldn't be a member. The constant nickle and dime-ing and the lack of customer service to current members is really galling. Do yourself a favor and try to find a better alternative. read more