Nicholas Recreation Center — Attraction in Madison

This gym and other UW facilities are technically available to community members, but they are not worth the subscription cost.

The Nick is not a good gym for strength training. The equipment is new, but it is not high-quality. Nearly all of the benches and squat racks are from Xult, a cheap Wisconsin-based fitness company. The J-hooks on the squat racks do not lock into place, and screech when you gently set down the weight. There are a couple quality Matrix racks, but you can't reliably use them due to availability and crowds.

They don't run the AC during off-hours, so if you visit in the morning, the indoor temperature can easily exceed 78°. The water fountains output warm water. They exclusively play a horrible radio station with slow-paced, relaxed pop and country music. The layout is disorganized. The gym can be closed for up to a week at a time during semester breaks, with no alternative...

Large facility that has something for everyone, including pool, basketball courts, squash court, etc. It's clean and well maintained, but there are some problems. First, it is very busy for the majority of the day, every day of the week. I understand it's not the fault of the facility, but it is really over-packed a lot of the times. Second, the lifting machines are all stacked-loaded, instead of being plate-loaded. This is a personal preference, but plate-loaded machines generally feel better/more natural. Third, it does have unreliable information online about operating hours, and closures of certain parts of the gym, like the basketball courts, that can be frustrating. Overall, it does the job well enough, but there is room for...

They do not provide an accurate schedule for open rec sports. Ten friends and I made plans to play volleyball based on a schedule the Nick had posted online. When we got there, there were no courts set up or open. When I asked for help, I was told I had “looked at the wrong schedule” even though I looked the main schedule they have posted on their website. I was able to show them where they had posted a faulty schedule, but Staff refused to put up volleyball nets even though there was a court open. Staff were not helpful and unfortunately rude and not accommodating. I would recommend calling to get an actual idea of whether courts will be open for...