Planet Fitness — Attraction in West Chicago Township

This PF really is the best in my opinion. I recently moved to the area and have been looking around for a gym. This planet fitness has unbeatable prices, staff is really friendly, welcome and nice. I see them cleaning equipments often and each time I've been there. Bathrooms are clean, the pin lockers outside make it super easy to get in and out quickly, and the heat/cool massage chairs are amazing after a long workout for muscles (w/ black member card). I was also surprised by how clean the massage chairs are. The upkeep of this place is definitely beyond average. Of all the gyms in the area, this is the best place by far in terms of prices, the aerobic and strength training equipment and massage chairs, friendly staff, flexible hours (24/7), accessibility and free parking. It really doesn't get better than that if what you're looking for is a consistent place to get your workouts in.

One downside is that there may be a lot of people in the gym at the same time, normally after work hours and weekends, but compared to other gyms in the area, like LA fitness or the old XSport (now LA), it is actually much better in my opinion. Those gyms are CROWDED and sometimes not well conditioned, unlike this Planet Fitness. Also PF in general has an app that tells you how crowded you can expect at all hours so that's really convenient and shouldn't come as a surprise.

Other things that have been really nice include that there are typically two sets of the same machine available for strength-based muscles groups, most people using PF are respectful and will clean the equipments after their use, and its super easy to book the hydromassage and deep massage chairs right after your workouts if no one's already signed up for the slot.

There are also amenities I haven't fully used or appreciated but is available to members including showers (look pretty clean, I live nearby and shower at home), large locker spaces, water fountains that you can drink out of and fill water bottles, and tanning booths. With Black card, you are also allowed to visit other PFs, invite a guest at every workout. Pricing is also VERY fair, like most gyms they may have enrollment fees, annual maintenance fees, monthly fees. I signed up on a deal so there is no annual commitment and can cancel anytime, which has been really nice with the rest of my scheduling. When I visited other gyms, they were shady and not willing to disclose all their pricing and had a lot of extra hidden fees which I didn't like. If you were to ever decide to quit, it also sounded like a lot of hassle would be involved.

Overall, I would highly recommend this PF to everyone, worth trying out for a day to see...

EDIT 2: Time for an update on my review. I have now been a member for 6 months and have worked out here over the summer.

Really starting to enjoy this place and the staff. They're very attentive and nice to talk to. After spending even more time here, this gym is worthy of a 4 star review. Easily the nicest budget gym in our area.

I was worried that the summer was going to be overrun with high schoolers because of their promotional program. The kids are all great and very respectful.

No major complaints except this place gets freaking busy at peak times.

EDIT:

I originally reviewed this place and gave it one star. After being a member for a couple months, I am changing my review to a three star.

This place is still a total dive BUT it really is good value for money if you have a flexible schedule. Tons of annoying quirks but in general, I like the staff, I like the patrons and I don't hate the resources available.

But more than anything, I like the price. As long as I get at least two good workouts in per week, then this place is worth the headaches and aggravation of being a member of a budget gym. I was paying 10 times the price at Chicago Athletic Club for five years and I would leave that dumpster more pissed off than when I walked in for a million different reasons. The only thing this place lacks is a sauna and steam room. But I totally get why PF doesn't have a sauna because they would never be able to maintain it due to their barebones business model. Install a custom steam room or sauna at home instead and you'll still be ahead in value.

In summary, if you're cheap person like myself who wants value for money, this is the gym to join as long as you have a lifestyle which can make it work for you.

Original Review:

Damn this place sucks. 130p on a Monday and not a single bench or machine available. Crowd meter only said 3. Can't be too upset though because I only have the cheapest membership. Don't waste your time on the expensive membership. Most folks just use a few pieces of equipment. I'm going to start building out my own home gym since you can recoup the cost...

I typically don't agree with writing a negative review for a one time complaint, but this has been twice now that I have been charged for months of membership that I have tried to avoid. On 4/2/21 I went in to the gym to cancel my membership bc I had been charged for a month that I did not attend and will not be returning due to moving to the suburbs. The worker mentioned that he would freeze my account an extended time so that I could avoid sign up fees should I find a gym closer to my new home (he would cx me over the phone if needed in the future). It is now 4/19/21 and there is a pending charge on my account for another month of membership. When I called and told the woman on the phone that there was a mistake, she said some sort of bs that depending on the cycle date, something about the bank hold time, blah, blah, blah, that the charge was made. She noted that she understood there could be a "miscommunication on both sides" and made no effort to correct the problem. Of course, I was told I had to come in again to cancel my membership (when I was told by the original man he would take care of it for me). Either way, there was no professionalism in taking care of a customer who obviously is making an effort to avoid these unethical charges without warning and no communication between employees on what was agreed upon with regards to my account. Note: they don't take credit card payments as they don't want you to challenge their charges for services not provided. I am a Physical Therapist who manages a large facility in the area and I know how customer service works in a gym environment. This is not it. I will no longer be referring any of my patients to Planet Fitness purely for...