Royal Fitness — Local services in Barrington

Decent gym - lot's of (somewhat dated) cardio equipment (what I use) & seems to have ample equipment for weight lifting. Customer service was nice too BESIDES day manager lady. I was only in town for a week & a half & wanted to check out the gym. They said I could for free so I did. Next day I get a call from the gym asking if I'd like to join.. I say yes but I am only in town for under 2 weeks & if they have any deals. They tell me they have a $25 into offer. I say great, I will be in later to buy it. I buy it later that day.. confirm w/ membership that it is only $25 w/ no hidden fees - they say yes, so I pay & then workout. I workout the next day & during my workout I notice that I was charged $37 for the membership. After my workout I speak w/ membership to see what the deal is. The day manager lady tells me they don't have the $25 intro fee - it was last month's deal. I tell them I was told by 2 of their employees I could get a $25 intro membership (how would I even know of this deal if I were not told by their employees - there are no prices online!). Anyways, she tells me, I am better off paying $37 for a month rather than $36 ($12 guest fee per day) for the past 3 days. I say, how does that make any sense? 1st day was a free trial & the next 2 days I worked out under the assumption that I had a $25 dollar membership. She tells me the first day wasn't free because I HAD to see membership after my workout - well no one told me that. They said I could workout for free & see membership after if I would like a membership. I was tired after my workout & decided I would pay for one if the price was right (which I did). Well again, day manager lady said that I HAD to/was supposed to go see membership after my 1st day workout - 1. since when do you HAVE to see membership at a gym 2. Since when do gyms not give a one-day free trial 3. no one made it clear that I HAD to see membership after my workout or I would be charged. Anyways, in the end, the day manager lady end up refunding me the $10 dollars, but only because I stood my ground. She was quite rude & had NO customer service - put all the pricing blame on me & not her employees who told me this price (not that she should blame her employees, but she should make sure they know when deals end so they don't tell customers the wrong...

I have been a member at Royal fitness for a little over a year now and love it. There are so many ways to work out at this gym that's it's easy to switch up your routine and keep going. I gym has a good mix of members in age (20s - 70+) and level of training. There isn't the feeling of intimidation or comparison. Depending on the time of day, you will get a different mix of people.

I was never the type to take classes before, but they are awesome. There is something for everyone at every age. I've taken several yoga, zumba, kicking boxing, spinning, and strength classes. Except for spinning, you can walk into pretty much any class without signing up ahead of time.

It's also great to belong to a gym that has a pool. My kids take swim lessons (Stephanie is the best!) and I visit the pool when I'm sore or need to change it up.

I've used the child care and it seems safe. They recently switched from a per visit fee to a monthly fee. I haven't used it lately since my son is teething and a bit unpredictable.

The only thing I think they could do better is update the equipment. Some of it is pretty old and awkward compared to what you would find in LA Fitness or Retro Fitness. The cardio machines do the job but bring your mp3 player or a tablet to watch since they do not have their own tv screens. The weight machines are a little hit or miss. They have these weird Keiser air weight machines that I still can't get used to. The other machines do most of what I need, if not free weights. Two machines I really miss from belonging to Retro are the torso rotate and pullover machines. The machines are the only reason I'm giving the gym 4 stars instead of 5.

Locker rooms are adequate. There is a small sauna, three showers, lockers, etc.

Smoothie bar is okay, not really my thing.

There are a couple things I haven't tried yet. They have a bootcamp room that is similar to crossfit and the personal trainers.

Bottom line: Great gym, mid range pricing, bring...

First, I started with the one week trial. During this time I tried numerous classes and just fell in love with this gym instantly. The people are friendly. The vibe is friendly. The employees look like they all like eachother and are happy being there and so it makes me feel happy being there. All of the instructors are so positive. I am addicted to the variety of classes such as: kick boxing, zumba, yoga, Barre & tone, barbell, etc. The variety is really amazing. There are classes offered for those who need modifications. As a nurse, I love this inclusion because healthy routines are important to all. Modifications are also offered by the instructors in many classes because the goal is that the workout works around YOU because the gym is here for YOU and the instructors know this and encourage you to do what you can because that's enough. With the membership they also offer a free meeting with a trainer and they will do a workout with u if u wanted while also addressing all questions or concerns. I love this! The gym floor at a new gym is always so intimidating to me and so Ashley walked me around, "held my hand" and showed me the machinery I was interested in but too intimidated to find on my own haha. During this session Ashley also taught me some workouts which was really useful for my fitness goals. The pool looks nice. I love that some classes are offered out side for that fresh air. If you want a gym with good machinery and weights, a gym with a variety of options, a gym that is affordable, a gym with a shake bar, a gym that will hold your hand to show you that the gym isn't as scary as it first appears, a gym that creates a friendly and family environment, then this is the...