Life Time — Local services in Chicago

The rooftop pool is super swanky! You feel like you’re in New York. It is worth the money if you’re not a Founding Member and can afford the $400-$600 every summer (per member). Definitely has earned its “luxury gym” title now. Want to rent a cabana for the day to celebrate a birthday? That’ll be $1,000! Want to sit on the large sun chair/couches? $300/day last I heard. This gym is expensive but worth it! The skyline views are breathtaking and you are up on the 9th floor, and there is nothing to block the sun! The only thing that is unfortunate are the kids. Thank God for headphones and CBD. The cabana boys and girls are servers and very quick, friendly, and attractive. I’ve fallen in love with this gym all over again. I’ve never had a problem getting a chair, and the crowd has a nice, friendly vibe. There is an upper deck that is 21+, with hot tubs(?) and a few couches that have areas for you to bring your laptop and WFG or read a book and take a break from the sun! I would live at this pool if I could!

The opening was REALLY rocky, but they’ve really upped their game! Amazing amenities and it’s 24 hours! Recovery room is amazing, and so are the yoga classes. Employees are very friendly, the crowd is small and sociable; not full of annoying younger men that are in your way taking pictures or videos of themselves! It’s super clean, too! No weights are lying around, nor are towels. They are on it!

It’s definitely the nicest LifeTime! Just be prepared to spend an arm and a leg in membership dues, especially if you drive, because you pay for parking, whether you’re there for 10 mins or 3 hours is the same price. That’s my only complaint. Every other gym around (EBC, FFC, XSport) has at least 60, 90, or 120 mins free, and then you pay after that. At this location, if you’re an avid gym goer, be prepared to tack on about $100 a month for parking, which is preposterous, considering the membership cost alone.

Alas, more pros than cons, and if you can afford to go here, you get unlimited access to all other ones in the Chicagoland area! But I haven’t felt the need to drive out to Skokie because this location is so swanky and it has hydromassage tables, leg compression suits, massage guns, waterfall shower heads, steam, sauna, a cold dip tub (great for inflammation!), a plethora of machines, treadmills, and weights. It never gets too crowded, which is nice, and the expensive price point keeps out the undesirable, unsavory characters that frequent some of the other LT gyms.

I’ve gone back and forth with my rating since I joined in January, but management has finally heard us and fixed 99% of the issues. Again, just wish they’d pay extra garage rent instead of passing the cost to members, because Whole Foods customers can get 90 mins of free parking with a $10 minimum purchase… not fair.

But I come here several days a week, and do a few Uber rides on the way home to offset the parking cost. Check it out and if you live close enough to walk or commute via transit, you won’t have a single complaint! Just look at the...

Coming from years of poor: management, maintenance, and cleanliness at LA Fitness clubs (incl. the Signature locs), as well as various other gyms around the city, decided to treat myself to an upgrade. This new Life Time location is located in a very accessible part of downtown. It’s not merely a “gym” but rather an athletic resort, as branded. High end finishes everywhere as you would expect, clean private showers, just abt all the latest equipment you could ever need, top notch amenities, and an attentive staff. Able to get some business work done from the café post-workout. Looking forward to lounging during the outdoor pool/bar season. 24 hours access too…very convenient. My main gripe is the parking is validated for ONLY 3hrs @ $5.75 currently; that’s plain stingy & inconsiderate. EBC & every other club offers much better parking options. Even Whole Foods gives 90 min free validation. They also need to add more mirrors, especially in the free weight area. Re: the membership pricing, yeah, it is probably the most expensive fitness club in the city, but it’s supply & demand; they’ll charge what the market is willing to pay, and some folks see add’l value in investing more in our health & fitness lifestyle. Time will tell if it’s worth it. So far, so good for the most part.💪🏾

UPDATE 11/8/23: The Chicago flagship location has def lost some of its luster since opening last Jan. Workout floor layout basically changes with the seasons it seems. LT Recovery equipment is never fully stocked and/or functional with Normatec sleeves & Hyperice equipment. The Hyperice nozzles have been broken for over 4 months now! The room generally feels neglected & I’m convinced no one on staff does daily equipment quality checks, which is insane to me. And I have to echo other reviews disgusted at the diminishing towel quality. It’s become the norm to have to sift through stacks of folded towels that are a mix of mid- to low-quality; many with suspicious stains & long hair strands 🤢 Management should train the staff to just toss those and buy new ones. Cost of business. The most expensive gym in the city with the nerve to recently spike membership rates for everyone incl. Founding Members, yet service levels & benefits are lacking. Pro tip: pls pay attention to the details like having the TVs set to logical programming throughout the day. Sometimes there are major live sporting events happening and the TVs are tuned to the Weather Channel 😑 Is it really that hard to run a more thoughtful operation? Or has mgmt just gotten complacent? I should...

Updated from 2 stars to 1. Someone from Lifetime replied to my review asking me to contact them directly, but left no contact information. So I emailed the general manager and received no response. It was apparent they didn’t actually care. The real icing on the cake was when we went to buy the pool passes and the cost was 3x what they told us it would be when we signed up. I’ve since canceled my membership as well as everyone I met when I first joined has left.

Been going to the new Lifetime for a month now. The space is spread out which is nice, never feels crowded, but maybe that’s just because there aren’t a lot of members yet. Open 24 hrs which is a huge plus. Recovery room is amazing with hydro massage beds, massage guns and other equipment. Locker room offers steam room, sauna, hot tub and cold plunge. The hot tub isn’t hot enough and the jets are weak…I overhear everyone complaining about this…hoping they can fix it. Staff keeps the facility very clean which is appreciated. I’ve belonged to several gyms across the city over the years and this is one of the cleanest (however it is new, so hoping it stays this way). Front desk staff is friendly and welcoming. Management doesn’t seem to care to retain members. I tried inquiring about pricing prior to the club opening, impossible to get an answer, total sales pitch. I came in week of opening and of course then missed the founder pricing and they said they would see what they could do and didn’t follow up. Never got a full tour when signing up. Wasn’t told about credit card processing fee upfront…any gym I’ve ever been to, the flat rate is what I’ve been charged on my credit card. I was told by the manager that it’s the credit card company who charges this…really?? yeah that’s the cost places have of doing business…either build it into the price or tell customers upfront you’re gonna pass the cost along to them. Parking is too expensive…even xsport which costs $9.95 a month gives you 90 mins free parking. I’ve been charged incorrectly in the garage several times…when mentioned to management, was told they’ve been working out some kinks and it shouldn’t happen again…no concern to offer looking into the charges or credit me. At the lifeclinic they have cards at front desk with offer for complimentary first visit…yet I was charged a discounted rate for first visit…not the same thing. Everything feels like a scam. Overall I gave 2 stars because it is too expensive for what you get. The space is beautiful but that only goes so far. I’d consider going back to Equinox or...