XSport Fitness

I’ve been a regular member for years. I’ve signed up a handful of people but besides giving their regular sales pitch Xport has never ever delivered. Yes some machines dont work for weeks or months on end, yes wifi goes down a lot but it’s a big gym so stuff happens. Why 1 star is because the staff never feels accommodating. I’ve been here with my girlfriend who I’ve been trying motivate to join the gym. Technically guests should be free I didnt know about the before 10 pm rule and we werent allowed. Ok no biggie I can understand; but when its before 10 and we drive like hell to meet the deadline to get a swim and some annoyed lady decides its more convenient for her to make shit up therby changing the 10pm rule to her own liking. Not to mention it was my girls birthday. So yes thank you and screw you Xport and lady who I intensely dislike. If you cant offer your customer base decent service then fix your damn gym up. I wish I had joined L. A Fitness or hell even Cardinal Fitness. Smaller gyms feel better than big gym’s with jerks working.
There are a few guys after midnight who are awesome as hell. They deserve to be getting better work hours but why would they when you can just put some lady who doesnt give a damn about her job?
EDIT: So after checking the rules it seems guests are not admitted after 9 and must leave by 10. So I updated my rating from 1 star to 3 because some of the staff (daytime) are still quite rude and machines dont work.

Warning: if you get a tanning membership here you can easily get screwed over. Lauren, who is the manager is no help at all. I was told so many different stories today it was ridiculous. I’ve been coming here for years but as soon as my points run out I will be going elsewhere. If you want terrible service go here and ask for Lauren. Caitlyn, who used to work here was fabulous and I really wish she were still here:(

I am so mad! I have been a member for X sports over a year. My friend and I drove all the way to this location and the front girl wouldn’t let my friend in as my guest because it was after 9pm. I never heard that rule exists. She could have let us in for just one night and let me knw in the future. So stupid and none sense rule! I totally didn’t like her attitude how she handled the situation either. Boooo–

For the price, Xsport is a pretty good deal. I can’t fault a business for the numbers of bros it attracts (although, yes– there are a TON of gym bros), but it’s overall a fairly clean facility with decent amenities. I’ve never had a problem getting a cardio machine, although the weight room upstairs can get pretty packed, especially during evenings. They have a good variety of classes with pretty convenient times, a pool, sauna, hot tub, basketball court and rock wall. All (or almost all) of the cardio machines have TVs, but the cable can be a little inconsistent. If you take advantage of the amenities, it’s definitely a great deal for the price. They’re a little lacking in kettle bells and medicine balls, but that’s about it.
As for the price, they often have banners advertising memberships starting at $ 9.99/month, but as they say: «if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,» and this deal only applies if you sign up for a 2-​year membership. I chose the month-​by-​month option, and it’s about $ 35/​month, which is still way better than FFC’s insane membership cost. The staff can be a little pushy when signing up, but I guess that’s just their job. I recently had to cancel since I’ll be moving across the country, and I was surprised how easy they made the process. I think you may have to jump through a few more hoops if you’re cancelling a long-​term contract, but getting out of the month-​to-​month option was easy enough.

I do not expect much from a crowded, cheaper fitness center in the city. However, this gym just makes me angry. I started going to the gym at 5:30 in the morning to beat some of the crowd, which has been better.
That being said just in the past week alone I have been on 5 broken machines. At one point I tried 5 treadmills before finding one that works properly. Once the «Fix It» stickers went up I was hopeful, but then I texted multiple times treadmills would stop and go and nothing changed. I really just wanted to see an out of order sign go up on them because of safety reasons. I also understand machines break, and you need to be told they are broken before someone can fix them.
I once notified a trainer that an assisted squat bar was missing a screw and extremely wobbly, he then immediately had his client use it because it was now freed up. Scary, but I was there at 5:30am so there was no one at the front desk to tell.
Lastly, I don’t expect an extremely nice staff when checking in but it isn’t necessary to be rude.

I’m not sure what people are thinking when they sign up for a gym like XSport and expect the boutique fitness feel of smaller clubs that are sometimes three times the price. I used to be an LPAC member and have no problem with what I get at XSport for a third of the price. At XSport I get towels, a clean locker room, and fun workout classes. However, just like at any gym, there are peak times when it’s hard to get equipment. Duh! There are going to be more people at the gym during certain times so either don’t go during that time or suck it up because it’s part of life just like rush hour traffic and taxes.
I was super fortunate to have found Raquel, an awesome fitness expert that subbed for a Zumba class there. I ended up following her to another XSport location, becoming her Facebook friend, and am now doing X-​IT (Interval Training), Zumba, and Mixxed Fit with her.
Yay for being fit!

This review is for personal training with Veronica Krok.
Veronica has trained me for the last 15 months and it has been a fantastic experience.
When I first signed up for personal training at XSport, I was paired with someone for my comp session that I really didn’t mesh with. I then switched trainers, but when I showed up for my first session with him, he was nowhere to be found. Apparently he had quit or been fired that day, but no one let me know so I was just waiting around at the training desk trying to figure out what to do. At that point, I was pretty upset and ready to start fighting for a refund on my personal training package, but Veronica showed up out of nowhere. She was very friendly and offered to take me on as a client. I was a little skeptical after 2 iffy experiences, but went with it because she seemed like she would be a very fun trainer.
As soon as I started training with Veronica, I was so thankful I’d lucked into working with her. Professionally, she’s been very impressive. Her work outs are always varied and challenging. She has patiently worked with me on rehabbing an old knee injury, and it has improved tremendously over the last year. She provided exceptional cross training well I was training for a marathon last fall. She has coached me on nutrition and taught me how to track macros to meet my weight loss goals. Personally, Veronica shines even more. She clearly cares a ton about her clients. She has made a real effort to get to know me personally, which helps me stayotivated and accountable. She’s also let me get to know her during the time we’ve been working together. It’s impossible not to love her positivity and can do attitude. As much as I value how great she is at her job, it’s the relationship we’ve built that really sealed the deal when it came time to resign.
I’m moving away from Chicago now and I can honestly say thay training with Veronica will be one of the things I miss the most because she truly cannot be replaced.

I have been an Xsport member since 2008, starting out at the Saint Charles location, then Naperville and eventually Logan Square. I’ve been going to this location for 1.5 years now and I.just.cant anymore. I am only staying until I find something else. The whole experience is absolutely and utterly atrocious. About a third of the treadmills are broken or have something wrong with them. There’s actually a treadmill that goes up and down in incline by itself by 1−2% while you’re running (very destabilizing) and one that completely stops after 17 minutes? The last time I went I had to try FIVE treadmills before I finally found one that worked. The rowing machines are ancient and the straps come loose no matter what you do. There is no one cleaning the equipment. Everything is sticky and smelly. I lift weights 4x a week and I’ve had to stop because I can never get free weights since there are too many people upstairs. The parking lot is a death trap. There are a few times I had to turn around and go home because there weren’t any spots and it wasn’t worth my time and energy to fight people for one. On the other hand, there are people parking in the ramps and that is so dangerous. What happened to your towing policy? The gym smells terrible, especially the upstairs.
This location is way too crowded and they obviously cannot keep up. I have been told that Logan Square gets the most traffic and most complaints out of all the Xsport locations. Maybe it’s time that more money be invested in this location for equipment and cleaning.

Ick. This gym is OK if you want basics, I guess, but I feel that I got completely 100% sca-​rewed when I got into their personal training. I had a free workout with a nice, young trainer who seemed eager to work with me. She turned out to be super flaky, sometimes cancelling our appointments and other times just standing me up. The worst part about it is that one day when I was stood up by said trainer, I was approached by what appeared to be a Manager, who said he had been sent over to the gym to ‘clean things up’ and he’d take care of it. He took my name and phone number. Never once did I receive a phone call or any type of follow up. I’m not sure if I was lured into buying a personal training package on purpose, or if they are all really just that terrible at doing a basic job that they couldn’t get it together. Whatever it was, it sucked. And for that reason I don’t even like to go to that gym anymore.
Their national customer service applied the money I had paid toward personal training (hundreds for a 12-​pack) to my membership, but would not give me any type of refund.
These people are crooks and the place is kind of a hole (parking is a nightmare). Spend a little more and go somewhere else. FFC is a world apart, so I likely will be going back there. It is worth every dollar more you spend.

As far as customer service goes, I have been trying to cancel my membership over the phone. I’ve tried three times now and they have told me each time it was cancelled but I am still getting charged. You apparently have to go in, in order to cancel, like it is some walk of shame.
The people do not wipe down the equipment after, be careful, you can catch something.
The people that work at the spa are going to try and swindle you out of as much money as they can also.
Horrible gym.

This review is related entirely to customer service and has nothing to do with what the gym offers.
DO NOT GO HERE. FOR. ANY. REASON. When it comes to your money, this is the most shady organization that has ever existed. I would trust a drug dealer with my life savings before I ever trust XSport with a bank card again.
I signed up for a membership in January, but after reassessing my finances I determined that it was not reasonable for me to join at that time. I went in and talked to the exact same person who signed me up and told him I wished to completely cancel my membership (as the agreement says I have three days to do so without penalty). He took my information, put something in the computer and told me my money would be back in 5 – 7 days.
Not only did I not receive my money back, but 10 days later, my account was charged my first payment (which, to add insult to injury, was DOUBLE WHAT WE HAD AGREED UPON).
I called and talked to a manager, was assured my account would be taken care of and to check in again in a couple days once the money had been returned to my account. I became very busy with work and did not have a chance to follow up quickly. About 12 days later was again charged (again DOUBLE what was agreed upon). I called again and whoever received the call assured me that the person that originally set up my account was handling it and to disregard the payments — they would be returned shortly. At the end of business that day (only 5 days after the previous payment) I was charged again (this time, my normal payment).
Today (5 days later) I have been charged a random $ 10 fee. I called again and spoke with the person who was handling my account — he said that he had heard nothing that he was supposed to do anything with my account. He remembered me coming in to cancel my account and no one had said anything to him personally since.
I have been told for over a month that my account was closed or being taken care of and I am still being charged. Again DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY FOR ANY REASON. Go literally anywhere else. Give a hobo $ 10 to chase you for half an hour if you need cardio. Go to LA Fitness, Bucktown Athletics Club, Bench press some furniture at Target… just whatever you do DO NOT GO HERE.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Update:
I received a message from Xsport on Unilocal to contact them regarding this post. Several days after contacting them with my concern, no one has followed up with me.
After following up with the same person at the gym that I have been speaking with, I was informed that I would no longer be charged — but I still have a pending charge on my credit card (again for double the agreed amount) and he would not say whether I was getting the money back that they had already taken from me or not. Now, in week 5 of cancelling, I have been given another number to call about this.
I wish I could give a negative number of stars.

I live near Xsport and have considered joining on multiple occasions, but every time something happens to keep me away. I was again thinking about joining recently when I got an email targeted to former guests that said, «Come try us again for a week for free!» So I went in to redeem the coupon and give the gym another honest look, only to find that the guy didn’t want to give me the free week. His reasoning was that «I was already in the computer.» Yeah, no shit, I was a guest here before. That’s precisely why they sent me this email!
After quite a bit of hassle, he relented, but not before whining, «This is the last time I’m doing this.» He made me feel as though I had done something wrong or was trying to cheat the gym by redeeming the offer that had been legitimately sent to me as a former guest. I did workout that day, but it was pretty busy even on a Wednesday at 11 am. Between that and the treatment I had received, I could not possibly justify signing a contract. I’m going to hold off for the $ 10/​month Planet Fitness opening soon at California & Diversey.

Update on review. Been a member since it opened.
1. No updates have occurred in like 8 years.
2. They are constantly using loudspeaker system for promos or notices, only gym I’ve been to that does that so much — annoying.
3. They gym is always crowded, seems oversold. Likely due to constant sales/​cheap fees.
You can get a workout done here, although may not be the nicest or easiest experience. Why I’ve joined another gym as primary, use this one only when have to.

In December, which is generally one of the most dead times at gym’s elsewhere, this club has been INCREDIBLY BUSY because they hand out cheap memberships to anyone. The parking that they say is included with membership is now full on almost a daily basis so people start creating their own spots. We’ve had to skip our workout several times because there was NO PARKING. It doesn’t matter what day of the week or what time of the day GOOD LUCK FINDING THE MACHINE YOU WANT.
Also, there’s one guy that comes around maybe once a month wearing a full gray/​blue sweatpants/​sweatshirt getup (maybe the owner) that will come into the basketball court and yell at you like he’s your gym teacher that there are NO BAGS OR WATER ALLOWED IN THE GYM. If you ask him what his problem is he just tells you to READ THE SIGN. I get there are rules, but 99.9% of the time people keep their bags by the court and no one cares, because what difference does it make, but we pay you money to use your gym, not to be yelled at like we’re children. This guy is terrible and I DIDN’T TRULY HATE THIS GYM UNTIL HE CAME SCREAMING INTO MY LIFE IN A FLAMING BALL OF SWEATSUITS.
I would pay three times as much to have this gym half as empty, but unfortunately, Logan Square doesn’t have many choices. I really hope the plans to turn the old Mega Mart into an upscale shopping area and new gym come through and come through fast because GOD ONLY KNOWS HOW BUSY THIS PLACE WILL GET IN JANUARY WITH ALL THE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONERS.

Harder to cancel than Comcast –
My annual membership plan was coming to its end, and I did not want to renew, so I called the gym to ask if there was anything I needed to do to make sure I wasn’t billed for additional months. «No, your membership will just end and if you want to renew the desk will ask you next time you come in.» So, trusting that advice, I assumed my membership would just end at the end of my contract.
Nope. Two months later, they are still charging my credit card for membership fees. So I called the phone number listed next to the credit card charges and was placed on hold for about 10 minutes. The agent then came on and asked a series of questions, placing me on another 5 minute hold between each question so she could «research my contract.» In one of her responses she revealed that the only way to cancel your membership is to send a certified letter via US post. Then she placed me on another hold, during which she decided to just hang up on me instead of answer any further questions.
A certified letter? Really? It’s hard to beat Comcast at making it impossible to cancel service, but XSport did it. I’ve now paid to mail them a certified letter, and for good measure have had to report my credit card lost so that they cannot charge it anymore.
The absurdity of this cancellation process, and the fact that they will not refund the 2 months of charges I incurred after being told by one of their employees that there was nothing I needed to do, is infuriating. I will never, ever sign up for an XSport membership again. Ever.
The gym itself is fairly nice and well maintained, but every time I went I got the distinct impression that they are vastly over-​selling memberships. This place is over crowded, at least when I go. I also found it immensely frustrating that they only ever had 2 pairs of each set of free weights. With so many people, this basically meant that I could never use free weights, since somebody had invariably hauled them off to a corner of the gym so that nobody else could use them.

Cons:
–Steamy hot group fitness studio
–Layout-​I would feel like a piece of meat weightlifting on the second floor. Awwwwwwwwwful! The majority of the free weight section is on the second floor and you have to walk through the madness to get to the back of the room.
–musty
–PAIN IN THE ASS TO CANCEL
Pros:
Cheaper membership, better than planet fitness… more options, location is nice,
Expect less and prepare for the worst. Read the fine line on your agreement, and be careful signing up for a year worth of training! There’s always a way out no matter what they say.

I HATE to do this to you Logan Square X-​Sport and I have been a faithful member for years. I arrive early as possible to avoid the crazy crowds. I would think at 4:30 am the place would be in somewhat presentable conditions since peak hour would start around 5:30 am, NEVER the case at all.
* The overnight crew is as unfriendly as you can get, many times there are staff sleeping on the massage tables, others are loudly chatting away, sitting on the sinks in a FILTHY men’s locker room, while the front desk attendant has his headphones on veering at everyone that walks in to be scanned, looking seriously bothered that his «jam session» was interrupted. Sometimes the rest of the crew are standing out back with the door propped open smoking… uhhh «cigarettes».
* NEVER ANY CLEAN TOWELS, meanwhile ALL the DIRTY TOWEL bins are FULL, remember its 4:30 am.
* The FILTHY MEN’S LOCKER ROOM is absolutely in despicable conditions, the saunas are dirty, smelly and filthy with towels littered all over the place, empty water bottles and other random clothing items littering high traffic areas.
* EMPTY LIQUID SOAP DISPENSERS in the DIRTY SHOWERS.
* EMPTY SPRAY BOTTLES to clean the BROKEN CARDIO MACHINES.
* EMPTY PAPER TOWEL DISPENSERS right under the empty spray bottles.
* The policy is No LOCKS LEFT OVERNIGHT, however when I arrive (again at 4−5am) there are an average of 80 lockers with locks on them, when mentioned to the staff they look at you like you are an idiot for pointing that out to them, again interrupting their busy, «headphoned jam session».
* The DIRTY POOL AREA is littered with floats, dirty towels and other items like band aids, q-​tips empty water bottles etc.
* The SMELLY JACUZZI alway has a weird oder as well as a frothy FILM of FILTH floating on top in the corner.
* UN-​RACKED free weights are strewn all over the floor in the upstairs area.
* The guy vacuuming (with headphones on of course) is literally going around old towels (moving them with the hose) and other water bottles left overnight, I pointed out to him that the items were obviously left from overnight and he proceeds to give me the dirtiest look… almost as dirty as the floor he is vacuuming, while cleaning the same small area as to «kill time» and «look busy» til his shift ends.
My only pro is this gym is literally a 5 minute walk from my place and the 24 hours is kool, however the rest needs SERIOUS management review and overhaul. My suggestion is to send random «Secret Shoppers» in at about 4:45 am on an early Tuesday or Wednesday morning, you will be shocked at what is discovered.

I got exactly what I paid for– not a whole lot. But enough, which is why I’m not giving less than three stars.
I know how places like this work– which is why I was absolutely not doing the monthly pay option. I’ve heard enough horror stories about how they make it impossible for you to cancel. Which is such a scam and they should really not be doing business like that. I paid for a year in advance, and then received a second year free. Overall this turned out to be about 20 dollars a month.
And for 20 dollars a month, I get bare bone services here. I go on off-​peak times, so yes, there are always machines available for me. However, often I have to try two or three different ones until I find one that is not broken. Often there are no clean towels. Often the spray bottles with disinfecting liquid are empty. Often the paper towel dispensers are empty. And more often than not, the wi-​fi is not working, which really gets me mad. The last row of treadmills are backed up right against the wall and the water fountain, which is always a hassle if you need to fill your water bottle. You get in the way of everyone wanting to walk by. The air conditioning is faulty, which often makes for a hot and steamy, and also smelly, workout.
But overall, I can’t complain too much. I just wish I could afford Equinox.

Was waiting for my guest pass to run out before writing this review. The 7 day trial is now over and for that, I am nothing short of thankful.
I came in a week ago with a flyer I had received in the mail. I presented it to the G.M. and he started signing me up. He asked a series of questions to assess my fitness goals; specifically what activities I like while in the gym. I told him a combo of weight lifting, cardio machines, and group classes.
I had a helmet with me since I had biked there, I knew exactly what all terms were when he was explaining things to me (i.e., Orange Theory type classes), I told him I’ve been lifting and working out hard for over two years, and he STILL tried to push personal training on me. Why in the world would someone who knows EXACTLY how to work out want a personal trainer? Strike 1.
The appearance of the gym itself is welcoming and big. However, it is always packed with people. I went at 12PM, 3PM, and once in the morning. I could only imagine what this place looks like @ 5:30 or 6:00PM! Strike 2.
The machines have definitely been used and abused. I got on one stairmaster that wasn’t working well at all! It seemed off it’s track or something; it just felt weird. Strike 3.
The machines were also not clean! At my old gym, there would be a cleaning person at all times, on each floor, cleaning each machine. At Xsport: Zero, zilch… with the exception of the towel picker upper people and garbage removal, you will not see people wiping down machines. Dirty is an understatement. Strike 4. yuck.
Strike 5 came during my last visit. I walked in to what was a surreal experience. Wednesday @ about noon, they had a DJ playing some incredibly loud and incredibly annoying music and had pizza, empanadas, and other fattening treats for gym goers. W.T.F?! I’m trying to lose weight and you’re welcoming guests with lard food? Not cool at all. I’m all for customer appreciation days and the like but offer something healthy: mixed salads, wraps, etc. I don’t want to walk in to my gym and smell nothing but oozing cheese.
The bathroom/​locker room was really dirty too and the lockers were old. The entire gym needs a rehab STAT. Strike 6.
The only positive experience I had here was the Xfit, which is similar to Orange Theory. The instructor was awesome, the class was a great caloric burn, and the concept, though copied from OT, was definitely appealing to me.
Other than that, avoid this place like the plague, people!

Everything you need in a gym is here!
Cardio
TVs
Weights
Punching Bags
Kettlebells
Weight Machines
Swimming Pool
Basketball Court
Rock Climbing
Nice sized dressing room with many lockers
Spa
Steam Room
Kids play area
Open 24 hours/​365 days a year
The only issue i have here is the dreaded parking garage which is free. I normally have to get there before 9am in the morning on weekends to avoid what becomes a shit show in this 3 level garage. Nice scene of downtown from the rooftop though