Drexel Recreation Center

Best sports center that I’ve ever been. Has everything that you can imagine.
As a Drexel student, the Drexel Recreation Center will be your best friend in providing any sports or workout you need. If you want to pick a game in basketball, done. If you have want to play squash, done. (There’s like 7 – 8 courts: one near the gates and one downstairs). If you want to swim, done.
However, just make sure to go there early, because it can get very busy from 5 PM to closing everyday.
I come to the rec center often and always satisfied with the equipment, space, and the staff who constantly maintains the space.

This recreation center impresses me in at least three ways. First, the staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to help with an array of requests. Second, the clean facility offers a variety of activities and fitness options t/​o day and evening and provides showers with lockers. Third, the facility can tolerate the crowds which helps with machine and class availability. Great place to be.

I’ve been trying to swim more often lately. The pool is pretty empty during the evening open swim hours. Keep in mind that starting March 30^th, the pool hours are changing since it’s not longer swim season! One less excuse to skip the gym!
Also, in a previous review, I said they got new ab mats that were thicker and better. Well update: those mats are gone now. Back to the thin, cheap mats…

Great staff & facility has all u need to accomplish any fitness goals free weights, up to date equipment, swimming pools, & more most importantly for me it’s clean go at the right time of day & u can almost everything to your self.

I’m a Drexel grad student and can get in here for free and man… I just can’t even with these crowds. I’m paying to go to another gym now.
Gave it a shot for quite a while and could never seem to find the down times others mentioned… Remember college kids have classes at random times most aren’t on regular work schedule so it’s not just late afternoon early evening this place gets slammed. Now they’re selling memberships to non students left and right so I guess it only gets worse from here. Late nights and finals week seem to be the only way to catch a break.
I guess I don’t have much else to say or complain about its the crowds crowds crowds that ruined it for me. I would go and not be able to get on ANY of the equipment I needed. Dreaded going to the place so stopped working out as often. Didn’t do much or even anything when I went. Predictably, started gaining a lot of weight. Decided that joining somewhere else was the only way for me

I’ve been a community member (non-​student) for about three yearsy. Compared to other gyms in the city, it’s pretty affordable (rates starting around $ 500 for a year with no Drexel affiliation needed) which includes access to the gym and equipment, group classes, squash, rock climbing and pool.
I joined mainly for the group exercise, as I had never taken group classes before and wanted to supplement my running-​only fitness regimen. I can say that these classes completely changed my fitness routine and helped me find a schedule that was sustainable for me. I take Body Pump (45 min. express class), Yoga, and my absolute favorite Core Conditioning, during lunch breaks, and while it is safe to say 80% of the class is students, there is a good showing of faculty and other post-​college attendees. Most class instructors have been great besides a few random disappointments, with Johanna (Core condition, cardio ‘n tone, kickboxing) being my favorite. Seriously, if you want to get your butt kicked, go try her ever-​changing classes.
Gym equipment is plentiful and in great quality, and it is one of the cleanest gyms I have worked out in. There is A LOT of areas and tucked away free weights spaces to hide in. As other Unilocalers mentioned, it does get packed after work (maybe 4pm — 7pm) so I tend to avoid that time, but the weekends are dead and the lunchtime classes are usually easy to get into.
Downsides: 1. Schedule is made for the student calendar which means closing over holiday breaks. If they want to be attractive to non-​student members, at least have reduced hours over the holiday breaks! 2. As some people said, their locker room is small with only 2 showers but 10 toilets. Lockers are an issue, but I bring my bag into the group exercise room so it isn’t a problem, and other times i just carry it with me. 3. some of the front desk people are not the friendliest, but I am not here to chat with them anyways.
Pros: 1. Huge amount of space and number of machines 2. easily accessible 3. affordable, especially if you are looking for a wide variety of group exercise classes.
I love it and would definitely recommend if in University City!

1) Drexel gym has machines for almost EVERY body part or muscle group that you want to train.
2) 3 different sections for free weights definitely alleviate the traffic and crowd most times of the day. Though the whole gym gets packed at peak hours. It would be awesome that
3) it would be awesome if we had sauna room.
4) SOME front desk agents are extremely UNFRIENDLY & NEGATIVE. One time they complained about how much they hated their jobs. Guess what? You are Not going anywhere with that kind of attitude if you cannot even do the easiest task here (swipe IDs).

I have one small, yet significant, complaint with the DRC — but first, the good. Actually, the GREAT: I was lucky enough to get Morkeith Brown as my personal trainer. This guy knows his stuff, and is all at once a professional athletes, a badass, and a great, fun guy. Holds you accountable, without guilt and pushes you to your own limit without judgment; he’s terrific.
The rest of the staff has been good too. The workout facilities are nice, spacious & feel new. Plenty of diverse, good equipment & I’ve yet to have a problem with crowding. Also, a great deal if you’re affiliated (faculty, student, staff).
My only complaint — and I would give it 1 star on its own — is the locker room & showers, They don’t match the rest of the facility in quality & feeling refurbished, and there are only 2 shower stalls. This makes it feel like it’s for students who will go back to dorms to shower & change and does not serve the rest of the community as well. An upgrade is in order here!

I’m a graduate student at Drexel University. Last Summer I started working out on my own at the Recreation Center. However since meeting Morkeith Brown, a talented trainer at Drexel U. I have made more efficient use of my time and energy. Morkeith is a patient, professional, and modest individual who has given me a solid idea of what kind of program I need to pursue in order to get fit and stay fit. To me its people first not how many machines/​lockers there are. If you need a trainer who you can trust Morkeith Brown is the man.

Worst service I’ve ever experienced. Staffs never response to your request. Send a complaint email to membership service and they have not replied.

I love this gym. When I used to go to Drexel, this was my second home.

I joined Drexel because I was looking for an affordable gym that offered group classes and had a pool. The facilities are nice and much larger than most gyms and the membership is priced competitively. However, those are the only positives I can say for the gym.
The gym does not have enough lockers. They are always full and I end up having to carry my bag with me while I work out. They also have horribly irregular hours. They often cancel classes and close the gym without warning.
Although I like the instructors and the group classes that are offered, it is very hard to get a spot in them.
Finally the staff is mostly students who are unknowledgeable and unhelpful. I will not be renewing my membership and caution any community member or adult from joining.

The Recreation Center has been completely renovated. It’s primarily for students who get a free membership with tuition. Employees and alumni can join for a reduced fee. There’s lots of equipment and a rock wall. Facilities are nice. It’s less crowded early in morning

I’m a community member who recently joined this gym. I’ve been shopping around a couple of the city’s most well-​reviewed gyms i.e. The Sporting Club at the Bellevue, City Fitness etc. and to my complete surprise, Drexel is far and away the best gym of the lot. First of all, the location is great. It’s literally across the street from the 33^rd & Market trolley stop and one block away from the 34^th & Market MFL stop.
The facilities are pristine and there always seems to be student staff members circulating and taking care of the equipment. The weight rooms are well-​stocked with free weights, olympic weightlifting appartus, and kettlebells. With over three weight areas, I always feel like there’s plenty of space to escape from annoying gym men even when the gym is super busy! My partner loves to play squash, and they loan out rackets and shoes, so I have been able to join him for a few games. I think that’s a great bonus that you could only find at a college gym! Long story short: this is a great facility available at a very reasonable price point.
There are only two downsides as far as I can see. First, the gym is sorely lacking locker space. If you are willing to traipse around all three floors of the gym, you can usually find a locker or cubby to place your personal belongings, but it’s no excuse for the countless malfunctioning lockers in the locker rooms. It’s also clear that students are taking over day lockers for more than a day. Thus, gym staff should enforce the day locker rules more strictly. Second, they need to improve gym hours during school holidays. They are really trying to market this gym to the community too and we would still like to use the gym over Christmas break! Even reduced hours would be better than closing down for weeks at a time. Related to this, they need to update the online calendar more often. On more than one occasion, I’ve turned up to find the facility closed (due to Winter break closures) even though their online calendar and outgoing phone message did not indicate this.

Night and day compared to the old gym. I only wish they had these renovations before I graduated. Kids don’t realize how good they have it now.

If you are a full-​time student at Drexel… you should take advantage of this gym while you can. This place has top-​quality equipment on two floors, raquet ball, swimming pool, basketball court, and an indoor track. Yeah. Everything.
I really enjoy taking the classes here as they are at weird times and I need that. However, be warned that your instructors are students so you aren’t always going to get the best classes. Zumba is usually pretty good for people of all fitness levels. I don’t suggest hip hop cardio if you have knee problems as it’s super intense with that.
This place is busiest between 3pm and 7pm, I pretty much avoid it like the plague at those times because there’s a high volume of younger adults and it takes a lot longer to get machines/​equipment you need (unless you are looking for an elliptical… in which case you’ll be fine because there’s a bajillion of them) PROTIP: Never forget about the second floor!
The pool is awesome as well! They have a wonderfully spacious locker room with plenty of showers, benches, and lockers. The pool does get crowded quickly, I always had trouble after 11am.
So far it has the best equipment I’ve seen in a gym with enough space to cram a lot of people (and have it feel like your own personal wonderland of buffness when it’s a slow period) If you live up in this area or are a Drexel student/​alumnus you should get in on their memberships.

Loving this gym! Glad my tuition from 5+ years ago went to something this awesome! Glad to be able to join as an alum, and for a ridiculously cheap price ($ 300 for alum for the year). Awesome facility with a rock climbing wall, pool, two stories of cardio/​weights, squash courts, nice locker rooms… totally in love.

Holy awesome! This is the nicest gym I’ve ever been! It has three floors of facilities to include a pool, squash courts, and my favorite part, a rock wall! From Olympic Weightlifting to rowing, cross fit to running, it’s complete with brand new equipment that’s right for everybody! There is enough equipment so you don’t have to wait for others to finish. The facilities are clean and in pristine condition. It’s the standard that every business should set themselves.

As a former employee of Penn Rec, I’d give the edge to Drexel’s recreation center. There is always something going on at the recreation center, whether it’s free food, or a DAC Pack rally. They have Zumba, Pilates, Swimming lessons, the list goes on. I hope to find the time to visit this place more often.