The Salvation Army Kroc Center

I had a great experience until now. I signed up for swimming lessons in October but due to classed being canceled & Pope visit 2 canceled and I showed up for 1 and a storm was coming so that was canceled too. So I ask the aquatics coordinator to move my lessons she said she would restart me on November 4. I showed up a 8am as told and the instructor informed me it starts today November 11 at 8am mind you. Well suffice to say I showed and was not moved to that list. I have left messages for the aquatics coordinator & her superior and no callback yet. I paid for lesson s I have yet to receive! I am truly discussed with this whole situation! I want my money back so I can go yo the Y an get lessons! I NEED SOME RESULTS ASAP!

Recently joined and it’s worth the money! Ask whether there are any specials when you inquire.
Definitely ask for a tour and take advantage of the free personal assessment upon joining. It’s a fantastic facility with a lot of options in terms of equipment, types of training and classes.
(Yes, I’m early in my fitness journey so if the exuberance overwhelms you, just make like Stevie Winwood and roll with it.)
2 things I love about the Kroc Center: the variety of activities and how gosh darn nice everyone is!
Variety first.
The assessment includes an initial evaluation followed by an orientation. Christine is fantastic – she went through my results and then walked me through the upstairs fitness area highlighting which cardio machines I should really use. She also trained me on how to use each one of the weight machines, and gave me some good beginner weight levels at which to start. It’s made for a great addition to my current workout routine.
I’ve dipped myself into the Olympic-​sized pool to try my hands at laps. They have tones of accessories you can use – kickboards, floaties, weights.
Try a spin class! Y’all i never ever would’ve thought I’d perch my ample behind on one of them itty bitty seats, but I survived thanks to Dineene (I apologize for misspelling that if I did!). She was firm and she pushed the class, but not in that drill sergeant crazed instructor kind of way I’ve seen on TV.
I’m about to start a separate personal training class – No Boys Allowed. It’s a separate fee which they don’t tell you about initially, but you’ve gotta spice it up, right?
I’ll probably go on and on about this great place in a few updated reviews from time to time. But if you live or work in the area, it’s certainly worth joining. If you aren’t making time for your health now, you very well may wind up making time for illness later!
Sweat on, friends!

I very much enjoy the Kroc. I’ve been a member for about 3 years now. I use the pool with the family regularly. I wish the warm water pool was warmer and that the café had some healthier options. The Kroc center was created through the McDonald’s family money and perhaps they feel guilty about how they’ve contributed to obesity in the united states especially in urban neighborhoods, hence their mission of placing these centers in similar neighborhoods. By the way, poor diet kills about 300 thousand people a year. In fact, they have an amazing farm garden but none of that food makes it to the café — extremely frustrating and boggles my mind. That said, it’s a wonderful center. Staff are friendly and patrons are appreciative. I play basketball and soccer there and use the weight circuit. As an addiction psychologist in Philadelphia I encourage all of my patients to work out and find hobbies to replace their drug or alcohol use. Health, food, playing sports, socializing and learning about becoming strong in body, mind and spirit is a necessary component or recovery and has been essential to my recovery and to the clients with whom I work. A place like the Kroc center is the perfect place to start that journey.

I heard they have a wave pool here! Im coming! Saving this review as a reminder and will update when I get there!!! Haha

My entire family have been a member since they first open a couple years back and from than service and quality of the place has went down hill drastically. My sister and I use to work out there regularly, about 4 – 5 days a week until the end of the summer. Half the cardio machines (bikes, treadmills, etc.) do not work!!! The iPod hook up no longer identifies your iPod when you try to connect it, the TV’s barely work, the touch screens are impossible to use, only 2 of the treadmills have a sign that says out of service when it should be a lot more of those signs on the other machines upstairs and down stairs. Its already a small place with very little cardio machines and to have only about 5 – 10 working ones is terrible!!! They have been waiting for maintenance for almost 2 months now. The employees is always in small groups around each other talking and not paying attention to anything. My sister wanted to discuss training with one of the trainers but she is always worried to interrupt their chat sessions. I have recently joined Planet Fitness and my sister has joined LA Fitness. We no longer feel that we get our money worth at the Kroc. And they have no child care options for my 7 year old. She is now to old for their child care for when I want to bring her while I work out and to young for the children’s room up stairs. Don’t waste your money or your time, this place is has changed so much.

This is an amazing facility! I joined a little less than a year ago and it was absolutely the best deal around. Low monthly membership fee that includes access to everything at the Kroc Center and as many fitness classes as you can cram into your schedule. I especially like that there are two fitness rooms — a large one upstairs and a smaller one downstairs. The upstairs room has more equipment and is much busier. I like the quieter atmosphere of the smaller room, which still has one of each of the main cardio and weight machines. A couple of times I have had a staff member come give me pointers as I used various machines, so that was nice. I take a couple of group exercise classes and they are a lot of fun — great people and instructors. Overall I find the people and the atmosphere to be pretty friendly.
I think perhaps the worst part of the Kroc Center is that the parking lot is fairly small compare to the amount of people that can be in the center. It’s really tough to find a spot at peak hours (I run into this problem around 6:15 or so in the evening), and because of the area where the Kroc Center is located, I’d certainly prefer to leave my car in a well-​lit parking lot rather than on the street. Not a good choice if you’re a night owl, since they close at 9 on weeknights and 6 on weekends. I may be mistaken, but I don’t think there is wi-​fi available, which would be nice for using a radio app on the phone.
There’s a café and a sizable seating area, but the café is usually closed at the times I’m there. There’s a computer lab upstairs and there are also kids’ fitness classes, which is great when parents want to work out too, or to keep your kids healthy and active.

I’ve been a member here for a little over a year. First the good.
This facility is beautiful. The architectural design is pleasant and well planned inside and out. The fitness center, which is the reason I joined, has high quality equipment and a nice selection of classes. Many of the staff and instructors here are friendly and helpful.
That said, there are some things that pull this otherwise nice facility down. Really down! The rules posted — no cell phones in the gym, re-​stack and don’t drop weights, wipe down the equipment, etc… — are never enforced. People routinely use an exercise machine as a lounge chair to chat on the phone, text, talk to a gym buddy, or for some purpose other than exercise and are never spoken to by staff. Weights drop constantly and unnecessarily and I have never seen staff address this with an offender. Maintenance on the machines, like the bikes in the spin room, is wanting and mentioning this to staff seems ineffective. Several bikes have been in need of repair for some time.
Then there is the behavior of some, and I emphasize SOME, of the gym-​goers. While plenty of gym wipes are available, many lack the proper gym etiquette to use them. Profanity and stories about jail are not uncommon. Again, it’s frustrating to have to ask a person to get off of a machine they are NOT using so you can use it for its intended purpose. People don’t re-​stack weights. People DO drop weights. Children often run about unsupervised (although staff does seem to address this when they see it). There is just a relatively high level of inconsideration and little knowledge of etiquette.
Oh…and the parking lot is too small and people seem to lack sufficient driving skill to take up only one spot.
So, why do I stay here? It’s reasonably priced and is overall a nice place. But, with a little effort from the staff to not only post rules but to gently and kindly enforce them, this place could be so much nicer.

Beautiful facility. Brand spanking new, and maintained very well. HUGE indoor lap pools, huge… HUGE jacuzzi, amazing indoor splash pools for children with a «lazy river», lifeguards on duty, swimming classes for all ages, wonderful gym facility, outdoor rec space/​playground, rentable outdoor space for parties, rentable INDOOR space for private classes, study groups, etc, group fitness classes, kids care center, café, place of worship.
Why not 5 stars you ask?
The staff.
NOBODY will help me here. Can’t get a straight answer out of anybody. The front desk acts as though I’m putting them out by asking them a question (after I’ve waited a good 5 – 10 minutes just to have them finally get to me)…or even just upon entering the facility. My fam & I have recently joined and been a few times in the last month, and I’ve tried enrolling my daughter in swim lessons and was told today at the front desk (by a girl who could not have possibly worked there longer than 10 minutes) to go to the pool and ask the people at the pool (huh??), the only person I could wrangle at the pool was a lifeguard and he told me to go to the front desk… Lovely. Thanks guys, I’d love LOVE to play this game if it weren’t for my 4 year old in the pool. As I watched my daughter swim, a lady next to me asked if I knew how to get enrolled in the next swim lessons, because the people at the front desk told her to come to the pool… (again…huh?)…and her daughter is ALREADY enrolled. We both got nowhere fast and commiserated in our frustration at the lack of assistance here. Also tried to find out how I can «un-​enroll» my husband b/​c I realize he won’t be utilizing it enough to justify $ 80/​month for both of us. guess where I got. It lead to me to come home to try and figure it out on their website. which, out of frustration led me here…
Bottom line: I think Mrs. Kroc is probably pleased as punch in seeing her dreams realized for a beautiful facility be accessible to all socio-​economic backgrounds, however I think she’d be disappointed in the way members are being treated by staff. If you want to just go in and use the facilities as a member and don’t need to ever ask a question, need assistance, need to sign up for anything, etc, then this is THE place for you.

I was looking for a pool in order to swim laps. I tried a non-​olympic sized pool, one that was in fact not even 25m long, and it was miserable. And then I discovered the Kroc Center!
This facility is fairly new, built last year (it is now 2012). All the spaces are brightly lit, and there is a café right in the middle (that smells WONDERFUL by the time I leave). The lockers are also really clean. The pool facilities are AMAZING. When you first enter, there is a kids fun park type play area and hot tub. It was pleasantly busy, but not overcrowded when I tried visiting on a Saturday.
The pool has 25m lanes and is 25 yards wide. It is made with Myrtha Stainless Steel technology imported from Italy. It’s supposed to absorb the vibrations caused from swimming and increase speeds. I don’t know if it’s true, but I WILL say that my times compared to another pool I recently swam at were pretty drastically better. Super clean, super nice. The one thing I don’t like is the temperature between the lockers and the pool — I diligently take a shower before entering the water, and it’s really cold in that space.
The staff is really great and friendly. I haven’t tried the rest of the facilities, but it looks very well used and liked. It’s a little tough to get there from Center City, and I imagine it wouldn’t be convenient for regular use if you don’t own a car, but it’s certainly the nicest AND most affordable pool I’ve found in the area.