Powerhouse Gym

Dirty bathrooms, equipment broken for months, weights are rarely racked, not enough plates distributed throughout the gym, usually no spray or paper towels to sanitize equipment, bent bars, bars and other equipment are never cleaned or oiled, and rates just doubled. There’s probably more I can add but you get the idea.
While there seem to be a couple of small improvements over half of the cardio equipment has been broken for over a month. I paid for two years of membership for my wife and I ($ 400 total plus over $ 100 in additional fees) before the rates increased. At the time I was told that new equipment was coming in, including cardio machines and more strength equipment. That was in September. Nothing has been added. I feel like I was scammed out of my money. The gym seems to cater solely to crossfit which has all new equipment. Once I get a few more months out our renewed membership I will be finding another gym. This was a great place when I joined 4 years ago but even with «new» management it is still bad.

Thanks! I appreciate the responsiveness of your staff and definitely can see improvements under the new ownership. I’m really excited to see the positive changes.

Awesome personal training here. This gym has it all!
My trainer, Adam Coffey, has helped me learn so much about exercise mechanics, and helps me to safely push myself way past where I ever would do on my own. We discuss nutrition regularly and he has helped me tremendously by guiding me as I work toward meeting weight loss goals but with improvements to lab results as well. My MD wanted to know what I was doing to have such great cholesterol numbers and I had to attribute that success to what I’ve learned from Adam.
The trainers really take the time to get to know you, understand your goals, and do ongoing assessment as you go to be sure they are maximizing what they are doing for you. I was intimidated at first as I have never really been a gym goer but Adam made sure I feel comfortable and welcome. You can train for fitness competitions here if you want– and some people do– but plenty of folks are here too that just want to get a handle on things and do it the right way. Prevention of injury is key, especially for someone unfamiliar with all the equipment!
Lastly, an important thing to say about training at this gym is that it helps me make the best use of my time. I am a very busy person and when I’m at the gym I need to be sure I’m not spinning my wheels. I know when I work with Adam I’m gonna get my butt kicked– but in a good way, and won’t end up with crippled knees in the process. It’s worth every penny!

Last year, I planned on updating my review after things settled down. It never really did, but now things have changed again. Unfortunately it’s not for the better.
In that previous review, I mentioned how the gym had essentially sold out to Crossfit and had removed a lot of floor space that was for regular gym users. A few weeks ago, we were again greeted with signs that things were being moved around. It looked like the front part of the gym was going to be used for CrossFit, rather than the middle section. That held some promise, because when CrossFit was in session, it split the gym into two, and it was annoying to get from one half to the other.
Well, believe it or not, things have actually gotten worse. Based on my estimates, the regular gym actually has less floor space now. Not much, but some. The obnoxious CrossFit classes and their instructor (s) put signs and barriers up all over the place, telling people to NOT take their equipment (like anybody would want to). They close doors, obstruct the hall, and take over equipment that anyone used to be able to use. CrossFit members still regularly swarm into the gym and take collars, weights, plates, bars, and other equipment into ‘their’ area. On the bright side, their throwing, pounding, and smashing weights to the floor is slightly less disruptive now.
In addition to regular gym-​goers having to contend with less space, several pieces of equipment are now gone. First is one of the two leg press machines. It was the older but more heavily-​used one, because its seat was in a more comfortable orientation. The second missing machine was a combo lat pull-​down/​chest press Hammer Strength machine. Also, several rows of dumbbells are missing, because the free weight area is now much smaller and absolutely jam-​packed. There used to be duplicates of dumbbells from 50 – 75 lbs, and now there’s only one. The empty racks that held them now sit discarded behind a half-​wall, but no idea where the dumbbells are. It hardly matters, because the ‘new’ free weight area is almost impossibly crowded even without them.
Signs (dated from 2010, oddly) say that missing equipment will be returned «by Monday» but many Mondays have come and gone with no replacement. The men’s locker room had a broken urinal (one of two) for years, and now I guess the permanent solution was to hang a shower curtain in front of it so nobody uses it. Soap dispensers are still regularly out, and management still seems to be absent.
I don’t know how much more they can screw it up. It will be a real bear to have to change arrangements after being a member of this gym for 15+ years, but I don’t see myself renewing next time.

This place is horribly run. I solely joined to attend the fitness and spinning classes. The classes were great. I had been going here for almost 3 years. Then all of a sudden and out of no where there was a 2 day notice that all fitness classes will be permanently cancelled! They didn’t even have the decency to let the fitness instructors know beforehand either! They decided to take over the space where the classes were held to
Expand for crossfit. We did not receive any prior notice beforehand. I tried to email the owner and get in contact with the responsible person without success. This place is trash! So unprofessional and the rest of the gym is disgusting with decrepit old machines and water dripping from the ceiling. Don’t waste your time or money here! Beware!!!

This is a great gym! A real, actual, gym. It is the type of gym you think of when you think about Arnold in The Terminator. I have used their crossfit facilities as well, and they are top notch!
I must, however, come to the defense of this gym when it comes to the other Unilocalers who seem to dislike the crossfit.
Their prices for a gym membership are less than $ 10/​month, whereas their price for crossfit is around $ 110/​month (actually a very fair price for crossfit). I would assume that this is the reason crossfit members may seem to have higher privleges/​nicer equipment than the regular gym members. Simple math has solved the mystery!
But in all seriousness even with the fact that crossfitters «get more out of this gym» it’s still a great gym no matter which aspect you go for. It has everything and the facility itself is clean and its a pretty good environment overall.
I am also not sure that the repairs/​renovations/​bathrooms have a lot to do with the gym owners. I worked in property management for a few years and happen to know that the landlord is responsible for that kind of upkeep. Might have to give them a free pass on things of that nature. Since I’ve been going the bathrooms have always been clean/​had soap etc.
When it comes down to it, this is a great gym and the prices are truly unbeatable. Give it a shot and compare it to others in the area.

Used to be a good gym before they ruined it with all the crossfit stuff (that no one ever seems to be using) which takes up 100% of what used to be the main gym floor.
And it’s FREEZING cold in the winter and they won’t turn the heat up.

I have been a member of this gym for almost a year now. And will probably renew my membership. As other reviews have mentioned it has a ‘live in’ feel and there are many features or services available to the members, for an additional charge. lots of equipment and lots of weights. A few people mentioned there are ‘people of all fitness levels’. Uncertain if I agree with that statement. Majority of the people who work out here — not me — are very serious and are ripped. Not that they are judgmental or unpleasant. Everyone is pleasant. If you are looking for a gym to do crossfit or weight lift this is a great place. If you are looking to get back into shape — this is also a good place. But sometimes I feel like I am missing people to ‘relate too’.

Great Gym at an Amazing price. I paid like $ 150 for the year, that included a 50 –60 fee. NO contracts all the free weights and machines you could use. Plenty of space for Misc. Activities, when crossfit isn’t in session. Nice people, everything you could want. The only bad thing is the men’s bathroom which is a complete disaster but if you limit your bathroom breaks to number 1 who cares? The place also has some cosmetic issues with the walls and such but I think it give it character. This place is a lifters dream.

While PH offers a very affordable membership, there are a few things to consider based on that price.
First, bathrooms and cleanliness take a back seat at this location. The men’s restroom is at best filthy with little attention to general upkeep. Most times I avoid it at all costs. According to my wife, the women’s restrooms are not any better. Just take the time to walk through, they just smell. This issue continues to the rest of the facility where equipment, floors and walls go long periods of time without attention (probably a good idea to avoid the water fountains).
Next, the equipment needs someone to take the time to perform general maintenance. Most of the treadmills have had little, if any, upkeep. The hammerstrength machines are rusted and/​or need oil terribly. Many benches and other basic items are falling apart (prior to the current renovation attempt they kept a «bone yard» of broken equipment in a central room).
Regarding the trainers, they have cycled through many of them over the years. Most leave for better jobs once they have outgrown the current management. If you find one to help you, great. But if you are looking for help outside of a bodybuilding style life, you may want to approach a different club.
As stated in another review, they have recently began a major update to the current space. This is being done to accommodate a Crossfit area. The intention I can only assume is to capitalize on the popularity of this type of workout. There are a number of different Crossfit branded gyms in St. Louis that do a great job. Powerhouse was, or at least tried to be, a bodybuilders gym (since they moved to the other end of the strip mall they have tried, unsuccessfully, to be an «every mans gym»). The only thing they seem to be doing is alienating their current core group of members.
The simple reality for this gym is they are trying to make money and not help people improve themselves. This attempt to use Crossfit is like many of the other endeavors many of us have witnessed over the years here — halfbaked and partially completed. This is unfortunate for Crossift as they will likely turn more people off that bring them to the style of working out.
No matter how cheap they price the membership, you can’t fix poor leadership and management. Save yourself the money — find someplace else.

I love the powerhouse gym, and am sad I moved away.
1. The price can’t be beat. It’s 150/​year which is cheaper than any other gym I’ve seen, but yes, you do have to pay upfront.
2. The spinning classes are awesome. Some of the sweetest people are in the spinning classes, and they make you feel at home. The instructors can be a little demanding, but, that’s kind of their job. You burn tons of calories, and that’s what you’re there for. Yoga with Denise is awesome, too, but get there early. It fills up.
3. The amenities are sub-​par, which is why I gave it 3 stars. The place is a little out of date, and the locker room is a spa by no means, but they do have showers, restrooms, towels, and lockers.
4. It’s huge. There are tons of machines, most of which have TVs on them, a separate are for free weights, and a pretty big stretching area as well, where you can do sit ups or push ups.
In San Francisco, I pay 15 bucks a class, so I’m going to reiterate, this place is a STEAL.

powerhouse gym is a very well equipped gym. its sheer size could be intimdating, at least at first, but it accomdates everyone from serious lifter to fitness-​type and even athletic trainers.

Treadmills abound at Powerhouse. Not only that, but they each have a TV attached to them. Each of these TVs have cable, so I can put in some serious time on the treadmill or elliptical with Dog the Bounty Hunter and is fam to distract me while I sweat.
I had a session with a trainer and I learned more from her than I’ve learned from any other trainer I’ve used. If I had the money, I would buy some sessions with her. They do offer a payment plan if you buy a certain number of sessions.
My problem came in when I started a new workout plan centered around weightlifting and interval training. The floor is taken up by countless machines that few people use. Most people use the free weights, so I feel like having so many machines is a waste of space. Any one who knows anything about lifting knows those machines are so passé.
At the moment, I need the floor, medicine balls, swiss balls, resistance bands, jump ropes, and steps. Most of these items are easy to find; however, there are some that are reserved only for the personal trainers. They have their own room where these items are locked up. There is a small area (that is really more of a hallway to get to the karate rooms) where one can do the workouts that are in my plan, but I’ve noticed that every time I’m working out, there are personal trainers in that area. They take up the whole space (in addition to having a locked room) and all of the equipment, pushing out the normal people who are trying hard to train themselves.
The real problem is space. I feel like if they removed some of those machines, there would be more open floor for these workouts. I did discover that the aerobics room is open when there is no class and there is some equipment in there. I’ll probably use that for my work outs from now on.
Other sundries:
–They have a café at the front desk. I can see it being useful for lifters on the run, who need to replace some protein between places.
–Computers with internet to check your sites
–Great big cycling room
–Lots of classes
–Lots of trainers and weight loss support (if you can afford it)
–Towels!

Being a former Gold’s Gym member, this place is just great. It’s got a «lived-​in» feel to it, and that’s what I like.
I appreciate the free towels.
Yes, they do need to perform maintenance on their cardio equipment.
Yes, they seem to have just a jumble of equipment that’s been collected (but at least it’s organized by muscle group).
But I love it. It has character.
Plus, they have no binding contract (like frickin’ Bally’s and Gold’s), and the monthly price ain’t bad, either.
If you ever need to leave, just give them a heads up and there’s no problem. If you ever come back, it’s as easy as saying, «I’d like to come back.»
Great place.

In terms of equipment, this Webster/​Crestwood/​Shrewsbury/​SW City area gym has THE BEST and they offer a basic monthly membership for only $ 19.
Up until recently, they have focused on award-​winning bodybuilding programs, but they now offer spinning, yoga, aerobic classes and weight control programs/​products.
Watch out for some of the trainers though. If you get hurt doing what they tell you to do, you’re screwed. They do not back up their instructions or take responsibility for inexperienced or uncertified trainers.