Blast Fitness West Division

I joined a couple of weeks ago and everything is going fine. When I signed I told the young lady that I was a personal trainer when I was younger and certified. I did not need the meeting with a personal trainer. She said it was required. So the next day I met with the personal trainer and told him my story. He said why am I meeting with you and you know what you are doing. I told him they said it was required. This was a waste of my time. They have a lot of different machines but there is some equipment I wish they had. For example, a calf raise machine and a seat where you can do dumbbell preachers. They have an inclined squat machine I could do calf raises on but I do not want to do them on an incline. So, I use a barbell. The gym is quite busy with a lot of men lifting weights. They keep it pretty clean to be so busy around the weights. I like how they have the spray bottles and brown paper towels to wipe the machines and weights. I love sanitizing everything so this is great for me! The staff at the desk are pretty friendly most of the time. Sometimes there are people at the desk that do look like they want to be there. Otherwise, it is affordable and close to home.

PROS
–Its cheap
–Close to my house
–Hours are ok
CONS
–Poorly maintained. The roof leaks. Many broken machines. I don’t think I have every seen any of the gym mats cleaned. Ever. A/​C and heating break. Weights are always out of place. Lockers smell.
–Wifi is spotty at best.
–I was told the TV sound system would be fixed when I joined. 6 months later and still no progress.
–Their personal trainers are contracted through Thryve Fitness Solutions. It’s been a nightmare dealing with this company. I would highly recommend avoiding any of their «services».
The price can’t be beat for a no frills gym. But, for the same cost you could go to Planet Fitness which offers cleaner gyms, and most locations are open 24 hours. The issues I have had with Thryve alone have convinced me to not renew my membership.

It is close to home and the price is right which is why this gym might not have the best reviews but you get what you pay for. The bathrooms are always clean and there are plenty of open lockers, bring your own lock. There is a women’s only area off the bathroom which is awesome, many weights and space to do exercise you want without worrying about people watching you.
The group classroom is where they struggle, the floor is so cheap and slick it is hard to work out there, there are pieces coming up already after being open only 1 year. They have many classes available.
The cardio equipment is limited in variety, no StairMasters, and ¼ of them are broken (like the pieces have fallen off or don’t work).

I have been a member for almost a year now. I have to honestly say I LOVE this gym.
The staff is friendly, always willing to listen and help. People there are nice and friendly and willing to offer a hand if asked for a spotter. I have made friends here, feels like a big happy family!
I have done two of their classes Cycling and Zumba and I can say the instructors know what they are doing. I haven’t done more group classes simply because I am there more for weight training. Being that I am a women, I have to say that I find it refreshing that the weights area is not as intimidating by a lot of men. I have been to other gyms where I do not feel as comfortable being surrounded by all these men, I feel like they are judging or just looking like I am bait. Here at Blast Fitness, I feel very comfortable, there is always machines and benches available, I never have to wait for any machines and most people are regulars and are there training hard and not looking at me with judging eyes.
I absolutely love the atmosphere!
I am only giving it a 4 star because the roof does need some work, I know it is not the staffs fault but I know they are in the works of getting this issue resolved. Also, as someone mentioned before regarding the heater not being on. Im sure it is on but the location is very big and doors are always opening and closing it takes a lot to get that huge place warmed up, plus I never have complaints regarding the temperature in the facility because I am always hot and sweaty from the workouts, maybe they need to workout a little harder if they are cold! (HA)
All in all I would recommend Blast Fitness on Division, great location, huge parking lot, big facility, always clean, friendly members and staff!
I have family that goes here because I recommended the gym and they love coming here. I have a platinum membership so I usually bring a friend in for free. I am here a good 5 – 6 days a week so I have a lot of input regarding the gym and the staff and all I can say is I LOVE IT!

Before you become a member at any Blast Fitness, check their rating across Chicago and the suburbs, their ratings are horrible. I will NEVER recommend blast fitness to anyone.
Blast fitness is notorious for charging customers when they aren’t suppose to and REFUSES to give the money back? Horrible management. My mom called in to cancel her account two months in a row, and they still charged her… for BOTH months! They made the same mistake twice. And when when I called to let them know about it, they said it was my fault because my mom was suppose to mail in something to say she was cancelling. When I asked my mom, she said the person she talked to told her that her account was cancelled and didn’t say anything about mailing.
So then I tell them to go back and listen to the conversation they had with my mom, and they told me it would take two weeks. I said okay, well I can wait for two weeks. After two weeks, no one calls me so I decide to call again… they said they can’t listen to the conversation or something (seems like no one bothered to listen to it). So then I spoke to them in a cooperative manner to simply refund the money because my mom did not attend the gym for two months yet they still charged her. They refused… they said her membership was still active for two months. Then I asked to speak to their supervisor and argued saying it was their fault but still they wouldn’t budge. They wouldn’t even give back one months membership fee. They make their cancellation process complicated so when customers take their time sending in a letter, it gives them the opportunity to charge them another month.

It’s December and the freaking heat doesn’t work.
The overall lack of cleanliness, broken machines and buckets everywhere when it rains because the roof leaks can all be overlooked ($ 10 a month, what do you expect?) but trying to work out inside a gym that’s 50 degrees is pretty fucking miserable.

Thanks for the stretching mat in the woman’s area!

I can not see why anyone would not like this gym, Great size, nice members, great fitness classes, staff always so friendly and even greet me by name, staff always cleaning, and lastly the price is unbeatable!
Only downside to this place is the A/​C seems to be out of service and when it rains well it rains inside as well.
I’ve been a gym enthusiast for 15 years now and I gotta say with my age this is by far one of the best gyms I stepped foot in.
Had one billing situation which I was upset at the fact that the «late fee» was as much if not more then the membership itself, when I brought it up to the manager he was quick to correct it and was very professional along the way which surprised me because at the time I was very upset at the time.
I had been to the blast in bridgeview and that was pretty bad. too bad because it has potential.
My son has now signed up at this place as well and he’s glad he did.
Keep it up Blast crew! hope to see more of these pop up!

The complete lack of air conditioning is horrendous. Fans do NOT equal air conditioning! The locker rooms are also often dirty. There’s hair in the drains and on the counters in the sinks. Paper towels are always overflowing out of the trash basket. They used to have shower curtains and have decided to remove them. My guess is to discourage people from using their water and taking showers. I called and asked about the air conditioning and was told it would take 2 weeks to fix. I went over a month ago and it was not working then. Then I asked the guy about other locations with a pool. He told me to look online. I then asked, «Do you have access to the Internet?» He then said yes, but he was working on receipts. People at the desk just socialize the whole time. I don’t get the sense that they want to assist you. Great customer service, not! It’s a shame because it’s a big space with a lot of potential.

Of all the Blast Fitness gyms, this one has got to be the biggest, cleanest, and (in my opinion) has the best members! The members actually wipe down their equipment and I have not had to wait for equipment before. Much cleaner location especially compared to the Burbank and Bridgeview locations.
This gym doesn’t receive five stars because they only have on standard bench, (which gym really only has one bench?) some of the weights are mismatched (looks like it was an old Bally’s gym), and I’ve seen workers on their phones just chillin.

I LOVE this gym. It is in Humbolt park and brand new– the equipment is great and staff is friendly– the classes are fun. The staff is friendly. It is HUGE and clean. And best of all it is cheap– so even if you don’t go 5 days a week you don’t feel guilty! Its a 6 min drive but for these prices I dont care– I have a platinum membership and I can take one person free with me every time I go!