Fitness 19 – Lakeview/Lincoln Park

I’ve been going here for almost 2 years and am just getting around to a review.
This place is not huge but has everything you need and you cannot beat the price! I do not do the classes but from what I gather, they do not have too many options.
The staff is super friendly and they have an unlimited guest policy, i.e. you can bring a guest with you each time you go to the gym!
I love this place but I was not looking for a swanky gym. If you pay a $ 100 more per month… Equinox has that. It’s awesome and I’ll continue going as long as I live in Chicago!
Only con… no showers.

I’m a temporary member of Fitness 19 due to my apartment building’s gym renovation. I’m very pleased with the equipment and friendly staff. In my opinion, a more pleasant experience than the larger fitness center chains in the area. Despite usually going during post-​work hours, I am able to find a treadmill and elliptical without waiting around. One small and somewhat odd complaint is an occasional cigarette smell, which isn’t ideal in the middle of a run.

Clean gym and super cheap! I highly recommend this gym to anyone in the area. It has everything you need (classes, free weights, personal training) just on a smaller scale.

After about 5 o’clock in the evenings, you can forget about getting there wifi, more than 30 people in the gym and you can not get on it. I have spoken to the staff about it around ten times about it. They admit that it’s a problem, but they said the management don’t want to spent the money and get the system upgraded.
Yet the gym is over crowded in the evenings, I’m going to consider canceling my membership.

Love this gym, I’ve been a member for well over s year now. It’s got a friendly atmosphere and almost all kinds of equipment.
Only issue is it is a smaller gym which during peak hours can get chaotic and the classes are great but it takes up the only extra space the gym has which kind of stinks.
But the staff are awesome!

I went to this gym with my friend as her guest so I could do my marathon elliptical workout and I was pleased with the facilities and the array of cardio and weight options!
My friend says she pays about $ 35 a month (with includes a FREE guest pass) and I believe it’s 100% worth i! Honestly though, health and fitness to me are PRICELESS!

After having a complementary personal training session at a competing gym just around the block I was leery of another complementary assessment. The other gym called me multiple times a day trying to get me to sign up and it left a bad taste in my mouth to the point where I did not look forward to the gym on the off chance I’d see that trainer.
Fitness 19 was totally different and amazing! I met with Bob who was so friendly and down to earth. You get 2 complimentary days the first being more of a get to know you, your goals, a basic assessment of your cardio ability (ie: observing your heart rate while riding a bike for 5min). The second session will be a workout which I have not done yet. The best part about my first visit was that when I asked Bob if he could show me the proper form on the different machines he said YES!!! Then he pulled out a circuit training sheet and we went to each machine and he adjusted it to fit me and wrote down all the settings of each machine on that circuit (ie: seat should be at level 4 for your height, weight should be x amt of pounds for me to do 10 – 15 reps). It was SO helpful and I really appreciated it. After our appt I then did 3 circuits! He was a breath of fresh air and I am looking forward to coming back!
+ Clean and new equipment
+ You can borrow a lock at the front desk if you forget yours
+ There is child care if needed
+ Pre-​moistened wipes to grab and wipe down the machines
+/​-​Bed Bath Beyond is right across the way which means I get sucked in after a workout and spend money. LOL

Like the posts before, it’s the Southwest Airlines of gyms. not to be confused with the Spirit Airlines of gyms.
Affordable, no frills, clean, updated equipment, free weights, machines, cardio, studio.
Personal trainers here seem busy so that’s good. Staff is nice.
It gets busy, but 80% of the time, never too busy that I have to wait a long time to use a machine in my workout.
My only suggestion is to add a couple benches/​chairs where people can rest (wait for other people to finish up) between sets, although space for this is somewhat limited.

I’ve never felt compelled to write a Unilocal review, but the management/​customer service here is so BAD that it definitely outweighs the low-​cost appeal that this place provides. Literally, just the worse management ever — wouldn’t return my phone calls about being mischarged & even blamed the internet service on a reason why they couldn’t look up my account information.
Before you get a membership here & if you have health insurance, I’d definitely find out first if you can get a discount on health club memberships elsewhere. I learned afterwards that I could get a membership to a nationally recognized, BBB accredited health club for way cheaper than what Fitness 19 costs.
Worst mistake ever.
The gym itself is just ehh — I thought it was overcrowded, and there wasn’t enough room to stretch or do abs anywhere, especially if there was a workout class in-​session.

I am extremely happy with Fitness 19 in Lakeview. Over the last month I have started heading to the gym before work and school and am SO glad I did. The atmosphere in the morning is great. In addition to never having to worry if your favorite cardio machine is taken, Tim is always at the front desk to sign you in and offer some encouraging words to wake you up and get you excited to work out. On top of that, Tim’s morning playlists are spot on. Just the right amount of upbeat + throwback to have you singing along out loud or in your head (Country Wednesday’s are my personal favorite). I have been a member of this Fitness 19 for over a year and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get a good sweat in and jam to some tunes in a ultra-​friendly environment.

Love the gym set up and convenience of the location! The prices can not be beat as far as membership and personal training goes. Have been working with trainer Jeff for about a month and am already seeing great results. Super motivating staff and clean facilities!

I used to workout at LA fitness till I have seen this place. All the equipment is new. It’s in a small space but they make it work. Also the price is by far the cheapest in the city, and they allow you to bring a guest as many times as you want.

I really do love coming here! The price is very affordable. Staff is always there to greet you at the door. Only thing that can get irritating is that it can become a little packed and hard to keep moving with your workout. Especially in the free weight section. I’ve been able to figure the best times to go and avoid those heavy traffic hours. They also keep the facility well cleaned which I appreciate.

Rip offs. It’s not $ 12 a month. So many hidden charges applied without your approval. Planet fitness is much more legit. Even LA fitness is cheaper.

When moving to Chicago, I never thought I would ever find a gym that costs less than $ 50 a month. But I was pleasantly surprised to find Fitness 19 — at $ 29 a month! The location is super convenient and near where I live, the pricing is awesome and they have all the equipment I could ever need. I was sold right away. Now, if you’re looking for a fancy gym with towels and showers, this isn’t your place. But if you’re just going there to workout and get in shape, this is your place! They offer month to month memberships and personal training, which is awesome. When signing up for a membership, you also get TWO free hour-​long personal training sessions. I did my two free sessions with Mike and decided to keep him as my trainer. He found out my level of athleticism and made a customized workout plan for me based on my fitness goals. I really needed a trainer to help hold me accountable and push me. Mike does a great job at both! Their pricing for their training sessions is very reasonable too. I’ve been nothing but happy with this gym. With all the money I’m saving by coming here vs. FFC or LPAC, I can’t see myself ever leaving this gym. They are by far one of the best choices I’ve made since moving here.

I’ll echo what Dan G. says below: «Look, if you want a swanky gym with all the bells and whistles, you don’t want this place.» I used to be a member at LVAC up the street and loved it – except for the $ 130 (or was it $ 160?) monthly price tag. Here’s what Fitness 19 offers and why you should join immediately:
— Ridiculously low price ($ 30/​mo for 1 member + guest … so basically $ 15/​pp)
— High-​quality, updated equipment (e.g., Life Fitness) — and lots of varieties
— Impeccably clean (equipment, facilities incl locker room)
— Convenient location
— Never have to wait for equipment or weights
— Friendly staff

Super cheap, medium sized gym. I like that this is on my way home, and they have a lot of different machines. Since the space is not very big, they do not have multiples of the weight equipment, which can be frustrating if someone is using the machine you need.
They have a ton of ellipticals and treadmills, however, which is nice. You can always jump on one of these while waiting for the machine you want to open up.
The locker rooms are small but I have never had any trouble finding an open locker. Can get a bit crowded if lots of people are changing at once, but not a huge deal.

First off, the gym is very nice and clean. They have all the equipment you would need. But no showers, no hot tub, no pool. However, that is perfect. I don’t need any of that other stuff.
Why I stopped a star was because an interaction I had with a staff member during my 7 day trial. I recently moved to Chicago, and I stopped in to get a tour. Tony was the staff member who provided me a tour and signed me up for my 7-​day trial. He did a great job and was very professional!
I guess during my trial, prices changed. It went up a dollar (from $ 24 to $ 25 per month). Not too big of a deal. The problem I had is during my trial, I got pulled away by another staff member who was not Tony. I checked in on about my 3^rd day on the trial and the staff member urgently said «Please step aside! I need to get you locked in before you are affected by the rate change.» But after I sat down, I realized he wasn’t able to do anything about the change and it seemed more expensive because of some other fee. I was really put off by his faux urgency in making me sign up right then and there even tho my trial wasn’t over yet.
I was so put off by that, I ended up just signing up online instead of having a chance at interacting with that staff member again, so I really hope Tony got the credit for signing me up.
Advice to sales team: You have a great product at this location. The gym is very nice. Worry about getting people on the 7-​day trial and then let the product sell itself. Just keep people happy during the 7-​day trial.
Other than that interaction, I really like this gym and everyone else has been very nice and helpful. :D I would recommend this place to a friend for sure.

I pay $ 12 a month to work out here!
Thats because I signed up the first week they opened… the special is over now.
Pretty good gym with good, clean equipment and TVs for your watching pleasure.
Staff is very friendly and helpful which is pretty different from other gyms I have been apart of.
The only thing is that the locker room is small and does not include a shower, but if you live nearby you can go home and shower the stank and sweat away.
I am glad that Fitness 19 has made it to Lincoln Park.

Great gym! Brand new and cheap! It is small but has a kids center and a work out studio so I’m good! Trainers are great and they disclose everything up front and don’t hide things like LaFitness! Brand New!
There are a lot of machines for the space…