Rittenhouse Square Fitness Club

Rittenhouse Square Fitness has now closed — at long last. Now — it has become, wait for it. .. the new location for Koresh Dance, an Israeli owned, dance studio. You can take classes, see a performance, and oogle the gorgeous and talented dancers. Great to have a useful business in this location. Horray for Fitler /​Rittenhouse neighborhood owned and operated biz !

I’ve been a member for about 6 months now. I haven’t tried any of the classes and use the gym exclusively for the treadmill, elliptical and cardio-​related machines. I chose this gym because its 2 blocks from where I live and it’s the cheapest one in my neighborhood. Having a gym walking distance from my home is a definite plus. Other positives: machines themselves are clean, i’ve never had to wait for a machine, the staff are nice. I also really like that different types of people go here. It’s a community place. If you want to look cute and get noticed, this probably isn’t the best place for you. Negatives: the weekend hours are bad (9am-​5pm) and the carpeted floor in the stretching area is disgusting. Almost makes me want to go home to do my stretching. Easy fix for this– a good vacuum or different flooring. I don’t know why they haven’t made this change. Overall-​this is totally a decent gym.

Pros:
– it’s very cheap compared to other city gyms, especially if you get one of their year-​end deals
– staff are very friendly
– Free weight section is not large, but has a good variety of equipment for you to use. They have the standard plates, barbells, and dumbbells — not exactly new, but weight is weight and not all gyms in this price range have these things — as well as more than enough benches to go around.
– Likewise there’s pretty much all the weight machines you could want if you like using machines
– For more «serious» lifters, they also have a proper power cage for doing squats and a small set of bumper plates for doing barbell lifts from the floor (although you have to be careful about dropping weights, so don’t think that you’ll be trying to set any Olympic records).
– One of the knocks on this gym used to be that the machines were all outdated and constantly breaking down, but in the past year they replaced a number of the treadmills with new machines and (knock on wood) there haven’t been any issues since
– it’s usually not that crowded except in the first few months of the year (New Years resolution crowd maybe?) I almost never have to wait for anything.
Cons:
– It’s an old building with older facilities. The cardio machines by and large aren’t that old, but don’t expect everything to be shiny and new. Sometimes there’ll be issues with the building like water leaking in the locker rooms, which can lead to some smells… it’s not like that all the time, but you have to deal.
– Aside from the weights and machines, there is a small studio with spinning bikes, and a larger studio where you can play half court basketball, but only if there isn’t a class going on. If you need a gym with a pool, squash courts, etc. don’t bother. Likewise, you won’t find much space (if any) to run around if there’s a class in the main studio.
– Weekday hours are good, but it closes at 5 on the weekends. Could be a dealbreaker for some.
My bottom line is, this gym has all the standard equipment plus a little bit extra and the price is hard to beat. If you want more than that from a gym there are plenty of options elsewhere. This is coming from the perspective of someone who mainly uses the gym for lifting weights and doing a little bit of cardio, so take it for what it’s worth… I’ve never tried the Zumba, yoga, etc, but from what I can tell the classes are very popular and people seem to like them.

I’ve been going to Rit Fit for more than 5 years, I always feel welcome and comfortable, never intimidated. I usually go in the afternoon or early evening and most of the regulars say, «Hi.» There’s a good mix of people and ages all with the same goals in mind which helps motivate me to push to the next level.

I really love this gym. All the things about it being worn and a bit tattered are true. I can’t speak to the showers, I live close enough that I just walk home instead. And that ends the negative part of my review.
Otherwise, they really do have the nicest staff and trainers. It is not a meat market in the least, and for me that is really important. I go to the gym for me and I want to be left alone to have the experience I want. I did some training sessions with Mario when I first started (they give you a $ 10 intro session) and found them to be super helpful. Lately I’ve been struggling with motivation so I go to the classes and really enjoy myself. I’ve tried low impact aerobics with Ted (fun!), spinning with Ashley (fun!), yoga with Mario (lovely!), and Zumba with a very funny woman whose name I don’t remember (super fun!). There is a general feeling of neighborliness there.
Oh, and not that I care, but folks were talking — - the treadmills have individual TVs with cable now and they have ear jacks. The gym is really quiet. It’s an excellent place to be an adult who needs some time for health and fitness.

The reviews are correct, the gym is dated. The equipment is old, but it is well maintained, and truthfully you don’t need all that new high tech equipment to get a great workout. There are no big muscle heads here dropping weights or being intimidating and they have a piece of equipment for everything you could want to work. There is a spot for body work, and yeah you don’t get your very own TV on every piece of equipment, but you don’t get that at most gyms, and lets be honest if you’re watching TV you aren’t working hard enough.
This is a small family owned gym. It’s a bit old, but they clean, they maintain the equipment and overall they really care and they are super nice. They have a bunch of classes and the teachers are great. Their nighttime Zumba class is very high energy and they have yoga, basketball, and anything else you really need. It’s not the gym you go to meet your new husband, its the place you go to workout, have room to move, and don’t have to wait for a treadmill. Overall great place!

I can’t believe how highly Rittenhouse Fitness it rated, it must be based solely on price. Quite frankly, I still think it costs too much given the state of the locker rooms and how every single day at least one treadmill is broken. I think I could handle the broken machines if the locker rooms weren’t so gross. There’s a difference between no frills and decrepit. There’s been a hole above one of the showers in the women’s room for months and it’s just generally unclean. I assume the only reason it maintains members are the lack of options in the area. Hopefully the new Graduate Hospital gym will serve as a better option.

Cheap, but you get what you pay for. Machines are often broken and/​or outdated. The place feels unclean, especially the men’s bathroom, which smells bad. Plus, it closes at 5pm on weekends.

Listen, you know that old saying «you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone?» Well thats how I feel about RitFit. After many years of patronage, I moved out of the area — all the way to maine… the land of chain gyms and muscles.
I miss the personal relationships formed, the weights classes that turn into gossip sessions and the early morning overcrowded zumba class with Dara «I’m not a broadway star, but here’s my chance to pretend I am» P. It’s so cheap. It’s so simple.
Go here and make friends in the neighborhood and enjoy it.

I have just moved to Philadelphia and am on the hunt for the perfect gym. Here are the ones I’ve been to so far with their overall reviews:
The Sporting Club — 5
Sweat — 3.5
Rittenhouse Square Fitness — 3
Weston — 1
I went to RitFit for one day so that is my only experience of the club thus far, and it’s unlikely that I’ll be joining, but that’s because I’m happy to pay a little more for some more amenities. This club is what others say — it’s old — the machines are dated. The locker rooms are borderline scary. It’s a bit like a high school gym. But my experience was overall a nice one.
I was given the tour by a super friendly man. The treadmills don’t have fans or personal TVs but there are a few shared TVs. What you’d expect from a budget gym. I then stayed for a Step class. The man giving me the tour warned me that the class draws a bit of an older crowd and maybe I’d like to try Zumba later on. I like that he gave me honest feedback. I took the class with Mario and *really* enjoyed myself. Fun choreography (this is important to me — a step enthusiast), got a great workout. Yes, the class had an average age of 70ish but I was prepared for that so I could up my own intensity. Also the instructor took extra time out to make sure I knew what I was doing b/​c I was new to the class — very attentive.
I probably wouldn’t join this gym but I’d go back on a day pass (15 bucks) to check out some more of their classes. If you are on a budget and don’t mind the dated facilities, then this club could work for you.

I am appalled! How does this gym get 4+ stars from Unilocalers? Yes, it is the cheapest gym in Philadelphia, but it is seriously not worth it because you will never go here!
The building is old, poorly ventilated, poorly insulated. The first time I went into the men’s changing room, it was not only raining outside, it was raining INSIDE! There was a hole in the ceiling that they didn’t feel like fixing.
I’m pretty sure this gym makes a ton of money from people that sign up (excited about their low prices) and never go (once they find out how crappy it is). On hot days, their A/​C isn’t strong enough to cool the facility, so it ends up hot & humid. You may as well go for a run outside, if you like working out in 100 degree weather with 100 percent humidity. On cold days, it is cold inside.
The weight room downstairs has holes in the walls and ceilings. Many of their machines are broken. There is an issue with either their treadmills or the electrical setup for the treadmills, because when all of them are being used simultaneously, they will randomly stop & skip. Like everything else, they don’t bother fixing it. Last time I went, they just printed out pieces of paper telling people to not use speeds higher than 4 on the treadmills. Seriously?
After working out here, I feel like I need two showers – one as a normal post-​workout shower, and one more to get rid of whatever bedbugs or transmittable disease I may have picked up by touching anything there.
Awful, awful, awful. I just let my year-​long membership expire and am seriously considering burning my key card because of how frustrated I have been with this gym.

I was a member a few years ago and just got an awesome deal to rejoin. Love the relaxed attitude and fun classes. looking forward to getting back.

I love this tiny, kind of dingy gym. I’m not a serious athlete, so gyms full of lithe Pilates experts and meatheads always kind of intimidate me. This place has a very relaxed, friendly atmosphere. On weekday mornings, it’s almost completely empty — I’ve never had to wait for a single machine, and often I’m the only person using the free weights. The girl who showed me around told me that it gets a bit more crowded on weekday afternoons and evenings, but I have yet to find a crowded time.
The building is old and the layout is a little weird (it obviously was not built to be a gym), and some of the equipment is a little dated — but whatever. I don’t go to the gym to play with shiny new toys, I go to the gym because I don’t feel like paying to own cardio equipment and free weights. Rittenhouse Fitness provides that, and is convenient and reasonably-​priced to boot.

I wish I had gotten the year end pricing instead of the student pricing.

It’s a no frills gym. A few machines. 4 TV’s. They do offer towels which is great.
I’m a member because with signature community/​green street rentals you get a free membership! Nice right?
The membership folk are a little gruff and not so super friendly, but it’s the cheapest gym in the area. If I had a sugar daddy I would work out at the Bellevue.

Sadly going downhill. They are constantly out of towels, and the treadmills are always broken.
Also the TVs are unbelievably loud in there. Every gym I have belonged to asks people to simply put on headphones, but at Rittenhouse Fitness you have to make your music loud enough to drown out the noise.
All these little things add up. Sure it is cheaper, but when you don’t have a towel, a treadmill to run on, and you go deaf from the loud TV, what exactly are you paying for?

The Good: It’s cheap
The Bad: It’s cramped, the equipment is horrible, and the experience unpleasant.

Great gym. Definitely for those who don’t want to spend their hour sat staring at dripping men in dodgy lycra making sounds like mating Gorillas.
Sure, the equipment is a bit old and the carpets straight out of a 1970’s porn movie but its good value, has everything you need and the staff can’t do enough for you. I mean, c’mon, they even have TV’s for each treadmill now!
Seriously, so much better than the horror show that is Sweat (plus the added benefit that the public can’t see you).

I can’t imagine being a member of any other gym in Philadelphia. Some of the equipment is older (most of the freeweights), but it more than gets the job done. Aside from the equipment, there is a basketball court that is open most of the time. Also, you get free golf at Twining Valley Golf Club. How can you beat that for roughly $ 37 a month!!!
I have yet to see this gym crowded and the staff is just so ridiculously friendly. I speak with them on a daily basis and the owner even offered me a ride to the golf course if I ever needed one! It seriously has a family atmosphere and I couldn’t ask for anything else. Along with towel service and a decent sized locker room, you can’t beat this place.

This is the cheapest gym around, and the location is fantastic (right off of Rittenhouse Square). It may not have as much equipment or be as up-​to-​date as one of the big chains, but it gets the job done and it’s $ 35/​month — how can you beat that? The folks who work here are great and super friendly. One time, another patron mistakenly took my keys from the basket at the front desk, and they were more than happy to help figure out which member it might be, etc. Also, you can sell your remaining membership if you move or whatever. Also, they have free towel service! Can’t speak to the showers, since I lived so close that I never used their locker room.