Edward Health & Fitness Center – Naperville

I just started going to this gym, and mostly I go for the land-​based classes. (I hate swimming. There, I said it.) The locker room is clean and spacious, same with the showers. The facilities are nice, the pro shop is well stocked. The classrooms are big and have lots of light and mirrors. The instructors are very nice and competent at what they do. Overall, I have no complaints!

I just moved from this gym (because I moved my home too!) But was a member for almost 12 years (was also a member of X-​Sport for a while) and now attend Wheaton Sport Center.
I started out at Edward because I didn’t really know what I was doing at the time, I was overweight and a heavy smoker. I liked that it was attached to the hospital (overweight + heavy smoker = scary stuff) and that they would give me a basic idea of what to do to get started. This worked great for me, I quit smoking after one week (still don’t smoke) and gradually got better at things. They offer a lot of free health monitoring things, so I was regularly asking them to test my flexibility, body fat, heart rate etc…
Over the years I hired a trainer for periods of time, they have knowledgeable trainers. Mostly, I prefer to work out on my own. They keep their equipment up to date and recently expanded their weight room, they have excellent equipment there.
There is no loud music piped in (need some headphones) and they don’t appeal so much to the younger demographic. I got a taste of this when I tried X-​Sport and noticed the average age was significantly younger (it’s also much cheaper)
If you are into swimming, they have a very strong swim team. They also offer a lot of aqua based classes.
They have a decent indoor track for running and a good stretching area. A couple of racquetball courts and the basketball court can get rocking with people of all ages. there are regular games. Occasionally, you’ll see someone that might someday be famous. Candice Parker practiced there sometimes when she was still in High School.
One of the strong suits of Edward Health and Fitness are the classes, cycling/​spin, step, strength, Zumba, cardio, yoga etc… These aren’t my cup of tea, but we haven’t been able to find anything remotely as good anywhere else for my wife. They offer some really great advanced classes as well as plenty of stuff for the newbie, the classrooms are ample.
The club was built in 1988 (I think) and like many older clubs shows it’s age in some spots. The locker rooms are ok, the showers suck (tiny) but they try to keep them fresh. Decent steam, sauna, whirlpool etc.
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The club lacks amenities, no lounge area to relax after (forget the spa utility here) they closed the café (at least it was closed when I was still going there) but I always thought they were really missing the boat with that concept. It was kind of a half-​assed effort.
They have a day care facility, but the gym itself is not kid friendly (try Lifetime) This is something that I appreciated, kids need to be 16 to work out there. Both of my younger boys got memberships there when they turned 16.

I came here because I had a gift certificate to get a massage.
I made the appointment a bit last minute and there were no openings at Seven Bridges, so I headed out to Naperville. It’s really not very spa-​like here, the entrance feels cramped and the light over the spot where i had to check in and pay was flickering and very annoying. They took me back to the massage rooms and as I waited I noticed there was an analog clock in the room. Tick tock the whole time isn’t very relaxing. However, had this been the only problem with my visit, I would have been ok. I got ready and as I was waiting for the massage therapist to come back I noticed a loud noise like someone repeatedly slamming a drawer or cabinet. Sometimes every few seconds, sometimes, thirty seconds in between. About 10 minutes into the massage I finally asked what it was. Apparently some brilliant person decided it’d be a good idea to put the massage rooms right next to the racquet ball courts. Smart! The therapist went to see if she could do anything about it, but the other court was booked so she couldn’t ask them to move. For extra awesomeness, the massage rooms are also next to the bathrooms and on the way to the men’s locker room. So what was supposed to be a relaxing massage consisted of slamming, yelling, toilets flushing, and a clock. The massage therapist was very apologetic, and she did a good job working out the knot in my shoulder that had brought me there to begin with, but it was in no way relaxing. She suggested that I fill out a comment card for the manager, but it’s been over a week and I haven’t heard back. I definitely won’t go back to this place again.

It’s a hair above competition around the area and it charges for that. A basic fitness center offering basic fitness classes and decent equipment. Anything beyond basic is a la carte. Members set expectations low, understanding it’s a no-​frill fitness center. Many go for a class then leave right afterwards. The membership seems to be an older crowd. It offers mid-​day-​weekday membership that’s attractive to retirees. No visible filth, although some equipment shows need for cleaning to remove loose hair and dust balls. Use of hand sanitizer is recommended.
Half of the instructors are good, providing enough variety in classes to justify the membership fee. Some can’t follow their own workout music but it’s said to happen elsewhere, too.
Most of the equipment is for aerobics — elliptical, trademill, stairs. There is small weight room and some weight machines on the floor. Basketball court is little used, nice if there are people for a pick-​up.
The open layout gives a less crowded feel. The facility has been there for 20+ years and shows wear.

For me, the most important feature is the location; I could run or bike here from my home. It’s a decent, no-​frills, strictly utilitarian gym. I belonged to this gym from the time I was 17 until I graduated college at 22, and some time after. I have fond memories of it, and I would join again if it happened to be the closest gym to my home.

I was a member of this gym years ago and would never go back. Cramped feeling, bad hours for me as I am always busy. The idea of hospital based fitness centers is always a little healthier than say x centers, less sales of supplements and more a wellness focus.

WOW !! I found the hard to find Crocs shoes in the fitness store at the Edward Health & FItness Center. Hurry in before they are gone.

It’s somewhat reflective of the Edward values: rope ‘em in with expensive advertising but explain they can end the promotion at any time, after the customer is on the premises. So, I did my tour of the hospital before my daughter was born. The tour guides proudly distributed cards offering a three month free trial of their awesome fitness center, as long as you deliver at Edward — a huge value. When I got to the fitness center a few months later, they said «oh, they should not have given you that — we ended that a year ago.» I said, «you can make an exception — you got about $ 8,000 from my insurance company, and I’ve your co-​worker invited me to use your facility for three months — I’ve got it here in writing.» Oh, no, that just wouldn’t be fair. It wouldn’t be fair for two people to exercise side by side, to have one customer paying while the other received services for free. It’s a nice facility, but I will never set foot in there again. I delivered but they didn’t.