Fitness Formula Clubs Oak Park

My gym since they opened way back when! When I say they’ve come along way, they’ve really come a long way, constantly adding and attempting to get better in all aspects. From personnel, staffing, events, classes ect… I never would’ve found climbing if it wasn’t for this gym/​wall and the people that work there! Better wrap this up, I feel the tears flowing any sec now! Ha! Thanks FFC.

Can be very busy and crowded during peak hours. Group fitness class rooms are tight also. Good quality gym equipment. I think the worst part is that the trainers literally STALK you if you meet with them for your free consultation. Like dude I’m not paying your proposed workout plan of 800 $ a month. Stop texting me. Stop emailing me. Every time I go now I have to avoid this chick like the plague.

I was given a sales pitch instead of an fitness evaluation and sold additional training sessions that were actually already included in my membership! when I complained about it I was promised a new evaluation. The fitness director was supposed to reach out to me 2 weeks ago to schedule a new session but of course it didn’t happen. This gym is is just a clown show to get your money. I will change it as soon as possible.

I am a new client of FFC and really like the modern equipment, my engaged trainer who is dedicated to my goal oriented results and all the great amenities that are offered as well.
FFC has a great reputation for being an upscale, high energy gym for professionals and I’m glad to see they keep in line with the west loop facility standards as well here in Oak Park. The equipment areas are never to crowded and everyone is respectful. What I find refreshing is that people don’t stand around and gawk at you like I hear my other buddies complain about at their gyms lol (i.e. Planet fitness, CAC and lifetime). I feel great about this being my new gym and brining my friends along to join as well, especially since we all live in Oak Park and want to support our community. Way to go FFC!!!

Wanted to update my review since I’ve left FFC, mostly because I got tired of their scammy billing practices.
I think I also got tired of how freezing cold family swim is, my son could hardly stand it for more then 10 minutes until his lips were blue. All the kids would want to warm up by dipping their toes in the hot tub, but kids aren’t allowed in even if their parents are present.
Add to this building problems, like the ceiling falling into the pool area, and I was just kind of done. It was good back in 2009!

I have been a member of several clubs for the past 10 years and FFC is the only club who charges special assessments every year.
This is my 2 second year with them and for two years in the road around September you get a letter stating they will charge double as one time fee for a special assessment due to facility improvements.
This is such a rip off since I go this place frequently and I don’t see any facility improvements. I would pay and don’t complain if they would just be honest and charge for a valid reason.
I am very upset for such a manner to assess fees like this.

I haven’t used any of their classes or trainers, just equipment, and I ultimately decided to not become a member. The selection and environment is decent, though cramped in the barbell section. I love that it’s a near-​24hr gym.
On the downside, the membership terms remind me of the bargain gyms (I’m looking at you Xsport). I currently go to CAC, and it’s straightforward there, if more a bit more expensive ($ 10-​$ 20 /​mo). Here at FFC they get you on secondary terms (large one-​time enrollment fees, paying your last and first month together), and they don’t have much incentive to change since they’re the only game in town after Midtown closed.
I’m sticking with CAC where the customer service and gyms have always been top notch. You get what you pay for.

I joined FFC because my club, Midtown, closed. FFC made the transition easy, but since then, not much service. I had my trainer orientation session and was promised an email with ActiveTrax account info — 8 days later nothing. The trainer who did the orientation was also to send an email to confirm our next session — nothing, even several days after the day on which that session was tentatively scheduled. I received a welcome and thank-​you email from the general manager to which I replied asking if he could just get the ActiveTrax set-​up — no reply from him either. Seems like the only thing they do really well is getting people signed for memberships.

This is a fabulous fitness center! It’s clean, professionally managed and has a great clientele. The staff is knowledgeable friendly and helpful. There are plenty of treadmills, stair masters, bicycles and other machines so you don’t have to wait The fitness instructors are passionate and will challenge you.

I love this gym! I’ve been a member here for over 6 years. The staff does everything possible to keep the gym clean and well stocked. I’ve used trainers and would recommend Josh, Tess, and Steve. The classes are challenging!

I’ve always had a great experience working out there, and Dave Rankin my sales rep has been more than 100% helpful from sign up to every day questions I have had. He is an awesome gentlemen who goes out of his way to help you have the best experience possible while working out at ffc.

I’ve been going here for 10 years and love it. The layout and equipment are easy to understand and good quality. I’ve made suggestions and actually seen them take my advice. The staff is extremely friendly, many remember me and will talk to me when I’m there. It’s very family friendly and the trainers are extremely helpful (I’ve never actually paid for one, but they’ve helped me use machines correctly and in various ways). The only negative aspect is that it is not very large and can get busy and therefore crowded. You may go and end up not being able to do what you wanted to.

I have been a member of FFC Oak Park for a couple of years now and have been happy with my experience there. The facilities are clean and well-​kept up, the equipment that I want to use is consistently available and in good working order, and the staff is helpful and pleasant. I do feel that it’s a bit pricey, but my experience with gyms is that in general, you get what you pay for. My only real disappointment is that the classes I would really like to take are not offered at times that work for my schedule and there’s a general scarcity of classes overall. However, the pros far outweigh those minor cons and I will happily keep using FFC!

Clean, great people, good environment. When I signed up I was under the impression that this facility was 24 hours 7 DAYS a week considering the high membership fee and deposit. But it’s NOT.
The fact that they close early on Friday, Saturday and Sunday is just horrible. I can deal with the early closure on the weekends but on a Friday? 8 pm? Come on. I was heartbroken when I went there to workout after work around 11 30 pm this past Friday. I really hope they can change the Friday hours till midnight the least. Thank you.
I’ll be working extra hard today !

Love the people who work here
Super clean gym for most part
And I love the classes and instructors
Hours are phenomenal
Everything they offer for kids is major plus :-)

They are overpriced and not so consistently clean. I find them to have delusions of being the East Bank Club. FFC, you are not!
I was a member and got stuck with 1 year of nickel and diming. People… stay away unless y poo u have money to give away for FFC B.S.

I’ve been a member here for just over 3 years, so it’s time for an updated review. (Disclaimer: my spouse has been an employee of a different FFC location for about 3 months. Her views do not necessarily reflect mine.)
FFC is a local chain of health/​sport clubs in the Chicago area. The Oak Park location is included with most basic memberships.
PROS: Good location (near Green Line/​Metra/​Bus), big facility, nice pool, decent locker room, friendly staff. It’s open almost all the time, and is typically not too crowded — except during the obvious times such as Monday nights, etc.
My opinion of this gym has gone up since they started adding new equipment, and taking better care of their old machines. For a long time this was my biggest gripe about this gym. The offerings of free classes have also improved noticably. These things make a difference! I’m also incredibly pleased with the Fresh Healthy Café on the third floor. Good value for healthy eating after a workout. I get the fresh juice and smoothies. (It’s way better than Protein Bar — the awful food choice at the otherwise nice West Loop FFC location.)
CONS: Membership aint cheap, and there is a high upfront charge for joining. You really have to like this gym to join. It’s not like some other gyms where you can cancel and only be out a small deposit. Look for a signup special before joining — that’s your best value.
The pool here is nice, but is only four lanes and is often crowded. There are also times when it’s used for family swim, and for geriatric exercise classes, so plan accordingly. (The West Loop FFC location has more pool capacity.)
There have also been a couple of times in the past when the gym added a one-​time surcharge. This was very unpopular with members, as you might imagine, and hasn’t happened again. Let’s hope it doesn’t.
Overall I am happy I joined this gym, and believe it is worth the price. Improvements continue, and I’m close to giving this establishment a five star rating.

We’ve been members of FFC for 2-​years and are only leaving because we are moving across town. Overall, we liked FFC, and would have kept our membership, but there are some things we wish they would improve on.
Our mixed thoughts on FFC Oak Park:
— we were very disappointed when we went through the cancellation process. All gyms I have belonged to previously required 1 month notice for cancellation. We gave 1.5 months notice and STILL had to pay for an extra month after we move away… we would have needed to give 2.5 months notice for our membership to end at the right time.
— every class we have taken, including yoga (and sunset yoga!), spin, weight training, etc has been fantastic… though they are typically very crowded and classes are often back-​to-​back making it very hectic for everyone to enter the classroom at the same time, needing to throw down a piece of equipment to mark your spot.
— the gym seems to be somewhat understaffed. While working out on the floor, I always see several employees, though they are always busy with a client for personal training, etc. Whenever I need customer service (i.e. to fix my ActiveTrax account or to pre-​pay for a small-​group pilates apparatus class), I always feel like i am inconveniencing someone, and they often don’t even know how to help with these tasks.
— at first glance the gym feels very clean — they provide free towels and have wet wipes on the gym floor — a huge plus. However, on more than one occasion when grabbing an exercise ball, mat, etc I’ve uncovered patches of dust-​bunnies hidden in corners.
–Lastly, when we joined, they told us that whenever no classes are in session we can have free use of the Community rooms for stretching, working out, etc. What they didn’t tell us is that in addition to the classes for members, they also regularly lease out this space to community dance classes, etc. It’s a nice thing to do — but this wasn’t made clear to us and the community rooms are almost always full, leaving very few places on the gym floor for stretching or working out with free weights/​balls/​etc.

FFC is a very clean and well maintained facility. There are tons of machines and they have a TRX system which is very cool too. I never use treadmills or ellipticals but at around 7PM on a weeknight there were plenty for people to use. Their free weight area is adequately sized, but if it gets busy enough people can go to their second floor and find another one there.
I checked out a group fitness class through the window and it was PACKED. It looked like there were at least 50 people in there with their own weight stations. I was considering trying one when I saw the schedule, but I think I just might stick to my own regimen for now.
Overall it’s a great location for a gym. Seems to be the hottest spot in the downtown oak park area and rightfully so since the most there is to do on lake st is either eat or watch a movie.

I’m a fan of FFC — I’ve been a member since December of 2011. I’ve experienced 1 bad personal trainer (he’s gone), 1 meh personal trainer (with intro after I first signed up) and now I have a great one (Brian). I also have a favorite massage therapist (Cherri). The customer service in general is amazing, I’ve been there so long that now the staff know me as a regular so it’s nice getting random ‘hello’s’ whenever I go. Staff that I don’t know very well are also always very welcoming and cheerful.
My one pet peeve about FFC is there’s no gym etiquette among the members and not even amongst all the trainers! I find myself occasionally wondering why there’s no seminar going over that type of stuff or posters about how to clean off your machine after you use it or not to walk too close to someone swinging a kettle ball.
I would definitely do some digging if you’re looking for a personal trainer or massage therapist — but I highly recommend Brian and Cherri, they’re awesome!
Oh and if you plan to take a Pilates class, go with Charles — he’s the best instructor at FFC!