David Barton Gym

Save yourself the trouble and join a different gym. There’s really nothing ‘different’ or ‘special’ about this place. They offer all of the same classes etc as any other gym. Except when you try to cancel they really make it difficult for you. I’ve recently moved out of state and after sending in a utility bill with the new address I was told this wasn’t sufficient for cancellation. Not to mention it took them 9 days to get back to me. Not worth the hassle.

I love this gym! I am currently on a month long trial that I found on Gilt City but it’s easily become my favorite workout spot. They have every machine you can think of and the music is always on point. I also love the variety of workout classes they have and how easy it is to just drop in to any of them last minute. The only con is how expensive the monthly memberships are! It would also be great if the gym offered later evening classes (7:00/7:30) I work out in the suburbs and can never make it to the classes in time !

I have been a member here for ten years and can confidently award 5 stars. I have had a positive experience from the staff at the front desk to the cleanliness of the equipment and locker rooms. And even at the prime time hours (during lunch or after work) I can find equipment to use without waiting. Some of the classes fill up fast which is why its best to get there at least 15 min early. They offer a variety of classes from strength training, spin, yoga and pilates and all are part of your membership no extra costs. I’ve found all of the instructors to be hands on and engaged during the sessions– it’s hard to slack! As for personal training their trainers are high caliber. I have been fortunate to work out with Lindsey Williams who is extremely talented and was able to help me get back in shape after rehabbing two shoulders. She has an immense amount of patience and doesn’t make the session feel like a chore I am actually always amazed how fast it flies by.

THE GOOD:
— The floor is large, and the gym equipment is all maintained in good working order.
— It’s not overcrowded, I’ve rarely had to wait for a machine. There is never a shortage of dumbbells or weights.
— Later opening hours than many other gyms (11pm on weekdays)
— The Wi-​fi works well, but you might have to ask staff for a login. You’ll need it because this old building is a bunker and signal drops completely inside there.
THE BAD:
— The music they play is bad and very loud. I try to use my headphones, but the gym floor music is so loud that it even drowns my headphones out.
— There is a recurring issue with hot water reliability in the showers, and they might say it’s been fixed but it ain’t yet (April 2016). Some days you might have a cold shower, it’s happened to me 4 or 5 times lately.
— Sneaky «enhancement fee» of $ 50 a couple of months into your membership.
— The price ($ 126 /​month for me) is a big ask for the quality of this gym, and there is no pool. For a few dollars more you would already at the price of Equinox, which is a significantly nicer gym.
45 days cancellation seems unreasonably slow, and I see a few reports from other Unilocalers of people being charged again even several months after cancelling. I’ve just cancelled today, so I will keep an eye on this and report back my experience with this in June.

A gym with just about everything. All the typical equipment plus more. Never a wait time and a lot of extra amenities. Very clean facilities.

Fantastic gym, clean facilities, and a great variety of training machines/​modalities. Day passes are available and reasonable.

Twice now I have signed up on classpass for a class. It’s been cancelled each time. This morning I was halfway there at 630am and got an email from classpass that it was cancelled. If you’re going to cancel it, a little more than 30 minutes notification would be nice. I ended up paying 20 bucks in über this morning just for nothing. I had to turn around and go home to get ready for work. What a waste of a morning. David Barton is in my office building so I was excited to get to check it out and see if it was better than Classpass, but no way. Won’t be signing up for classes and can say I won’t be signing up as a member there now since their classes get cancelled so often, with so little notice! Looks like from other reviews this place isnt that great.

I wrote a review a few months ago and felt the need to write another. Despite assurances from management that the hot water problem was fixed, it is still a problem. I’ve had two incidents in the last week where there was no hot water when I went to shower. For the price they charge, it’s not an outlandish expectation to have hot water when you jump in the shower after a vigorous workout. Hot water was never an issue in the first several years I belonged there, but for the past six months it has been an issue and doesn’t seem to get fixed. The slowness to keep things repaired continues.

Been a member since beginning of the year. Very friendly staff, great music, terrific vibe, and most importantly… clean, clean, clean. Best gym in Chicago hands down.

I DBG. Brandi enrolled me recently and I love that the trainers and full time staff have great energy. It’s the vibe my husband and I are looking for. I had Lindsey for a personal training session and she really customized the workout based upon my needs. The trainers are a true team and really do care about their customers. If you love local and workout after work and on the weekend you don’t have to deal with the usual gym rush, love it!

Moved to the neighborhood a few weeks back and asked around for some recommendations for a gym. Everyone I talked to said EBC is nice but go to David Barton and check it out. My wife went and I met with Brandie who is in charge of membership. She Was amazing to say the least. She listened to our needs and was excellent at explaining everything we needed to know about the gym. We went to EBC to check it out and it felt like more of a social club than a gym really but to each is own.
I’m looking to get into better shape and lose some weight so I bought a personal training package after I signed up and they really took their time choosing the right trainer for my needs. Doug and Brandie both spent lots of time going through my daily diet and choosing the right classes for me as well as working the crap out of me so I can achieve my goals.
Can’t say anything bad about this spot

What can I say? This place changed my life. Specifically, Heather Pande changed my life. I cannot recommend DBG (and Heather) highly enough if you are considering a trainer and want to get serious about your health.
I did all the standard googling and considered a range of options all around the River North & Lincoln Park area, but DBG stood out for its amazing facilities and outstanding reviews of its staff (as evidenced here). I went through the onboarding process and for the first time was forced to actually consider what my goals were (in my case, it was re-​establishing my health and fitness). I was matched up with Heather, and I really could not have gotten a better trainer.
I went weekly for a year+ in the mornings to stay honest and to continue to learn, and with Heather’s guidance I quickly reached a place where I was confident in learning and training hard on my own. I’m still training hard on my own and with Heather a year after beginning the journey, and Heather has continued to be a source of inspiration and guidance.
Again, if you really want to make a healthy change in your life, stop searching now and a book a session with Heather at DGB. I guarantee you will not regret it.
THANK YOU HEATHER!

Anyone who wants to Look Better Naked, David Barton gets it. David Barton Gym has taken my workout experience to the next level. They’re unlike your big-​box type gyms in every way! The trainers actually pay attention to what you’re doing whether they’re walking around the floor, leading a class or giving results-​driven personal training sessions. The trainers are knowledgeable with current exercise science, anatomy and human physiology. Shout out to my favorites: Doug Jusich with Rapid Fire, Rich Gonshak with Yoga Playground and Gwen Mihaljevich with Yoga Shred. Bottom line — David Barton Gym will get you the results you’re looking for and you will by physically and mentally challenged in the process.

Excellent atmosphere, never too crowded, and the best training staff. You’ll never wait for a machine or have a bad workout. Definitely worth the investment to train with a personal trainer. They’re the most knowledgable in the city and will make you hit your goals.
— England

I joined DBG about a month ago after moving to the area from Lincoln Park and absolutely love being being a member here. The gym is absolutely massive relative to the other options in River North and the facilities are well maintained. However, it’s Brandie Rossi and the rest of the staff that really makes the difference. After signing up with her, she went out of her way to learn my name, understand my goals and comment on my progress.
I have always been a dedicated gymgoer but have seen my results plateau in the recent years. However, the first exercise class I attended at DBG (Founding 5) proved to be one of the most challenging workouts I’ve ever experienced. Furthermore, the instructor, Doug Jusich not only corrected my form during the class but also elaborated on how I could fix some of the bad habits I have afterward. I was so impressed with Doug’s ability to recognize the issues I’ve been struggling with for years and knowledge that I signed up for a few personal training sessions with him. After three weeks, I’ve noticed significant improvements in my body and have applied his advice to my individual workouts.
I have been extremely pleased with my time at David Barton and would recommend it to anyone who lives or works in the area.

Haven’t actually made it into David Barton Gym and that is because of the incompetent, passive aggressive and accusatory membership advisors they employ, specifically someone named Brandie. For that reason alone, I wish there was a 0 star option, but I will have to list 1 star — that is really pushing it.
Let me start off by saying I have never been into a David Barton Gym, however, apparently I made a phone call in 2012 asking about rates. When I was considering a guest pass at David Barton 3 years later, I was met with several unwelcoming and very unfriendly responses, one of which included a screen shot of their internal software programming. It was so unprofessional, I am not sure how she ever turns potential members into paying customers. Absolutely abysmal.

I entered into a membership at this gym because it is close to where I work and live. I had a coupon for a free workout, and I checked it out one day before work. I was impressed by the facilities, how clean it was, and how friendly and welcoming the staff were. I also loved that there is a stream room and a sauna. It helped that the sales person waived my joining fee and gave me a discounted monthly rate.
However, I don’t think this is a good place for people who want to lose weight. Within the first week of my membership, I was called a «piggy» twice. The first time, I thought I must have been hearing things. The second time I was sure of it, because I was entering the workout area with another woman who was, like me, a bigger body type and I heard, the same person from before, laugh and say «time to work the piggies out!» I mean, what do you do when that happens? I guess in a perfect world, I would have confronted the guy, but honestly I was too busy holding back tears. Maybe I could have gone crying to management, but I didn’t know if it was a trainer or just a gym rat (it’s hard for me to tell)… is there anything they can do about paying customers being bullies? I don’t know.
I decided just to get over it and carry on. I was making it there several times a week, and I was happy with my membership. A personal trainer approached me, and helped me learn how to properly use the machine that I was on. I was offered a free personal training session. This was nice, and I appreciate the things that she showed me. However, I had the feeling that I was being talked down to. The trainer offered me rudimentary dietary advice, which I didn’t ask for and found insulting. I’m 33 years old, literate, and I have access to a television: I don’t need to be told that cookies and beer are fattening. At the end of the session we reported back to the gentleman who sold me the membership. She informed him, that I «actually responded to (her) ques quite well,» as though it were surprising that I could understand what she was asking of me and actually do it. Yes, fat people can understand things too. It shouldn’t be a surprise.
I was kind of put off the gym for awhile. My life became complicated and wasn’t able to make it very often for the past few months. Recently, I have been trying to at least get my money’s worth before my membership expires. One Sunday, I went early in the morning, and no one was there to open up the gym. I also notice how only either the sauna or the steam room are functional, never both. On the good side, there are always towels, everything is always clean to me, and it smells good when you walk in.
But then today more fat shaming. A woman and her personal trainer were talking about how the Taste of Chicago is going on this weekend. She said that she wasn’t going, stating, loudly «Ugh, like, I totally hate looking at fat people when I’m trying to relax! It’s just so GROSS! UGH!» I also received several dirty looks. That’s funny, because I hate looking at ignorant people while I’m trying to work out. I know there is ignorance in the world, I accept that. I find it appalling, however, that educated people with enough money to pay a for personal trainer to help them stay thin and beautiful find the energy to be so hateful and nasty.
I understand that actions of rude, ignorant individuals are not the fault of the DBG staff, (which is why it’s getting two stars instead of one) but the atmosphere remains. Do not sign up for a membership here if you are struggling with your weight. It will not be good for your self esteem.

It’s a real shame that I had to give this gym one star because it could be nice if it wasn’t run by idiots.
TLDR Version — Clean gym, but never try to cancel because they’re going to keep charging you anyway. Probably why they got an F rating from the Better Business Bureau.
I purchased a one month trial on Gilt and went in to get signed up. That’s when things went left. They hit me with the bait and switch. Somehow they swindled me into signing up for a year long contract and took $ 150 from me. When I told them I didn’t want to do that, they said «Take 3 days to think about it, you can always cancel and get a refund.» I really didn’t like the bait and switch thing they were doing and I felt like I was being tricked. So the next day I told them I wanted to cancel. I filled out some request and they told me all the paperwork is fine and that they’ve sent everything through. Fast forward, long story short it took them 4 personal visits (after my month trial ended), 11 phone calls (to the Chicago Gym and corporate) and 3 months to finally give me my money back.
Even after I cancelled, they charged me for another random amount that when I brought it to their attention they said «Oh I don’t know why they charged you that much. That’s not in any of our policies.»
My friend Cedric has also had the same problem! He just canceled his membership and they are STILL charging him. Should’ve looked at the Better Business Bureau rating before I went to them. The BBB gave them a big fat «F» and I couldn’t agree more.

After my contract expired, they kept charging me. I went to see the manager who said he emailed headquarters to get a refund. That was over a week ago. Still no refund.
There were no towels for a week and I have emails from the manager to prove it. He apologized for not having the towels in the email.

Great gym. The facilities are fantastic and the gym is never too crowded. The major selling point of this gym are the staff and the excellent trainers. Lindsey Williams (trainer) is amazing. She knows more about the human body and exercise than any trainer I’ve seen, and she really cares about her clients. Other staff, such as Brandie Rossi, go out of their way to be helpful and make you feel welcome in the gym.

I live in the building and went for a tour + two week pass to try the gym. Unfortunately after the tour I decided it wasn’t for me. The gym smelled like sweat and rubber and the locker rooms… oh the horror! The counters looked sloppy, untended mop buckets lying around, sauna was out-​of-​order with black garbage bags hanging over the glass door (nice touch). So I went into the steam room and looked up to see a hole in the ceiling tile and what looks to be rust on the shower head. This gym is by no means a premium gym. When I mentioned this to the staff their response was «but our trainers are the best.» Too bad, this gym would have been very convenient.