Pennsport Athletic Club Inc

What a bunch of Moanies. I've been a member of this club on & off since it opened. (20ish years) When the current group took this place over it was a joke. It now holds it's own with clubs 3x more expensive. Of the 20-30 clubs i've used over the years, the 4-5 i've been a member of, i've yet to see one that didn't have the same problems. This place had a few rough transitional moments, but seems to be humming along now, & ""issues"" addressed fairly quickly. Bally's will take you to court. Pros: Local, 24hrs, friendly, decent equipment, not pretentious Cons: Mats get a little smelly more

I have been a member at Pennsport gym off and on for 5 years trying to fight my life-long weight issues. For those 5 years I have been on my couch more than at the gym. This past winter I decided to take my health and fitness routine seriously. I decided to get a trainer...it was the best decision I have ever made! My Pennsport trainer made me feel so comfortable and as my training sessions continued I became more and more self-confident. She really helped me emotionally as well as physically. I still have a lot of work to do, but as long as I have Pennsport gym and their trainers supporting me I will keep on working out! The thing I love about this gym is that it is a gym for everyone (any shape, size, age, etc.). Thanks Pennsport! more

I join this gym for the taebo program. Pros: Great gyms, great staffs, parking $3 for 5-hour. Enough time for a bite on South St. Cons: Pool is small (like a kiddie pool) more

My membership ended last month and to be honest, i am so happy to say Goodbye. Pros: Can't think of anything just that my membership finally ended Cons: equipment outdated and smells of body odor more

So Mr Bsling that reviewed this club just this month is really BS'ing you. Funny how this person has reviewed 5 other healthclubs and hated them all. Maybe you can't please the unpleaseable. ALSO other clubs will not even let you cancel because they don't have to. If you read the contract which I have in front of me it only allows you to cancel if you take the trial. I think that the club was pretty liberal to even consider refunding you without charging you a fee. Try that at Bally's! I work out on the elipticals everyday with TV's in them which I think is pretty updated gym equipment. They have two treadwalkers which I have not seen anywhere else, a inline skate machine and a really cool sundeck that I used a lot during the summer without being hasseled by perverts. The place is extremely clean just a little outdated in decor, but they are fixing it daily. The floor in the 2nd cardio room used to be black it was cleaned last year and it turned out to be RED underneath!The management is a little slow to address issues w/ refunds because of the lack of staff, but they could just stick to the contract and not refund you at all. I like it there it's very neighborhoodie and Bic at the front desk always knows my name, my member number and even what I do for a living. She is great. The trainers are also amazing and they pay attention to you when you train with them and not the people walking by. They send me birthday cards and call me with exercise tips when I can't be in the gym (traveling out of town). The owner is dedicated and he is a great guy when you talk to him directly. He owns other gyms and is a really hardworking guy sometimes too busy. BUT what he has done with the place since the owner 5 years ago is amazing and the Optimal trainers they hired won best of Philadelphia last year. Try out the 99.00 month and see it for yourself instead of listening to outdated reviews or disgruntled gym hoppers. I have been there for a while so I know the place well. Pros: Training Staff, open late, plasma tv in equip, never too crowded, amazing Taebo class Cons: Needs some paint more

This gym does not stand by its own contract. Join at your own risk! Cons: Bad, outdated equipment, unprofessional owner more

I recently joined Pennsport Gym switching from many years @ 12th Street. My 1st impression was a little shocking. The gym needed a lot of work. After a few work outs, I realized that the gym was under going a major face lift. Pros: Personal Trainers, staff, cardio-equipment, hours of operation more

We here at Pennsport Gym now the Optimal Pennsport Gym hear your comments loud and clear. Our goal is to give you the best Fitness/Wellness facility in the city. Our customer service will be the best in the city. And we will have the cleanest facility before you even finish reading this review. We will offer our members the BEST in personal training, wellness services and group fitness as we continue to upgrade our services. We continue to expand offering the most diverse options in fitness to our members. Our Taebo is the best in the city, we added a Boot camp class that has become an overnight success and our Pilates/yoga classes are all taught by experienced instructors. In response to the cleanliness issues the pool is concrete and that is the finish there is nothing growing in it. In fact we have just hired an award winning cleaning team and every inch of the gym is cleaned each and every day. All of our equipment is brand new (with working TV's) only some older equipment was left at the suggestion of our members that preferred their favorite cardio machines. Our renovations are complete so to anyone that would like to give us a second look we invite you back to see these changes and join the Optimal Gym family. You will be pleasantly surprised! We also like to thank our members for staying with us through these improvements and we appreciate your commitment to us. Pros: Attentive management, Best of Philly Trainers voted by Philly Mag 2006, more

Pennsport Athletic Club? In a word (or two): thieving scumbags. more

When I first started working out here a few years ago, I really dug this little gym. It was worn, but clean, and more shabby then shiny. But then again...so am I! There was an absence of the sort of lycra-clad snootery you find at trendier gyms. People of all ages worked our contentedly in old sweatpants and frayed T-shirts, without feeling self-conscious. Then, I took a three year hiatis from the gym, preferring to run outside, and only recently rejoined. Amazed, I found that the state of renovation it had been in over three years ago was still in full swing. Everything is constantly moved around, as if the owner were a bored housewife, constanly re-arranging the furniture. It's annoying. For example, the aerobics studio has been moved next to the yoga studio, and yoga classes are muffled by blaring workout music. It just doesn't make sense. They also just crammed all the bikes into a raquet ball court, next to a recently crammed-in boxing ring. Yes, on paper, pennsport has a long list of cool stuff... climbing wall, boxing ring, sundeck, free internet... but a lot of it is unused or cheap looking. Their pool for example... I NEVER see anyone in it, and the two times I've tried to go in, the chlorine was so strong it seriously burned my eyes, and my skin was dry and itchy, even after I showered. They recently cut the women's locker room in half, without any warning. They just put a note up saying that if your locker was missing, you could find it downstairs in the hallway. They are always painting (with ugly colors), which stinks up the whole place. Tarps and tools are everywhere, all the time. Basically, this gym is no longer shabby sheek...it's just shabby! I don't think the owner will ever stop moving, painting, changing, and redecorating things, and he really doesn't have the expertise the continue experimenting with aesthetics. Go somewhere else, unless your schedule demands that you work out at 3am. In that case, the 24 hour thing might trump the annoyances. Pros: 24-Hour, Nice Staff, new treadmills with TV monitors, location Cons: always under unnecassary repair, disorganized more

What more can I say? Are there ""better"" gyms in town? If by that you mean ones with more staff, shinier equipment and an owner who lives in another state or who is never around, then yes. They also cost almost twice as much, are not open when I need them and when I get there I cannot find the equipment I need. If you want to be pampered go to a day spa! If you want to work out on good equipment in a facility that is constantly upgrading that equipment, go to Pennsport. If you want to workout when you want to, go to here! I am at work by 8:00 a.m. I am done at 8:00 or 9:00 p.m.. I need to start my exercise by 5:30 am. This is the only place to go. Pros: Open 24/7. Great price. Attentive management and owner Cons: Repairs sometimes take too long more

It used to be okay, if not a little junky and outdated. For the past 5+ months they have been remodeling (without any prior notice to patrons.) They use an ""independent contractor"" so he may or may not be working any specific hours. They have cut the women's locker room in half. Throughout this process, they have suggested that women ""change in bathroom stalls"" (because men are walking around the women's lockeroom.. once even smoking!) This has made it impossible to enjoy showering, sauna, oh and steamroom which has been broken for months. Pros: Cheap, or it used to be Cons: horrible management, broken machines, never can get a straight answer more