Lifetime Fitness or Healthbridge in Crystal Lake Area?

i belong to lifetime and love it! funny to hear about thongs in the pool- never saw that before. yeah you see sports bras in the gym when working out but big deal. do whatever is comfortable for you.

i usually work out at the one in bloomingdale or schaumburg but also visited the one in algonquin numerous times. it can get crowded- especially for the new years resolutioners, but that dies down mid-late feb or for sure in march. the pools are nice and the equipment is great quality. all classes are included and they can get busy but just get their early to get a spot in the class.

the child center is great for kids. i have a 3 year old and have been going when he was 15 months. it is big and a lot to do. if you don't feel comfortable with your little one wandering all around, they can keep them only in the smaller kid area. they have computers for bigger kids, a whole climbing area, bbal court, infant area, enclosed play area.

it is kind of pricey, but it's more than your typical club. the food there is good and they also have a spa on site. the locker rooms are nice and roomy- can get busy at peak hours (5-8pm mon-thur). i just try and go at odd hours and have no issues- it's nice how they're open 24 hours. child care center is open around 9-9; weekends a little shorter hours.

staff has been great. i recommend taking advantage of meeting with a trainer. all of them i've run across have been very nice and professional.

good luck!

I used to belong to Lifetime and now belong to Healthbridge in Huntly. I like that Healthbridge has a running track and the classes are better - I did NOT like the pilates class at Lifetime, much better quality instructors at Healthbridge. The only thing better at Lifetime is they have a cooler daycare for the kids. Otherwise, I like healthbridge better.

Hi M.,

I have visited Lifetime twice once with a friend and once for a birthday party. I felt it was nicely kept up and looked very impressive. However I have heard from friends some negatives on it. Such as people wearing thongs to the pool, only sports bras to work out in, etc. I belong to Healthbridge and absolutely love it. It is low key, I don't feel out of place (having never worked out before) and the employees are helpful and nice. The pool in the summer is great and during the winter, the inside one is definitely a plus. I am so glad we finally took the plunge and spent the money to join. In my moms group, we have members to both and all enjoy the one that they belong to. If you go to Healthbridge and say you are interested in joining, they will give you a little tour of the place. When we first joined, we had an employee that took us to every machine upstairs and showed us what they were for, how to do them, etc., he was with us for over an hour which was great for us newbies.

good luck
C.

I have never been to Lifetime-my husband used to go there and liked it-but I recently joined Healthbridge in Huntley and absolutely love it. (The membership fee is free right now, although maybe they all are :) ) I love the variety of classes (included with membership) and you can use both facilities (Huntley and Crystal Lake) if you join. The childcare area is great-my kids love it and the Huntley facility has a great variety of family times-you can bring the kids in to swim everyday if you wanted. Theres a nice kiddie area with zero-depth entry and a small waterslide (there's a bigger slide if your kids are older too). Maybe take a tour and see if you like it!

Good Morning,
I used to belong to Lifetime and I didn't find the employees very helpful. It was a nice facility,but never having worked out in a club before, I needed some help and couldn't get it. That was a deal breaker for me.
If you love pilates, I absolutely LOVE Body and Mind Pilates Plus in Crystal Lake.
www.bodyandmindpilatesplus.com

I do not know about healthbridge's childcare, but lifetime will not change diapers, so if your child poops or smells like he pooped, they call you down to change it. My child only had gas all the time so I felt it was a waste of time taking them there and being called out every 20 minutes! They would never take a peek to make sure. If you are looking for swim lessons for your kids healthbridge is way better and has more options.

I would consider the Healthbridge in Huntley, over CL. It's a bigger, newer facility and seems to have better staff as well. The one in CL is an older facility and not as nice, imo. Between just CL Healthbridge and Lifetime, I would probably choose Lifetime.