Cardinal Fitness

This place is pretty much exactly what I was looking for in a gym. Used to be a member at Xsport but I was paying like $ 40 a month over there. Cardinal is only $ 20 and you can bring a guest whenever you want. Plus if you want the basic membership its only $ 10/​month! They don’t have the basketball court pool and protein shake bar but never used those anyway.
It’s rarely crowded and you’re never going to have to fight for a cardio machine. They have most everything you need as far as weights machines to get a complete workout. I’ve never used the personal training or anything so can’t speak to that.
If you’re looking for a gym where you can just go in get your workout done and get out this is perfect.
TL;DR
–basic but complete gym
–rarely crowded
–very affordable

This used to be my go to cardinal fitness. For 20/​month it can not get better than this. I can say I was always skeptical of a gym in a strip mall, but this place was very nice and accomodating.
The staff is always great the place is always incredibly clean.
The only down side is the parking lot can be a nightmare at peak hours so park far to keep your car safe.

Great location that I go to sometimes… not my regular location, and actually like this one a tad better. It’s all about the equipment.
However, one bad thing here is the parking. It sucks even at non-​peak times. But hey, I’m going to the gym, so I can walk my little happy a$$ a little further in the parking lot, right?
:)

Very simple gym with only machines and free weights and offers to watch kids too. 2 plans to choose from: 12 month contract @ $ 10 /​month with a fee to pay to break contract and you have to stay at that facility. Or for $ 20 per month there is no contract and you can go to which ever facility you want. They are not ²⁴⁄₇ but the hours aren’t bad. And they are open during the actual holiday! It was great that I could squeeze a workout on thanksgiving morning and not feel bad after dinner. :) Cardinal fitness is really affordable but mostly because it’s all simple cut and dry. I would like a sauna or a pool but that’s ok — I can go to the park district or do a group party at the hotel with a pool. It’s good for just going, do what you gotta do and then get out. Nothing fancy but it’s functional.

I’ve liked Cardinal Fitness for many years, and this location is one of my favorites.
It seems that there are various types of gym goers, and Cardinal Fitness is a better fit for the no-​nonsense «I’m here to get my workout done and leave» type like me. This particular Cardinal is a haven for people on a tight schedule, and/​or people that don’t want to be bothered/​distracted, and I would highly recommend it for personal training as well.
If you are looking for a lively social environment to chat it up, mix it up, show up at 2 am or buy fresh protein shakes, then Cardinal is definitely not your type of gym.
For around $ 20/​m or $ 33/​m per couple (sweet deal BTW), you get the straightforward stuff that I want: Lots of clean, modern and functional equipment for cardio and weight training during regular hours — and just about nothing else. Cardinal features no classes of any sort: No yoga, pilates, dancing, jumping around, stepping, etc.
In additional to standard cardio and weight training equipment, they have a mediocre stretching zone, standard bathrooms with showers and lockers, a vending machine and a daycare room.
This specific location offers a very clean and quiet environment with friendly staff. Have not seen it get nearly as busy as the Chicago Cardinal locations.