The Sporting Club at The Bellevue

Meghan Rivera 3 months ago

I quite enjoyed my time at he Bellevue for a while but it's done a complete 180 in the last several months. The good: Very big and nice facilities with amazing great variety of equipment. A TON of group fitness classes if you're into that including free reformer Pilates classes (if you can get in.) Issues (that are unacceptable in general or just completely insane to have at the membership price point...these are things you deal with a budget gym or someplace you go for free): Constant elevator issues which cause lines and long wait times during peak hours. And for the last 6+ months they've only had two of three functioning if that. You know it's an issue, fix it for goodness sakes. Good luck if you rely on parking here. The entrance are closed half the time causing you to have to detour for a good ten plus minutes to get in and then exiting you're stuck behind trucks delivering in the alley they've left "open" for you to get out. And yes the validate but they randomly increased the price from $11 to $12 one day. Not a huge deal but why not tell members in advance? It's just sloppy. The sound systems are suboptimal for group classes especially in the HIIT studio. It is a vibe killer for sure. The spa that we were promising was coming soon when we joined in November of 2023 is still nowhere to be found. The locker rooms are adequately maintained but there are so many privacy issues. Often there are signs that there will be men working in the women's locker room. And the phone use is NUTS. People are on video conference calls! How is this allowed?? The cafe hours stink for early birds. If I'm done with my workout before 7am and I want coffee, I'm SOL. It's also insanely expensive. I cannot speak for the food there because I won't eat it after I saw a mouse in the cafe area while I was working from there one day. Treadmills are constantly broken. They added a bunch and now there's somehow less available because they cannot seem to maintain them. Out of service for a day or two is one thing but it goes way longer than that. Good luck and Godspeed accessing an assault bike or a ski erg between 10:15 and 2pm on weekdays. They're fully monopolized by the turf class and the HIIT studio is used for classes including mat Pilates (??) Generally speaking maintenance seems to be an issue. A pedal was hanging off one of the two assault bikes on the main floor this week when I was using it. A tread was sticking a few weeks ago when I started to run on it. I couldn't strap my foot into a rower the other day. It doesn't seem like it would be too much to ask that they keep their eye on this. I do feel like it used to be under control but had fallen off a cliff recently. Too many people here are shooting footage for social media. I cannot complete a workout without being concerned I'm in the background of someone's selfie-video or photo shoot. Hotel guests have full access to the gym. It adds to the insane crowds on the weekend and needs to get in check. Many of the trainers and instructors are great but a handful of trainers that either do personal training or turf classes are flat out RUDE. I was treated disrespectfully and even bullied by one of them while minding my own business just trying to complete my workout. This is embarrassing for the gym and needs to be addressed. Ultimately, I could no longer justify being a paying member with so little care shown by management about the member experience. Perhaps spending less time posting less on social media and more time listening to an addressing member feedback would be helpful.

Janese Jackson 2 months ago

Training at the Bellevue has been such a great experience, and a huge part of that is working with Sean C. He’s incredibly knowledgeable, motivating, and really takes the time to tailor each session to my goals. I’ve felt stronger, more confident, and actually look forward to my workouts. If you’re looking for a trainer who pushes you while still making it enjoyable, I highly recommend Sean.

Amira Brahimi 11 months ago

I will do pros, cons and overall. Pros: Best gym in the city hands down. Gorgeous interior design (coming from an architect!) Top notch facilities. As a triathlete, I have access to ALL my training tools in at the gym. I love the pool. The pool and locker room facilities are, for the most part, very clean. Excellent classes, great instructors, and great offerings for group fitness. The weightlifting floor is great. All the equipment you could ever want, large and expansive space. Also, a wonderful community. I’ve made friends here and I am constantly inspired and uplifted by the fellow athletes here. It is much more than a gym, it’s a lifestyle! I also find that the front of house staff are really engaged and friendly. They communicate regularly and rapidly with their members, which is good. There is a great community here and the facility is hands down the best, most elegant, social, and versatile I’ve seen in the Philadelphia area. It’s hard to beat. Cons: The gym continues to predominantly cater to a daytime crowd. It closes earlier than most gyms and doesn’t offer the same amount of classes for the 9-5 working people. EVERYONE wants the gym to be open later, especially on Fridays and weekends! There is a high demand for this. Itgym gets REALLY crowded after work, and there are fewer classes outside of working hours. The locker rooms get cleaned and shut down while the gym is open at night. Operations and scheduling for deep cleaning and closing should be adjusted so as to not shut down while members are still using the open and operating facility.. All members should have the same experience regardless of time of day. I will say I’ve seen changes but the issue has never been fully resolved. I think staying open later would alleviate some of this. Overall: it’s a great gym, all of the facilities, staff and management are all top notch and very well maintained. For a more “luxury” gym, no one is pretentious or stuck up and it’s a really friendly and welcoming space. They have lots of fun events and do a great job of cultivating a sense community and engaging and motivating their members. I really hope they extend their night hours and change their housekeeping scheduling to not be shutting down on top of members. Even with this flaw, I adore the gym, spend lots of time here, and happily recommend it to anyone who asks. My mom joined too!

Lyndsey Fox a month ago

This review is specifically about the reformer pilates program and even more specifically about my experience with private reformer instruction. As an ex dancer, pilates (specifically reformer pilates because of how low impact it is on these old joints), has been in and out a part of my life for the past 20 years. About two years ago I decided to really focus my workouts on pilates, really give my body the patience and love it deserved, instead of focusing on losing weight, sweating profusely and jacking up my cortisol levels every time I went to the gym. The reformer pilates program at the sporting club really impressed me. The original teachers in the program were all very thorough in explaining the why behind the what. I consistently went about 3x a week and my entire body changed - I am stronger than I have ever been and I leave each class feeling lighter. One instructor in particular really stood out to me. Sandra is a great teacher of pilates, but more than that she is a continuous student of pilates and it shows in her work as a teacher. She is extremely comfortable in leading the room, somehow seems to be able to give personal notes to 10 people and runs a flow that makes sense, not one that is changing props every 2 moves. I liked her energy so much that as a 40th birthday gift to myself I purchased a set of private lessons with her. I don't think it's very well publicized that you can engage in privates at the sporting club, but it's the best money I've spent in a long time. Sandra took the time to understand my body, my body history and what I wanted to accomplish in private lessons. We work through movements that pay off exponentially in a group class. The small tweaks and changes that I've learned how to make with such personalized attention have changed the way I pay attention to my own body in a group class. The cost for these lessons are comparable to privates anywhere else in the city. I would highly recommend Sandra as someone to entrust with furthering your practice. I have really enjoyed the 1:1 time and can't stress enough the return on investment I feel.

Mel Honeybee a month ago

This membership has been life changing in the best ways possible! The instructors here are dedicated, fit & fabulous! Thank you Sandra (love her classes so much), Courtney, Jordyn, Katie, Jac, Gerald, Sara, Hannah, Marty, Carly, Ricky, Sharmenie, Antowine, Nina & Adolph (sorry if I missed anyone) for helping me on this strength journey. I truly appreciate you all. Best sporting club in Philly!