FFC South Loop - Chicago (IL)

1 /5 Joce: I’ve seen a decline in the hospitality at this location. The previous management was welcoming and friendly. The moment I signed up for membership I’ve felt hostility from Ramie. Other members are greeted and I’m completely ignored as I’m entering the gym. The front desk and housekeeping are truly amazing. They are the true backbones of this facility and under appreciated. For this reason, I am not interested in continuing my membership. If am going to invest into a luxury gym membership, I expect the hospitality to be top tier especially from the GM. 11/29/2025 As I’m walking and talking with a gym partner, Ramie comes out of her office in full view of me purposely almost bumping into me and instead of apologizing just tells me to have a great day. Given the direction that she was coming from, she had full view of me . This felt very intentional and aggressive. I go to the front desk to let her know that that interaction was very rude and it made me uncomfortable She immediately says that I’ve already said I’ve taken many things personal and directs me to go talk to Sharon ( who seemed to not care). my main issue with this interaction is that I am not entering an establishment to be aggressive towards one to intimidate someone and I expect the same thing. By neither Ramie or sharron was I apologized too. I was just told to have a great day so be careful if you write a negative review or give feedback about this manager as she will be hostile or might even hit you

5 /5 Ruben Gallardo: All the FFC gyms in Chicago were great including this location, which was my home gym. It comes with all the amenities you can find at an Equinox or Lifetime, but for a more reasonable price. Even though the South Loop is smaller, it still has a good selection of equipment and it doesn’t feel too crowded during rush hour.

1 /5 Clint W: After years at FFC, I am done. On October 1st, 2025 at 4:15 pm at FFC South Loop, Fitness Director Ria interrupted my workout to tell me my small magnetic fanny-pack-sized bag (smaller than a water bottle, attaches to equipment so it cannot be tripped over) was not allowed. This same bag had previously been approved by the GM because it was clearly safer than leaving sweatshirts, bottles, headphones, and inhalers scattered across the floor. In fact, I’ve personally seen inhalers broken, headphones kicked, and bottles spilled — all tolerated. But my objectively safer solution? Banned. In a follow-up phone call with the GM, Ramie Reed, the experience was worse. She was combative, dismissive, and repeatedly interrupted me. Her words: “I’m not here to go back and forth with you. I decide what is ok in my club and a fanny pack is ok. But not anything else.” She admitted the floors are cluttered with member belongings but took no responsibility beyond saying they “need to do a better job.” Not once did she engage in good-faith discussion, show customer service skills, or even attempt to understand why a long-term member was frustrated. The conversation was hostile and condescending — my partner, who overheard, now also wants to cancel our membership. Policies aside, this is about arrogance and a complete disregard for logic or member experience. If FFC cared about safety, suspending items off the floor should be required, not prohibited. Instead, leadership enforces rules selectively, ignores their own inconsistencies, and treats paying members with contempt. Loyalty means nothing here. Unless leadership overhauls its approach, I cannot recommend FFC to anyone who values logic, fairness, or basic respect. Update 10/3/2025: Despite the public response here promising a call from GM Ramie Reed, more than 24 hours have passed with no outreach. I also submitted my concerns through FFC’s corporate “Contact Us” form and have not received any response there either. This lack of follow-up only reinforces what I wrote originally — dismissive at the local level and silent at the corporate level. Update – October 7, 2025: After multiple follow-ups across both South Loop and West Loop, not a single FFC manager handled this situation professionally. The South Loop GM was openly combative and dismissive, then told me to contact West Loop since that’s my “home club.” The West Loop GM eventually called days later, equally argumentative, admitting the South Loop GM behaved unprofessionally while defending the same irrational policy. Hours after that, the Member Experience Manager made a single late call and sent a templated “we tried” email. Corporate still hasn’t followed up despite promising to do so days ago. What started as a reasonable question about a small, safe gym bag has revealed something much worse — a management culture built on arrogance, avoidance, and zero accountability. My partner and I have now cancelled our memberships.

5 /5 Kash: Been loving my membership so far! Stephanie helped me out and introduced me to the space. It felt right joining this gym after touring some other gyms in the area. Its clean, staff is friendly AND helpful, and I feel safe and comfortable in this space. I also like the South loop location vibes more than the West Loop FFC.

3 /5 Laina Marie: As someone whos frequented about nine gyms across the Loop and South Loop, I decided to take the plunge and spend the extra money on an FFC membership, hoping for a premium experience. Unfortunately, my time here has been largely disappointing, riddled with issues that fall short of what one would expect from a gym costing around $200 a month. Firstly, the gyms temperature is often uncomfortably warm, particularly in certain areas, which can make workouts less enjoyable. The wear and tear on accessories and machines is often highly visible, suggesting that replacements arent happening as proactively as they should. In terms of fitness classes, only one of the three instructors Ive encountered has been diligent about walking the room, correcting form, and ensuring injury prevention. However, my biggest frustration by far has been FFCs slow and inadequate communication, and the direct impact it has on member service. A prime example is the revolving door at the entrance. A sign clearly states its "out of order," yet members are actually required to use the app for entry. This crucial information is never communicated to new members or first-time visitors from other locations. As a new member, I innocently followed someone in and was immediately profiled before even attempting to approach the turnstile. While they did apologize, this entire disheartening incident could have been entirely avoided with clearer communication from the outset. Another significant issue arose with their personal training services. It took a frustrating two weeks for the gym to connect me with a personal trainer. When I finally got to work out with him, he presented a new member offer for training packages. To my dismay, the gym wouldnt honor the special because I had to commit within 30 days of joining. Despite my complaint that their slow communication had eaten up half of that crucial window, they wouldnt budge, causing me to miss out on the offer. My final grievance came when I needed to pause my account due to water damage at my home. I was going to be out of town for repairs and requested a pause. Their response? It was "too late" to process before my next payment, which was a full 11 days away. Its truly baffling that 11 days isnt enough lead time to pause an account. Despite these significant frustrations, the only reason I havent canceled my membership is Anthony Brown. He is an amazing personal trainer who consistently pushes you, educates you, and shows genuine care and concern. Having worked with six personal trainers over the past five years, I can confidently say hes my favorite. His dedication and expertise are a true asset to FFC.