Center of Clayton

I’ve been here a couple times for a $ 10 drop in fee for swimming laps. The facility is clean and updated. The free weights area is fine, but a little cramped. The facility is associated with the high school so there are always kids around, which kinda bothers me. I looked in to getting a membership but discovered that the exercise group classes are an additional fee, I believe it ranges from $ 1 to $ 8 per class. WTH!!! I am still debating, but the pool is amazing.
So I caved and got a membership. It’s fine for what I am looking for, basically I am paying for the pool, which I love! oh and finally found a place to play badminton, time to dust off the racket :)

A great facility and one of the best around for the money. There’s a nice kids center with lots to do, subway, meeting rooms/​party rooms. The fitness center is newly updated and there’s also a downstairs weight room. The basketball and volleyball quarts are newly redone as well. Very convenient location off of 170 and right by shawpark and Clayton high school.

I really like the center because it has the equipment I’m looking for in a gym. The location is also hugely important, and the center is very convenient for me.
If I were staying in town at a hotel in Clayton and wanted to find a gym with barbells, I would definitely be happy to find the center.
The place has a bit of everything, so whether someone wanted to use an elliptical, shoot hoops, swim, use kettlebells or trx, they have it.
The place is connected to the high school, so there are often kids underfoot. This can be a bit much at certain times.
The staff is usually helpful. They don’t really monitor the power lifting room, which I don’t understand. If you ever submit a suggestion, include your contact info and they’ll keep you apprised of the status, which is great.

I really like the Center of Clayton for it’s versatility. They have great courts for basketball and volleyball. Their pool is fantastic with 8 lanes in the main area and 2 more lanes in the recreational area, plus a fairly good-​sized hot tub. They also have a fairly good amount of aerobic work out equipment such as treadmills, bikes and others of the sort. Their weight room is really great and has a number of free weights and machines to really throw around some iron.
Here’s what I wish they would change. There is no «cross-​fit» type of area to do the very effective and very popular type of training. Body weight stuff is the way to go. Try throwing around your own weight to see how quickly you get into shape. Of course, you can do this on your own, but it’s difficult because it requires a fairly significant amount of ‘free” space.
Another thing I don’t care for is the additional cost of each and every class. If I want to do a spin class or a kettle bell class the cost is an additional $ 8-​$ 15 PER CLASS. That doesn’t make any sense at all. For this reason alone, I drop it to 3 stars. I used to belong to St. Louis Fitness Club when I lived in the Dogtown area. For $ 35 per month, for myself and my fiancée, got a great gym, great weights and classes. Tanning was even included if you cared.
I am not a resident of Clayton. Of course, I live as close as a person can without being in their city limits, so I pay $ 55 per month and then up to $ 87 for a family pass. Now, don’t get me wrong, the whole reason I left St. Louis Fitness Club was to find a great pool where I could swim laps. Yes, I found it, but that’s pretty much all I’m getting with regards to working out. As I said, all other classes are at an extra cost.
I did check out Wellbridge, but at $ 90+ a month their lap pool just wasn’t going to cut it.
I guess it’s what you’re looking to do that matters. I suppose for an extra $ 35 per month I could go back to STL Fitness, but they are not close to each other and that can be a pain when it’s tough enough to get out and put in a workout.

I’ve had some funny/​gross experiences at the Center of Clayton. Mostly, the gross and funny come from the women’s locker room. People do not understand that I do not want to see someone’s old wrinkly naked body change in front of me. Nor do I want to see a bunch of kids change in front of me either. One time some lady brought in her three kids, two girls and a boy, to change in the women’s locker room and they were totally crowding my space. Of all the aisle to choose she chose the one where there was someone already changing. Thanks… One of the little girl’s behind was daringly close to me. The mother didn’t even bat an eyelash and didn’t care that I was clearly not happy about the situation. Where are your manners? Seriously! I suspect that the little girl farted in my face as well. But, that mystery remains unsolved to this day.
What’s even funnier is when I see kids and adults walk around the locker room barefoot to go to the bathroom or the shower. That’s gross. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know you should probably put some sandals on so you don’t catch some disease on your feet. Actually, I kinda hope they do get warts or something so that I can say I told you so!
Despite all the funny and the gross, this place is great if you’re looking for some decent exercise equipment to use, some casual rock climbing/​swimming and perhaps some basketball playing. For those mentioned it’s totally worth the price to be a member. I haven’t tried any of the fitness classes, but I do see people working up a sweat. I’m a little annoyed that you have to pay per class, and that’s why I have boycotted them for now.
Recently there have been a few important machines that have been broken and have been broken for at least a month, but I’ve been able to satiate my workout needs by mixing it up and using something different. Overall, the place lacks in the quality of some of its members, but for those that have manners, the place is pretty cheap for residents and definitely on my way from work, which is a plus!

Before giving a place 5 stars, I usually try to thoroughly scrutinize myself. Is it really 5 stars? Are you sure it’s not just a 4 star place? What’s wrong with this business that other people could dislike? I’m racked my brain trying to come up with plausible reasons how The Center of Clayton couldn’t be considered a 5 star destination, and I can’t find any.
For those not in the know, The Center of Clayton is more or less a fitness center. But it’s not just a fitness center, it’s like a multi-​plex that houses almost every exercise activity that you’d want to do. It’s huge, clean, inexpensive, and friendly, pretty much everything you want out of a gym. Here’s how it breaks out:
The facilities are pretty much everything you’d expect in an area of town known for yuppieness. Mounds of treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes, rowing machines, stair climbing machines, a 25-​foot rock climbing wall, a running track, basketball courts, lap lanes for swimming, yoga/​workout rooms, free weights, resistance machines, and a huge leisure pool, complete with slides!
Now I know what you’re thinking. «But I’ve been to [insert your municipality’s workout center here] and it has cool stuff too!». And I’ll say hey I understand. I’ve been to The Heights in Richmond Heights. I’ve been to Centennial Commons in U City. They’re nice, but nothing like this. There’s a busyness at the CoC, a sense that things are happening. And others can sense it too. There’s almost always lots of activity going on. People who work out there take exercise seriously.
So as with just about every place in Clayton, the CoC is a place to see and be seen. People dress up to work out. Guys show off their latest Under Armour purchase and women show off… well they show off what they got. I wouldn’t say it’s snobbish, just it’s obvious that a lot of people who go there have a few bucks to spare.
For a facility as large and complete as the CoC, I expected a much higher fee. As it stands, it’s only $ 35/​month for residents, and $ 50/​month for non-​residents. There’s a small rate increase if you go month-​to-​month instead of paying for a full year, but there are no high pressure sales tactics, just set it up, pay, and go. Heck, I used to pay $ 50/​month to jog at the smelly sweat-​box of Bally’s, dodging meatheads and soccer moms. CoC has them beat, hands down.
So as you can imagine with the setup they have, things can sometimes get a little hectic. During the heavy hours (5 to 7PM), they’re so busy there’s sometimes a (short) wait for workout equipment. They have signup sheets to keep things orderly, and you can only use the equipment for a half hour before you have to re-​signup. It’s a little annoying, and sometimes people «cheat» by signing up for equipment they won’t use, but in the end it usually works out and people are generally respectful of the time. Personally, I’ve never had to wait more than about 10 minutes for a machine, which is more than enough time to stretch or warm up on your own.
The CoC also seems to get the little things right. The layout is easy to follow and is seamless. The locker rooms are huge. They have a daycare area where employees can watch your kids while you work out. There’s a Subway restaurant in the building. Flat panel TV’s line the walls. There’s a good mix of artificial and natural lighting. Employees are kind and respectful. There’s plenty of parking. No matter how crowded it is, there’s always a nook or cranny you can find if you need to step away from the madness for a few. The machines are continually replaced and upgraded.
People may have personal favorites, but it seems like the CoC gets everything right. Exercising shouldn’t feel like going to work. This place has a buzz, an energy about it that will make even the laziest couch potato contemplate lacing up and hitting the floor. If every workout facility was like this, Hostess would go out of business.

I lived in Clayton for years and this place was like my second home. I came here several times a week to swim in the competition pool. The lifeguards are really cool, but the pool is almost always crowded, no matter when you go. Lots of health-​minded folks here. I hated having to swim in the two lanes in the kiddie pool reserved for lap swimming. Always filled with elderly folks I’d always run into.
The place is clean and big and has top of the line equipment. Also used to do the elliptical.
I love the rock climbing wall when you walk in the building. I’ve never actually climbed it but it looks fun.
The place has four indoor gymnasiums, two pools, a weight room, an aerobics room and a Northwest Coffee Kiosk and Subway in the lobby. There’s also a game room and a place for babysitting.

Very nice, clean, and modern rec center… I’m impressed. The staff is super nice & friendly. They have towels to use if you don’t bring your own. The swimming area is split into two — one side has lap lanes for serious swimmers while the other side is more for the kiddies (lazy river and water slide, although there are two lap lanes towards the back). There’s lots of exercise equipment to use and a walk/​run around the indoor «track» gives you a little tour of the different sections of the center. They have exercise classes, but I haven’t tried any so can’t comment on those (but you do need to pay extra to enroll). If basketball is your thing, there always seems to be people playing on the courts. Also, I’d love to try out the climbing wall sometime post-​pregnancy.

This is, by far, the best community recreation center in St. Louis. The Fitness Center is constantly being updated and improved and is always filled with attractive Clayton moms. So, you should really come just to see them! Also, the climbing wall is pretty sweet! But, the BEST part of the Center of Clayton is the POOL! Featuring a super slide, lovely lazy river, wonderful whirlpool, splendid spa, and long, luxurious lap lanes. Plus, I hear the lifeguards are pretty awesome as well!