Courts Plus

Tried out the gym today and really liked it!
Some of the perks that I’m so glad they offer that makes it worth it!
1.) Ice Water ~ not just like cold water but ice and water in the café. Oh Yeah!
2.) Locker service~ no more lugging around heavy locks and trying to remember the combination.
3.)Daycare for the kiddies~ 2 hours of uninterrupted working out unless your kiddie has a poopy emergency.
4.) Plenty of machines and a track, no waiting for a machine.
5.) Rock climbing to keep my teenagers busy.
Priceless!!!

I’v been a member of several different gyms and none are as great as Courts Plus. This gym really does have everything and does not have the overly intimidating gym feel like xsport or other trendy gyms. Gym is clean with plenty of weight machines and cardio equipment. It also has a walking track, pool, whirlpool, sauna, steam rooms, indoor tennis courts, and handball courts. The only thing I wish they would build would be an indoor basketball court. Resident monthly rate is $ 42. Not sure what non-​resident pay is but if you pay for a full year up front, it does lower your annual rate.

«WE’RE SO STUPID!» That’s all I could think when I went into Courts Plus for a tour. Fiancé and I moved to Villa Park last July and were in search for a gym. Somehow, we managed to miss Courts Plus completely. I really don’t know how. Maybe the name threw us off, thinking it was just courts. So idiotically, we signed at X-​Sport, which was a terrible life decision because I loathe that place. Every time we go to X-​Sport, we leave pissed off because of how awful it is. We finally had enough and said, «Hey, let’s check out this Courts Plus place.» So glad we did.
If you’ve never been, you get to go on a tour and then receive a free guest pass to try it out. The facility is very nice and clean and the staff seems very helpful. Everywhere I looked, there was someone on hand in case a guest needed something. There is a 4-​lane track (two walking lanes, two running lanes) and the cardio and weight machines are in the center. It was about 6pm (peak time) and we saw a bunch of machines still open. We asked if this was «busy» and she said yes. Hooray! X-​Sport only has two steppers which are always taken. Courts Plus had about 5 of the stair kind and then a few older models which are the ones I really like.
In the corners around the track there are various weight machines sprinkled about. One corner has free weights, another has some different arm machines, and so on. My favorite part of Courts Plus: a stretching area. It’s near the front and fits a good amount of people. There’s mats, medicine balls, inflatable ab balls (I don’t know what they’re officially called). It’s awesome! At X-​Sport, we struggled to find a place to stretch because there was no room whatsoever. To have an area designated for stretching is incredible.
One of the other things we noticed is how quiet it is. The crowd here is probably middle-​aged, but with younger people as well. No sounds of grunting or weight-​slamming, or crappy club music. Everyone pretty much keeps to themselves and is there to work out. Thank God.
The rest of the facility has a 5 lap pool, hot tub, sauna, rooms for classes, rock climbing room, tennis courts, and racquetball courts. You have to pay a small fee to use to the courts, but that’s just like any other place that has indoor courts, so I’m okay with that. Besides, you would just use outdoor courts in the warm weather anyway.
After we tried out the place with a quick workout, we decided that we’re really impressed with everything. Courts Plus actually makes me WANT to go work out. They have plenty of machines and the machines are all updated. We’re going to sign up for the $ 60 30-​day membership just to be sure we really do like it. That sounds like a lot, but if you decide to do the yearly, you can apply the $ 60 that you already paid to the total amount. Also, if you get a yearly, you are still charged monthly, so if you decide to quit, you’re not locked into a contract and lose your money. I’m still really mad that we didn’t realize this great workout place was so close to us but I’m happy to know about it now.

Wall Climbing — Came here with a Groupon to try out their wall climbing (valid Tuesdays or Thursdays). I signed in at the front desk and the receptionist escorted me to the wall climbing area since it was a little tricky to find. You have to go down a couple of hallways, down the stairs and look for an inconspicuous door. When you are upstairs, there’s a glass window that lets you look down into the wall climbing area.
First off, this is not the most sophisticated climbing facility, but it’s decent for what it is. It’s like the diner of climbing walls rather than a 4-​star restaurant. Once we arrived in the climbing room it was smaller than I imagined, but still accommodates about 8 climbers comfortably. There was one child climbing while her family of 4 sat against the wall and watched. The wall is not that tall, only about 2 stories high (20 ft). There’s a couple of private bathrooms near the climbing area that you can use to change clothes. I had a backpack with me, which I felt safe leaving on the floor against the wall since I can see it while I climb.
The couple of teenagers working the room were nice and friendly. They will provide you with a hardness and shoes if needed, then they become your belayer as you climb the wall.
Pricing is not bad. Equipment is included in the price: Members $ 8 and Non-​members $ 12. Wall Hours:
Climbing Wall Hours (August 20 — May 31)
Tuesday 4:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m.
Thursday 5:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. — 2 p.m.
Climbing Wall Hours (June 1 — August 20, 2013)
Tuesday 4:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m.
Thursday 4:30 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. — 2 p.m.
I enjoyed it because it was a fun workout. The location isn’t that great for me since I had to fight traffic and it took me almost an hour.
Location: Very easy to find and see from the streets. The entrance is located at a stop sign on S. West Ave.

Friendly staff, clean gym and annual upgrades (facility and equipment)! It is pricey at $ 30 – 40 a month per membership. Membership includes gym use, pool/​hot tub, complimentary lockers w/​keys and lots of group fitness classes. So far piyo, cxworks (30 min core class) and body pump are some of my favorites. Recent upgrades include 10 new True treadmills with TV, fan and lots of track view options! Courts Plus really does have a great selection of cardio equipment… the stair climbers and elipticals are great too! Free weight area could be a little larger or it might be a useful future upgrade to add mirrors and expand stretching area.
Minus one star for not including at least an hour or two of free rock climbing, access to tennis courts and racquetball courts in the membership fee each month!

A friend of mine had a Groupon deal for rock climbing here so we came out last Saturday morning not knowing what to expect. When we pulled up to the building, we looked at each other in disbelief, «THIS is it? It looks like an office building!»
When we walked inside, we came up to a reception counter and signed up to do the rock climbing. No ID was required, nor did we have to fill out any forms or listen to someone tell us how to do it. Sweet! All we had to do was navigate through winding hallways and down some flights of stairs to the rock climbing room. On the way, we passed a bunch of rooms that I assume were for physical therapy and smaller classes.
Most places I’ve seen with rock climbing have a wall or two to climb. This place had an entire room to climb! It was slightly intimidating but I wasn’t afraid of a challenge. It was actually my first time rock climbing, but the guy in the room was very easy-​going and explained anything that I needed to know (which wasn’t much).
Since it was just my friend and I plus one other boy in the room, our turns came quickly. Once other people started arriving, we had to wait a little bit longer (but our arms needed the rest!) until more staff showed up. By the time we left, there were about three staff in the room and eight people who wanted to climb. Not bad.
I can’t speak for the rest of the facilities, but I enjoyed rock climbing!

Have been a member at Courts for the last 3 or so years. It’s a very family friendly establishment with kids programs and day care (actually babysitting while you workout). They have your basic weight machines, free weights, cardio equipment, track, pool, whirlpool, steam room, showers, locker room, tennis and racquetball courts. I also believe there is a climbing wall that I haven’t seen. The group exercise classes contain a nice variety and massage therapy and personal training prices are fair for members. What I love most is that people who work out here aren’t Jersey Shore meathead lookalikes like I used to see at Bally’s and Export. Yay, I can actually go to a gym without getting hit on!
Only complaints– as big as this facility is, the main workout floor can get pretty cramped at peak hours, and there is a sign up sheet for the treadmills at those times. Also they have rags and spray bottles to wipe down the equipment after you use them. Please invest in the disposable wipes people!!! I hate wiping down the equipment with those old rags– you’re probably spreading more germs.

Getting back to it… always a good thing.
The pool is crystal clear and great for swimming.
The water is only 3 feet deep across the entire pool.
Just wish there were more lanes.
You have to pick your times to come here… as it can get busy starting around 4:30. The walking machines can have a waiting list.
The group exercise area has been explored a bit by me. Wifey enjoys the Group exercise. Zumba!
The weight machines and the free weights are okay. The the best layout.

I work out here before work every morning since it is very close to my work. I live approximately 30 miles from Elmhurst, so it’s a hike to go on my days off. Today I was compelled to work out and figured it would be cheaper to drop $ 5 and go to my local park district for a workout than drive 30 miles to Elmhurst. Big mistake! By going to the park district gym by my house made me realize even more how great Courts Plus is.
I’ve been working out here since August of 2010 and I love it. I go work out in the morning (peak hours) and there is never a problem getting on any of the machines. They have an abundance of cardio equipment (5 – 6 stair masters, approx. 15 ellipticals, maybe between 15 – 20 treadmills and maybe 10 or so exercise bikes.) They have free weights and machines, plus a running track that has four lanes.
The staff here is very friendly and for the most part the members are friendly and nice (except for the old guy in the locker room who accused me of stealing his size 6 shower shoes when I wear a size 13. Whatever, dude!)
They also have tennis courts, an aerobics studio, a nice pool and a hot tub. The place is run by the Elmhurst Park District and it is very well maintained.

The park district keeps the place immaculately clean, which is nice, but the gym certainly needs a facelift, as it’s probably looked the same since 1986.
Every now and then, they funnel in a new machine or two that’s new and exciting, but the floor generally consists of your standard cardio and weight machines. This is all encircled by an indoor track which overlooks a pool.
There are obviously tennis courts and group exercise rooms in the facility. What’s nice is that the group classes are fun and exciting, especially 20−20−20 with Ron and Zumba with Lucy.
By and large the demographic here is middle aged suburbia, with the elderly as a close second. Don’t expect to see any hot Jersey Short wannabes getting there GYM/​tan/​laundry in here.

I’m a personal trainer but I don’t work here (even though it would be a GREAT gig) and I love this place! The people are nice and they actually smile and HELP. I’m not a member but I pay the $ 13 daily fee because I can’t get enough of their classes. They have a huge variety that change up every couple months. Everything from a cardio combat class to yoga. Not to mention this place is huge and has a million reasons to be there. This is probably the best gym I’ve ever worked out at and has the friendliest community and members. It’s worth it if you’re thinking about getting a membership. The only reason I don’t have one is because the initiation fee is quite expensive (currently $ 250 bucks!) Ouch. Save those pennies!

I just started working out and everyone here has been fantastic.
Courts Plus is run by the Elmhurst Park District. It has pleanty of machines, a nice small running track, a pool, rock climbing wall, classes, tennis and raquetball courts, massages, etc.
Very clean and highly recommended.