BJC WellAware Center

Been coming here for awhile now. I got the membership from my school to come work out here. The nice thing is that my membership is linked to my student ID, so one less card in my wallet. The gym is nice overall. There are enough machines and TVs for everyone’s use. The bad part about the TVs is that you have to have a TRADITIONAL radio in order to listen to them. Like hello, who carries around a radio like that anymore. That needs to be fixed. Another issue, is that there is very limited space to do some free weight lifts or spread out. They are making the most out of their space with all the different machines. Which, there is a nice variety of machines to use when weight lifting. If you are looking for a bunch of machines, this place has a lot. One thing that I like about this place is the amount of evening and afternoon classes they offer. The gym back home offers mainly morning work out classes. I am not a morning person. I enjoy my evening work outs. Therefor, the fact that there is a variety of evening and afternoon classes is awesome. Another huge bonus is that all the staff is very nice and friendly. I love talking to each one of them. Most of them do the individual work out classes and some of the other classes taught here. The most negative part for me has been the parking issues. They share space with WashU and WashU isn’t exactly the friendliest with their parking. I know so many people that got tickets from WashU security that they stopped coming. However, that has been fixed, but there is still a limited number of spots to park at.
Overall, I would say that this place is a good spot to get a work out in if you are busy in the mornings or like sleep and work at BJC or go to school nearby.

If you are not a BJC employee or someone related to them, don’t buy their member card. The main door of the building close at 6pm, and you will need BJC ID card to open it. I purchased a monthly card from groupon and had to call the counter everytime to open the door for me.

My fiancé and I started at this gym a few months ago and although we don’t go all that frequently, it’s a pretty good deal for what you get. Any BJC employee and those related to them get a discount!
We finally tried a spin class there and loved it and I definitely want to take more advantage of all the classes since they are included in the price.
My only gripe about it is that I wish there were individual TVs on the machines instead of 6 big ones that play the same stuff. BUT they have great wifi so I just bring my tablet and watch something while I work out.
It’s clean, easy to get to, and staff is friendly.

Excellent service, clean machines, awesome price for students & employees– BJC WellAware is «working out» for me!
It’s only $ 30 a month for employees and students– and this includes 2 free training sessions! There’s also a $ 300 year membership which gets you 12 months AND an in for all the classes!
They don’t have the most top of the line machines here (no cool climbing ladder machine like at my old gym), the locker room is meh, class selection is mediocre, but they got all the cardio stuff you need in a basic gym: treadmills, stairmasters, rowing machine, ellipticals, bikes. They also have weights area with some weight machines in the back.
I’ve taken the zumba and cycling class and the teachers are excellent and really keep you motivated. I am (not so secretly) in love with the friendly staff. When I forgot my badge, one of the staff members let me in TWICE in an hour: for when I came into the building, and then after I had to leave to retrieve something in my car and return to the gym.
For those of you looking for a new place to exercise, be WellAware of this fitness center!

I’ve generally never been a gym person, but this place has converted me. Whether I’m feeling like doing a group class or working out solo, the BJC center meets my needs and beyond for both.
I have to admit the main reason I am writing a review is for Amanda and her Zumba class. BEST ZUMBA INSTRUCTOR EVER. And I have been to my fair share of Zumba classes in different states, and she’s the best by far. She changes the music and choreography constantly so I never get bored. Her moves are sexy and energetic, which makes me feel super sexy and energetic, so it’s just 55 minutes of workout fun (I know! Who ever thought those two words could go together). She’s a fantastic instructor, very encouraging, motivational with constantly changing, original, active choreography to the music. I’m sad I didn’t find her sooner but SO happy I did now. I could not praise her enough.
As for the gym, the staff is friendly and attentive. The machines are kept clean and in good condition, and the locker rooms (at least the women’s) are also clean with very useful amenities available. I’ve never seen the gym overly (annoyingly) crowded. It’s quiet, which I tend to prefer and love. There are several TVs and background music if you’ve forgotten your own distractions from running.
So glad I found this place!

I really like the WellAware center, especially for the price! They offer a student discount and frequently have Groupon deals, so you can get a great deal. I have been a member at several other gyms in the CWE and this is the best deal by far.
The gym is clean and the equipment is new. I really like the classes but I wish they offered more of them, especially in the morning or on weekends. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I definitely recommend it!

While its not perfect, they do a pretty great job!
Pros:
–Very affordable. Especially if you are a student or work at BJC/​WashU. I am a grad student and pay only $ 28/​mo! Haven’t found a better deal yet considering this price includes some of their group classes.
–Friendly staff. Everyone is always nice and helpful. I go in the mornings, and Aaron who works the desk then is always there ready to go on time, which is much appreciated.
–Fitness assesement when you join! This was kind of fun. They told you your fitness level when you join (measure your body fat, heart rate, etc.) and then they will do it again any time you ask.
–Clean
–Good variety of equiptment
–Good variety of classes
Cons:
–Not a ton of space. I usually design my own functional workout, and there isn’t really a good spot out of the way to do it.
–Not very many morning classes. I wish they had more morning cardio/​boot camp classes like they offer in the afternoons! There are currently only classes on M/​F although they are also a bit short-​staffed right now due to multiple pregnancy leaves
–Short afternoon classes. Some may see this as a pro, but the PM classes are only 25 min long. I prefer an hr long workout if it is a class, because by the time everyone gets settled, the class is much shorter than the allotted time.

I will probably have to update this review, as I just joined this gym today. After searching for a gym that wasn’t too expensive (Sante) or too crowded (Club Fitness), I finally found this gym. The staff is friendly, the gym is clean, AND they a real stair machine! They have actual spin bikes out with the cardio equipment, which I have never seen at any other gym. Their class schedule is pretty disappointing because they are pretty much only on Mon, Wed, & Fri and as another reviewer wrote, not very many in the evenings. The student discount is great, however. Also, you are not locked into a 1 year contract. They provide towels to use during your workout. You only need to bring a lock for the locker. The equipment seems well maintained. I didn’t see a place bicycle parking, but I’ll take a better look next time and update either way. So far, I think I’ll enjoy working out there.

Very happy with this gym. Affordably priced with a good student discount. You get a free fitness assessment and meeting with a personal trainer when you sign up and they’ll go over a routine with you as a starting point. Bright, clean, good classes, nice staff. Everything you need, nothing too fancy.

pros–
affordable ($ 28/​mo for student includes most classes or +$ 5 for unlimited classes)
new equipment and no wait for machines
several tvs
clean locker room
provides hairdryers, towels, shampoo/​conditioner, soap, lotion etc
jodie’s yoga class and amanda’s zumba class
cons–
few evening classes
closes early on friday (7pm) and weekends (4pm)
small studio
few parking spots

I don’t know how long this place has been around, but when I was thinking about joining a couple weeks ago, I couldn’t find a Unilocal page or any reviews, so thought it might be about time to get the Unilocal WellAware party started. There was a Groupon for a 3-​month pass at WellAware, and since most other gyms in the Central West End are either very sad (um, Snap) or way out of my price range (Sante, sigh…), WellAware seemed like it might be a good fit.
I went in to check it out before committing to the Groupon, and I was impressed.
Pros:
–Super clean (#1 requirement for a gym)
–Very affordable (with the Groupon, it was like $ 15 or $ 20 for a month, and then I actually just signed up for a special 1-​year deal that puts me at $ 20/month…pretty amazing). Without the Groupon, I think it’s $ 50 if you don’t work at BJC/​have a family member at BJC, but I think you could check to see if they have other running deals.
–The equipment is really good — it’s new, CLEAN, and really has everything you could need
–I haven’t been to the classes yet, but the ones I’ve peaked in on look like they have great instructors, and there’s a wide range
–It’s not at all overcrowded, and I’ve never had to wait for a machine, and even during times when I think it would be busy, it’s pretty light
–The front desk staff are really nice and approachable
–They seem to really care about your overall health
Cons (limited):
–The parking situation might not be perfect… it has not been an issue for me at all yet, but there are parameters as to when you you can/​cannot park in certain lots… and sometimes they have to manually let you into one if there’s no parking
–The hours are somewhat limited… if you’re looking to work out at 10pm, that’s not an option (but I’d rather be drinking wine at 10pm, so this is a non-​issue for me)
–You do have to pay extra for some of the classes, but they have all access options or by class options — this actually may be a pro too because I think you can sign up just to take classes, which might be good for some people
–No pool
So, all in all, I’m happy with it. Do they have Aveda rosemary mint shampoo in the locker room (Sante, sigh again…), no, but they do have shampoo, conditioner and soap. They also have a water fountain, which already puts them at above average amenities than other gyms of the same price in the neighborhood.