The Sporting Club at The Bellevue - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Brooke Spencer

I had a decent experience at The Sporting Club overall, but I recently cancelled my membership because it didn’t quite live up to expectations.

One of the main issues that led to me leaving was the fact that the club’s membership has increased dramatically over the last six months. I understand that their incentive is to have as many members as possible, but this results in the club being very crowded during peak times. I was super excited about the fitness classes when I first joined, but the rapid membership growth resulted in it becoming very difficult to reserve a spot in any class that isn’t held during the workday. To get a spot, you essentially need to set an alarm for when a class opens each week, but even this doesn’t always work because of how much competition there is.

The increase in membership also made it a lot harder to find a place to do some remote work during the day, since there are only ~15 comfortable seats near a power source. It was also (understandably) too loud to take calls, so I can’t really recommend it as a place to work remotely.

I definitely lost some respect for the club when they refused to honor their membership policies. When I asked which section of the membership agreement states that a freeze can’t precede a cancellation, they were unable to answer and seemed very unhappy that I wanted to cancel my membership at all. Also, they charge a $25 fee just to freeze your membership, which is such an obvious cash grab. Considering how high the monthly fee is (not to mention the sign-up fee!), it didn’t feel great to have them try to wring as much money as possible out of me before I left.

It’s worth mentioning that the facilities are very high quality. There’s a ton of space, the locker rooms and showers are super well-kept, and there’s a great rooftop area. I think it would be a good fit for someone with a very flexible schedule so you can avoid peak times, or if you really want a pool since that’s difficult to find at other gyms.

Maria Perry

If I could give more than 5 stars I would! Joining was probably my best decision of 2023 and I cannot wait to continue in 2024! The facilities are impeccable, everyone is so nice and friendly, and the location is so convenient for me. The locker rooms and showers are always so clean, the staff is so attentive and kind, and I am always able to book the classes I want or reserve a squash court. They also had a holiday Happy Hour that was absolutely amazing, and I hope they will do more events like this. This is by far the nicest gym I’ve ever seen and I cannot say enough nice things about this place. I can only speak from my personal experience, however I think the facilities are very nice and I have had only the best interactions with staff members.

Sara Delmoral

When I first toured the gym, I was blown away with how clean and organized everything was. Truly, I was a little skeptical of the price of the monthly dues, but after Adam gave me the run down on the details of the amenities: the cafe, the group fitness classes, pool, etc., I signed up almost immediately. Adam made it a very smooth and easy process for me to sign up from home, and I am set to start tomorrow! Im so excited to see what this place can offer me and continue to advance in my fitness journey.

Stas Postowski

Let me start by saying I have written maybe 4 reviews in my entire life. I very rarely find the need to leave feedback, especially online, but since this is an instance where people would be spending a lot of money, I figure I would leave my feedback.

Let me start with the positives: The gym is gorgeous. I joined in November of 2023, so I'm unaware of what it had previously looked like, but the gym facility itself has come a long way even from when I joined. The space is large and the machines are top notch. They offer many classes every day, so surely there is a time that works for you. The more popular classes like Pilates or spin are definitely tougher to get into during peak times, but if you are able to go during your lunch break you shouldn't have issues. The trainers and staff have been nothing but welcoming and kind. They maintain and take care of the place with great success, and I am always greeted when I walk through the door. The instructors are also wonderful. Each one I've had has been motivating and friendly, making the class a challenge but rewarding! They also have a PT clinic which I took advantage of after knee surgery and the PTs were such a joy to work with. Finally, the location is great for those living in the city. If all of these factors were the only feedback, I would give this place a 5/5. There are some great features about this place that make it a good place to work out.

Now for the cons: I'll start with the obvious one, the price. When I joined in November of 2023, they were still not offering tours to the place. So I was unsure of what it looked like when I signed up for the membership. It was something like a $225 sign up fee and $175/month. It's insane and IMO, really no membership is worth that kind of money, but I suppose I see why. They offer classes and really it was worth it for me because I wanted to use the pool, which is also very nice. The main con that is associated with this place is the culture. Gym culture now permeates every single gym in America, so that is not really SCB's fault, but for the price, you would think they would try and put a stop to that. Every finance-tech bro in the city seems to go to this gym. I make it a point to go during work so that I can go with the least amount of people as possible, but lord help you if you decide to go during peak hours. Between the gym shark and TREN, I'm not sure where people would find the space to even work out. Another comment said something about it being "stuck up" and I agree completely. Again, NOT the staff. The people who go there. It is one step away from being an influencer gym. I had one particular interaction that is indicative of what I mean. I decide to play some pick up basketball, and while I definitely am no world class b-ball player, I consider myself athletic. I just wanted to get some cardio in. Boy, did I make a mistake. The dude I was guarding got frustrated at my playstyle which led to him cursing me out and hurling homophobic slurs at me. I get the passion of the game gets to people, but this guy created such a cringe situation that really the only thing I could do was stare in awe. Everyone did that thing where they put their hand over their face to cover how embarrassing it was for him. Not to mention this guy was in his late 40s to early 50s, yelling at me, someone half his age. But hey, I figure better me that night than his wife later. That snapshot I think lends itself to the members of the gym. It is really unfortunate because the gym is beautiful and the classes are such a plus. It's just a shame that when average people like me go, they have to endure the culture that is heightened by the gym's exclusiveness.

I want to stress one more time that the staff at the gym are great. However, there is an issue with the type of person who goes there. The environment feels less like a place where you can go to better yourself, and more a place where you can watch a Bryce take up 3 machines.

Joshua Newstadt

I am quite surprised this facility doesn’t have 5 stars across the board. Regardless of everyone’s experience, I’ve been member for only a week and thoroughly enjoy it. I was once in the “Gym Manager seat” for many years and I have a lot of respect for how well operated the Sporting Club is. Although there’s a plethora of members, I feel no gymtimidation at this location.

I’m happy I made this leap of faith.

Ben P

This “gym” is a total joke. They claim to have classes but they are always booked out. They have no policy for people who reserve class spots and don’t show up so you are totally out of luck if you aren’t up at 12:01 one week prior to a class you want to take to reserve a spot. Even thought the facilities look nice, it’s no better than any cookie cutter gym membership. Don’t get lured in by their palates, hot yoga or early morning classes since you will never get in. Then, to top it off, they charge you to put your membership on hold. This place is the gym equivalent of a timeshare vacation scheme.

Niki Tchobanov

I joined the Sporting Club a few months ago and I love it! The facilities are top notch and the amenities are a huge plus. I work remotely a few days a week, and the several lounge areas are perfect for me to utilize during the work day.

My only (slight) gripe is with the group fitness classes. While the classes are great and a challenging workout, many of them (Pilates, Hot Power Yoga, etc.) are really hard to get into since there is such high demand. There have also been a couple times when a class was cancelled last minute since the instructor couldn't make it and there was no sub available. I understand that emergencies come up, but we should at least be notified of any issues before showing up in person to take the class. I think if the club simply hired more coaches/offered more times for certain classes (which I understand they are working on) then that would help remedy both problems.

Other than that, the gym is great and I highly recommend everyone to check it out!

Alysia Torres

This would be a great gym if you could get into the fun classes and special events. You have to sign up a week in advance and the good classes book up almost as soon as they are publicized. It’s also very posh and somewhat uncomfortable for those of us just looking to throw on some sweats and get a workout out in.