Prairie Life Fitness

My wife and I went to this gym for about seven years before finally punting it in late 2011. It was adequate for several years, but not great. Like most gyms, it had a razor-thin margin for error between decent and, well, not-so-very-decent. My wife and I finally bolted when we started noticing the telltale signs of decline: Lots of dudes who were friends of employees being comp'ed, hanging out in packs and monopolizing several areas of the gym, machines sitting broken for weeks at a time, and very few new machines being added or upgraded at all. The management of the place was decent at times, but toward the end seemed very lackadaisical, ie. lots of little kids playing on machines because the child care wasn't open; TVs with volume up, blaring loudly to make up for the outdated cardio machines not having built in screens with headphones; dirty locker rooms; dirty machines, and so on.For about six months in '09-'10, I worked with a personal trainer there, who was great. He showed me how to lift properly and taught me how to train effectively and efficiently. It was very expensive for this service, and I couldn't swing it financially forever, but I was probably in the best shape of my life at the time. He, like most personal trainers, left less than a year into his tenure there because he couldn't build a client base, mostly because of the prohibitive costs associated with personal training at PLC. I caught a lot of colds there. The ventilation was pretty poor and, like any gym, there are just a fair amount of chowderheads who show up sick, or bring their kids who are sick, and spread their germs, and then naturally don't wipe off their machines after use.The weight room's declining demeanor was what finally made us seek a new gym. There was a core group of, shall we say, disrespectful men who ran rampant in there. They had disparaging nicknames for everyone outside their six- to eight-person group, and when they weren't monopolizing the machines and free weights in the room they were openly ogling and harassing the women who dared to go back there, telling sexist and racist jokes, and berating anyone who wanted to work in while they were standing around between reps talking about their latest clubbing adventures or how badly they messed up the last person with whom they got into a fight. It was pretty much every bad, tattooed, bro-tanked and TapOut-laden weight room cliche you could imagine. Complaints to management were met with no action.We finally gave up on PLC West when they wanted to jack up our rate -- we had one of those deals where we could go every other day -- by about 20 percent. We had to evaluate what we were getting for our money -- colds, bad equipment, muddled management, bad gym-mates -- and decided it wasn't worth it. We've joined the Y, and while it's not perfect, it's light years ahead of this place, especially for the money.In short, it's small, it's old, it's showing its age, it's susceptible to stretches of bad-bordering-on-negligent management, and as recent as late 2011, it was populated mainly by unpleasant people you'd rather avoid. Especially if you're a woman. The first few years I went there, I would've probably given it three or four stars. The last several, though, really soured my view of the place.

Great overall gym for the west side of Lincoln. Newer weight room with new machines and plenty of free weights. Indoor & outdoor pools, hot tub, steam room & sauna. Only downfall for me is that there is not an indoor basketball court, but there are several racquetball courts. Have only tried a few of the fitness classes, but the instructors are fun and a variety of times are offered and they are free with membership.

This gym is fantastic!!! My family and I have been members for a year now and it's great! The club recently got a new manager who is great, he's really making some good changes. Clean!GREAT STAFFAll the equipment you could want Two pools indoor and outdoor. I would highly recommend, a great place for a family, especially if you have kids since they have daycare while you workout.

The original, and in my opinion, the best of the Prairie Life fitness centers. Clean facility, laid out for efficient flow from cardio to weight room and back. Front desk staff and management are friendly and helpful, and group class instructors are approachable and help beginners get oriented quickly. Open late. Welcoming atmosphere that supports people of all fitness levels and ages.

It was very good at the begging of my contract because they were open 24 hours. After a few moths pass by they cut the hours to midnight and weekend till 10 pm when I already sign a contract for 24 hours. However, I paid my contract up front until the April, and now they charged me $185.63 monthly charges. When I called them the only explanation I got it was late fees, which thy have all my bank and card information plus we are still at the begging of April. I'm not posting here for myself because I have learned my lesson so I want others to be aware of their fraud system.

Former members at the West P location, now only come for swim lessons for our two children. The Youth Swim lessons are great! They are not facilitated by the Prairie Life staff, rather an independent teacher from Infant Swim USA. The independent teacher is excellent, and absolutely the only reason we still come to this gym.When we had an active membership, I was pleased by the relative emptiness in the evenings. I prefer to exercise in a more private environment, so that was nice. The equipment seems somewhat up to date and well maintained, but the building itself is a different story altogether.The pools are basic, and on the small size (but adequate for a gym of this size). Both pools have good water quality, but outside of the water you start to notice trash and some chewing gum on the floor around the pool. Comfort features in the pool are limited. There are 4 chairs, 2 tables and a bench for seating, which is not sufficient for the parents during group swim lessons. Outdoor pool seems fine and there are always fresh towels available for both the pool and the equipment. Additionally, the facility recently added a swim suit spinner to dry your bathing suits, certainly a nice feature.As for the rest of the facility, it's lack luster, though adequate. After 3 years I have yet to find a source of drinking water other than the one fountain near the lobby. However, There is a small snack bar at reception and the prices are reasonable. The carpet and paint are showing their age and a good deal of the physical building feels a little dirty and unkempt. On the flip side, the staff are always friendly and helpful.My greatest disappointment is the lack of family friendliness. There is a child care in the old tanning room, but the room is small and staffer is usually on their phone while questionable cartoons play on a TV. Additionally, there is no family locker room so those with small children or with family members with special needs are seriously out of luck. As for mentioned earlier, we deal with this for swim lessons, but only because of the amazing swim instructor who doesn't teach elsewhere.If I recall, this gym is one of the lower priced clubs in town, and while it shows, it is adequate for the adult who wants an available and equipped place to exercise. However, those with children may want to do what we did...Go to the Y.

Prairie Life is a nice gym in a location that is convenient for my family. They are always making improvements to their facility. They offer a wide variety of equipment and classes. They also offer support through certified trainers. Membership is affordable.

Great gym gets a little busy at times, but ive only had to wait a couple times for a machine that they only have 1 of. Hot tub, pool, sauna, and more everything you could ask for for $35 a month.

This is a wonderful club. Big feature....it is 24 hours. Staff is wonderful, very graciousand very helpful. The pool is always clean. Swim suit dryer is nice feature. Ample parkingis a great feature of the club. In the wintertime, the snow is always removed.Allen Beermann

They do not treat members right and are just hungry for money. Never get into a contract with Prarie else you are screwed. Their prices are ridiculous and they charge extra for using a nearby facility.