How We Choose: Our Criteria for the Best Businesses
Looking for quality gyms in the St. Louis area?
It’s not easy identifying the best local companies, even if you’ve lived in the same city your whole life.
Don’t worry, we got you covered.
Using metrics from major local directories like Google, Yelp and social channels, we’ve created an algorithm that tracks the top businesses in the STL area. Of course, businesses are more than just their online presence. That’s why we’ve also worked with our local networks to factor in offline characteristics like local reputation, quality of services and other anecdotal evidence.
Find and support your favorite local gyms and fitness centers with this exclusive guide today!
House of Pain
Neighborhood: Chesterfield
Are you looking for a gym that stands apart from the crowd, that offers a real sense of community while you maximize your potential as an athlete? The House of Pain is a unique gym that invites people to join its premier fitness and bodybuilding community. There, men and women are challenged to reach peak fitness with personal training, classes, and state-of-the-art exercise equipment. The House of Pain isn’t like regular ho-hum gyms; it offers athletes a chance to build community as they work out.
Shred 415
Neighborhood: Brentwood
Shred 415 offers athletes an opportunity take their fitness to a whole new level they may have never even known existed before. Shred 415 has a bunch of studios open in major U.S. cities, and its St. Louis location is nestled right in Brentwood at 8384 Musick Memorial Drive. Classes are broken up into four 15-minute intervals, which alternate between treadmill running and strength training. This approach allows athletes to maximize intensity and make their workout time well-spent.
Blue Ocean Fitness
Neighborhood: Chesterfield
Not sure how to reach your fitness goals? Come to Blue Ocean Fitness, 161 Long Road in Chesterfield, and the personal trainers will gladly give your fitness journey a real boost. Personal training is the ideal way to unlock the next level in your fitness potential. This studio offers an incredible deal for new people: just $99 for 30 days of personal training. If you come in a few times a week, you’ll quickly see results from your efforts and realize what a great deal you’re getting.
Upper Limits Indoor Rock Climbing
Neighborhood: Chesterfield
Upper Limits Indoor Rock Climbing Gym has three convenient locations in the St. Louis area: downtown, Chesterfield, and Maryland Heights, as well as one in Bloomington, IL. This rock climbing gym is a great place to come for all rock climbing enthusiasts—novices, experts, and anyone in between. The gym has 10 autobelays, which are perfect for beginners to get the hang of climbing without having to worry about learning to belay themselves. Plenty of expert staff members are on-hand at all times to offer assistance, recommendations, and high-fives.
Functional Fitness STL
Neighborhood: Vandeventer
Functional Fitness STL specializes in fat-loss bootcamps and personal training. If you’ve been working hard, trying to lose weight and reach fitness goals, but it’s just too difficult on your own, then try going to Functional Fitness STL. Not only is it a great gym with state-of-the-art equipment and impeccable trainers, but it also provides easy-to-follow nutrition plans that ensure you maximize the benefits of every workout you accomplish.
This Way Ladies Fitness + Wellness
Neighborhood: Princeton Heights
This gym is located at 5840 Hampton Ave., St. Louis. It’s a great place to get a stellar workout in. It has plenty of awesome classes to choose from, including Hatha yoga, VersaBar, KettleBell, Strength and Balance, and others. This Way Ladies Fitness & Wellness Center also offers massage; choose between a 60- or 90-minute session with a Swedish, deep tissue, or prenatal style.
The Exercise Coach
Neighborhood: Clayton
The Exercise Coach has dozens of locations throughout the U.S., including four right here in St. Louis: Clayton, O’Fallon, Town and Country, and Webster Groves. No matter which part of the metro you're from, there’s a location not too far away. What makes The Exercise Coach special is that it offers 1-on-1 strength personal training that’s optimized for scientifically proven results. Schedule your first session at The Exercise Coach today, and you’ll start feeling stronger and leaner in no time.
Fit City Gym
Neighborhood: Lafayette Square
Did you know that according to its website, Fit City has the most diverse strength and cardio equipment in the entire St. Louis region? That’s right; when you go work out at Fit City Gym, there’s always something new to try. Not only does this gym offer an unparalleled workout experience, it also offers infrared saunas, a smoothie bar, tanning beds, and childcare too. You’re going to love coming to Fit City Gym to work out and relax.
Missouri Athletic Club
Neighborhood: Downtown
The Missouri Athletic Club has two locations in St. Louis, one downtown at 405 Washington Ave., and the other west at 1777 Des Peres Road. For more than 100 years, the Missouri Athletic Club has been the go-to destination for St. Louis’ business and civic leaders and their families. There are basketball gyms, squash and tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pools, functional fitness training rooms, personal trainers, massage therapy, dietitians, four restaurants, and many overnight guest rooms. There’s something for everyone at the Missouri Athletic Clubhouses.
St. Louis Fitness Club
Neighborhood: Northampton
This gym is your one-stop shop for an incredible gym experience. Services include group fitness classes, personal training, fitness evaluations, diet consultations, juice bar and supplements, showers and lockers, and childcare. Tanning memberships are also available. You can sign up a free 30-day trial so that you can experience all this gym has to offer at no risk. The club's trainers are incredibly helpful, friendly, and push you to meet your potential at every workout. You’re going to love spending time at the St. Louis Fitness Club.
The Lodge Des Peres
Neighborhood: Des Peres
The Lodge Des Peres provides a fantastic place with excellent staff for neighborhood gatherings. When you come to The Lodge Des Peres, you’ll be treated with utmost respect and kindness. Check out the upcoming Pumpkin Glow event on Oct. 10. The Lodge also frequently hosts charity events like food drives at Thanksgiving, health fairs, and even Nerf wars in the park. There are so many fun things to do at The Lodge Des Peres.
Custom Fitness by MJ
MJ is a world-champion athlete who lives to pass on her wisdom to her clients in St. Louis. MJ offers custom personal coaching services and nutrition counseling. Because of COVID-19, Custom Fitness by MJ has suspended classes at the moment, but follow her Facebook page to be kept abreast of plans to reopen in the near future. Attending classes by Custom Fitness by MJ is a great way to ensure your fitness goals will be met, perhaps even sooner than you anticipated.
The L.A.B. Gym
Neighborhood: Midtown
The L.A.B Gym is a great place for athletes of all kinds. This gym is currently running a special for newcomers: 30% off your first month of 1-on-1 personal training. This gym offers small and large group classes and even virtual coaching for those who prefer to work out in the privacy of their homes without losing the benefits of working with one of the incredible trainers at The L.A.B. Gym. Check out the L.A.B. Gym's website to read about some incredible success stories from its clients.
Dragonfly Fitness + Training
Neighborhood: St. Louis Hills
Wish you could find a great women-only gym? You’ve found it! Dragonfly Fitness and Training is the go-to gym for women-only fitness in the St. Louis area. This gym offers a nice variety of classes to choose from as well as personal fitness coaches for a true personalized experience. Dragonfly Fitness and Training is a small, locally owned business that deeply cares about each woman who walks through the doors, so you’ll never feel like just another customer when you work out there.
Lift for Life Gym
Neighborhood: Columbus Square
The motto at the Lift for Life Gym is: “We lift weights. You lift us.” This refers to Lift for Life Gym’s mission to give at-risk youth a positive, healthy place to be in the afternoons and early evenings. Lift for Life is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making a difference in the community. This gym offers free meals to youth and excellent coaches to more than 218 youth members who go there on a weekly basis.
The Boxing Gym
Neighborhood: Central West End
The Boxing Gym is a great place for all boxing enthusiasts in the St. Louis area. The Boxing Gym is located in the Central West End, at 4151 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis. The Boxing Gym offers cardio fitness, technical kickboxing, and personal training programs that help novice, intermediate, and advanced boxers take their game up a notch. The Boxing Gym is great because each workout you do there will be different, so you’ll never get bored, and you’ll look forward to each time you visit.
Gateway to Crossfit
Neighborhood: Moorlands
Crossfit has become a worldwide phenomenon in the last few years, and for good reason; it’s an incredible, high-intensity workout that often delivers great results. Gateway to Crossfit offers eight Crossfit classes daily, and one on Saturday mornings at 8 a.m., so there’s bound to be one that’ll work with your schedule. Give a class at Gateway to Crossfit a try, and you’ll look forward to your next fantastic workout there.
Move by BJC
Neighborhood: Central West End
Move by BJC is a fitness center located at 4220 Duncan Ave., #103 in St. Louis, MO. It offers plenty of awesome amenities including an 18,000-square-foot fitness center filled with cardio, strength, and free weights. Massage therapy, group personal training, and virtual and live group exercise classes are available too. Each cardio machine is equipped with its own TV, and five big screens dot the space, too. Newcomers are invited to sign up for a free 7-day trial membership so they can check out what Move by BJC has to offer without any risk.
Chesterfield Athletic Club
Neighborhood: Chesterfield
The Chesterfield Athletic Club is such a fun place to come and have a great workout in a top-notch facility. The Chesterfield Athletic Club is home to an incredible tennis team and has a whole host of fitness classes to choose from. The tennis coaches and trainers at Chesterfield Athletic club are some of the best in the entire St. Louis area. Find it at 16625 Swingley Ridge Road in Chesterfield.
Red Fitness Lounge
Neighborhood: Downtown Clayton
Red Fitness Lounge boasts itself to be “Redefining Exercise” as “The best small group personal training gym in St. Louis.” It’s definitely worth a try if you’re a local or visitor to St. Louis. Small group training at Red Fitness Lounge consists of two to four people who develop a real camaraderie as they push through the burn together and encourage one another. Red Fitness Lounge changes up your workouts so you never hit a boredom wall and customizes your plan so that you achieve your fitness goals.
Osteostrong
Neighborhood: Chesterfield, St. Charles, Ballwin, Clayton Center
For newcomers, Osteostrong is currently running a special offer: your first virtual remote session is free, and get a free month. Osteostrong is a fitness center designed around a system to develop skeletal strength. This system has many benefits including better posture, less joint and back pain, enhanced confidence, and improved athletic performance. Sign up for a virtual session, or stop by to learn more about this fascinating system today.
Sante Fitness at The Chase Park Plaza
Neighborhood: Central West End
While Sante Fitness at the Chase Park Plaza is temporarily closed due to the pandemic, residents of the Central West End are looking forward to it reopening, hopefully soon. Santa Fitness at The Chase Park Plaza offers plenty of fitness classes (including cycling, Pilates, yoga, barre, and others), health coaching, C3 program, personal lifestyle assessments, and a beverage bar, so you can take a delicious, healthy smoothie with you into the rest of your day.
9Round Fitness
Neighborhood: Des Peres
9Round Fitness is conveniently located on Manchester Road in Des Peres. Brian and April are the owners and operators of 9Round, and they delight in pushing people to reach their kickboxing and overall fitness goals. Kickboxing is a full-body, 30-minute workout that combines cardio and resistance training. Workouts are changed each day, so no one can say they get bored, and there aren’t scheduled class times, so you can show up whenever your schedule allows. Newcomers can sign up for a free workout!
CrossFit Ready to Live
Neighborhood: O'Fallon
Crossfit Ready to Live is an awesome Crossfit gym in O'Fallon. The coaches don’t just bark orders; they inspire and encourage participants to do their best and offer modifications for anyone who can’t complete a particular move. Crossfit is an incredibly challenging workout, and athletes love the welcoming, community-based atmosphere at Crossfit Ready to Live. Newcomers are invited to sign up for a free trial class.
Show-Me Results Fitness LLC
Neighborhood: The Southampton
Show-Me Results Fitness LLC is a gym that’s been perfectly calibrated to help people reach their goals. Services include personal training, athletic advice, and coaching. Show-Me Results Fitness LLC is offering outside, socially distanced classes so athletes can still get great in-person workouts without sacrificing safety measures. The coaches at Show-Me Results are incredible athletes and also simply wonderful people. Give a class a try today; you won’t regret it at all.
New Era Fitness
Neighborhood: Tower Grove South
New Era Fitness is a gym located at 3165 Morganford Road in St. Louis. New Era Fitness offers individual personal training that’s customized according to the needs and interests of each athlete. It can include customizable meal planning and nutritional coaching. New Era Fitness also offers partner private coaching and group private training for maximum fun. Now is the perfect time to try out New Era Fitness. You’ll feel right at home as soon as you walk in the door.
Freedom Fitness
Neighborhood: LaSalle Park
The motto of Freedom Fitness is: Work + Rest = Grow. It’s all about biohacking at Freedom Fitness, where people are taught about proper measures for unlocking their healthiest, happiest selves. Freedom Fitness has an incredibly technologically advanced machine called The Strength Hacker, which is an Adaptive Resistance Machine (ARX) that enables people to get the most out of their workouts in minimal time. The A.I. bike is another popular option for an excellent workout in a short amount of time. Athletes are also invited to rest and enjoy Near IR light therapy.
Spenga
Neighborhood: Des Peres
Each class at Spenga includes cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility measures through a mix of spin, strength training, and yoga moves. Workouts include aromatherapy and DJ-inspired music that makes each session go by quickly. As soon as you complete your workout at Spenga, you’ll feel so accomplished and have a big smile on your face.