Princeton Club - West

We've been members for over two decades. The staff members are all wonderful. Everyone makes us feel welcome and valued. The facilities are clean and the equipment is maintained, even when it's busy. There are plenty of options in terms of classes, personal training, weight machines, and cardio machines, so there's rarely a wait to get in a good workout.

I have been extremely frustrated with the helpfulness of the Princeton club staff over the last few years. After moving from the west side to the east side I have reached out to them multiple times asking them to send me email updates and closures about the east side, but I still continue to only get updates on the west side. They also don't post all of their special events on the website, so I can't know about things like court closures unless I call before I go. They post the closure only a week ahead of time by the front desk which doesn't always fit in my schedule. In addition there have been multiple times I have been told the courts would be open at a certain time after an event the previous night only to drive to the gym and find it is still closed. This happened again this Sunday morning. I called at 630 am and they told me it would be open at 730, 8 at the latest. I arrived to be told it wouldn't be until at least 1030, so now I can't do my planned work out and have wasted part of my morning again. The front desk staff told me that nobody else is available for me to talk to about my concerns and that she is the only one there. I have spoken to east side management in the past and they have told me I can't cancel since I enrolled at west side and thus need to talk to them. West side tells me I can't cancel unless I have a medical reason and that they are sending me their updates via email. Very poor coordination for what is supposed to be a shared membership, that was supposed to be part of the value of the membership. I will be calling again to see if I can cancel after this latest occurrence. Beyond frustrated. I shared this review with the east side and they again told me they are sorry but can't do anything since I enrolled on west side, again showing the lack of coordination. Not even an attempt to help the situation or talk to me. As I left on Sunday I was given a number to call and left a voicemail, but nobody ever called me back about my concerns! I was told the person would be available at noon. Part of the contract was that there is shared access to all of the Princeton club gyms, but they continue to do this and make it hard for me to use their facilities. No action other than them saying "I'm sorry" has yet been done by them to hold up their end of the contract, but they have no problem taking my money every month. I will repeat here that I want to cancel my membership! Princeton club is not holding up their end of the bargain, and there is no good faith effort to remedy the situation.

They're victim of their own success. It is a great place to work out, but also can be so busy that you spend more time waiting for equipment than using it. It is also more dedicated to casual lifters, with how many treadmills, etc., they have. The website also makes it difficult to find their calendars, so you can inadvertently come and end up not being able do the workout you have planned, like swimming laps. And don't even get me started on how the pools seem to somehow be always filled unless you go super early or super late.

I want to start by saying I genuinely liked the equipment and the facility at Princeton Club. It’s well-maintained, and the front desk staff were always kind and welcoming. Unfortunately, the way my membership situation was handled completely overshadowed that. I had an injury that kept me from using the gym, and I communicated this clearly to the staff. When I signed up, I was told in person that I could cancel for medical reasons with a doctor’s note. But when the injury actually occurred, I was told something entirely different—that I’d need to be disabled long term, not just have a medical reason. This was never explained up front. When I raised my concerns, I was met with a dismissive response and an out-of-context quote that supposedly justified their decision. It felt like a lack of transparency, empathy, and basic customer care. Recovering from an injury is already stressful. To deal with poor communication and zero support from the club made it worse. After reading similar complaints in other reviews, it’s clear this isn’t an isolated issue. I’ve paid for the months that passed, but I will not be freezing or extending my membership. I no longer wish to be part of Princeton Club.

The Princeton club wear has improved from decade ago, however, the membership is still annual and holding members as hostages is still ongoing. Pretty obsolete model due to owners old school mindset. People would be joining more willingly and feel better about their membership if they had flexibility just like any other yoga or Pilates studios offer. There is a neat shop added with smoothies, meals and the menu. Looks really great. Also selling powders and some treats. Pleasant addition to the facility. Tons of fitness classes to choose from. Overall best you can find in Madison sadly for Madison.