River North Gym Club Closures, Reopenings and Happenings

Hello RNG Community!

As communicated via email today, please see below (we realize not everyone receives emails!)

As per Governor J.B Pritzker’s announcement today (Tuesday, 11/17/2020), and in accordance with the Illinois Department of Public Health Order, the state of Illinois will implement its Tier 3 resurgence mitigations effective Friday, November 20, 2020 at 12:01 am CST.

Read NBC’s Coverage of the Developing Story Here

Regarding health and fitness centers, please note the excerpt within the article that is applicable:
“Health and Fitness Centers: These centers will be allowed to operate at no more than 25% capacity. No indoor group classes will be allowed, and locker rooms are ordered to close. Facial coverings must be worn at all times, including by those exercising. Reservations will also be required.”

Below are the ONLY items that will change at RNG:

• Please email us at inforng@teamexos.com to reserve your workout time. Simply state your first name, last name and start time you will come into the gym.
• Please assume your reservation is confirmed if you do not hear back via email or phone from the RNG team.
• RNG does not anticipate reaching 25% capacity, as we still have not since June 26, 2020 upon reopening in Phase 4.
• Since locker rooms (and showers) will be temporarily restricted as per the state of Illinois, we have created a simple coat and/or bag check system for you! Instead of getting assigned a locker, you will get a ticket just like at any coat check.
• We will keep your coats, bags and belongings safely stored and monitored while you enjoy your workout.
• Indoor classes will be temporarily suspended per the state of Illinois. We hope this will not last very long!
• If we are able to teach any classes online, we will let you know.

Thank you for your continued support of our local, small business!

Sincerely,

Bernie and the Team at RNG

 

600 WEST MEMBERS: Please click here to read the email which pertains to you*

Friendly reminder: The 600 West club remains closed for renovations. Please refer to specific details within this email regarding access to the Mart location.

If you have read over this email and still have a question, please email us at either 600w@rivernorthgym.com (if you are a 600 member) or info@rivernorthgym.com (if you are a Mart member).

Below are some key safety guidelines and club protocols as explained in the email:

• RNG employees and members must wear face coverings in order to enter both the Merchandise Mart building and River North Gym.
• RNG members must exercise with a face covering on per city of Chicago guidelines.
• RNG employees and members must get their temperatures taken via a no-contact thermometer prior to entering the club.
• If any person should have a temperature greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, he/she will be kindly asked to leave the facility.
• RNG employees and members who are not feeling well or display any of the following symptoms will not be permitted into the club:Fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath.
• Shared equipment usage will be limited.
• All equipment must be wiped down with RNG-provided sanitation wipes (effective against the coronavirus, COVID-19) after EACH USE. There are no exceptions.
• RNG has invested in a new cleaning technology called the airPHX which kills microbes in the air and on surfaces.
• RNG staff members utilize a hospital-grade cleaning solution to clean stationary gym equipment, functional equipment, mats, floors and high-touch surfaces throughout the day.
• Cleaning is a requirement of the entire RNG staff, better known as the Cleaning Team! RNG staff members are be divided into sections to monitor and clean!
• All members and guests (whether current members or prospective members or guests) must sign a NEW liability waiver upon entry into the club.
• Members and guests will be provided sanitizer bottles and towels for purposes of wiping down equipment before and after each visit.
• Members are able to utilize small sweat towels if they should choose, although bringing your own towels are recommended.
• Showers and locker rooms will be open and 6-foot social distance measures will be in place.
• If you would like to access a locker and/or shower during your workout, please inform the front desk when you check in, as you will be assigned a locker or shower (don’t forget to check out!)
• Shower towels will NOT be available for safety reasons. Please plan accordingly.
• Bring your own water bottle, or please purchase a bottle of water at the front desk.
• Drinking water fountains are not accessible; (you will be able to fill your water bottle, however!)

We can’t wait to see you!!!!

 

*Updated Saturday, April 25, 2020*

*****Hello Members! We miss you all so much! We also hope you are staying happy, healthy and active!*****

At this time, please note both of our River North Gym clubs remain closed, and due to the extended government-mandated “shelter in place” order which was announced April 23, we are now closed through May 30, 2020.  We plan to welcome you back on June 1, 2020 yet will keep you updated on our website with any changes if needed.

*Updated Wednesday, April 15, 2020*

Hello RNG Members! We miss you all very much!

Additionally, we’d like to provide some FAQs to help you remain in the loop during these unprecdented and ever-changing times we live and work in today! Please read on, and please continue to check our website for updates.  Our website is the one-stop-shop for information pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic! We appreciate all of you! Don’t forget to join us online for workouts via Instagram Live!!!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is RNG billing me for my membership dues or personal training program while they are closed down at both the Merchandise Mart and 600 West locations?

No. We turned off all billing activities on March 25, 2020. Therefore, all member billing, including programming, is stopped while we are closed. No further action is required from you. We ask you kindly to please wait until we re-open to submit additional requests to ensure they are processed in a timely fashion.

Will I receive a credit for my membership dues if I was billed prior to the day RNG turned off the billing feature (prior to March 25th)?

Yes.  All members will receive the appropriate credit amounts within 30 days of both RNG clubs re-opening. We have previously communicated this and while things may change, please bear with us, as we are working with our billing company to identify credits for our entire membership base across both clubs. While we’d like to reopen, we are following the federal, state and local governments’ orders to remain closed and therefore cannot reopen until further notice.

When will River North Gym reopen to its members?

We are hopeful the shelter in place order will be lifted by April 30, 2020 in Illinois and that we can reopen on May 1, 2020.  This is subject to change and the decision to reopen will be driven by government orders.  The safety and happiness of our members and employees is our first priority.!

Am I able to cancel my membership?

Yes, yet we kindly ask you to reconsider this.  We are not collecting any membership revenue from our members while we are closed and will clearly communicate a reopening plan once we have one in place.  If you absolutely must cancel, please provide your written request to your appropriate club:

Merchandise Mart: info@rivernorthgym.com

600 West Chicago Ave.: 600w@rivernorthgym.com

If I send an email to my home club, will someone respond?

Yes. While we are responding to each request individually, we ask you to please be mindful that we are operating with a very lean team and you may wait up to 4 business days for a response.  We appreciate your patience and understanding!

Is RNG renting equipment to members?

No, not at this time due to various reasons.

Thank you!

RNG Management Team

 

*Updated Wednesday, April 1, 2020*

*We will continue to update our website with IMPORTANT information! We encourage you to please check in here often in order to receive answers to potential questions!*

At this time, please note both of our River North Gym clubs remain closed, and due to the extended government-mandated “shelter in place” order which was announced March 31, we are closed through April 30, 2020.  We plan to welcome you back on May 1, 2020 yet will keep you updated on our website with any changes if needed.

If you have high-priority questions or comments, we encourage you to email us per the below email addresses, based on your home location:

(1) Merchandise Mart members: info@rivernorthgym.com

(2) 600 West Chicago Ave. members: 600w@rivernorthgym.com

We also invite you to engage with is online as we are offering FREE live and prerecorded group fitness classes on Instagram (@rivernorthgym) and other great stuff on Facebook!  We are relentlessly working on new ways to engage with you digitally!

If you have NOT received regular email communications from us, this likely means your email address on file is not your primary account. Please email us at the corresponding email address above to quickly update your email address on file so that you can stay informed! 🙂

*Updated Tuesday, March 24, 2020*

We miss you, River North Gym members!  Please note we are approaching this challenging situation on an hour-by-hour basis, and with that said, please know we are doing our very best to identify the proper course of action to take for our members and employees! The health and safety of our members and employees remains our #1 priority, and as a part of the Chicago community, we will be thrilled once we can welcome you back to River North Gym!

At this time, please note both of our River North Gym clubs remain closed, and due to the government-mandated “shelter in place” order which took effect in Illinois on March 21, 2020 at 5:00 pm, we are closed through April 7, 2020.  We plan to re-open on April 8, 2020 yet will keep you updated on our website with any changes if needed.

Please note we have also modified our approach to billing, and effective on March 25, 2020 all member billing, including personal training programming, is suspended while we are closed.  If you were billed during the initial period, March 17 through March 24, please note as per our original plan communicated on March 17, we will issue a credit to your account whether that be for membership, personal training, or another service within 30 days of re-opening.  All personal training packages have been extended in terms of expiration dates.

We do understand you may have questions about your membership or how you can support our small, locally owned business during the dual club closures. While we do welcome questions, please note we are not able to answer phones and also have a very small team working behind the scenes.  If you have questions or comments, we encourage you to email us per the below email addresses, based on your home location:

Merchandise Mart members: info@rivernorthgym.com

600 West Chicago Ave. members: 600w@rivernorthgym.com

With daily schedules being disrupted, we’d like to help keep your daily routines in place! We encourage you to please follow us on Instagram where we will continue to host live classes for you all!  We are continuing to create new online content which will also live on our IGTV platform, so if you can’t make one of our live classes, you can join us any time you’d like!   Please follow us on Facebook as well, and feel free to share our social media posts/links as we continue to engage with you all in the digital world! Any suggestions?  Drop us a line at one of the email addresses listed above!

As always, thank you for choosing RNG to be the place you decompress, work out and have fun. Our community means the world to us and we are committed to reopening as soon as it’s safe. We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more!

*Updated Tuesday, March 18, 2020*

We’re all in this TOGETHER!

With the latest updates from the CDC, our Governor J.B. Pritzker, and from listening to our members, it is with heavy hearts River North Gym will be suspending operations beginning Wednesday, March 18th through March 31st.

These are very challenging times and our team is working to deliver answers to our members and our employees.

As always, thank you for choosing RNG to be the place you workout. Our community means the world to us and we are committed to reopening as soon as it’s safe. We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more.

In order to better serve you and your needs with RNG in this time of elevated communication, we ask you to please fill out the form below so that we can address everyone’s questions and concerns in a timely and efficient manner.

Thank you as we all work through this together!