A Message From
The Founder and CEO
We are excited to welcome you back to FFC!
Safety has always been one of our five Core Values (Safety, Superior Service, Friendliness, Integrity, and Improvement). Safety is more important now than ever and will be paramount in garnering your confidence as we move forward. We get one chance to make a great first impression, and we don’t take that responsibility lightly.
These FitSafe guidelines are designed to keep our staff and their families, our members and their families, and each of our surrounding communities as safe as possible. This framework has been established in conjunction with the Restore Illinois plans, most specifically, Phase IV. Please pay close attention to the FitPledge, which we are asking both team and members alike to abide by.
On behalf of the entire FFC Team, we look forward to working together to keep FFC a FitSafe and FitClean network of clubs. Thank you for your understanding, support and continued patronage during this extraordinary time!
Be well,
Gale Landers
CEO and Founder
Fitness Formula Clubs
Watch Both Of Our Welcome Back Videos!
Member Responsibility
FitPledge
Our number one goal is to keep our clubs FitClean and FitSafe. To do this, we need your help. The FitPledge is designed to clearly lay out our expectations for our staff and members. Together, we can limit the spread of COVID-19 and keep our community safe.
Social Responsibility Agreement
We have emailed out a Social Responsibility Agreement for you to review and sign. ***Members must sign this agreement digitally, through the email link sent, prior to your first visit/use of any FFC location. Thanks in advance for your prompt attention to this agreement.
General Member Guidelines
- Avoid person-to-person contact, including handshakes, hugs and high fives.
- Please practice safe social distancing when in close, shared spaces like locker rooms and bathrooms. Follow the markers placed around the club to maintain a safe distance.
- FFC will be providing small cleaning spray bottles for you with a black cleaning towel to use to wipe down equipment before and after use. The bottles are filled with our Tersano Stabilized Aqueous Ozone Solution. Bottles will be available at Sanitizing Stations throughout the facility and will be cleaned after each use.
- Alternately, you are welcome to use the disinfecting gym wipes on all equipment surfaces before and after use. These can be used to disinfect your hands as well.
- Wash hands at the beginning and end of your visit and after coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose or touching your face.
- If you have a cough, fever or symptoms of COVID-19, please do not attend the club until these symptoms have subsided.
- If you have tested positive for COVID-19, or have knowingly come into close contact with someone who has, we ask that you do not come to the club for 14 days or until you’ve tested negative for COVID-19.
- If you don’t feel well or have any concerns about coming to the club, please stay home and stay safe.
- Wearing masks: suburban locations – Wearing masks while in the club/working out is encouraged but not required. Masks will be required upon entry, in all elevators and temperature checks. All FFC staff are required to wear a mask at all times.
- Wearing masks: city locations – Wearing masks while in the club/working out is required by the city of Chicago as well as upon entry, in elevators and temperature checks. All FFC staff are required to wear a mask at all times.
FitSafe Technology and Tools
- The FFC FitClean Guideline: All staff, regardless of position, are responsible for cleaning. First, members will clean their equipment/areas used with disinfecting wipes, then staff provide a secondary disinfection with Stabilized Aqueous Ozone solution.
- We will expand our daily cleaning protocols to include a detailed, periodic sanitation schedule, inclusive of post-closing procedures. Particular attention will be paid to high touch contact points.
- This expectation extends to our facilities and equipment, with cutting edge housekeeping technologies and tools.
- Click the link below to learn more about our new technologies and tools, like: airphx, which continually sanitizes the air at all FFC Locations, Tersano SAO, our powerful and safe new cleaning solution, and Matsana, which sanitizes our yoga mats.
FitSafe Guidelines By Area
Universal Guidelines for All Areas of the Club
- Members and staff will together follow the FFC FitClean Guidelines.
- Throughout our facilities, please look for signage, floor markings and other changes to minimize bottlenecks and congregation areas and to provide safe social distancing between members.
- Accessory tools such as bands, ropes and other permeable items that may be difficult to properly disinfect between users may be removed from fitness areas. These items will be checked out at the front desk with a photo ID, and sanitized by staff before and after each use.
- Disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer stations will be visible, labeled and available throughout all fitness areas.
Occupancy Trackers and Club Limits
- Club operating hours will initially be reduced and may vary by location.
- ffc.com will feature an occupancy tracker per location, providing members with a real-time view on check-ins relative to the current maximum, as well as trending averages across the day so members can better plan their visits. Should maximum occupancy be reached, access will be restricted to one in/one out.
- Occupancy time will be initially limited to 90 minutes per visit.
- Guests of members may initially be prohibited in the club. Scheduled appointments for tours will be allowed.
Front Desk: Member Arrival and Circulation
- Upon arrival, you will have access to hand sanitizer and your temperature will be taken with a contactless temporal thermometer. If you have a temperature reading of 100.4 or above, or if you refuse to have your temperature taken, you will be asked to leave.
- A protective screen may separate you from our staff at the check-in desk and other transaction points in the club.
- Please note that for the foreseeable future, towel service will be available at the check-in desk only.
- Elevator capacity will be limited to abide by all social distancing guidelines.
Cardio and Strength: DIY Fitness Areas
- Cardio equipment will be selectively decommissioned or removed to allow for appropriate spacing and to minimize potential germ transfer.
- Strength benches and free weights will be spaced to allow for appropriate physical distancing. All equipment is to remain in place and is not to be moved.
- FFC staff will be readily visible in all fitness areas, providing periodic cleaning and assurance that all guidelines are being followed.
- Eucalyptus towels will not be available for the foreseeable future.
Basketball Courts
- Basketball courts will be decommissioned for competitive play. These spaces may be repurposed for appropriate alternative uses with appropriate safe social distancing measures in place.
- Basketballs will be kept at the front desk for check out for individual shoot arounds, in exchange for a member photo ID. Basketballs will be sanitized by staff after each use.
- All teams and leagues will be suspended. These will resume as circumstances evolve that support the safe functioning of teams and leagues.
Signature Group Fitness Studios
***Please be advised that all in-person group fitness classes will begin approximately 10 days after the clubs reopen. We will still be offering online classes – see the schedule at ffc.com/schedule. ***
In all studio spaces, the following common protocols will be followed:
- Advance reservations must be made to attend any group fitness class via the CLASSES section of the main FFC app. More details to follow soon.
- Basketball courts will be used to accommodate optimum spacing and class size.
- Participation and equipment will be restricted to allow for safe social distancing. Floor markings will be used to indicate appropriate physical distancing from the next member.
- Class schedules will be reduced so that housekeeping can complete thorough disinfection between sessions. We will allow a minimum of 30 minutes between classes.
- Group Fitness instructors will not provide hands-on assistance or adjustments.
- In studios with two doors: one may be determined as “In” and the other as “Out” to alleviate bottlenecks and enhance social distancing.
- All FFC yoga mats will be sanitized by the Matsana UV-C light system before and after each session.
HIIT Corner (Boxing)
The following protocols will be followed:
- Hanging bags will be selectively removed to allow for safe social distancing.
- Members must bring their own boxing gloves or practice shadow boxing; no communal gloves will be available.
Personal Training, Small Group Training, Pilates
- Personal training will resume.
- Spotting, hands on assists or stretching will be reduced to only when absolutely necessary for the needs of the client, and upon member consent.
- Trainers will adhere to social distancing guidelines.
- Trainers will wash or sanitize their hands prior to all PT sessions.
- Limited small group training will be sized in accordance with safe social distancing, and/or relocated to larger areas, such as basketball courts. Advance reservations must be made to attend any group fitness class via the CLASSES section of the main FFC app.
- Pilates reformer machines will be selectively available to allow for safe social distancing.
Pool, Steam, Sauna and Whirlpool Facilities
The reopening of our swimming pool facilities (indoor and outdoor) will be made in the context of relevant government and health authority guidance and best practices under the following protocols:
- Pools may be used for lap swimming only. Lap lanes may be occupied by only one member at a time; no sharing of lanes will be permitted. Similar social distancing will be required at outdoor pools.
- For indoor lap swimming, you must reserve a lane to swim via the BOOKING section of the main FFC app. The reservation system will be active 24 hours in advance. For example, for Wednesday, July 1, the reservation system will be active on Tuesday, June 30.
- All pool equipment will be removed.
- Pools will initially be adult only; no children will be allowed until further notice.
- Members must shower before entering the pool.
- Indoor furniture will be removed from the pool deck.
- Outdoor furniture and chaise lounges will be positioned at a safe social distance. Families can group furniture as needed, to be repositioned after use. Furniture and lounges will be sanitized after each use.
- Members will be required to place a towel on all seats and lounges before use; towels must be returned to a towel drop location. Towels will only be available at front desk check-in.
- Private swimming lessons will be permitted. Private and semi-private lessons (two participants) will resume. Group lessons will be evaluated individually and phased in over time.
- HydroFIT classes will have specific protocols implemented.
- Steam, sauna and whirlpool facilities will be decommissioned due to government guidelines. Decisions on the reopening of these spaces will be made in the context of relevant government and health authority guidance and best practices.
Locker Rooms
Locker rooms will be available in limited capacity, including:
- Selectively reduce (lock) lockers to maximize safe social distancing.
- Certain communal amenities may be removed. As phases evolve, amenities will be reincorporated and assessed continually.
- Frequent sanitization of all shared surfaces, including showers, sinks, toilets, lockers and countertops.
- Laundry service will continue, but all clothes will not removed from the laundry bag. We will discontinue folding.
Local’84 Cafes and Retail
- All food service facilities will be reduced to grab-and-go beverages and pre-packaged food.
- The full reopening of our cafes and restaurants will be made in the context of relevant government and health authority guidance and best practices.
- Staff will wear PPE while preparing food, cleaning food areas and in any member-facing function.
- Pay points may have a plexiglass barrier between staff and members. All sales will be cashless transactions.
- Pay points and counters will be wiped with disinfectant after each use.
- All shared condiments, cups, and amenities (e.g. coffee, water) will be removed.
Spa
Spa Services will not be immediately available upon re-opening the club. These services will be phased in at a later date.
Kids Club
Kids Club will be available upon re-opening our clubs on a limited schedule at certain locations, and will be phased in at others. Please check your club location specifically at ffc.com/club-locations.
Advance reservations are required for all Kids Club use via the BOOKING section of the main FFC app.