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Club Athletic has opened Old Town Athletic in Chicago and plans to open a second studio, Lake Street Athletic, in the West Loop on Oct. 12. The moves mark the New York fitness brand’s first expansion into the Midwest as it pursues growth beyond its home market.
Club Athletic, a New York-based fitness company, opened its first Chicago studio in Old Town on Sept. 21 and is preparing to open a second in the West Loop on Oct. 12. The two sites mark the brand’s first expansion into the Midwest as it looks beyond New York City for growth.
The first Chicago location, Old Town Athletic, is at 1350 N. Wells Street. The planned second studio, Lake Street Athletic, is at 1035 W. Lake Street. The company has been holding free community workouts at the West Loop site ahead of its scheduled grand opening.
Club Athletic’s model centers on fixed groups of 20 members who train twice a week with the same coach. Its strength and conditioning workouts use progressive 12-week programming cycles, and each location offers the same daily workout, according to the company’s description reported by Athletech News.
Both Chicago studios include turf areas for the brand’s Hybrid program, which is aimed at people training for endurance competitions such as Hyrox. The locations also have post-workout lounges and coffee bars. Club Athletic says its broader schedule includes run clubs, drop-in classes and monthly social events.
A Midwest Test for Club Athletic
The Chicago openings put Club Athletic’s New York-developed group model into a new regional market and give the company two locations from which to build a local membership base. The expansion also broadens competition in Chicago’s fitness market, where the brand will be asking customers to commit to recurring, coach-led sessions rather than relying only on individual drop-in workouts.
The format’s fixed squads and social programming are central to the company’s pitch: members train with the same people and coach, while events extend activity beyond the workout. Whether that structure draws and retains Chicago members is not yet established by the opening announcement. The two studios nevertheless make Chicago the first stated step in a wider expansion plan beyond New York.
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From New York Group to Chicago Studios
Founder Dane McCarthy started the business in 2021 as a small outdoor workout group. By May, when it rebranded from The Athletic Clubs to Club Athletic, the company operated seven New York City locations and said it served more than 2,000 members. Those figures describe the company at that time, not its current Chicago membership.
The rebrand coincided with plans to expand outside New York. McCarthy identified Chicago and Washington, D.C. among the markets under consideration, with additional markets discussed for 2027. The Chicago studios are the first expansion beyond the New York area described in the source report.
Club Athletic has also attracted outside capital. Athletech News reported that a $3.5 million funding round in 2025 was led by Anne Mahlum, founder of Solidcore. The report does not detail how the funding is allocated or provide financial projections for the Chicago launch.
“When we started Club Athletic in New York, we set out to redefine how people build consistency and connection in their daily lives.”
— Dane McCarthy, Club Athletic founder
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Chicago Membership and Expansion Plans
The source report gives the studios’ addresses and opening schedule but does not state Chicago membership totals, pricing, capacity, or early attendance. It is also not clear how many members have joined either location or whether the West Loop studio will open on the stated date as planned.
The company has outlined growth beyond New York, including Washington, D.C., and additional markets in 2027, but the report does not identify confirmed addresses or opening dates for those future locations. It also provides no operating or financial results that would show how the Chicago expansion is performing.
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West Loop Opening and Local Growth
The next stated milestone is the scheduled Oct. 12 grand opening of Lake Street Athletic. Community workouts have been taking place at the West Loop location ahead of that date, according to the report. The company’s subsequent progress will depend on how the two studios develop their local membership and programming.
Club Athletic has previously named Washington, D.C., and further markets in 2027 as part of its growth ambitions. No specific launch dates or details for those markets are confirmed in the source material. Further announcements, along with information on Chicago enrollment and operations, would clarify how quickly the company intends to expand.
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Key Questions
Where is Club Athletic’s first Chicago studio?
Old Town Athletic is at 1350 N. Wells Street and opened Sept. 21.
When is the West Loop location scheduled to open?
Lake Street Athletic, at 1035 W. Lake Street, is scheduled for an Oct. 12 grand opening. The date is reported as planned, not as a confirmed completed opening.
How does Club Athletic’s training model work?
The brand places members in fixed groups of 20 that work out twice a week with the same coach. Strength and conditioning sessions follow progressive 12-week programming cycles, according to the report.
Is Club Athletic expanding to other cities?
The company has named Washington, D.C. and additional markets in 2027 as expansion goals. The source report does not give confirmed opening dates or locations for those plans.
Source: rss
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