March madness March right into the madness of a managerial catastrophe. It is 2:45pm on a Sunday afternoon, basketball season is in full swing, and tv monitors are on and about 20 gathered around for a big game, and that’s when all tv monitors go OFF. Gym closes at 3pm on Sunday, 9pm on week days, and 6pm on a Saturday. So lights, music, sauna and steam, and tvs go off 15 minutes before. Not an early riser here but even early hours are not as great. I have made contact with so many of members that actually go to the gym and their first and foremost complaint is the hours of operation for the gym. The gym realizes the issue as this wasn’t how they kicked people out, this only started after people start retaliating against hours of operations and willfully stayed until exact moments of closing. This frustrated general manager who now has all these things go off every day on a timer to force people to leave. With winter day time hours being short, there is nothing much to do in the winter and people usually choose to stay for indoors activities such the gym or go for a swim. It was in the golden era of this gym that hours were until 10pm in the winter. However according to false statistics provided by yet again the general manager to his buddy friend, the owner, that less and less people show up in the last hour and it wasn’t worth it for them to extend the hours anymore to 10pm. Now theoretically speaking, if this gym changed their hours to let’s say to 6pm there will be less and less people statistically showing up at 5 than they ever had before. This luxury (not any more) property that it claims itself and charges way above average (over $60 usually) for membership a month cant afford having a worker stay one extra hour and pay the $13/hr that they pay, while planet fitness opens 24/7 and charges $10/month. Yes I am comparing it to planet fitness, or even better yet anytime fitness which has more equipment variety than this gym, and cheaper. It is sad to have to write a review like this as the facility in itself is nice and has so much potential yet its complete management disaster overshadows everything. This is a prime teaching example of business failure, but unfortunately the manager is rude and owner is in complete denial. They never listen to their members and they say that there are less people in the last hour they open and that’s why it is why it is that way. um yea if you’re going to turn your monitors and lights off then of course people will want to leave. They go into the sauna and steam they open the doors 15 minutes prior to force people to get out. I have met, sat in the sauna, and ran into people outside in the community, families, kids, all have same complaint about the hours. So many of which are not renewing and so many of which are dropping the idea of even signing up. Gym is struggling with new memberships and they are in complete denial of why that is. This is a gym that revolves around itself and not the community.

I’ve been a member of this gym since it opened 6 years ago and it has been on a downward decline from day one. They promised a basketball court that never happened, hours have been cut been significantly, they’ve begun charging for things that used to be included, you have to ask for a towel at the front desk when they used to be available in the locker room and they never have clean workout towels. The majority of the cardio and spin bikes have electrical and/or mechanical issues. The staff is rude and has no concept of customer service. They have gone through multiple GMs and seemed to be solely focused on cost cutting instead of providing a good workout experience for their paying members. Planet Fitness, 24 hour fitness, Southshore and even the Y all have just as good if not better equipment and their staff is actually helpful - save your money and frustration and go to one of those!

I have been a member of Renaissance Athletic Center since May of 2021 (I am writing this in December 2022). If you are in the Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, or Stevensville area, I highly recommend making this place your "workshop". Ever since I started going, I have been treated with kindness and respect by the entire staff. They are hardworking experts in their given fields, and it has been a joy getting to see each and every one of them on a daily basis. The facility itself is top-notch, including every piece of equipment and amenity that anyone pursuing a healthy and happy lifestyle could ever ask for (even a cold tub!!!). The classes and the instructors that guide you through them are a blast (both in terms of fun and calorie-burn!). I am grateful to have such a high quality facility in my hometown!

Great gym and environment. People are just in there doing their own thing. Motivational sayings are everywhere you look. They have a pool, hot tub and steam room with multiple showers. I love that is gem is black owned!

This is the best gym by far in St Joe, i tried many places before signing up as a member. I moved from Philly in March 2018 and i am an existing LA Fitness Member since last 4 years and i hated that there is no LA Fitness around St Joe. So , i tried many other fitness places and ended up in Renaissance as a colleague of mine recommended me to pay visit. I totally was amazed on my first visit , The area is neat and clean very well organized racks for Dumbbells. Nice training rooms for stretching and locker rooms are very well maintained with clean toilets. I am completely satisfied with the maintenance. Staff is very nice and polite. They greet you very well. Thread mill, elliptical and Stair master are top notch. Equipment is very new and well maintained. I enjoy every day visiting this place after work for an hour and half workout. Smoothie bar is a big asset. I don't have any complaints so far, besides they are little pricey on the membership side. Keep up the good work .

Gym catered to the retirement community of St Joseph. There is not a single class offered that a person who works a 9-5 could possibly attend.

The RAC is the best. It's clean, the equipment is top-notch and the classes/instructors are wonderful. (Especially Stace's spinning classes!) The value of the classes and instructors alone more than pays for the membership. Ben at the front desk was incredibly helpful in setting up a temporary membership for myself and my partner, and I'll absolutely be coming back the next time that I'm back in SJ. I completely, 100% recommend the RAC if you're looking for an energy outlet, especially during the winter months.

Pictures don't do it justice. Very nice weight room with lots of free weights and great machines. Also very clean

If you like to swim laps or take classes, this is the place to go! I’ve tried other gyms in the area and when I lived out of town, and I’ve never found a better lap swimming pool than this place. Also what’s great is they never book the lanes, which is often a problem for open swim at other gyms. They have a nice cycling studio and those classes are great (never tried other classes but I have heard they are good). Their membership prices are more reasonable now than they were a couple of years ago.

Great space and equipment, awesome group classes, amazing staff!

Love this place. Its clean, the staff is always available, there is enough equipment that you rarely have to wait. The day care is awesome, the staff puts the weights away when moms don't come to pick up after the twenty somethings. My whole family works out here. And you can end your workout with a steam or a saun .