Back in 2019, Lululemon announced that it wasn’t just opening a new store in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, it was opening an experience. Retail, yes. Classes? Yes. Workout studio space? Double yes. Locker Rooms? Yes. A cafe? Yes.

Lululemon’s Lincoln Park location is a two-level experience that takes up 20,000 square feet of floor space, and it’s been on my list to get to since before the pandemic hit. A last minute business trip earlier in the week had me on a plane to Chicago on 48 hours notice, therefore, I fell right back into old habit of plugging a local lulu location into my GPS the minute I shuffled off the plane and claimed my rental car.

lululemon Lincoln Park: 944 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

Lower Level: Womenswear and Accessories

The lower level features the largest pant wall any of us have ever seen. Surprisingly, stock seemed a bit low. I generally expect flagships to have EVERYTHING, included Limited Edition. However, it was very well kept. I can see how the wall could easily get out of hand on a busy day during the holiday season, but on this random Wednesday, the Educator team had it handled.

Upper Level: Menswear

I was running my phone battery down pretty quickly trying to capture but photo and video, so some these pics of the men’s section are grabs from video. Sorry for the less than crispy quality! The Chicago flagship features the largest selection of lululemon men’s attire out there. Super fit and manly mannequins abound. Hubba hubba.

Upper Level: Locker Rooms

As I was off in the corner peeking around at every corridor, an Educator approached and asked if I needed a fitting room. I admitted I’d already tried my pieces on and at this point given that I’m from out of town, I was simply wandering around and geeking out over the place.

She says, “Have you seen the locker rooms? They are next level. Follow me!” Thankfully the place was completely empty, so I was able to snap some photos.

This location features two group workout/yoga studios, therefore, there are both Men’s and Women’s locker rooms like you’d find in a traditional fitness facility.

The locker room features all the typical shower/toilet/sink amenities. The decor was very bright and clean, and featured several nice touches. Towels, sage in the showers, flat irons available for use, and multiple Dyson (!!!) hair dryers.

Upper Level: Fuel / Coffee, Hip-Hop & Mental Health

Once I picked my jaw up off the floor over the shiny white room, I moved on to Fuel, which is the cafe/community space upstairs. It’s got a Starbucks feel. Local art on display, a wall featuring all of the Chicago Ambassadors, and almost all tables were full with people using the space to meet up.

I overheard an Educator on a Zoom call at a nearby table say that a local non-profit organization called Coffee, Hip-Hop and Mental Health had temporarily taken over Fuel while their space is under construction. Hence, the non-lululemon merch available for sale in the photos.

I opted to treat myself to an Iced Rihanna’s Coconut Cinnamon Latte with Oat Milk. It was the most expensive latte I’ve ever consumed. It was also one of the most amazing. I’ll definitely be trying to imitate it on my own at home, given that $10 lattes are out of my price range for habitual consumption. (But $100 stretchy pants aren’t. I make no sense.)

aaaaand OF COURSE I headed into the fitting room, but I’ll save that for the next post! ☺️