Bally's story can be traced back to the late 1930s, when a little-known pinball manufacturer in Chicago, Illinois, refined its factories to produce flight equipment for World War II. Ballyhoo's business diversified and boomed in the ‘50s, and within 40 years they became the largest owner and operator of fitness centers in the world. Though their size has ballooned, their mission remains the same: to help each of their clients achieve their ideal bodies through personal training, high-tech workout machines, and heart-pumping group classes. The gym's approach to fitness educates and introduces exercisers to workouts without a steep learning curve or mandatory speed dates with elliptical machines.