DEXA Scans in Chicago, IL

Two published North Side options: Blue Zone Longevity at 1747 N Elston Ave (60642), a longevity clinic on the Elston corridor near Bucktown and the 606, and Live Lean Rx Chicago at 1519 W Foster Ave (60640), phone (312) 650-9856, a dedicated body-composition lab at Foster and Clark on Andersonville's southern edge. Text or call Dexascans.com at (786) 420-6630 and we'll book you into whichever is closer.

Booked through Dexascans.com, body composition DEXA runs $149, bone density is $199, and the complete package — body composition plus bone density and visceral fat assessment — is $249. Pricing is flat at both Chicago locations, HSA/FSA cards work, and there are no facility fees like you'd see at a hospital imaging department.

For body composition, no — book directly at either the Elston Avenue or Foster Avenue location. A physician's order only matters if you want a bone density scan billed to insurance for osteoporosis screening; self-pay bone density requires no referral. Many clients bring their DEXA report to their Northwestern or UChicago physician afterward instead.

The dose is roughly one-tenth of a chest X-ray — less than a single day of natural background radiation, and far less than a round-trip flight out of O'Hare. The scan is painless and non-invasive, which is why athletes safely repeat it several times a year to track training blocks.

Everything a scale can't: body fat percentage, lean muscle mass by region (each arm, each leg, trunk), bone mineral density with clinical T-scores, and — in the complete package — visceral fat around your organs. Runners use the regional data for imbalances; lifters use it to verify recomposition; everyone gets a bone-health baseline.

About 30 minutes door to door, with 10-15 minutes of table time — easy to slot before a 606 run from the Elston corridor or after an Andersonville coffee on Clark. Your full report arrives within 24 hours at either location.

InBody and other bioimpedance scanners estimate composition from an electrical current, and readings swing 5-8% with hydration — sweat out a summer Lakefront Trail run first and the number is fiction. DEXA measures tissue directly with low-dose X-ray at ±1-2% accuracy, the same method used in sports science research. It's the difference between an estimate and a measurement.

Bone density DXA is commonly covered when ordered by a physician documenting medical necessity — the same test doctors across Northwestern Medicine, UChicago Medicine, and Rush order for osteoporosis screening — and Medicare covers screening bone density scans. Body composition scanning is self-pay wellness testing at $149, payable with HSA/FSA funds.

606 and West Side runners: Blue Zone Longevity is about a half-mile from the trail's eastern trailhead at Walsh Park, just off the Kennedy on Elston. Lakefront regulars on the northern miles: Live Lean Rx at Foster and Clark is roughly a mile and a half west of Foster Beach, straight down Foster Avenue. Either way it's one text to (786) 420-6630 to book.

Marathoners and triathletes tracking lean mass through training cycles; lifters verifying recomposition; and longevity-minded professionals building a data baseline. Blue Zone Longevity suits the optimization crowd — DEXA plus VO2 max and RMR in one longevity-clinic visit — while Live Lean Rx is a focused, in-and-out body-composition lab. Both deliver the same gold-standard scan; we'll help you pick.