Wang YMCA of Chinatown

The location at this YMCA is extremely convenient, because it is right next door to the Tufts medical station on the orange line. You walk out, 100 feet, and you are in the YMCA. That is a major plus.
The locker room is not much to look at; many of the lockers are bent, damaged, and the room consistently feels steamy. It is essentially a case of athletes foot, waiting to happen. You are better off not lounging too long in the locker room, because it is a place to get dressed, and get on with business.
Now, one thing you need to know about Jonathan S is that he takes his work outs very seriously. They are my me time, a chance to clear my thoughts, go on autopilot while lifting all that my puny muscles will allow. I need to be prepared for that next tug of war, or zombie apocalypse, whatever comes first.
The weight room its self is totally fine. It is fairly small, but has all of the stations I want. In the mornings it is practically empty save a few, brave souls. You have your pick of the litter, and can get through your routine, and on with the day.
My main gripe with the weight room in this facility is the weight lifters during peak hours. I love to lift things up, and put them down as much as the next guy, but this place is filled with teen power lifters. I am all for being all you can be at a young age, but I would personally love it if they exercised a little consideration, and discipline.
During peak hours the weight room will be absolutely littered with plates all over the floor like lily pads on a pond. Why? These lifters are obsessed with dead lift, and use every available bar to do so. Cool, get swole, brothers, but also clean up after your selves.
Most gyms are also reasonably quiet with either predictable music, or no sound at all. There is still no music here, but these teens make up for it with their constant chatter. The weight room is social hour for them, and they are out in force: lounging on stations they are not using, crowding up the room, and being boisterously loud. You get enough teen boys in a room, and it is bound to happen.
Then they punctuate their loud, raucous laughter by dropping every dead lift straight onto the floor. That is a great way to damage a the equipment, extremely unnecessary (lift less, and keep it under control), and is a nice, jarring sound to break through your headphones when you are focused on your own stuff.
The rest of the facility is just fine as far as I can see. The YMCA runs youth programs, yoga, and martial arts classes. They set up ping pong tables on the court some times, and every one has a great time, every one except for mature, responsible lifters.
This is the most contact I have with teens most of the time, so I am fairly lucky, and I know it. My only request at this point is a moment of silence for the teachers out there: jumping on that teenaged grenade every day so that others may have sane, adult lives.

Average YMCA here with alot of asians since it’s in chinatown. The staff is friendly but they keep an eye on you. I came here for open gym basketball on a saturday but had to end up being kicked around due to day camps. It’s hot in the gym and there’s no air conditioning. On hot days, it must be torture here. On the flip side, the weight rooms are blazing cold with fans and there’s a minimal amount of weights here, it’s not a Retro. Overall, I’m not coming back since this was a free trial and I don’t want to pay every month for this.

For anyone considering joining the Wang YMCA in Boston, particularly men, be advised that there are homeless guys hanging around inside of the men’s locker room. The guy who runs the place (Corrie) is also well aware of this fact, and has never done a thing about it. These guys just sit on the benches provided in the men’s locker room, and play video games while other members come in and get undressed and go. I would go work out, then come back in an hour, to see the same guy sitting on the same bench. On one particular occasion, two of these homeless guys were sitting there bragging about the guns that they just got ! These guys are just unbelievably creepy. And complaining to Corrie did nothing. He did absolutely nothing. He just allows these homeless guys to hang inside the locker room for hours. One of these guys has a huge black duffle bag close to 5 feet long, (it’s obvious that it contains all the clothes he owns) which he plops on the bench, so that other members have trouble finding a place to sit while they get dressed because it takes up the whole bench. It is bad enough to have to feel so incredibly uncomfortable getting completely undressed in front of these creeps,
but to hear them talking about guns made me quit right away. This YMCA considers itself to be a family oriented club in Boston. To allow homeless guys to hang inside for hours is just flat out irresponsible and inconsiderate to other members. And I didn’t even talk about how filthy the locker room is. PLEASE, do not even consider joining this dump for a minute.

This is hands down my favorite YMCA! I used to consistently go to the Y 5 minutes from my house in Roxbury, but needed a Y that was bigger, and with updated equipment. I randomly showed up one morning not knowing where anything was, and one of the greeters politely informed me of where everything was, and made me feel like I had been a member for years. When I don’t work the morning shift, I go here around 640am, and the greeters are always pleasant. I’m always greeted with a «good morning», and «how are you». The other workers are just as nice, and helpful.
The gym equipment is amazing! They have newer elliptical, treadmill, leg press/​extension, and glute kickback machines that I never knew existed! The machines are clean, non rusty, and get fixed pretty quickly if they become broken. I genuinely enjoy coming to this gym to work out before or after work.
There are only a couple of downsides to this gym. The lockers are rusty/​old, and need to be replaced. Sometimes the showers are gross, but I always see someone cleaning. I feel like this isn’t something they can control considering there are signs up that say no spitting in the sink and shower, but I still end up hearing someone being nasty and going against those orders. The shower curtains can be dirty (how someone manages to dirty up a shower curtain is beyond me). More than a few times I wasn’t able to wipe/​clean off my machine because there were no paper towels. Other than those things, I still enjoy coming to this gym, and will continue doing so for a while.

The Wang YMCA has the best community for weightlifters out of all the Y’s in Boston. Everyone is friendly and pretty much knows each other. There is no judgement here and the regulars try to keep the weight room as inviting as possible, even though these guys have been lifting competitively for years. I’ve met a lot of cool people here that have helped me reach my fitness goals and became friends with. Although sometimes there’s a DYEL atmosphere in there, it’s all for fun. There are powerlifters, bodybuilders, and your average joes coming from work to get a run in, who all help each other out and give advice or a spot when needed. The best part is you can have your me time or you can find a buddy to work out with.
As for the condition of the place, it’s not bad, a bit on the medium side but theres everything you need in there. Two squat racks, 1 flatbench, 1 incline bench, 3 adjustable benches, row machine, cable fly, smith machine, lat pull down machine, and 1 weight set up to 100 lb.
Then there is the machine room, the cardio room above that adjacent to the mini gym upstairs with light weights, mats, a few cardio machines, mostly where women can get their workout in when the weightroom is full of dudes. Also, theres a studio for classes like Zumba and shit. All this surrounds the basketball court.
On Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, theres badminton and table tennis with a bunch of old Chinese people who, while deceivingly frail, will embarrass you while you contemplate even coming back next time. But I did, and I will continue until I beat them.

In my own personal experience, I think that this place is a bit run down and needs to update equipment and place as a whole.

Compared to the other Boston Area YMCA’s I’ve been too, this one seems the most kid friendly. Came around 5:00p.m. during the week and there swim lessons going on.
I’m not the hugest fan of the cardio room being lined with windows to the street. People watching is fun enough, but them watching me run … maybe not so much. It gets pretty busy, though, so you probably have to limit your time on a machine to 30 minutes.
Medium sized locker rooms, clean and decent enough. I’d say it’s in the middle of the pack as far as YMCA locations go.

I chose the Wang YMCA due to its location and price — conveniently located in Chinatown (just a few minutes from my workplace) and probably the least expensive gym in Boston (I get a very small discount through work but the regular monthly fee is quite affordable).
I’ve been to YMCA in other cities. This one is relatively small and the equipment is not the newest. I would say it is sufficient for someone like me who just wants to stay active. The facility gets packed around 5 – 7 pm on weekdays, but so far I haven’t had to fight with anyone over a treadmill or anything — there’re enough machines for everybody. I can’t speak about the pool — never used it and probably never will. The free weights room seem very small and may be limited in terms of supplies. It’s usually occupied by a bunch of dudes, so I tend to avoid that area. Lol jk. But really I don’t do free weights. One of my girlfriends who does has complained about the lack of space.
I’ve been meaning to try some of the group classes, so I’ll be back to add more to this review once I have done that.
Honestly this gym is not bad at all, especially for the price. However, if you want BSC-​quality, just know that you will not that here.

The place went through several updates since my last review, so it’s only appropriate to write an update.
Most of the rooms went through a makeover — new equipment, new layout, and new paint on the walls lol. The machine area and the free weights area actually look more spacious now. Albeit still in limited supply (so make sure to time your arrival to avoid the bro rush lol), the place looks much better now. I like that they got new machines because a handful of them broke every now and then. The staff is still ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ (the friendliest one I know is the woman with the blonde hair and glasses), but it looks like they have a bunch of new people in, so hopefully they’ll be friendlier. They also took out the towel service earlier on before the renovations, but I think the trade-​off was worth it. I’m still getting a good deal for $ 31/​month for membership, so I can’t complain. The renovations definitely bumped it up to a solid 4 stars.
Bonus: they also have free WiFi now!

I recently moved from California and was looking for a comparable gym to either 24 Fitness or LA Fitness and this was one of the cheaper and bigger gyms in the area. It seems to me that Boston isn’t as big into the whole weightlifting/​bodybuilding fad as California is.
Most of the equipment that are occupied here are the cardio machines and the weightlifting machine/​stations are relatively empty. They have what you need in terms of weightlifting but there is not enough IMO.
In total, there are 2 squat racks, 1 Smith machine, 1 incline bench, and 3 adjustable benches. The rest are resistance machines. The dumbells don’t go past 110.
Also, all of the machines are separated into many different sections of the gym which are quite far from each other. I have also only found one water fountain which is strange.
None of the showers have curtains so no private showers. You will find an abundance of old naked men walking about in the locker rooms.
The general age category is pretty evenly spread out all the way from little kids to seniors.
For a 1 month pass, it is $ 31 and if you are a student you can get a discount and only pay $ 20/​month. But most likely your school will have a gym anyways.

I’ve been a member for years. It’s close to home and their hours are fairly good and the price just can’t be beat.
So why only two stars…
First (and not the main reason for two stars but a big reason for this review), they are undergoing renovations and that means half of an already crowded gym is closed. Instead of moving equipment to one of the basketball courts for use they expect people to hang out and wait for one of twelve pieces of cardio or weight lifting equipment to become available.
Second… they got rid of their towel service because it was too expensive for them. My membership price hasn’t dropped with this new found savings, nor do I see a swath of new shiny equipment or any improvements from the renovations other than newly painted walls and a shiny floor.
Third… Its overcrowded. Broken equipment takes a while to get fixed and even working equipment isn’t working very well (read an elliptical that thinks your heart rate is 190 when you just took your first step).
Fourth… there is a lack of equipment in general. There are only a handful of ellipticals, so if, like me you want to run and burn off calories you have to plan your schedule around when its not busy so you can actually get a piece of equipment.
While I don’t mind, this is a family gym, there are a lot of little kids and teenagers running around so that might not be what everyone is looking for.
If you happen to like basketball it seems like a great place for a pick up game but frankly I’m looking elsewhere as this place is more of a hassle with lack of equipment and fantastic modern amenities that a few extra bucks a month will get me from other close by gyms.

Started going here in 2012 when the Huntington (aka, Central) Y started undergoing reconstruction.
Pros:
* Gym/​workout areas and men’s locker room are quite spacious for a Y. Gym/​workout areas have a good amount of natural light.
* Good mix of cardio, resistance and free weight equipment.
* Morning staff generally quite friendly and welcoming.
Cons:
* A number of tall («day») lockers are unusable, with several having had the entire lock unit ripped out. Makes ya wonder about security.
* As of May 1, towels will no longer be provided. Seriously? I’ve never been to another Y anywhere that didn’t have towel service. If the issue is cost — as they imply — why isn’t cost an issue for other YMCAs? Makes you wonder about whoever is managing the budget — and the overall facility.
* As others have noted, equipment often is out of order for a long time. Recently, three resistance machines (Hoist; Precor) were broken for over three weeks. Seriously? Can’t quite understand why a big-​city Y doesn’t have a fitness vendor on retainer.
Bottom line: given the lack of towel service, I’ll be returning to the Central Y, which is opening its renovated facility any day now!

As far as the pool — can’t tell you.
As far as the gym — the other reviewers are right. There are kids and elderly people milling around all the time. There are limited machines, so schedule your time right in order to avoid the rush and the work crowd if you can. The machines are newer and there are separate smaller weight lifting areas and mats for girls who don’t actually want to go into the weight room. That’s a plus for me.
As far as the classes. Gladys is awful. Don’t take her cardio salsa unless you’re 70+ because it’s pointless. Patricia does Zumba and Zumba Gold, but her regular Zumba class is no different than her Zumba Gold class. Also pointless. Cynthia and Param, though, they’re awesome. Best Zumba instructors I’ve ever had.

I have never been in the pool so this is just a review for the gym.
First of all I pay $ 25 a month for this gym so that right there is about all I needed to join. You can’t find a gym in boston for under $ 100 a month let alone $ 25! The price cant be beat, but in this case you do get what you pay for.
A nice plus is that the machines are new and equipped with TV’s. You only get about 4 stations which is very strange in my opinion. There are also limited machines. If you go during peak hours you are going to have to wait. The weight room is also very small and there are only about 4 areas where you can work out on a mat.
The Cons of this place are definitely the way the gym is run. There are kids everywhere in the workout stations which can get really annoying for people who actually want to work out. People are always talking and hogging machines and there is literally no management whatsoever. The gym is ALWAYS hot (I literally sweat just standing still), and the place doesn’t look like its been cleaned in a long long time. The locker rooms are pretty nasty as well. They lockers are rusty and old and look like they have never been cleaned. The floors are always wet which is just nasty, and the bathroom usually smells.
If you want a gym where you are going to be in and out on a budget, this is definitely your spot. Don’t expect any perks from this place, and don’t expect to have an enjoyable workout.

I loved the hot tub/​spa my body felt amazing and the water is very soft; my hair and skin thank the YMCA for providing that.
Friendly staff and the aqua aerobics instructor Lynn is great as well. The lockers are old and rusty but still usable.
I appreciate the nice wooden seats outside of the showers to put my things on while I shower.
If you are this close to Chinatown take advantage of eating and shopping at the local businesses.

Based on the fact that most of the reviews here have glowing reviews about the staff here, I was floored when my girlfriend came to me having ended her workout early because she felt unsafe at the pool. One of the lifeguards on staff was making lewd comments and cornering her in her section of the pool despite the fact that she told him to leave her alone. To the lifeguard who was working on Saturday 11÷30÷13 between 4−5pm, what you are doing counts as harassment and we will be in touch with your manager.
Your job is to protect lives, not to make people feel like they might get assaulted.

I’ve been going here for almost a year. Love the price and the staff is really nice. It’s definitely an interesting place and I feel like I now have a lot of Wang YMCA memories that i’ll remember forever.
I love going on weekends when the ping pong tables are out. Right above the gym floor there are a row of ellipticals that give you a bird’s eye view of the ping pong matches. Feel like i’m watching Forest Gump all over again they are so good at ping pong.
You get a lot of people who don’t speak any English asking you for help with the weight machines. Sometimes they just come right up to you and watch while you lift. It can be a little awkward especially since I like my personal space bubble, but everyone is so friendly.
The gym is very sectioned off. It’s basically a normal sized basketball court with long narrow rooms around the court. Three rooms and dedicated to cardio and two rooms are weight lifting equipment.
I’ve never taken any classes there, but they have things like Zumba gold (Zumba for seniors). There is a swimming pool that i’ve used many times. It has all of your basic needs.
The equipment is okay, some of it breaks a lot and is really old. I’ve been there quite a few times when the AC seems to not work well, so it can get really hot and stuffy.
It is a YMCA so during the day there may be a bunch of kids running around the basketball court. At times there are school gym classes that come over, so it can get crowded in the cardio/​weight rooms with teenagers.

As a visitor from out-​of-​town, with a YMCA membership on the other side of the country (Seattle), I was warmly welcomed by Luke, with whom I exchanged a couple of emails. Luke informed that there would be no charge, either, because of a reciprocal arrangement between Y’s.
This, in itself, was somewhat astonishing, considering that most of my emails to staff at my home YMCA are almost never acknowledged, much less replied to.
So, in other words, the staff here go out of their way to be helpful and work very hard.
With the Huntington YMCA undergoing renovation, the Chinatown YMCA remains one of the few viable alternatives for YMCA members.
The locker room seemed dingy and dark, with many lockers unusable, because of break-​ins, which is not the fault of the YMCA, which like all Y’s, is open to all, including those on the fringes.
That still does not explain the lack of soap in the shower areas. Or maybe it’s just an East Coast thing («bring your own soap to the gym»).
But all, in all, the place seemed very cramped, especially with the apparent overflow from the closed Huntington Y. I was able to do a little yoga in the corner of one of the studios while a class was going on. The pool had at least five lanes but was only 20 yards long.
The Y also draws people from the adjoining hotel, a rather bizarre arrangement.
The «T» actually is Tufts Medical School, not Chinatown, on the Orange line.

I’ve been going to this Y since last August. I started off with a Groupon and enjoyed it, so I decided to join!
I was pleasantly surprised to find that this Y has tons of cardio equipment. Tons! There are three separate areas with equipment. I’ve got my preferred section and I tend to stick with it– I can usually find a free treadmill there. I also like the other upstairs area where there are some free weights. It can be a back-​and-​forth game for the particular weights depending on the time of day you’re there/​how many people are there. They don’t have a lot of the lower-​weight free weights.
I’ve met with a trainer twice and I feel like I’ve got a good plan going. Laura was very helpful in listening to my struggles and goals and then setting me up with a plan. Most of the staff I’ve encountered have been very helpful and nice.
Overall, the place is really clean. I’ve been in other facilities where this isn’t the case. The showers are decent, but the one thing I wish they’d do is install shelves for your toiletries. There are several of those white plastic benches around– you know, the ones made for elderly people? Those get shuffled around between stalls and sometimes you find the small benches from the locker area in there, too. The shower heads in a couple of the stalls leak which bothers me a little. I’ve brought it to the staff’s attention, what more can I do?
This particular location means that the place is filled with older Asian folks. Not a bad thing– just be prepared! Those ladies can be loud!
I’m glad I joined. The nice part about this Y is that it’s two blocks from my office, so I go on my way in to work most times. I’ve also been able to use my membership to go to the Y in my hometown, which was nice.
I miss swimming, though. I took Aqua Aerobics through another program in Cambridge, but the schedule here doesn’t seem to allow for that for me. I guess I’ll be on the cardio equipment!
I took one pilates class back in August and did not enjoy it. I’d been going to Boston Body Pilates for almost two years so I am really familiar with pilates and I did not care for this instructor’s style at all. I am looking forward to trying other classes, though.

I reviewed this in March. Only one other person has reviewed it since then. Come on!
I’ve been a member for 7 months now, and I’m just has happy as when I’ve started. Everyone is so friendly! And the staff is so supportive. I ran my first 4k with the help and encouragement of the Y staff.
The work out areas are really clean, the machines are new, things are rarely (if ever) out of order. I can always find an open treadmill or elliptical, even though I go at peak hours (6 – 7 pm).
Things I wish would change are:
The locker rooms really need to be cleaned better/​more frequently. They are a little smelly, but now with the air conditioner on, it’s less mildew-​y.
I know this isn’t their fault (they can’t change the architecture of the building) but it’s very hard to find open space to stretch. Boo!
I love the Y and don’t think I’ll ever leave. It’s my second home :)