Hyde Park YMCA

I’ve been going to the Y for ⁶⁄₇ months now so I figured it was time to update my review.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Reggae Riddims on Fridays and Saturdays. It is fun, challenging and you definitely feel the work out. Aria doesn’t teach the class anymore (she moved) but the new instructor Jasmine is great! She kept the old routine so those of us who’ve been coming for awhile didn’t have to learn a whole new routine. She is slowly introducing one or two new dances every couple months, so you have time to adjust.
I’ve started going to Jyl’s Zumba class on Tuesdays or Wednesdays again. It can be rough on the knees because she really uses up the floor which can also make it hard to keep up. So I modify the moves myself and keep going. In my opinion, she changes the music too often; like 2 songs a month. So if you miss more than month or so you’ll be completely lost. The music selection is a hit or miss. I go with the purpose of just getting some cardio time into my week.

Love this place. Great people great classes. I love the new equipment. For the price it’s really worth it. The amount of free classes are great to get you healthy. I have yet to do a personal trainer but I hear good things. The staff is very friendly and helpful.
A few draw backs would have to be the parking. It’s terrible I don’t blame the YMCA because the building is very old in an awkward place. Go very early and you will be sure to get a spot. The cleanliness of the place is not amazing. The workout areas are good however the locker rooms floors are gross as well as the gym floor. Doing the classes in the gym is kinds gross because they don’t clean the floor. The last thing would be that kids can run rampant which can suck. But you deal.
All in all its a great place and good value if you use it!

sucks the high school kids run the place all the gym clases start late etc etc to bad they spent 10 million dollars in HP

I love this Y and it’s luckily the cost one to my house. I mainly use the pool and it’s always got room for lap swim and/​or rec swim. Lots of kids but the pool is always clean and there are separate locker rooms!!! Non chlorine pool, to, it’s a state of the art chemical balance or something that makes it a really pleasant experience. Thought it was salt but someone on staff told me it is not. Lots of fun stuff to play with for kids and adults, diving weights, kickboards, noodles, flippers, etc. On deck-​sauna and steam room! Can’t beat it!

When this was renovated and opened back up a few years ago it was too $$$ for my family to join. About 1.5 years ago they lowered the rate and waived the join fee. We joined as a family of 3 and are glad with our decision. It’s affordable for working class families in Hyde Park and I appreciate that appeal. It’s also clean (I swear I’ve seen the bathrooms being cleaned every time I have come). The people working there are very nice and check-​in is easy. I really love the heated pool there and used it weekly during my triathlon training last year. It was really nice to warm up on cold winter days. The personal trainers are also friendly and affordable. We’ve been going to Bobby for over a year now and he’s great to work with. He encourages you to work hard but isn’t a jerk like many trainers at other gyms are. We have fun together (while working out hard). It’s by far one of the cheapest personal trainer sessions in Boston. The equipment is very nice and new. They replaced all the equipment this year and the old equipment wasn’t even that old! The equipment definately exceeds other gym’s equipment.
Only suggestion would be to have better hair dryers in the women’s bathroom and more of them. There’s only one and it’s always occupied. And more parking! Parking can be real hard during busy hours, street parking is usually the only option.

I love this YMCA because of the space and layout of the gym. But I dislike the staff. They are soo rude and not helpful at all. They know where nothing is and hate when you ask them question like they don’t get paid to answer them.

I’ve been a member of the Greater Boston Y since 1996, so I remember what the «old» Hyde Park YMCA was like … and this new version is fantastic. People have mentioned the parking, a shortage of equipment and some overcrowding and while all of that is true, this is what anyone should expect in an urban neighborhood gym. The pool is beautiful, the equipment is well-​maintained and relatively new, and the locker rooms are clean. And the best aspect of the Hyde Park branch is the staff — everyone is friendly and responsive.
It’s an urban family gym, so you need to be aware that there will be kids all over the place — they run great afterschool and swim programs and offer babysitting (which I think is free?), so if you have young kids this place is great. Of course, this means that you have to be open to dealing with occasional shenanigans (kids in the adult locker room, kids running around corners with their heads down, etc.) but it’s part of the deal.
If you hate crowds, early mornings (6 – 7:30) are pretty quiet on weekdays and mid-​days are great if you can swing it. Another review mentioned that they only have 6 parking spaces, which is true, but the whole area has on-​street parking and I’ve never not found a space reasonably close by. Overall — inexpensive, friendly, clean, good equipment, love it.

Joined in March, loved that my work got a discount there and even without it, it’s a competitive rate. I haven’t been to a class I don’t like, the facilities are well maintained and cleaned regularly. The pool looks wonderful, just haven’t been in yet. I have been training with Sarah and she is great. I started off with the three training sessions they provide to new members and was hooked. I see her once a week for 30 minutes and it’s very reasonably priced. She’s been a great motivator and even though I haven’t really noticed, she says I am getting stronger. The workouts are always a big challenge but I hadn’t really noticed that the exercises she is giving me are actually harder as the weeks progress. Overall, I love this gym and it’s got such a positive energy I actually look forward to going!

I’ve been a member since January, but had an extended trial membership in December, so this review is based on nearly 4 months. There is a clear correlation between frequency of workouts and proximity to your home or workplace. Hands down, this Y’s greatest attribute in my book is that I can be there in 5 minutes.
Other Positives
— Far better than the nearby for-​profit gym
— Good assortment of cardio and strength training machines and free weights
— Equipment and facility are modern and clean
— Other members wipe machines down after use, and the Y actually has disinfectant in the bottle, not just water like one place I reviewed
— Other members keep to themselves or are courteous — both good with me
— Staff is friendly and helpful
— Pool looks great, and there is a steam room
— Cardio Theater on machines — a big plus for me
— A good selection of classes
— At $ 41/​adult, $ 57/​adult couple, it’s a decent deal, though one Unilocaler recently posted that she got a $ 28/​month deal through her employer
— One of the few places that doesn’t require an annual contract or charge a huge premium for month-​to-​month
— Membership sales reps are no-​pressure which was much appreciated
Drawbacks
— Too few machines, e.g., four ellipticals and only two upright bikes
— Limited parking in the Y’s lot (I think 6 spaces), and their van is usually in one of the spaces
— CROWDED — I have my own business and generally work from home, so I can usually get around this by ducking out at 2:30 or 3 for 90 minutes. However, if I miss that window I don’t go. The place is packed tight starting at 5, sometimes earlier. I’m hoping that the crowds thin after some of the holiday joiners give up their resolutions
— Related to above point: Weekends are usually quieter in any club to which I belonged; not here. Weekends at the Y are jammed. Maybe this will change when the weather improves, though I’ll more likely be out biking than inside on a nice day
— They close at 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Eight would be much better; maybe open two hours later on weekends (7 a.m. instead of 5 a.m.) to cover longer hours in the afternoon
— I’d like to see a business news channel like CNBC or Bloomberg or even Fox Business on the Cardio Theater line-​up.
Overall, this Y serves its purpose for me.

This is one of the newer Greater Boston Y’s. I joined because there was $ 0 joiner fee and my work was given a discount. All in all, I pay $ 28 a month, which is a steal around for quality gyms! There is a pool for lessons and open swims. The facility is fairly large with a dance studio for most group fitness classes, a spin room, weights, a gym, treads and ellipticals, etc. Showers are in basement and are usually clean. One thing to be concerned about here is parking. On most days, around the 5 pm hour, it is congested on River St. It’s not the Y’s fault obviously, but it can be frustrating if you’re trying to make a class and you can’t park. The remedy is to get to this place early. The classes can fill up quickly with regulars, which is a testament to the caliber of the instructors and classes. There are tons of classes, which start @ 5:30. The place opens by 5. It’s a huge deal now that they have readjusted their member rates.

The place is clean and well managed but the facilities disappointed me. I know it’s not a full on gym but the fact there’s barely any stations and NO squatting station turned me off. It’s great if you go for classes and if you’re an adolescent but for me I need a full on gym. Nothing against them though.

I love the Hyde Park Y!
It has nice, spacious, clean locker rooms, at least for the women. Nice cardio rooms to work out in space and grace! I haven’t used the spinning room but they will unlock it for you when a class isn’t going on, and there are two separate spinning bikes in the weights room, which I have used. I really enjoyed a Zumba class I took there.
I haven’t swum in the pool but it is beautiful and new. The after school program children seem happy and well-​cared for. And the staff is great.
This is one of my favorite Ys in the Greater Boston network.

This YMCA is new. They have a new pool and its beautiful. It has a lot of room and various types of equipment. There are tons of classes and all the staff is super friendly and nice.