Downtown Family YMCA

Visited this Y using the AWAY program while in town for work.
Pros:
–Free access using AWAY program
–Free towels
–7 floors of equipment and work-​out space
–Nice spinning bikes
Cons:
–Pool water felt thick, tasted funky and was cloudy
–Hard to use lockers with built-​in lock

I love this gym! It’s got everything you would expect from a gym. The bonus is the leadership; you will see the facility director and staff on the floor checking in with you and exchanging welcoming smiles. There’s a great pool, climbing wall, walking track, multiple classes, lots of machines, racquet ball and hand ball courts, a full basketball court.

I have been working out at the downtown YMCA on a weekly (3−6x per week) basis since 2011. Before that I had frequented other facilities in different places, not just Louisville. Our downtown YMCA really does everything better than most other workout centers. Not only is it huge… it has an indoor pool, 2 saunas, a women only workout room, multiple class studios, raquetball courts, basketball court, indoor running track, crazy amounts of free weights/​weight machines, and All of the staff members are pleasant on the daily and offer encouragement and support if needed. Switch your membership now! :)

This the only YMCA I have been to in Lville, but I have been to multiples in other states. This is by far the cleanest YMCA and most up to date one I have been to in my years of existance!
I believe there is 4 – 5 floors, the woman’s locker room is always neat and clean. Both the men’s and ladies locker rooms have sauna’s and showers. I cannot speak for the cleaniess of the men’s room…
They offer a lot of classes for every walk of life. I have been to body pump and yoga, my schedule does not allow for much else. The instructors seem to be very knowledgable in their classes and do a good job of connecting with their students.
There is also 5 – 6 racquetball courts-​avoid using the 1^st room since most people go in there to do plyos and such and get the floor dirty and dusty, you don’t want to slip and fall on your tush while you are playing!!!
Overall I am pretty impressed with this YMCA.

I travel quite a bit for work and use the community pass in other cities often. It’s a great perk with membership but it makes me miss MY Y that much more. This is the best Y in Louisville and the best Y I’ve been to! Very clean, current and staff are great.
8 floors (including basement) clearly delineated by types of equipment or use. Men’s locker room on 2^nd floor is huge with both a Dry Sauna and a Steam Room. On the same floor there are two locker rooms for those under 16 or adults with opposite sex children and a separate set of stairs in back leading directly to the pool. Very welcome for parents like me.
Across the hall, also on the 2^nd floor, is a Group Exercise room that can be used if no class is in session. I use it to stretch and do Ab work usually all by my lonesome! I’ve heard a legend about a completely separate workout room For Women Only behind a mysterious door in the back of this room, but I’ve never seen it…
Best of all? Towels! No plastic bags needed to lug sopping wet towels home with you!

This gym is as good as it gets. It is a real community — not just another gym.
The people are fantastic — every one of them is friendly, engaging, happy!
The facilities are huge! 7 floors — I love the cardio floor best but sometimes I run the track upstairs. Try climbing the rock wall one day for something different– no appointment needed or extra dollars. Equipment is always in working order and even when this place is packed, there is no waiting. There is even a separate floor for women only that can be accessed through the women’s locker room.
There is cheap garage parking right next door.
Membership is a little expensive but it is SO worth it!
The deli downstairs offers REAL health food, not processed American versions of the same. The owner learned I was vegan and asked me for some recipe ideas for what he could offer for that population.
Clean, always smells good, the view from the 6^th floor weight room is stunning! Windows run all the way across the west wall and I often watch the sun go down over downtown as I work.
I could write forever about my experience with the personal training, the incredible fitness and health turnaround stories I’ve heard from the friends I’ve made there, or the way this place has a certain je né c’est quoi that sets it apart from all the others but I suggest trying it for yourself.

How unbelievably impressive is this gym? I am beyond shocked. It may not be the cheapest option at $ 53/​month for a single adult (+$ 55 join-​up fee), but for the facilities and location, it is worth it for me. Plus, you can go month to month, which is also ideal in case money gets tight. There’s a pretty decent rundown of the perks to this gym. Here are a few of my favorites:
1. Location, location, location. For me, this is an ideal location. It is less than a mile from where I work, making it easy to convince myself to go after or before work.
2. Bike rack in parking garage, which has an attendant and cameras operating. This is key for me too.
3. The pool, although only 5 lanes, has not yet proved to be very busy. Plus they have quite the supply of «goodies» to use, such as kickboards or pull buoy/​leg float.
4. The women’s locker room is set up perfectly.
–Loads of different sized lockers, including full length, which can be used with your own lock, or with a borrowed lock from the Y
–There are changing rooms directly next to the lockers, super convenient
–A large pile of towels you can borrow
–A swim-​suit spin dryer
–Hair dryers to borrow and large mirrors for getting ready
–An enormous scale
–Tons of showers
5. The large fitness center has a large number of cardio machines, almost of all of which have TVs or outlets for your personal media device. Plus it has this cool option on the weight machines that allows you to have a personalized number for your workout, where it will store the weight that you are comfortable using and speed in which you should repeat your reps.
6. Almost ALL of the classes are free. There are only a few longer term classes that require pay, but the zumba, yoga, spin, and tons more are free.
7. Women’s only center. If you want a smaller, more intimate area, go here (obviously only for women). It is a very calm room, that is far less intimidating than the free weight section.
8. Complimentary 45 minute fitness assessment by the trainers. Plus they roam the large fitness area and give you assistance wherever needed.
9. Friendly staff. The Y’s staff is simply beyond friendly. I just can’t seem to get a read on any of them yet. They are all just SO nice. I honestly hope that it is genuine, because it is infectious.
10. 8 full stories of facilities, including, but not limited to: 6 racquetball courts, a full basketball court, one climbing wall, several rooms for classes, a small track (19x’s around for a mile), day care, etc.
11. Guest passes are unlimited, sort-​of. You can take as many guests as you want to the gym, but they can only go to that gym twice in a year. And you can only take one guest at a time.
12. Long hours — gym opens at 5 and closes at 10, Monday through Thursday
The thing is, it doesn’t really matter what I tell you about this gym. If you want to join a gym, you will. If you join the gym, it is up to you to get your toosh there. Find one that has what you need. Honestly, this one had everything, plus some and was only $ 13/​month more than just getting a membership to a pool. I say do a tour, see if you like it.

Best gym I ever belonged to. Big, reasonably priced, great classes, massive windows and nice people.

I go to the downtown Y and it rocks. Lots of equipment to work with and it’s a very nice facility. This is the only gym for me I think. The staff is knowledgeable and the all of the members that I’ve encountered have all been very courteous and nice.

I joined this YMCA in 1977 when it was fairly new and I was a student at a nearby school. My Dad worked in the Speed Building on Guthrie so it was convenient. The Y had a great spirit and I received a lot of help in workout techniques, instruction, etc. I learned to swim in the pool here.
Among urban YMCAs, this branch is one of the best and the YMCA system itself is historically strong in Louisville. The swimming pool is not large but well maintained and lots of light reaches the water from windows on both sides. There are several strength training areas including a free weights area on the 5^th floor. They have ample racquetball courts and a good basketball court. There’s even a small running track on the 7^th floor overlooking the gym. The layout is probably most like the Central YMCA in San Francisco but this is a much newer building than that one and this Y doesn’t run a hotel.
However, for some reason during some years I lived away my home Y became a bit of a miser in spirit. Their policy towards guests and out-​of-​town visitors falls short of the mark in my opinion.
Frankly, they can be less than hospitable to travelers. Still, I am a faithful member here and I still enjoy the building and I know the staff do strive to do their best. All that aside this Y is as good as any in Chicago, San Francisco, and other Y towns I’ve visited, and it has everything you need if you’re an out-​of-​town Y member. If your stay is less than 5 days in a year you will not run up against the policies towards visitors. Members can only bring any given guest twice in a year’s time, which really hampers my style as I actively seek workout partners. I have been told by staff on several occasions that both these anti-​visitor policies are due to the additional risk of theft (by those visitors), an absurd and insulting claim. Some theft does occur here, of course, just as at any gym so good policy is always to use the lockboxes that are offered in the lobby.