Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA

This is a gorgeous facility and the price cannot be beat. But I have a lot of problems. First, I repeatedly tried to get someone in the fitness office to respond to my requests for personal training. At the suggestion of a friend (who also encountered this dismal customer service), I contacted one of my favorite Spinning instructors about personal training but she never responded to my emails. Other problem is that yoga classes NOT for beginners. I left one class in the middle because it was too hard and no one helped. I now go to classes at Yoga-​Sakti in Salem where they offer several classes for beginners/​those recovering from injuries. Finally the lack of imagination in class offerings and inconvenient times (what about working people). But I’ll keep membership because I want to take swim lessons and the pools are amazing. Let’s hope I’m not disappointed again.

This is the best YMCA in the local area. The staff here are really friendly, and there are plenty of classes that are offered. I’ve only taken the yoga classes so far, and have been satisfied for the most part. Jeanne, especially, is a great yoga instructor. Some of the yoga classes can get super crowded, though, and this is not helped by the tardy participants who interrupt class and force their mats between two already tightly squeezed mats/​participants. The crowded class situation also is not helped by the gossipy, cliquish octogenarians who chatter endlessly, even when class has already started.
The equipment is plentiful, although some of the equipment are not the most up-​to-​date. They also have squash courts, which is a rarity!
The only major critique I have has to do with the women’s locker room, which is entirely out of date and always feels dirty and smells horribly, even though staff regularly clean it. The locker room is always very humid, damp, and musty. They’ve placed a single medium sized fan in there, but the fan does little to help with either the ventilation or the smell. Air conditioning is a must, and so is modernization of the locker room!

I would have to say this is one of the nicer YMCAs in the area, although I have heard Peabody is right up there as well. The cost increased by $ 1 this year for membership and I pay $ 67 per month for 2 adults and a child.
This location houses Boston Ballet and has a huge gymnastics area. There is a café, a rock climbing wall, a large in door pool and a smaller one that had a water slide. They have a huge outdoor pool that has a gradual decline to enter and no stairs with a rail running on one side. There are numerous water makers in the pool which the kids love. The deep end is only 5 feet so there is no diving. They do have loungers and chairs which are on a first come basis. Right now they have a section of the patio unaccessible because they are constructing a cabana so I was told. If you want to bring guests who aren’t members it is $ 4 a child and $ 14 for an adult I believe. They do (or are supposed to) blow the whistle every hour and have everyone exit the pool so they can test the water. They have at least 3 lifeguards on duty at the outside pool.
The bathrooms/​changing/​locker rooms are located inside. The family locker room always seems on the dirty side and kinda grosses me out. I feel they could pay better attention to this one.
I have taken many classes here and used the equipment and loved it… Especially Yoga. You can’t beat the membership price for what you get and the staff here are always pleasant and helpful.

My 2yr old son loves the activities and kids club here. I love going to Zumba! It’s a beautiful space too! Parking can be a hassle at times though.

I am a member of the Boston YMCA and I go to the Van Otterloo a couple times a month with my two young daughters [1 and 3]. We enjoy the spacious playroom for the kids, and the open preschool playtime in the gym. We often stop for lunch in the café. We always make a full morning out of our trips to this Y.

I rejoined the Y after taking a break for a few years. I had joined this brand new facility because it was the best in the area when I first moved closer to Boston (I really miss the Fitness Factory in Nbpt!). But I had a weird experience with a trainer bound and determined to have me run a marathon (I don’t even run when zombies are chasing me) and had stopped going when I was well and thoroughly demotivated (I paid money for that!). Well, it’s been long enough that I don’t remember her name, so after checking out the other local options I went back to Legg’s Hill on the edge between Marblehead and Salem. This Y has beautiful indoor and outdoor pools, even a big slide that everyone can try out!, and my goal is to be fit enough to start swimming regularly. In the meantime, I’ve started the Y Fit routine and I can highly recommend yoga with Lisa. There are about a zillion elliptical, treadmill, stairmaster and bike options, and word on the street is that they’re replacing some (all?) of their circuit machines. The women’s locker room is super spacious, and they have a sauna that I want to try. Yep, there’s a swimming suit dryer, too.
The Y Fit is the best option so far for programming/​tracking a fitness routine using your iphone, laptop or ipad — though it is far from perfect.
Bummer: I haven’t had any problems parking, but it can sometimes be difficult to avoid muscleheads on free weights. The Expresso bikes are cool because you can check your progress on line — but only if you’re actually able to log in when you start your ride.
Bonus: The views from this joint are killer! Yoga while watching the sky, blue or overcast, is at its very best here. And is there anything cooler than walking past a ballerina’s tutu and toe shoes to stretch out your yoga mat in the Boston Ballet studio?

Very nice facility! 3 pools, brand new equipment, super accommodating staff. I had to pay $ 15 to get in, even as a guest of a member, but on our way out one of the managers gave us a free pass for the rest of the week.

First off, I think this YMCA is not bad. Good amount of space and plenty of machines. The bathrooms are a little on the dirty side, but that can easily be improved. My boyfriend joined this gym about a month ago and I’ve been meaning on looking for a new gym to join so I decided to visit with him last night to try it out and see if it was a good fit for me. When we went to get a guest pass the woman at the front said they don’t do guest passes. You don’t do guest passes? My boyfriend pays over $ 50 a month for your gym and he isn’t allowed to bring in a guest for free? They made me pay $ 15 for one visit and made me feel like I was a jerk for thinking they did guest passes. The woman was very rude about it and looked at me like I had 2 heads. There is clearly a lot of money being put into this place by locals and they can’t afford to let their members bring in a guest for free to try out the place? She mentioned something about how they ‘used’ to do guest passes, but stopped recently. I somehow doubt that. I was very put off by this and think this is something they need to work on.

I am a local yoga teacher and a local mother, I have to say this is the most family friendly club I have ever been to. I love that there is childcare available so I can take a few yoga classes or workout, and I also love the variety of activities available to my children. The staff is super friendly and the club is actually clean! A marvelous experience indeed!

I no longer live in the area, but I still occasionally go to the North Shore to take Chrissy’s Kickboxing class. It is hardcore and one of the best workouts you can get. I highly recommend her class. Chrissy really motivates you and takes you the distance.

This is a beautiful and modern ymca located up on Leggs Hill. Always busy.
The fitness center is very large it is still packed, they also have good music playing and a healthy and attractive crowd.
The bathrooms could use some better ventilation and cleaning. They are hot and smelly. A few extra lights in the parking lot would not hurt either.
Both could be a safety issue.

I am basing this review off of the overall fitness experience at the YMCA. I often wonder if the YMCA is a health club or a day care center. The place is always filled with children on the weekends and it seems as though their Parents just let them do whatever they want. Also, the majority of the middle aged female women that workout there are extremely caddy!
The actualy equipment is good but during peak exercise times it can be very hard to get on the equipment because there’s really only 1 of each kind of equipment.
I do like that they have t.v.‘s on most of the exerise machines but I had to write numerous suggestion cards because they wouldn’t wouldn’t play Fox News on the big TV and chose to show the biased media stations like CNN, ABC, and CBS. THey finally listended to my suggestion after I said I was going to cancel my membership and they now have Fox news playing on one of the big tv’s.
They have a large variety of exerise classes and alot of times which is convienet and probably the one of the best things about the YMCA besides the pool. The pool is awesome when their aren’t children running amuck everywhere.
Parking is an absolute nightmare!!!
*****Here is a great tidbit. This YMCA is much more expensive than other YMCA“s in the area like Lynn, Peabody, or Beverly and they are all affiliated. So if your looking to save some money each month then sign up at one of the other affiliated YMCA’s and just use the the Lynch van Otterloo YMCA because it’s free of charge and there arent any restrictions!

Great facility, new equipment, could use a true Smith Machine, Inversion table and separate stretching areas. The weight area is slightly overcrowded with equipment and can make finding an area without intruding on an others area can be a challenge and almost impossible when crowded which is most the time. 3 pools and no whirlpool is kinda strange though.

My husband and I joined before it even opened we were so excited. It started out with a bang! Pools, rock climbing, lots of classes, clean locker rooms. Most of those items are still going strong.
They do have very clean locker rooms (they are secure as well). They also still offer many classes but here is where the first con comes in. They don’t offer any classes in the 7am time frame. The classes either start at 5:45am or 8:30am. One is too early and one is too late. They have done a better job of offering classes later at night though (around 7:30pm).
They have a ton of machines and just about every piece of workout equipment you could imagine. But at peak times, it is difficult to get on a machine and they institute a 30 minute rule (I feel like I’m the only person who follows it). An excellent point, is that I feel that all the members do a very good job of wiping down equipment after each use.
One of the biggest negatives is parking. They are working on it. But, parking at this place after work is like trying to find a parking spot at the mall on Christmas Eve. My only other issue is that they seem to do things on a reactive basis. Nothing is really ever proactive. I feeling like they are only fixing things or improving after it is broken/​has been broken for sometime.
Out of all the gyms in the area — this Y is a great option. I would recommend it to my friends, it just has some negative qualities like most gyms you would find.

I love this gym — its amazing. Its definitely the best gym around the Salem /​MHead /​Swampscott area. A few reasons why its top notch:
— Great equipment — personal TVs on many of them. All very well maintained
— Clean, pristine
— Friendly staff
— Even when its crowded I can still find a good cardio machine
— The most diverse and robust class schedule I’ve ever seen. There is something to fit everyone’s schedule. The Spin bikes are the nicest I’ve ever seen and I’ve done Spinning at a number of different gyms
— Three pools, and one has a fun water slide WOOO!
— I don’t have kids, but this place is as family friendly as it gets
— Café in the entrance with free wifi
— Rock wall
— Boston Ballet has a program there
— Personal training is affordable as compared to other gyms
The reason I don’t give it a 5 star rating is that its very very crowded and parking can be a nightmare. I don’t mind though — what you get is well worth the inconvenience of having to spend a few extra minutes finding a spot. Just plan to leave early if you are going to a class to make sure you get there on time, especially during peak hours.
One other thing to note — if you like Spin like I do, there is a two day window in advance of the classes to sign up. They usually fill up but if you plan ahead you can definitely get a seat in the class you want.

I feel so lucky to have this Y in our back yard. Just waiting for the tennis courts.

Great new club for the North Shore. 4 Squash courts, 3 pools (2 in 1 out), climbing wall, huge weight room and equipment room, full court bball, nice new facilities and clean. Lots of active members, too.
Makes you want to work out.