Wheat Ridge Recreation Center

What is not to love about this place??? It has everything! Classes are awesome, teachers are fantastic, gym is big and you can always find a spot, and the staff is great! Best recreation center I have been to!

I am a resident and have enjoyed this recreation center since it opened in 2000. The staff is very good and keep everything clean and in working order. I have become a fan of pilates reformer, river walking and the weight machines. Keep up the good work to all the employees from custodian to instructors and of course all the administration staff !

This review is limited to the free weight, cardio and locker room areas. The free weight area is much like those found in most community recreation centers; limited equipment and a lot of people socializing while occupying the resources. This is especially true between 5 and 8 at night. It’s not necessarily a bad thing or unexpected since it’s a recreation center, but it can get annoying if you are trying to get in, work out and get out. There is also a tendency for people to crowd the dumbbell rack which is usually frowned upon but seems to be acceptable here. There are no weight belts provided and there aren’t enough clamps for the barbells, so you may want to bring your own. You just have to keep in mind that this isn’t a power-​lifting gym or a box, so if you’re looking for something like that you may want to look elsewhere.
What is nice about the free weight and cardio area is that it appears to be safe for women and kids. There is limited foul language and most people will respect the headphone rule. I also haven’t seen women harassed like I have witnessed in other gyms. Despite some gym annoyances, most people will mind their manners and are fairly polite.
The locker room area is generally clean and well maintained. However, some people will sit directly on the benches without any clothes on or use a towel as a sanitary barrier. As long as you are aware of it you can protect yourself from unwanted nastiness.

Pretty nice facility. The lack of towel service, swimsuit spin dryer, and rentable full time lockers makes it fairly inconvenient because of having to carry around wet stuff all day, but the place is clean and fairly updated.

This rec center is pretty nice. I take advantage of the great drop-​in childcare, classes and personal training. I enjoy spin, yoga and nia classes in particular. My daughter learned how to swim here at the age of 3 from taking just a few their group and private swim classes.

I took our summer camp for children with autism here today to swim at their indoor pool and will never be going back! The staff were incredibly rude and disrespectful, to the point they would gather and point at our clients with autism. I’m disgusted by the treatment our children received here. Shame on WRRC!

This is my gym. I love it. The free weights and pool are my favorite parts. Also enjoy the sauna when the sexist bigots keep their mouths shut. I can deal with them. I have been a member at this place for 8 years and I really like it.

I am really glad I found the Wheatridge Rec Center, great Facility, extensive weight room, plenty of treadmills, stationary bikes and cardio machines. I didn’t see any Rowing Machines but I can make do without. Large indoor swimming pool, Volleyball courts, basketball, racquet ball and a extensive climbing wall. I look forward to exploring some of their classes. Easy to get to from all the communities on the West side of Denver.

Firstly, all of us have different preferences in our recreational centers. For me, I want cheap, enough machines I don’t have to wait for them, and no one being «creepy». This place fits the requirements for me.

Wow! This is a nice rec center! Clean and well-​maintained. My only complaint is that they don’t have enough classes that start before 6:00 A.M. I work in the mountains, so if they could start just 15 – 30 minutes earlier, I’d be a happy camper.

There are so many different aspects about this place; some of which I love and some of which are just, well, bad. So we’ll go for three stars and I’ll give you the breakdown right here…
The Good: the licensed preschool. SO good. Our son went here for a couple years and he absolutely loved it. It’s sort of a mix between play-​based and educational, as the kids range in age from 2.5 to 5 years old. What’s great is that the instructors are able to gauge each child’s abilities and skills and modify a single activity to appeal to the HUGE difference between the way a 2.5 and a 5 year old perceives, learns, creates, and enjoys something. The instructors are caring and good at what they do. BONUS: it’s less expensive than most of the other preschools out there– including those run by Jeffco Public schools.
The Bad: the group swim classes. And when I say «bad,» I really mean «abysmal.» Our son started at the equivalent of the «preschool level one beginner,» which basically meant he didn’t know how to swim at all. At first it was great– the instructors familiarized the kids with water, blowing bubbles, bobbing their heads under the surface, etc. So far so good, right? But that was it. After a FULL YEAR of lessons, playing Ring Around The Rosie in the shallow end (we all fall down!), and lots and lots of trips down the froggie slide, he still couldn’t so much as float unsupported. Worse, when they finally promoted him to the level in which they experimented in deep (ish… about 3.5 to 4 ft tops) water, he was suddenly terrified to go in. This, from a kid who had no previous fear of water and would flip headfirst into a pool if mom or dad was there to catch him. Even worse than THAT, when the instructors saw that he was fearful, did they make any attempt to allay those fears? NO. He was ignored completely and allowed to cry on the side of the pool. Not spoken to. Not encouraged. Not even acknowledged. Sorry, but I’m paying as much as those other parents… you don’t get to ignore my kid.
Long story short, I pulled him out of the WRR swim classes and enrolled him in those at the Berkeley/​Scheitler Rec Center. THE DIFFERENCE WAS SHOCKING. Over the course of the following year, our son went from not being able to so much as float on his own, to being the only 5-​year-​old in a class of 8-​year-​olds learning to dive (he’s the best in the group!), flip kick, backstroke, and be an all-​around confident and competent swimmer. We wasted so much money on the swim classes at Wheat Ridge Rec. Never again.
As far as the general facilities go, Wheat Ridge Rec is an above-​average place. The equipment is a notch above most (i.e. they have Pilates Reformers, but you don’t get to use them without paying a seriously hefty surcharge above regular Rec Center fees), and they offer a wide range of group exercise classes. They also offer childcare, but PLEASE NOTE: it’s in the same room as the above-​mentioned preschool, so childcare isn’t available when preschool is in session (roughly 1:00 — 4:00pm). Kind of an inconvenience for some of us… especially because I’ve been dying to try Zumba and it’s only offered during that time slot. C’est la vie.

We will easily be regulars at Wheat Ridge Rec Center since we live so close. But there are some things that are just… Well, they just seem dated, and the building was completed in 2000. Are 13 year olds really supposed to show this much wear and tear?
Even so, this is a great facility and I’m glad it’s close at hand for my family. They have child care for some ridiculously low amount ($ 1.50/half hour, I think). It’s a pretty nice room/​play area, too. The workout area upstairs circled by an indoor walking/​jogging track is nice and has a good number of aerobic machines and weight machines. There are 2 raquetball courts, 2 full size basketball courts (well, 1 court area that can be divided with a curtain divider, but you get the picture), and a climbing wall. Then there are the pools. 1 large lane pool for swimming laps (6 or 8 lanes) and then the recreation pool with a huge waterslide, a lazy river area, and a variable depth area for young ‘uns. There’s a sauna and hottub too.
Yeah, Wheat Ridge Rec Center is A-​OK.

I am all about the wheat ridge rec. It is cheap and fun. My favorite part is the steam room and sauna which are clean and very relaxing. The pool is nice and there are usually at a least a couple lanes open for swimming. The indoor track is convenient. They have plenty of basketballs to play with. They climbing wall is cool except its a bit of a bummer that they don’t allow chalk. The center is also located along the Clear Creek bike trail so it is an easy bike commute for those who have access to the trail.

I have a membership so I go here. I have to say that the staff, they are all pleasant and always helpful. The steamroom is cleaned twice a day and the sauna is kept clean as well. My main reason for this review is the locker rooms. I can’t speak for the men’s but the women’s are lacking. I went in for a solid week of working out to see the same gross clumps of long black hair in the shower stall. On many occasions, there can be a lot of hair on the shower walls and on the floors. Since I do have a membership here, I will keep going BUT really? How hard is it to do some daily maintenance on keeping the locker rooms clean?

awesome place to come and play racquetball. The staff is friendly and the price is right. I would recommend it to everyone.

Not bad, Wheat Ridge Rec Center– not bad!
Pretty decent number of elliptical machines, treadmills and stationary bikes, and I have never seen them all in use at once. They also have an area with lots of weight machines, a climbing wall, a room for aerobics classes, indoor track, basketball court, etc.
Most of the time I come here, it’s to swim. This is where I have to complain a bit. Between the hours of about 3 – 8 p.m., a local swim team comes in to practice. I don’t mind sharing the space, and know that indoor pools can be few and far between. But this team blocks off the vast majority of the lanes, and leaves the rest of the community lap swimmers with only two lanes to share. This poses problems as there are lots of swimmers of various speeds all trying to get their swim on (it can become a train wreck). I think they could squeeze more kids into fewer lanes and give us community swimmers at least another lane, but I digress. First world problems, ammaright?
Nice bathrooms, showers, changing areas, etc. Big plus for having private showers– because sometimes a lady doesn’t want to get naked in front of a parade of others. And the hot water doesn’t run out! Hallelujah. If you are a WR resident and get the 20 visit punch card, it only comes out to be about $ 3.75 per visit, which is extremely reasonable. So come check it out, but don’t clog up my swim lane! =P

Huge and utilitarian wih a great big indoor pool that’s kid firendly airy and light. Its a two story structure with spacious floors for mulitple activites. Its clean and well run.
Its a truly outstanding facility for a smaller town like Wheat Ridge

Great rec center! Huge pools, slides & mini slide for kids! Preschool there as well… had my daughter in there for summer and she loved it! Great teachers and curriculum online. Affordable and just an awesome place.

There’s really nothing wrong with this gym. Yes it’s crowded at times and teenagers love to play on the equipment, but they do buy new equipment. I think new ellipticals were placed last year. They have a few spinning bikes, but I haven’t seen a spinning class quite yet.
The aerobic classes are for beginners only. The hot tub is really big and can hold about 20 people. There’s a lazy river circle with inner tubes, it can be relaxing. There is a small track for running, gets pretty hot though. And there is a climbing wall. They have a lot of classes offered, I took the kettle bell class a few times and enjoyed it. The water slide is probably the best thing there. I think they have a daycare area too.
I think it’s better than 24 hour fitness, for one it costs like $ 30 a month for residents of Wheat Ridge, and there aren’t that many macho guys taking hours and wondering around. It’s better than average for price and nice employees.

All things considered, You can’t beat this place! It’s inexpensive with many options to utilize the facility. Both residents (Wheat Ridge) and nonresidents are welcome. Annual passes, monthly deductions, or a 20 pass «punch card» gets you access. Climbing wall for kids and adults. Indoor running track. new weight equipment, treadmills etc. Pilates, yoga classes. Senior activities. racquetball. Basketball. Lap swimming. Family pool with great slide. «Lazy River» for Senior exercise or kid fun. Pool can get busy on weekends or holidays! lap pool is used also by high school swim meets. No initiation fees. Not the social beautiful people kind of rec center and that’s another reason I love it. I worry that this place is getting too popular and needs more room in the future, but it is an awesome place for the money!!!