Downtown Oakland YMCA Review

With no good explanation, it's required to send a letter by mail to change or cancel membership. Why even have an online portal? Feels like they're purposely making it difficult to change my membership.

GReat. Water arobics instructor Kelvin is excellent!

Staff and facility are the best. Just tough to drive there during rush hour

Recently upgraded treadmill's, Stationary bikes, stretching areas, as well as the pool. Women's and Men's locker room has been cleaned up.

I love the Y! Been a member since 2014, I joined for the swimming pool. The community is welcoming and positive. It s a slice of the entire Bay Area here. So, if you like people, a wide variety of mind, body, and spirit building activities it s a great place. Also, I typically ride a motorcycle or bicycle downtown. If you don t like kids, grandparents, or diversity then you may not enjoy the y. (But then again, I m not sure why you d live in the Bay Area if you re not into that!). Smile. The Y is great!

Boys went for the past two days and did not want to go for the 3rd day. No swimming and no enough excercise. Horrible, too expensive program

Poor or no maintenance in locker room. Pool always cloudy, heavily chlorinated and incontinent infants in "swim diapers" using the pool. A place to avoid if you don't like acquired diseases.

They treat military very well and offer significant discounts. Staff is friendly and they have a myriad of classes, which are included in the monthly costs.

I cancelled my membership after moving out of town three months ago using the webform on the YMCA East Bay website. I'm still getting charged the full amount months later, and have tried reaching out to the YMCA via phone, email, Facebook, and through the membership portal on their website but have not gotten any response.

Their webform doesn't provide any evidence of submission (like emailing a copy to myself) so I'm not even able to request a feedback from my credit card company.

Edit: Was finally able to get them to quit charging me, but they would not refund the 2 months that I spent trying to get in touch with them.

The Downtown Oakland YMCA is run by confused Christians who would rather gang members rob the men's locker room lockers than put signs on lockers that the gang have cut the locking mechanism. I very much suggest you find another fitness club like Active Sports etc in that area if you do not want to be robbed. Also feel the staff is raciest against white seniors. The management is also an arogent elitist group whose main interest is protecting their own terf.

Relaxed atmosphere; never too crowded; great views while working out.

I love this place. It s been a god send for me and my special needs daughter!

Commenter Imran below is incorrect. There are squat and bench press stations. And it s a great place. Erica the manager is fantastic.

My two boys went there for the 2nd week of winter break. Did not like it at all. Wanted to be picked up as early as we can. Not enough sports for an 11 and slmost 9 years old boys. It is more of like a day care. My older son mentioned some of the staff members were annoyed when kids ask questions. No swimming at YMCA

Garage closes ar 10pm. Better leave before that or they'll hold your car hostage.

Spa, dry sauna, wet sauna, raquetball courts, and all the standard stuff. Great staff, clean facilities, safe block.

Amazing GYM
IT's like my home

Best Y I've ever been to. 2 separate pools, 2 saunas, several women's changing rooms... a whole separate cardio and stretching area for women on the top floor... free, cold filtered water available on every floor. There's a nice view of the park across the street from some of the elliptical equipment downstairs and from the women's cardio studio upstairs. Also a roomy area of the building for kids activities, basketball, fitness classes. Plenty of free yoga classes, although I haven't checked those out, I think it's cool that they offer a lot of free programs.
Every time I come here expecting to work out for a half hour, I stay for hours and never run out of things to do or check out... relaxing in the sauna is a nice way to let off steam after a workout.

Pretty excellent as YMCAs go - a nice selection of group exercise classes, a modern and clean weight facility, and an olympic pool. Not especially cheap but worth the money.

Such a friendly, clean space. Showers have curtains.

Good. Just try to find the times when the group of 7 Asian kids aren t here so you don t have to wait 2 hours for the bench press.

Really good price and facilities, but gets a little crowded at times

The YMCA has everything you need: treadmills, weight room, basketball court, pool, basketball court etc.. Very friendly staff

The YMCA just deducted $79 from my bank account even though, as a high risk individual working hard to NOT get COVID19, I have asked them to suspend my account? Unbelievable. I don't care if the Y is opened or not... COVID19 is still a problem here in CA, and I should have the option not to return. The Y has literally taken food off my family's table. Disgusting fiscal predatory behavior. Shame on you YMCA.

Terrific classes, and lots of them, and a friendly place.

It's pretty convenient and the equipment is good. Not very crowded which I like. But has too much paperwork.

This one star is for the female older basket ball coach (Janet) who is mean and rude. She singled my son out and he was basically humiliated during the learning practice, and she was not very kind to him. She seems angry all the time as well.. I am blessed to have a strong minded kid.. unless he would be to ashamed to come back....He loves basketball but she made fun of him and was not warm at all.. She should not be a basketball..coach if she don't have love for kids that DON'T know and want to learn the GAME! This is unacceptable. She will NOT win.. take your anger out on Adults your age.. and leave the kids alone.

dope. about 6 squat racks and two benches among all the other equipment

Avoid this place like the plague if you want to lift weights. No bench press, no power rack/squat rack, freeweight area with no benches, no barbells/ezbars, just embarrassing. I can get a better workout at super 8 motel than this $100 million dollar YMCA in a major city in the United States. Yikes.

Have been a member for 3 years and exceedingly happy with the service and friendly staff that welcomes you in. Always updating their equipment and renovating. Incredible value!

Great classes and a wonderful international friendly community that represents the best of Oakland.

OK, later a nice gentleman came and showed me around. Facility has possibilities. I guess I ll check out a class on the three day pass...

My first visit is very unimpressive. I wrote to set up a tour. We worked out this afternoon. Kaylin said to come in and check in at the front desk. So I did and when I arrived I was told she was in a meeting. No idea when she d be done, but I was welcome to wander around. I didn t even find the locker rooms. I am irritated at this waste of my time. I hope they ll at least validate my parking. I guess the Y won t be my gym choice after all.

Bright, clean, not smelly. The staff are friendly and helpful. I like the yoga classes, but have been also known to use an elliptical and the weights. Pool is big, but lots of chlorine used in it. The space is designed well.

Thank you Tianti for giving me a tour of the gym facilities today. Although I've decided to not join at this time, I may come back at a later date to join, say winter when the weather is chilly to run outside.

Amazing staff, programming, equipment, facilities, and community.

Basketball coach is really good at teaching you the game.