Stephens Family YMCA with Larkin Place Reviews

Send my daughter here when School's out. It's the nicest Y I've been to.

The campus is spacious and beautiful however when it came to my experience with dealing with the staff, mainly the front desk, and Ms. Heidi Cordes, I am not impressed. Heidi is rude, nasty, condescending and some of the people who work behind the frontdesk don't seem to know what they are doing. On four different occasions I received inaccurate information. Terrible customer service and I am glad my children will not be attending here after all of the hassles I've encountered with these people!!!!!

Really poorly managed place. They wouldn't let my wife go in to comfort my 2 year old who was pushed by another boy. What kind of a place won't let the parent in to comfort their child.

This facility is very accessible for people with disabilities, which is awesome!!

Childwatch was the biggest selling point for us to join, however, they do not employ staff that actually "watches" the children. If you have an older child, it may be suitable, but toddlers and younger are not safe. The facilities are nice enough, but in general, the staff is to be desired, and not just in childwatch. They are rude and not responsive.

Friendly environment. Lots of natural light. Best equipment in town. Great group fitness classes! Only giving it 4 stars because two of their associates were very rude and have subtle bigotry if you aren't a Christian. All in all it's a great gym to be a member of!

Overall a great place for fitness. Weekend timings are odd. The facility should close later than 6pm and open earlier on sun.

A very nice place to exercise.
Pros:
-Excellent free classes (many Les Mills): from cycling to yoga to lifting
-Nice gym equipment, dry sauna, small climbing wall (extra fee)
-Friendly staff
-Good free parking
-Child care at reasonable hours, good early and late hours
-Mini contests for motivation
Cons:
-Pricey, you subsidize child care and classes - worth it if you use either
-The kiddies swim team takes up way too many lanes too often
-Staff sometimes not knowledgeable on basics
-The run/walk track is a 1/16th mile 'square'
-Equipment repairs take a little longer than they should

I absolutely love this place. I have been going here as a member for about 2 years and have worked here for about 2 years. The YMCA does a great job of keeping a positive environment for its members and even before working here I was greeted by name by staff. Staff is friendly and they seem like they genuinely care about their members. They are also doing a great deal to keep the YMCA in top shape during the pandemic.

My 4-year old took this photo, so it s actually the photo itself that I am intending to rate.

Very grateful for the new team they have in place! Jeff Scott is a fantastic CEO that truly shows compassion and concern for the people(that s rare)! Facilities are clean and accessible! Great job!

I cannot say enough about the Y! This place is so much more than a gym....its a community, a family! I always look forward to going and checking into the positive vibes radiating throughout!

Pretty awesome staff is very nice.
Very clean!
Lots of parking

Gym that offers almost everything a lifter could want. The building is attractive and there are many features that other recreational facilities don't boast. However, the wifi is pretty spotty and the heavy weights area a little cramped, to the point where I am afraid I cannot get to various machines without my shirt catching onto someone's bar or my arm knocking into someone's elbow.

Definitely the best gym in town. The staff is friendly and facilities are clean and well kept. The best part is the Child Watch room. The staff is very attentive to my children and it is included in your membership.

Very nice and clean facility. I'll be in the lap lanes while my daughter is in the family pool. Also love the sauna. Only reason why i didn't give it 5 stars is that I've heard from several male patrons that the men in the mens locker room are less willing to cover up. I know its a locker room so nudity is expected, but heard of lots of men walking around naked, which makes it uncomfortable for others.

Great facility with basically everything I need- sauna, basketball courts, pool, weight room. Membership is pretty pricey and using the climbing wall is not included in the fee. Also, the location is way out in west Champaign and not very accessible for most people in town.

Best place in champaign to work out. pleasant place to be. very helpful staff.

10 bucks to use the shower? this is supposed to be non profit guys get it together.

The childcare is amazing and the staff is always attentive with my child. They go above and beyond. Knowing my child is well cared for let's me have a great workout.

Amazing camp for my 7yr. Old son. They re on it there and have made sure that he has had the best summer yet!

Great Y .... unless you want to swim. The Heat swim team is always there. Early in the morning. After work. Just before closing. They shift lanes at seemingly random times, kicking you out of the lanes with an arrogance that suggests future olympians are being denied there pool time by your amateur attempt at fitness. Never a please - just a authoritative Sir, we need you to move out of this lane. Last year a coach hit me on the hand with a sign to get my attention rather than just waving a hand in the water like every other swim etiquette competent human. No damage, but it stung. Two lanes are always open and always full. Asking to share is hit and miss.

Clearly the emphasis as far as the pool is concerned is not community fitness, but rather catering to this team s needs.

All this I say as a Y certified swim official and father of three (fast) y team swim kids at another Y, which manages to keep adult lap swim times plentiful. How? : Keep the kids swimming in circles, like every other swim team in America. They don t need a lane per 2 kids.

I ve complained a bit, to no avail. In fact, monopolization of pool time be the team has gotten worse in the last year.

I m not sure what particular mismanagement has led to the ridiculous dedication of lanes and pool time to the Heat swim team, but I ve given up trying to swim at the Stevens Y. I m sure they are glad to see me go.

Overall the facility is nice. The wifi is terrible to use. Need to improve the number of router. The aquatic services need separate rating system. There are some issues with the swimming lesson.

This is one of the best and most affordable YMCA's to which I've belonged. They have great people supporting the place and great employees.

I frequented this location this past summer in the early weekday mornings for lap swim and early weekend afternoon for cardio/weights. This is by far the newest and cleanest YMCA I've been to. It also has 8 swim lanes instead of the 6 (or less) that you get at most other locations. Additionally, most staff members that I interacted with were cheerful and encouraging. I remember the lifeguard who would advise me on my flip turns and the man who told me my weightlifting form was getting better. Overall, great staff, great facility, and great value! It is unfortunate that I had to move away from the area, otherwise I would continue to train here.