YMCA Arlington

A cramped, run down facility that has clearly seen better days. A huge turn-​off, sorry.

This YMCA is much smaller than the other Ys in the area. They just have a small outdoor pool and only one group fitness room, but the leaders of the group fitness classes are excellent. The only issue is billing. I’ve had issues with being overcharged or double billed for tennis lessons.

The people working here are personable and friendly. It has a good vibe. You’ll see a diverse demographic here, from kids running around between classes to senior citizens on the exercise equipment.
The two major issues are the locker rooms and the workout spaces. The locker rooms are old, ill-​equipped, and dingy so that you won’t have much space for your stuff if you have more than three people in there. It always smells musty. The toilet flush (for one of two toilets) has been broken more than once within a month’s time. I’ve seen at least one inconsiderate person who sprawled out her stuff throughout the shower stalls, put other stuff by the mirrors/​benches, and then occupied the sauna… which limited the already limited space. The workout spaces are rather old, and you might even see duct tape holding the window. So, if you’re looking for a nice, chic gym/​spa type of place, this isn’t it.
On the other hand, you can do month-​to-​month memberships unlike other gyms, and they have a good variety of equipment and classes.

Plenty of off-​street parking, fitness instructors who also teach at Gold’s, LA Fitness and various boutique studios and childcare had me impressed. There wasn’t the usual «Arlington» gym crowd (Lululemon and P90x bod not required), but where else in Arlington can you play tennis, run on a treadmill, then do a yoga class?
Your first session is free. Drop-​in classes without a membership are $ 10.
The only drawback is fewer local locations.

How is it that nobody knows about this place???
Well, the facility could use a big sign that says TENNIS CENTER. However, it hasn’t occurred to anyone in management in the whole 4 years I’ve belonged here.
I can’t tell you how many young people in the neighborhood don’t know it exists. Thus it’s a well kept secret. Clean facility and ample courts. :-)

We switched in from another branch and the YMCA supposedly lost our paperwork. The other YMCA was more expensive, so they just continued charging us at the higher rate. After I was finally able to get a hold of their business director, Maxie Sprott, he assured me that we would be compensated with a couple of months free membership. However, we still were charged during the following billing cycle. I called many times after this before I got a response.
This was a year ago. I figured mistakes happen and I let it go. However, we moved away in August and wanted to cancel our membership. Since we had been enrolled in automatic payments, we apparently needed to give two weeks notice. I was not told this, so I was unable to cancel during August. Fair enough. We submitted our cancellation form in early September. At the end of the September, we still get charged. I call to find out why and they say that they never received our paperwork, i.e., they have again lost it. After numerous attempts to get a hold of Maxie again, I finally get a response. They are going to refund our money but when I ask how long it will take, I do not get a response. This was over five weeks ago and I still do not have my money and have been blown off since.

We have been members of this YMCA for a little more than two years. When in the search for a new gym (from Bally’s) we visited Gold’s, Washington Sports Club, and Sport & Health; at every place they wanted to give us a 30-​minute speech before telling us what the costs were. We walked into the Y, and got a one-​pager explaining all of their prices. Boom. Sold. I would have paid more at the other gyms, but don’t give me the run-​around.
Beyond not having the high-​pressure sales pitch initially, this is a low-​pressure environment. The chain gym scene gets old really fast. Egos, strutting, etc. Here, the Y clientele is all ages and the atmosphere is family-​friendly.
I’ve done a few classes here, but mostly I use the treadmills and the open floor/​mat space. This is not a bells-​and-​whistles gym, but it has everything you need. There is towel service — major plus in my book. Bally’s did not have that.
If I could change one thing about this gym it would be the addition of an indoor pool. I know that’s a lot to ask — especially for the great deal we get — but it would be AMAZING! The outdoor pool is too small for laps, but sometimes we just sit by it. No kids for us, but it seems like it would be a good place for children to play.
Finally, I would add that there is always ample parking. I know that cannot be said of every other major gym in the Ballston-​Clarendon corridor.

The facility is a bit older, but at least people wipe down the machines after use, unlike the newer gym just up the street. The staff is very friendly and there are tons of classes.

Convenient location with ample parking. It may not be the newest building, but they have all the basic equipment you would need, along with courts for racquetball. The staff seems pretty friendly, and they have some good class offerings. Not the most amazing or high-​tech gym, but not bad either.

It’s looks like they built the gym in an old library. It’s a very small building, but it has a parking lot in front. I felt it smelled moldy from being in a basement and carpets full of sweat. I just couldn’t enjoy using the machines there. The step class is awesome! There’s a small pool in the back for kids and a separate building for cycling classes.
The ladies lockerroom toilet stalls don’t have trash cans in the stall so you have to bring out your used sanitary items in your hand to throw it away in front of all, yes because there are lockers right next to the stalls.
Down the hill is the tennis center which is awesome! 8 indoor courts that are airconditioned and yes you really feel it! The a/​c is cranking up high! The tennis instructors all have great personalities.
What I didn’t like is one evening I was standing outside talking on my cell phone and a shirtless homeless man started to approach me. I quickly ran into the tennis building and stood in the lobby. The homeless man stood at the glass door and looked in for awhile. Then he came in and asked the girl working the front desk where the bathroom was and she told him!!! Talk about a safety issue! I ended up leaving the tennis center around 9:30pm and went into the ladies locker room, had to turn on all the lights, and thought this is where this man could be hiding out to assult me.

This is a nice little YMCA in a good part of Arlington. It’s much smaller than many other Ys in the area, but it has decent machines and a good staff. It is an older building with a small outdoor pool and no sauna or steam room, but it is well maintained and gets the job done. If you are looking for a small, inexpensive place to work out with other young professionals and graduate students, this is a good gym for you.