Downtown Berkeley YMCA

I have been a member for 35 years and enjoy the pools there, especially the warm pool. I also appreciate that they have a womens fitness center. Great community center

The last time I was motivated to work out everyday at a gym was at the Berkeley YMCA, maybe 4 years ago. I used to live a couple blocks away, and would frequent the gym at least once a day for their studio classes and cardio equipment.
Studio classes were solid. They had diverse class offerings with motivating and energetic teachers. However, the classes were sometimes very full, which meant that there wasn’t as much space for each participant… but everyone is generally considerate and good about finding a way to work out in a crowded room.
The cardio equipment is reliable — it’s not the most advanced equipment, but does its job. I never had an issue finding a treadmill, elliptical, or stairmaster at any time of day.
If I could find a YMCA close to my current home that’s as good as the downtown Berkeley one, I’d reactivate my Y membership!

Classes, especially yoga classes, are too easy and they don’t seem to be designed for people who are actually fit and like working out intensely. Also, they are clustered in the morning, which makes it difficult to attend if working 9 – 5 jobs. There are very few classes during the weekends. I am not quite sure why people with 9 – 5 working schedules are left out so visibly if this is supposed to be a truly inclusive space, as it boasts itself to be.

YMCA has been a big part of our lives since 7 years ago. They’re special need programs are affordable and sliding scales make reachable to all income levels. Swimming classes are challenging yet accommodating to those who need a little extra time to move up. Teachers are caring and always willing to help. Although I now live in Oakland. We will always be part of Berkeley YMCA.

I like this gym because of the female only space and welcoming of all body types and fitness levels. There is a weird amount of exhibitionism in the locker room, but I just keep my eyes down.

BEST YMCA in the USA
Super clean ! There is always someone cleaning on almost every floor. It makes sense right, we go in there to sweat. They have the best finishes for any YMCA, tiled floors everywhere, beautiful lobby, amazing pools (there are three,) and fantastic equipment. The cycles have interactive tv’s that can sync with your smart phone, pretty cool !
I LOVE the management here. I am disabled and had a minor fall in the lobby due to a small hazard. It upset me, and I told the director Albert. He had a crew work overnight to fix the problems. Overnight the same day ! I didn’t expect that kind of immediate action, or concern for my safety.
It is the second most accessible YMCA I’ve been to, (The San Rafael YMCA is totally flat, one story, no steps or grades, and smaller — so it wins by a small margin.) The Berkeley YMCA is home to many walks of people. Some of the members can be kinda goofy, like all Berkeley people. I do like the Oakland YMCA’s members better then Berkeley, but the actual facility is top notch. The entire staff is empowered and dedicated which makes it a healthy environment for everyone there. That is the whole point right: Mind Body Spirt
Come to the Berkeley YMCA and feel better ! It’s a healthy place with happy people.
Chris

This is not just a gym, it’s a community. If you’re looking for a place filled with friendly, real people devoid of judgment, or an unbelievably huge array of classes for adults and children, or staff that treat you like you just walked into Cheers, or quality cheap childcare for your children while you work out, or amazing programs for children with special needs, or an awesome affordable summer camp, or the option of a women’s gym or a co-​ed gym, or the feeling that they’re not just trying to get your money, they actually care about you and your health, then this is your gym.

Weightlifting and cardio review here.
Free weight room has two squat racks and a smith machine, but I really wish it had power cages instead so I could bench to failure without a spotter.
Two flat benches. No spare Olympic bar for barbell rows, but there are fixed weight barbells in 10 pounds up to 100lb iirc. If you want to do barbell rows in odd or heavier weights you’ll have to borrow a bar from one of the stations on the other side of the room.
Treadmills are older. No fancy schmancy ipod connections or built in fans like the Oakland and SF Chinatown Ys. But there’s plenty of cold air circulating in the treadmill room.
Front desk staff are friendly, and the locker area very clean. Just blocks from BART. And post-​workout gelato.

This is as good as it gets. Sure, this place doesn’t have the new, trendy feel of a boutique fitness studio or a newly built facility, but what it lacks is easily made up for in a sense of community and genuine support from the staff. How I would compare the Y to is a small town or small liberal arts college. I won’t forget the first time I came here, it was like I walked into a set for «Cheers» where pretty much everyone knew everyone. It felt like a community I wanted to be part of. Best of all, there is a separate weight and cardio center for women. There’s really no other place like it.
Also included in the membership is the THREE free training sessions offered by an experienced trainer. I would highly recommend taking advantage of this opportunity. I’ve been a member of two gyms prior to this and at most I received one personal training session. So, just that they offer three sessions is great. If you’re a woman and want only a female trainer, please request Nancy. She is just beyond amazing. Why? Because she understands how the body works. As a biology major, I was impressed by some of the things she taught me. One thing she taught me was the importance of cooling down after cardio to allow blood to recirculate back to your upper extremities; otherwise, you can pass out. With each session, you are given instruction to some of the exercises recommended to your comfort level (noting any injuries in the past). The three sessions include: cardio, weight training and core/​stretching. Each session is anywhere between 30 – 45 minutes long and a trainer shows you how to do each exercise. I loved how well informed I was about each exercise. It was fantastic. I come back knowing exactly what I need to do.
Apart from the training sessions, the facility is huge with three stories with different rooms dedicated to different types of exercises (i.e. cardio, weight training). Best of all, they offer many different types of classes. There was one room for cycling and another for aerobics. I’ve taken the zumba class a couple of times and I love it! I also took a yoga class. I have yet to try the pool, but I joined less than a month ago and there were so many things I’ve already gotten to try. Included in the membership is three passes for guests offered every calendar year. So feel free to take a buddy with you! There’s so many more great things I can say about this place, but I don’t think there’s enough space. If you’re just curious, I would recommend trying it for a day and seeing what I mean. So happy this place is a 10-​minute bike ride from where I live.

I go here for the really scratchy towels that they wash and dry with a JET-​Engine… I use em to scratch the shit out of my back so I don’t have to ask one of the naked senior citizens, or special Ed kids in the locker room to do it for me.

I loved my time as a member here! I only left because I get free membership at RSF as an enrolled student at UC Berkeley now. Also, I aged out to use the teen membership which was half the price. Although membership is pretty expensive for adults, they do offer good financial aid to those who apply. Took about two weeks to process.
The group classes were my fave thing, especially Body Sculpt.
The pools are nice, usually crowded though. The women’s room is a great discovery, a place just for the ladies. They have lots of cardio and weight machines and different rooms and a separate locker room.

Best gym in Berkeley. Membership is expensive but it is completely worth it. The workers are super friendly and kind to gym-​goers.
The pool is awesome and never crowded with people. The women’s locker room is well-​maintained and really decent! The showers are several notches better than those at 24 Hour Fitness.
Never a wait to use machines either. Numerous cardio machines to choose from. Darkened stretch room in a separate area.
Validated parking if you park in the garage.

Friendly, reasonably appointed in both cardio and weights (both machine and free-​weight).

Hi! I been a YMCA member since 9÷04÷05 and this is why:
The facility has 3 floors, it has a pool, jacuzzi, hot and dry sauna, brand new equipment, sensor water fillers etc. I personally like the upper level which it has a female only room (weights, stretch and cardio rooms) It’s a clean place that offers towels. It has plenty of classes like dancing, cycling, yoga etc… My favs teachers are Noël and Kim. You have to bring your locker lock but if you forgot you can borrow one (upper level desk, idk if the front desk has some) you lost your lock’s key, go to the front desk and they will cut the lock open for you. You don’t know how to use the equipment, don’t worry there are plenty of certified personal in each room and will gladly inform you. It is half of block away from Berkeley downtown Bart station. There is a garage and they can validate your ticket it is located next to the facility or you can ride your bike there and use the brand new room designed for bikes. If you give your email out they will send you updates and special events information. They also offer financial assistance to lower your monthly gym payment. I love YMCA

I have been a member for over a year now and like this gym, it’s pretty alright; super easy to get to, lots of equipment, and decent price. Downsides, though, are no running track and no late weekend hours.
Staff are mostly all friendly, though I did get an oddly condescending comment from one of the staff ladies supervising the women’s weight area upstairs: I was bench-​pressing alone and she came over to remind me to use the collars for the bench-​press bar, fair enough, though there is strong argument that when bench-​pressing without a spotter it’s better to *not* collar incase you need to drop the bar and slip the weight off one end. When I don’t have a spotter, I’d like to have the option of rescuing myself somehow if no staff or other people are around. If she were aware of the rationale, maybe a more constructive thing would have been to offer to spot me and then suggest putting collars on for that. I was also doing a short warm-​up set at that moment, starting at low-​weight and increasing quickly every 5 reps until reaching lift weight — extremely inconvenient to deal with taking the collars off, adding weight, then getting them back on again. Instead, she then added that when I «get good at it» and «someday, when you make it to the *big* weights (she stressed *big* like you would to a small child), it’s a good habit to collar every time». Now, if I’m there while she’s working, I head for the women’s cardio room or opt to lift with the dude-​bros in the co-​ed room on the main level.

This gym has great pools and gyms. They also have a fantastic ‘kindergym’, a multi-​level padded play structure for kids to play in. There are stairs, ladders, nets, slides and a trampoline. Everything is perfectly safe and yet still feels very adventurous for the toddlers. If we lived closer we’d be members.

Maybe I have high standards for gyms but I was a bit disappointed with this one. Although the price wasn’t so bad compared to other gyms around the east bay but the gym itself is very filthy. Equipment isn’t so up to date. Locker room is pretty dirty as well. The staff seem pretty down to earth and welcoming though. Another con for me was that they don’t play any music in the weight room. So all you’re left with is a library gym. Very quiet and awkward. No parking either since it’s downtown berkeley. So there’s an extra 5 dollars a day to park in the garage as well. They do validate but only specific small window times of the day.

I absolutely LOVE this gym. It offers so much to keep you motivated and encouraged to stay active. Not only does it have pools, great exercise classes, new cardio equipment and weight machines but… There’s a whole gym JUST FOR WOMEN! I recently discovered a large cardio room for the ladies beyond the amazing stretch and weight room areas. I was shocked and amazed when I finally wandered in its direction.
The staff is incredibly nice, and always helpful. The equipment is clean. The classes are fun and challenging. And they offer financial assistance to reduce the monthly membership cost. Also, they have a good parking validation system throughout the working week.
The only downside is their weekend hours (7am-7:30pm), but I’m sure this is for the wellness of their employees — which I appreciate!
Thanks Downtown Berkeley YMCA! I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

Call me stupid, but I’m still coming to this place after giving them a 2-​star review back in 2012.
Several unfriendly staff there alleged againt me for staying around the bball court a few mins past 10 pm and put my account on hold. After they do that, they give me a very snobbish attitude and talk to me in very disrespectful way like they’re superior than me and telling me I’m breaking their «code of conduct». A bunch of assholes, seriously.

Friendliest gym I’ve been to. You’ll see kids, teens, adults, and seniors alike working it out together. Definitely gives off a very community vibe.
If you’re a beginner, take advantage of the free fitness coaching sessions. I definitely recommend asking Dennis to draw up a routine that fits your exercising needs– he is as knowledgeable as he is personable.
Also, go to Ujam classes on Wednesday nights! It’s a combination of cardio and hip hop, but with more unf than a lot of other classes I’ve been to. Tess, the instructor, is amazing and her energy is enough to get you pumping all the way through.
For the weight room, there’s often a rush at around 8am and 4pm. Thursday seems to be the least crowded day!
Apply for financial aid for membership!