Rocky Run YMCA

Too costly but a nice facility with great classes (like Zumba, Water Aerobics and Karate). Excellent pools and swimming instruction.
9 year old found the summer camp way too boring so we don’t go any more.

Rocky Run Y is pretty nice. I’ve also had the opportunity to workout on numerous occasions at the Ambler Y, so I’ll try not to make this a comparison review.
I bring my son here for swim lessons on the weekends because it is fairly close to where I live. The indoor track is very tight. There are only three lanes. The outer lane is extremely close to the wall and the most inner lane is very close to the gate/​ledge which over looks the basketball courts. Sixteen times around the track is equivalent to a mile. For those with small children who wish to run or walk, strollers are allowed, but I can see it being an issue considering the size of the track. You’re better off leaving your children in the Kids’ Zone.
The workout area, which is located on the second floor, contains great updated cardio equipment. The free weight area is obviously dated, but it gets the job done. There is a view of the main pool from the weight room, which seems a little creepy.
Speaking of the pool, the kiddie pool area is nice. The max is about 3 feet 6 inches. My son loves splashing in it. I always think the water will be warm until I get in it. Like most pools, once your body temperature adjusts, you’ll be fine. The main pool is about 8 feet deep with lanes. There’s usually never a line to get in because most of the swimmers get in, do a few laps and get out.
There are many classes offered here. It literally has something for everyone. If you’re new to working out, you can come here and not feel intimidated because it’s such an inviting atmosphere.

We love it here! I have two kids under 3! There is so much for then to do here. And their kid zone is wonderful. So many classes and great instructors! Love it here!

Beautifully maintained facility even years after opening. Well managed. Nice clientele. Great pool, plus kids indoor water park. Adult only swim hours seem greater than the 3 previously toured Y’s. Parking is better than the new Havertown Y

Two thumbs down. Tried to sign up for private swim lessons. Multiple messages and emails to aquatics director to no avail. Constant rotation of swim instructors so that there is no continuity of instruction even for a 5 week class. Wouldn’t let my 7 year old in the wading pool even with me sitting 2 feet away on a bench. Pools are overcrowded. Clientele is suspect. Just overall bad experience in the short 4 weeks that we’ve been members.

This gym is terrible. Do not join if you enjoy lifting weights especially. I moved Media about 6 months ago and joined the YMCA because there’s really no other options. They are going through renovations which made me kind of excited because I thought maybe they will be expanding their tiny 50’x50’ weight lifting area. But no! They’re adding another pool… Even though they already have two. And they are adding a spa/​massage room. I have seen no signs that say they will be adding to their weight lifting area. The worst part is your packed into a small area with the free weights and it’s a TON of teenagers who all think it’s social hour. Hogging all of the benches and dumbbells while huddled in their groups joking around and doing one set every 15 – 20 minutes. Someone could seriously end up getting injured bad because it seems like no one knows how to lift with proper form either.
On a positive note, they do have a lot of cardio machines and they are well maintained. The staff is mostly nice also.
They just need to improve their free weight area and have some king of supervision up there. When I find another gym with a better free weight selection I will move my membership there and just join a Planet Fitness for their cardio equipment.

This is a nice, clean, family friendly facility. However it is extremely expensive. As someone else mentioned I also feel that it is unfair I am paying top dollar for my membership when others are using the same facility at a discounted price, just because they make less money. I don’t see why I should be punished financially and should pay extra so those less fortunate should have the same privileges? It really bothers me and I feel like I am getting ripped off at almost $ 1200/​year. I think their cut off for financial aid is around 70,000 a year for a family, which is pretty high, meaning plenty of members can be on a discounted membership. So if they can function on those rates, why must they try and grab a little extra out of me? Absolutely not fair. However it is one of the only places around that offers such great programs and atmosphere for the kids.

So I’ve been around quite a few gyms and tried a lot! Admittedly, I had my reservations when going to this place, due to my inherent fear that the initiation in to the gym would require me to dress up in either a construction or policeman outfit, and start flaring my arms about while doing interpretive dance of letters of the alphabets.
However, upon going. I realize not only did I not have to fit my kettle balls in to a tight leather shorts. The gym itself is modern and welcoming to anyone. The downstairs has a large indoor pool for laps, with plenty of sun that allows that open atmosphere. Next to it is children pool with its own water slide, yes you heard me water slide… needless to say that kid will think twice before he asks me why I cut in line… pffft.
Then there is 2 great indoor basketball gyms which can easily fit 4 pick up half court games easily. With your standard ¹⁄₁₆^th of a mile track upstairs wrapped around the b-​ball court. With more studio room and daycare than most gyms I’ve ever seen, the cardio bunnies, housewives, and Jennifer Aniston will be happy as they do downward-​doggie-​reverse-​handstand-​core-​contusion-​ouch-​that-​hurts-​my-​back-​broke poses.
Finally, the actual gym upstairs with your standard fair of cardio equipment, with similar weight training machines situated in the middle. There is also a rehabilitation section of the room thats great too. Finally, my favorite part which is the weight room. I don’t like barbells, dumbbells, and heavy equipment being out in the open with everyone else. It makes for an unpleasant experience when lifting, because you always get the gawkers. Rather I prefer it like YMC has it, a personal space which can almost be described as a hole in the wall. Kept perfectly away from everyone else, this way I can make my funny faces, panting, grunting, and sweating to my hearts content in my tight leather shorts. Without eliciting the stares of people who wonder if I’m workingout or seizuring.

I used to be a member for over 3 years. overall, I enjoyed the facilities and made a few «gym-​buddies». However, overtime I grew frustrated with their pricing policy. As a single person making a decent salary, I was paying top dollar for my membership privileges. In many ways I felt as though they were placing the financial burden on people like me because «we could afford it». Meanwhile people who couldn’t afford it were offered Steepley discounted memberships. The membership demographic changed for the worse. I knew it was time to cancel my membership when I saw a group of young pre-​teen boys horse playing in the locker room and cursing at each other. the adults who were with them said nothing. Disgusted with the pricing policy and changes in demographic, I joined ACAC in West Chester, a gym with an albeit expensive, but FAIR pricing policy, better facilities, and classier clientele. The only way I would every rejoin the Y is if I lost my job and qualified for one of those discounted memberships.

When I moved back to the area for graduate school, I didn’t really have any income and I knew I would have trouble affording a gym. Lucky for me, I decided to check out the YMCA and see if they had a student membership or anything like that. The nice guy at the front desk told me they didn’t, but if someone has a very small income (i.e. me), they may qualify for a financial aid membership. After a bit of paperwork (tax returns, expense sheets, an application), they told me that I qualified for a discounted membership! And it was a price that I could afford. Honestly, they saved me, and really gave me the opportunity to work on getting healthy, despite my lack of income.
The YMCA always seems crowded, no matter what day or time I go. However, I’ve never had an issue getting an elliptical or a treadmill when I want it. Everything always seems clean and fairly organized. All the classes I’ve been to– Indo-​Rowing, Body Pump, Hatha Yoga– have been motivating and a lot of fun. I can’t wait to try more classes! They also have a pool area, which I haven’t used. The locker room doesn’t seem as nice as it could be, and it’s always quite humid, but hey, it’s the YMCA. My only other complaint/​observation is that the parking lot can be a bit of a war zone, although that probably has more to do with the clientele than the YMCA’s fault.
Two thumbs up for great classes, enough machines, and financial aid for those of us adults who are in graduate school and make a negative 40,000 a year after tuition. :-)

We come here often, between my husband, myself and our 2 year old. The programs for kids and adults are great and since their renovation, there are SO many machines. You never need to wait. The staff is extremely helpful and friendly. We love it here and come multiple times per week. They also offer babysitting for up to 2 hrs for free. My only issue with that is the size of the room they use. It is very small and often times when there are screaming little ones, the others can’t escape the noise and craziness. Other than that, the Y is very clean and organized and the staff and people that come here are pretty friendly. It’s great for families or for anyone.

The Rocky Run Y has under gone some renovations some things improved others have gotten worse. The locker rooms now are a mess! They put in new lockers and they are very small and right on top of one another. They removed the floor mats from the floors and did not put them back for some reason. So now when people leave the pool and showers they leave pools of water on the floor and you have to be careful not to let your gym clothes fall into it. There is one small bench in the middle of the lockers that everyone has to use to either sit on or keep your clothes off the floor out of the water. Its a complete mess up on their part. Put the floor mats back on the floor, they were designed to let water flow through them and give you a barrier between the water and the floor.
I also dislike the way they have to blast the music in the classes. Most of use our own MP3 in the gym and like different music. I have had to put ear plugs in to do spinning which I do most mornings and weekends in the winter. Spinning should be for the workout and not who can be the best DJ. I hate the chick music that some of the instructors have to blast. The group exercise rooms should have limiters on the volume so they can’t be blasted. We are fairly young 30’s and we hate the loud music. I can’t imagine some of the older folks what they must think. Oh and the kids here can be overwhelming. I am not a kid person so beware of the screaming kids blasting by you and moms clogging up the hallways with them.

Since moving to the area I take my kids here every day. A family membership comes with up to 2 hours of free daycare, which I use an hour of to go work out. Sometimes I just drop the kids off and go to the family lounge to sip free Wawa coffee and read a book.
They have multiple programs for kids and a very friendly staff.
Lockers are always clean, the equipment rooms and pool are similarly spotless. I never have any trouble finding open machines even during busy hours.
There is a heated pool next to the main pool for seniors and children under 3yrs (accompanied by one adult each).