YMCA of Central Massachusetts

I have been a YMCA member for almost ten years. I stuck with them through several moves and many locations. The Y is a great community driven place where a person truly feels connected to their neighborhood and I love it for that. I also love the low cost and the membership sliding scale during times of financial hardship. The Y is a great place to get a family membership for all of these reasons.
When I moved to Worcester a few years back, I was at first hesitant to join the closest Y to my house, because it is in a rough neighborhood and I had preconceived notions about the types of people I would encounter in a facility located in the heart of a drug and gang-​ridden ‘hood. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that many good, honest, working folks use this Y, including several pillars of the community.
All of the equipment is in good condition, and it is evident that the funding this branch gets is good because they are constantly updating equipment and remodeling. But what really ruins this particular YMCA branch is the extremely poor customer service at the desk and the ridiculous characters they consider «personal trainers.»
In spite of having so many employees on at any given time, they seem to prefer congregating and having a laugh to actually helping anyone. When you call, the phone rings off the hook and nobody answers. When you come in person, the group of young people working the desk practically ignore you or give you one word answers. When you send letters or faxes, you do not get confirmations or responses.
The hours at this location are horrendous also. They close super early every night and they’re too lazy to open on Sundays. Most people who work need access during nights and weekends, yet this branch doesn’t seem to care. A couple of months out of the year they «extend their hours» to include a few hours on Sundays.
The trainers in the fitness area are 9 out of 10 obese. How anyone would pay someone in worse shape then they are to train them is beyond me. They charge normal rates for personal training yet the trainers look more in need of it then the members.
There are several branches of YMCAs accessible to residents of Worcester and neighboring towns. DON’T waste your money on the Main Street, Central Branch. If you do choose this Y out of convenience, get the membership that allows you to use the other YMCA locations also, otherwise you’ll wish you had.

the Y on Main Street in Worcester is a great renewed facility. They have a deal for college students for membership: 25 bucks a month w\o any commitment. With that membership, you can go to fitness classes, use the gym, the pool and the sauna & steam room section. It is clean and the staff is very friendly. So happy to have the establishment in our neighborhood.