Ruddy Family Y

I purchased a one year membership to the Y and found this gym to be the best. It’s clean, new, has new machines and great staff.

I recently came down from Calgary for 3 weeks to visit family & friends — being a lengthy vacation it was imperative that my wife & I found a fitness gym to workout. Fortunately after contacting a few gyms (Athletic Club, Goodlife, YMCA) we found out that the YMCA offered a couples deal for 1 month at $ 85.00. It was a no-​brainer and we quickly signed up.
First, the staff are very good — a lot of them can actually be seen working out the YMCA, either between shifts or during breaks. Unlike some gyms the staff are extremely polite and definitely willing to help you if you have any questions or just need a bit of advice.
Second, there is more then enough equipment for any/​all exercises for anyone. They have dumbbells that go from 5 to 100 — including 4 or 5 incline benches. They have more then enough machines for weight lifting (legs, shoulders, back, biceps, etc.) and a plethora of treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, etc. They have mats, medicine balls, fitness balls and an array of various equipment for any workout. In terms of fitness equipment I would give this place a 4.5÷5.
Third, like any gym there are specific times that people should avoid if they want to experience a positive workout. From our experience, we highly suggest that if you’re able to workout between 10am and 3pm, this is the best time. It’s generally quiet and the only people working out are the individuals who take it seriously and retired individuals. From 6am (opening) until around 930am there tend to be an older clientele — in all honesty working out at this time is quite fine, but it might be a little tough to get certain equipment. We worked out early a few times and never really experienced any issues. However, I definitely suggest that you avoid working out after 5pm. Why? Well let me explain …
Every gym has issues — every gym has these «people» walking around … but Orleans takes it to another level. You know these guys, the ones walking around with their arms out & their shoulders popped high. The ones who think they’re massive and attract anything that walks. The ones grunting with every rep they accomplish. The ones who stack weights on the bar, knowing full well they either cannot possibly complete 1 proper rep or use excuses like «It must be the bar…» when they are inevitably unsuccessful (seriously heard that twice) …
If there were 1 or 2, we can deal with it – you ignore them. You snicker at them when they walk past … you give another person that look as if to acknowledge «yeah, this guy is hilarious» … but these guys are walking around in the 10’s — and they’re everywhere. Spending more time walking around, talking loudly, looking at themselves in the mirror … it’s comedic. Listen, I’m here to workout — not visualize what you look like when the 300 pound bar comes crashing down on your inflated chest.
And then on top of that are the teenagers who come upstairs from a game of basketball and just piss everyone off around them — if you want to workout, great. If you plan on running around, being loud & obnoxious, wasting time using a machine that someone else needs … then stay downstairs and shoot hoops.
They also have a full-​size court and swimming pool — I didn’t use either facility but from what I saw it looked really nice. I would definitely suggest this place to a family member or friend — but only if you’re able to wear earphones and tune out the obnoxious teenagers, steroid junkies and don’t mind waiting for a machine.

What a great YMCA this one is!!! I grew up in Orleans and went to this very Y when I was a kid. I remember when the basketball courts were upstairs and there was no swimming pool. These renovations are top notch!!! The weights got a huge upgrade. The machines are brand new and there are soo many of them.
They even have a play pin for little kids to play in. This is excellent for the parents who want to do a quick 45min work out while their kids are playing in the jungle gym.
The pool is absolutely gorgeous. I’ve been to many pools, such as the goodlife on st. laurant mall, the downtown ymca, and the ray friel centre in Orleans. This pool beats all of them by a mile. The water is clean and fresh. Look at the picture I took. The pool is 20 metres in length and always as a lane to swim in.
Since it is a city run facility, the price of membership is fairly good for low income families and individuals, and students. Though, the price is comparable to a Goodlife or the Athletic Club.
The staff is unbelievable. They are super friendly and polite. Even higher management is an email away.
The only thing that keeps this from being a 5 star review is their washrooms/​changing rooms. With all the new renovations this place had, I wish they upgraded their washrooms a bit. By no means is their washrooms terrible. Maybe to have actually shower heads in their showers would be amazing.
Overall, I love this YMCA and it’s the one gym I’ll go to in Orleans.

So glad to report that the service here as drastically improved in the few months that I’ve been going.
Noah K and I love this place, but as I mentioned, we were unable to use the studio to practice our Muay Thai. After emailing the manager, I’m happy to report that they are now leaving the studio unlocked for members to use. The fact that they not only listened to our complaint but took steps to rectify the situation has definitely made me more of a fan!
4.5 stars :)

This place has everythin u need… pool area, staff is really chill and da ball court is ill… since every1 is gone to all the «pretty» gyms never really busy and u can go month to month which is bomb