R.C. Durr YMCA

It’s nice to be able to actually write a POSITIVE review about a fitness club because
my experience over the past 5 – 7 years in the Cincy area hasn’t been the all that good.
Let me start by saying that this is a «Family Fitness Center» and by that I mean kids, lots
of them. So if you’re looking for a «no kid» gym with a huge weight room and a billion
fitness machines this place is NOT for you, period. I’ve done all those places and had my
credit card fleeced for fees and charges I never authorized and then watched nearly every
one either go out of business or get bought out by another company only to do the same
things all over again, and all the time these places kept getting dirtier and run down as each
year passed. RC Durr is a B-​U-​S-​Y place and although the weight room has pretty much everything you’ll need it’s small, we’re talking more than 12 – 15 folks in there moving around and it starts to get a little tight. The cardio and weight machine room isn’t the biggest either given the large membership retention RC Durr runs close to capacity a good portion of the prime gym hours. Pick the really off hours and you can avoid the crowds but after 4PM be
patient. But, with all that said, it’s busy for a reason. For starters there is «Gym Etiquette» and 95% of the people that go there actually follow it, yeah you’ll always have that slimeball that doesn’t rack his or her weights back or doesn’t wipe down equipment after use but most everyone else does! And some people will actually pick up after others as a way of saying «Not
in my gym». For as busy as this place is it’s CLEAN, always! If anything is broken, they fix it!
The longest time I’ve seen a piece of apparatus down for service is 2 days. The staff is nice and I say nice first because you can be professional and at the same time, flat out rude.
They are NICE and professional and that’s a first for me in a gym. Lastly, cost, very
reasonable considering everything they offer in the center is included in your membership, indoor and outdoor pool, weight room, cardio and weight machine room, child care, sauna,
classes and so on. For me the 5^th star of this review was probably pushed by convenience. It’s close to home (3 miles) but, for anyone who lives within 5 – 10 miles that convenience is closely matched and we’re talking probably a population of easily 35,000 plus that live in that radius. To sum it up? It’s a little small and a tad busy and in fact they could probably double the size of it and still fill it but I’ll still take it over all the gyms I’ve dealt with over the years, easily. Our family calls it our «home» gym because well, it is.

I can understand the other reviews here because if you have small kids it’s great to be able to check them into the child care while you go to a class or to work out. Aside from that though I don’t think this is a great place to go, the staff seems determined to make sure kids don’t have fun in the pools, either indoors or out, and there seems to be an overall lack of customer service. I have observed kids splashing in the pool and getting in trouble because of it even though they were not presenting a danger to anyone. You’re probably thinking I’m talking about my kids but I’m not, it just adds an air of confinement to the experience because you have to caution your kids to not splash or have too much fun. Probably the best example I have is from a time we went for a family swim in the winter. There was a lot of hassle because we had not been there in a few months and the life guards didn’t seem to know if they needed swim tests or not, although the kids all had green bands a few months prior to this visit. Then some more families showed up so there were maybe 4 or 5 families in the pool, along with a class and 2 lap swimmers. Half of the pool was closed off for lap swimming and the class was using about 2/3’s of the other half. The class instructor then put a rope up to confine the families to about ¹⁄₈^th of the pool in the shallow end because they were encroaching on the class area. It sure seemed like a waste of the resource and they could have easily invited the families to take over a lap lane but I guess that was outside the rules.
I could go on but hopefully you get the idea. The Burlington area really could use another facility, the YMCA is always crowded, especially in the summer. With another option I think the competition would really help the Y to improve the customer service experience and make it the facility it should be and what the community deserves.

What a great all-​around community center! My family has been members of this Y since it opened and we wouldn’t dream of joining another gym. First of all, I’ve never been to a gym in my life that had cleaner locker rooms. Then there’s all the classes they offer (free fitness classes anyone?!) and at a variety of times. Add on to that the outstanding outdoor pool and playground area for kids and it’s a total win.

We’ve been a member of R.C. Durr YMCA since August of 2007. When we bought our first home in 2008, one of the main considerations was it had to be near R.C. Durr. (We ended up buying a place within walking distance of it.)
I’m not going to tell you about the great facilities there because you can find out about those at their web site. I’m going to tell you about the great people that are there. I think it’s really telling that the same friendly folk have been working the front desk there almost since we joined over three years ago. They know your names, greet you, tell you to «have a great day» when you’re leaving and notice when you’ve missed a few times (and congratulate you on coming back). Great staff!
Most of our fellow members are very friendly too, especially those who work out in the pool in the early mornings like we do. They also notice if we miss and have suggestions if we’re having problems.
As you can guess from this post, we haven’t been as religious about going to the Y as we used to be. But, believe me… it’s us, not them!

I’ve never been a full-​fledged member of the RC Durr Y, but have used the outdoor swimming facility a number of times.
I love this pool. It has many different features that make it great for all ages including a slide, a pool with a easy-​entrance, and a lap-​lanes pool.
In the shallow end of the pool there were water fountains that had never been on when I was there.
The only thing this pool was missing was a deep end where diving would be permitted. Otherwise, this pool was so fun to go to and the lifeguards were attentive and the staff was kind.

From the heart-​pounding group fitness classes to the phenomenal child-​care staff, Boone County residents are truly privileged to have such five-​star fitness and family center. A member for almost a year now, I’m always impressed with the variety and quality of the activities this center provides.
This facility includes an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, sauna, fitness area with free-​weights, full-​size gymnasium, secure child watch center, and group fitness rooms. I love taking Zumba, yoga, and boot camp classes here because the instructors are always pushing their students to the next level of achievement.
For me the real selling point of this Y was how seriously they took the child watch duties. Only staff members can enter the child care room, and children can only leave when their parents arrive with their ID card, which must match the bar coded sticker the child receives upon entry. Nervous parents who are working out in the fitness room can even keep an eye on their progeny by watching a closed circuit monitor of the child care room.
The only reason that I’m not giving the YMCA five stars is because the facility is not large enough for the community that it serves. Frequent waiting lines for cardio equipment, overcrowded group fitness classes, and jam-​packed swimming pools have made me really frustrated lately. However, I’ve been told that once the new senior center is completed the more amenities will be added downstairs.