Johnston Branch YMCA

The building was hot and uncomfortable and the staff was less than hospitable. I would suggest you skip this place.

I gave this y 4 stars because of child watch and gym classes. Child watch lady’s are so sweet and its big, for the kids to play in. my son loves it here. I actually only come here to go to the classes and the child watch cause the child watch is not as packed as dowd YMCA. Now the work out gym needs new equipment. If they put Johnston child watch in dowds gym. Uhg that would be the best y ever.

This Y isn’t my favorite but it serves its purpose. It’s close to my house and is nowhere near as busy as the Dowd Y so it’s kind of a no-​brainer for me. The parking can sometimes be absolutely terrible, especially on weekends when there are a lot of folks strolling around NoDa. Usually you can find a parking spot with a little bit of patience, though.
The staff is friendly enough and always greet members with a smile at the front door. The machines are definitely older and the downstairs area of the gym is fairly small. However, the gym isn’t usually super busy so I’m usually able to use a machine when I need to.
This gym also has a pool, steam room, sauna, basketball court, and fitness classes. I personally enjoy the sauna but beware… This YMCA location does NOT have towels so you’ll need to bring your own if you shower or hop on the steam room/​sauna or just straight up sweat a lot. Total bummer.

While nothing fancy about this gym, the clients who work out here make it special. There is a real neighborhood sense of camaraderie here and it’s nice to see familiar faces when you work out. The equipment is really well taken care of and brand new and they offer tons of classes. The best part is that you can belong to this Y and not have to have a metro membership. This is truly a gym to work out in and not a see and be seen type of spot.

Despite the explicate images burnt into my head by the elders in the locker room, this gym is clean and proficient!

This is my YMCA of choice simply because of my proximity to it, living less than 2 miles away.
I am not sure it it is a converted church, school, or office, but the facilities are nice and they have all the standard equipment every gym should have.
Parking can sometimes be an issue here as peeps going out in NODA often use the parking as well. Their fitness areas are a bit dis-​jointed as well. If you’ve ever been here, you know what I mean — some of the cardio machines are upstairs, some are downstairs. Some fitness machines are upstairs, some are downstairs. Some offices are upstairs, some are downstairs.
My only other issue with the Johnston Branch YMCA is that they play the music too loud in the fitness areas, causing patrons to have to blast their own music to cancel out the Y’s.
Otherwise, this is a great YMCA and a great place to workout. All of the employees are friendly and are more than willing to offer a hand in any way needed. Great Job Guys!

By far, the most laid back YMCA in Charlotte. The cardio/​workout rooms are small, but the people and instructors are great. It really feels like a neighborhood gym –whereas Dowd feels a bit more like Globo Gym (Dodgeball fans will get this reference).

Nothing fancy here, just a convenient gym that doesn’t get too crowded with super nice staff. Machines are well kept and wiped down every shift (you know, because not everyone wipes their sweat up after their workout, yuck). I’m typically here in the mornings and there’s plenty of room in the basement weight room to work out without feeling crowded or ogled. The employees are the nicest at Johnston — they always greet you with a smile and are more than willing to give you pointers about your work out.
Plenty of parking unless there’s something going on in NoDa. Yay gym.

The cardio room is small and almost always packed. The last 5 times I’ve tried to get on a machine I’ve only been successful 2 times. The women’s locker room always seems to have a draft in it no matter what time of year; it could also use a revamp. Compared to the Harris or Siskey Y’s women’s locker rooms this one is a bit antiquated.
I’ve taken an array of cardio and yoga group fitness classes at this location (with different instructors) and have more often than not been disappointed at the quality. If I’m not breaking a sweat 20 minutes into a cardio dance class, something is wrong w the instructor/​routine.
A definite plus side to this Y is its location. Actually, this could sway a health and fitness seeker one of two ways — passing by NoDa’s restaurants and bars can either motivate you to earn that reward meal/​drink or it can cause you to skip a scheduled workout session to sooner enjoy said meal/​drink.
Not my fave Y in town but it’s also not my least fave.

I used to be a member at the Dowd YMCA and LOVED that place! It has classes scheduled at all times of the day (convenient because I work «unusual» hours), so many treadmills that I rarely had to wait for cardio equipment, a beautiful view of the Uptown skyline, and a Women’s Health Center that had a relaxed enviroment and good shows on TV (with the volume on!). Also, a security guard at this branch offered to walk me to my car on more than one occasion.
I am so shocked between the contrast between the Dowd YMCA and the Johnston YMCA. I decided to switch because I moved closer to the Johnston (I can walk there from my house) but after just 3 months I have decided to cancel my membership. Here is why…
1. The class times are inconvenient for me.
2. I think there are only 8 (?) treadmills in the entire gym and people are ALWAYS waiting.
3. There is no volume on the TVs.
4. The bathrooms and locker rooms have been dirty and unstocked about ½ the times I go in there.
5. There are no windows with views outside.
6. The worst part is how horribly hot and humid the building is. No matter what time of day or what time of year, the building always feels like a sauna or a swimming pool locker room. The temperature is way too hot and it’s extremely, extremely humid. As soon as I step in the door I feel like I’ve already been working out. I feel disgusting, just thinking about it now, yuck! I addressed this to 3 different staff members and none of them was able to explain why it felt like this, or address how it might be changed.
It is definitely worth the extra drive and money for me to go back to the Dowd YMCA or find another gym altogether.

Not a bad lil gym. Not an over abundant amount of equipment like I’m used to, but it gets the job done. However, I’ve never had to wait to use anything there even during what I would consider a peak time to go. This is a great place to go if you’re looking for an in and out work out. This review will be updated, I’m going to try some classes and get back to you Unilocalers!

I’ve been making the rounds to all the different YMCAs in the city (so far, the Dowd, Childress-​Klein and Gateway). Today, a Sunday afternoon, was my first time at the Johnston YMCA. What a breath of fresh air! Even though it is the beginning of January, only a handful of people were in the exercise room. It was SO NICE not to have 50 alpha male banker dudes surrounding me from all sides like at the Dowd and Childress-​Klein. The Johnston is a super low-​key gym, and while it didn’t have all the machines I wanted to use for my work-​out, it was still serviceable. But really, it was just magical to come here and escape the suffocating crowds at the other Ys. I will be returning here soon.

I used to be a member of the Dowd YMCA, a posh branch that definitely has its perks. But I much prefer the low-​pressure Johnston. The Johnston Y reminds me of the YMCA from my childhood in Chicago. It’s in a cool old building and it’s not fancy. The members are friendly and diverse. And there’s no competition.
The classes are great. I like yoga (especially Kundalini yoga with Patty) and zumba, where more than 50 people dance like crazy in the gym.
If you live in NoDa or Plaza Midwood, the Johnston Y is your best choice for a gym.