South Side YMCA

You can never catch anyone who can make a decision. If you want to rent a space, you have to chase the rental coordinator. I’ve called and left my number. No return call. I went in and left my number. No return call. I called to go in again and he’s not there. Maybe on Sunday. How does this person have a job?

Nice new renovations to attract new clients/​customers to the facility. It took awhile, however the locker rooms and restrooms look great! I’ve been with the YMCA for over 7 years and I have to say that I enjoy my time there. I love the indoor track and basketball court. They provide a good change of pace to an everyday workout. This place is also great if you have kids. However at this point, I’m considering making a change to a larger/​newer facility that will have more equipment as well as updated equipment. Sufficient parking, friendly atmosphere and if you are here lookout for Emmanuel Noelliste!!! He’s a phenomenal trainer who really cares about your goals but will have you perform his training techniques to get you there.

Very disappointed that the location on 63^rd and Woodlawn is goint to remove the massage therapist whom my mother-​in-​law has been utilizing for at least five years at the location. Tried contacting them and they have no sound reason. very upset. the elderly find this service very helpful.

Just a disclaimer: we are not members but we go for my child’s swim class which are really good and the teachers are enthusiastic and really enjoy teaching toddlers to swim. I deduct stars because the facilities are quite outdated and rundown. They are in process of renovating but the women’s and family locker rooms have been overlooked. (Paint peeling in some spots, half the showers don’t work, missing handles, the scale in the women’s locker room is broken.) The large pool is supposed to be heated but it doesn’t feel that warm. There is a smaller, more shallow pool (3ft) for the youngsters which is definitely not heated so that part sucks when you have a squaking toddler. Otherwise if you live in Southside I don’t think there are a lot of year round swim class options so this is better than nothing. The front desk staff are not rude and a couple are friendly enough as they talk to my kid BUT they are high schoolers who would much rather be sleeping in late instead of swiping cards. Otherwise, not bad option for Southside parents looking for a reasonably priced swim class option for the kiddies.

I was a member for two years. Over the course of that time I stayed because it was close to home. Here are some things that I noticed to help you determine if this is a place for you:
1. If you are doing membership as a single person it is expensive compared to family memberships. You get great deals and discounts– its a family oriented work out place.
2. They are trying to make several improvements, however the construction is taking way too long. Since I started working out there they were under construction needless to say two years later and little headway.
3. Front desk staff have excellent customer service. Whoever trained them should train all personnel who work there. The best I have seen in a long time.
4. Small gym in comparison to X sport fitness or Planet Fitness.
5.Tried the personal training adventures and I will not mention the persons name. They did not explain why you use equipment, was suppose to create a nutritional program to go along with exercises and was late on sending it out and it missed days and meals, and seemed to have a nasty attitude. I tried it for 12 sessions paid in full upfront and was not satisfied I was on time, stayed late, and followed program to a T. When I would question him I had a lot of attitude. The personal training office is filthy. Would not recommend. I spoke to several people after about there experience. Apparently this trainer would talk about clients with his other clients :-(poor judgment and very unprofessional.
6. In the summer sometimes the air stops working in the fitness center. They say this happens at the start of the summer when they are first turning it on, however in July this was still an issue for two years in a row.
7.There are no windows or vents in the fitness center. The chemicals they use to clean the equipment is not made from natural products so you are breathing in toxins and peoples funk with all doors closed.
8. If you are interested in Yoga-​its amazing Leona does a great job! Her classes are typically crowded so get there early.
9. They give out free samples of food throughout the day when you walk in the door. I hope they can start looking into giving out free samples of deodorant too.
As soon as the LA fitness in Hyde Park opened I left :-) I like my new place soo much more and its a lot better on so many levels. Good luck.

I’ve been a member for over four years. I work out 2−3/ week. The family membership is more than affordable. All of the staff are polite and friendly. The classes are good. The equipment is good. The pool is great. It is not a luxury gym. So the locker room is not comfortable or pretty but it is clean and meets my basic needs for the price.

OK gym, has made a LOT of improvements!
They have upgraded the equipment which is great! The locker rooms for the most part are clean and you need a Membership Card to access which is great for added safety! This is a YMCA so it is not a luxury gym, you have to bring your own toiletries but they do have a Sauna, Hot Tub and a steam room!
They have the latest Arc Trainer and treadmills which is also plus with Cable Television monitors on each machine. Also an indoor pool.
If you stay near the Hyde Park/​Kenwood Area or work/​go to school there, this is the gym you may want to try out! Plus you can get a 3 Day pass if you go on the
website and select this location.

If you check out all the previous reviews they are very old and I have to say that I like this YMCA I don’t know how it use to be but now it is a very clean facility!
The staff was great a friendly and its going to be my winter spot to get my work out on!
When I first walked in to the facility I saw seniors having fun as they did one of the many classes that they have.
They have an indoor pool… that’s a plus for me!
They also will give you a discount if you are low income although for some that still maybe to much.
They are affiliated with the Silver Sneaker.
All in all I look forward to coming back and getting my work out on!

This place is awful. Truly awful.
I was a member of the South Side YMCA during the mid-90’s and I’m sad to say that the place hasn’t changed a bit over the past 15 years. The front desk staff is still horrible. The locker room is old. But I didn’t log on today to discuss the bad facilities or the idiotic and horrifically slow staff. Instead, I’m Unilocaling because of a baaad experience I had with the swim coach.
I’ve been swimming for 20 years, but I’m going to start doing triathlons so I signed up for an intermediate class at the YMCA because I wanted to learn how to stroke more efficiently. So, when i got to the pool area I walked over to the coach/​teacher and introduced myself. And the coach immediately began sizing me up and made the assumption that I wasn’t nearly advanced enough for the intermediate class. And then he offhandedly told me that if I wanted to be in his class I had to swim two lengths of the pool to «prove» that I belonged.
For a moment I considered jumping in. But then I remembered that I’m grown and that I don’t have to «prove» anything to anybody. Least of all an arrogant swim teacher at the South Side YMCA. I immediately left the pool, got dressed, and got a refund. LAME.

I joined bc they had a variety of classes. The gospel aerobics class is the bomb. The cardio equipment is fairly new. The indoor walking path is nice. But the customer service SUCKS!!! I’ve had multiple issues with my billing and they never would get back to me. I eventually just cancelled my membership and started with the park district which is way better.

This Y isn’t bad. Good amount of parking. Front desk staff seems to be in another world the times I’ve been there. They just swipe your card and pretty much ignore you. Not a big deal since I’m there to work out but it would be nice if they at least seemed somewhat interested in the people that come to use their facility. The cardio room is ok. I think it’s a little cramped for my liking. Everyone seems packed up against one another. Needs more space between the equipment. The track is nice. Overlooks a fairly large gym.
Overall, not bad, South Side YMCA, not bad.

Ok… Place needs work… Workout gym is outdated and really hot in the summertime… Pool is ok… But compared to other YMCA’s this one does not have a heated water as in others