McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA

The YMCA on Piedmont is a very nice and clean facility. I was a bit nervous about joining one of the classes but found the staff very friendly and informative and the class members welcoming.

I’ve always been a fan of the Y, particularly for its focus on families and activities that can engage everyone. Since we just started a family, we wanted a place that our daughter could go to when she is older for fun activities and to get exercise. The layout of this Y is good. Very easy to find everything needed. The pool always has at least one lane for lap swimming (even if the swim teams are practicing) so it is accessible. There is even a «babies in the water» class for babies 6 mo and older to get a first experience with being in the pool in a special shallow location. I like the squash courts, but you should sign up ahead of time to book out the time to avoid waiting in line. The spin classes are interesting, and you can just hop on and join in and spin for as little or as long as you want. There are a few tennis courts with a hitting wall for practice (nice!) in case you don’t have a partner on hand to practice/​play with. I like that they have a separate parking space for the folks that will be on the soccer fields so it doesn’t clog up the regular parking. We also looked into the «daycare» area which was very organized. You get 8 hours of care time per week (nice if you need to drop off your child for an hour so you can get a workout in!). That is not the awesome part though. What was really neat is that they have separate play areas for babies, toddlers, and older children and offer different services and support tailored to the age of the child. They also make you sign in and out and do not allow anyone in who isn’t staff — a good security feature. You can see everything mostly from the front desk so that was good. You can certainly drop off any needed baby/​child care items, including food and snacks, diapers, formula, etc and they will take care of the child for you. It is such a relief for my spouse and I, since it is hard to juggle fitness with a baby in tow that needs ²⁴⁄₇ attention.

I haven’t used this Y yet. All I really wanted was an indoor walking track for when it is raining or just too cold to walk outside.
Like all gyms they charge a joing fee ($ 69– for one person) then a monthly fee ($ 54/​month). This can be steep if on a limited income.
They do have financial assistance based on your income so each offer can be different.
The thing is I don’t mind paying a joining fee per se, but I do mind the monthly rate when I don’t want to use anything BUT the indoor track.
Why don’t gyms including the Y allow people to pay $ 2 – 3 per day just to use the walking track? They could make good money doing this. At just $ 2/​day if it rains for a week, they would make $ 14. Not bad for someone just using the indoor track and nothing else. No equipment to clean or fix.
The mall is 30−4o minutes away and I don’t feel safe going alone so my choice was either NOT walk in the cold/​rain (not a good option) or find another place. I asked my local stores if I could walk in them — YES! Cheaper too!
The Y and other gyms lost my money because they want a monthly fee plus at least a year contract to JUST walk.
The gyms really make it difficult for those on limited incomes with joing fees and contracts. So do insurance companies. If they offered memberships to gyms or at least financial assistance, people might get healthier instead of having so many health issues. It would be a win/​win with lower costs in the long term and healthier people. Even Medicare would benefit. Some Medicare Advantage plans have the «Silver Sneaker» program, but most of the Advantage plans cost too much or have high co-​pays. Regular Medicare should include this to help seniors stay or get healthy. It’s proven that costs are lower if your body is stronger.
To those who run the Y: you should consider a small fee of $ 2−3/day IF someone just wants to use the track. If someone wants to swim or use the equipment for a workout for just the day if on business or traveling, charge $ 5−10/day.
You complain about needing money for programs. Here is a way to make extra.

I don’t know if I can say enough good things about this Y, but I’m going to try…
I LOVE this Y! The staff is so friendly and accommodating, and they really take the time to get to know you and your family. We go several times a week (if not daily), and my daughter (16mo) adores the playcenter ladies in the mornings. They know her name, play with her, and are sweet as candy to her. It really makes me feel comfortable to take my time working out when I know she’s in good hands. The schedule has a few glitches, but the main people I love are Jeri (Fridays), Archana (Thursdays at Northeast, and every other Saturday at McCleskey), Omega (Thursday), and Jen P. (Saturdays). The only thing I wish was different is that they would change and add to the group schedule more often. I don’t like to do the same old things day in and day out and it’s easy to get bored if you never change the schedule.
If anyone at the Y is reading this, PLEASE bring barre to the schedule, offer early morning yoga (earlier than 11 or noon), and switch it up a little more. Oh, and make TRX and bootcamp free. K? Thanks! :-)

I workout a lot (obviously) so I like a good gym. This Y’s weight room is one of the smallest I have seen but I honestly have never been here when it was too crowded. The rates are significantly cheaper than any of the nearby gyms. Also if you have kids and don’t use the Y you are a bad parent.

This Y is the bees knees. They have it all! The pool, the people and everything in-​between. We are members for life.

Love the jacuzzi, steam room,& dry sauna. Hate abundance of cardio equipment & lack of free weights. Not a gym for body builders

This is an ok place. This ymca is unique in terms of the fact that it caters to one extreme to the other. If you 12 or 65 you will be VERY happy. Heck even the temperature seems to be a bit warm to accommodate. Equipment is nice but the spin class really cranks the 70s tunes. Sorry but CCR and spin do not mix.

This place has it all and a membership here also gets you into the one on j ferry. Its got all the equipment a regular gym might have. Only thing that may be a downer for some is its got a family feel so if your looking for an LA fitness feel you wont get it.
Their kids stuff is awesome and the people who work there with the kids are the best. Joyce, a woman who works the child area has been there since my neighbor’s 17 year old was a baby. Wow! My two girls love it there. I recommend their kids programs!