YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee

Good workout gym good personal trainer and friendly staff nice and clean gym and good towel service

So… where to begin. I use this Y a few times a month so I can’t really comment on weekends or nights but when I am here during the week, it’s always clean (not true of all Ys), they always have towels and the locker rooms have built in locks so no forgetting your lock (which I do all the time at my other Y).
The equipment is in good shape IMHO and the aerobics stuff seems brand new (at least the treadmills) and they all have built in TVs to fight the boredom of well, using a treadmill.
Lots of free weights and machines and a nice track for days when the treadmill is well, even more boring than usual.
My favorite part of coming is the jacuzzi. I am not a fan of exercise so getting sore and tired just makes me like it that much less. So, being able to soak a bit before heading home is a huge bonus.

This has been my gym for years and feels like home
Pros:
–downtown location, with attached parking garage
–great staff
–variety of classes offered, most of which are free
–indoor running track
–sauna, hot tub
–diverse patronage makes it NOT pretentious in any kind of way… skinny people, fat people, young people, old people, people wearing Lululemon and people wearing their pajamas. Everyone is here to work out, not judge!
–access to other Y’s when you travel or want different amenities
–tj maxx and a fruit stand downstairs in case you forgot clean underwear for work or you need a cucumber for your dinner that night
Cons:
–No pool, no basketball courts, lacking ‘top of the line’ equipment and space
–showers and locker rooma are very basic– be happy if your shower is hot and the hair dryer works. No luxuries here.
–somewhat limited hours on weekends
Middle ground:
–moderate prices
–inconsistent policies on guests, pricing, etc depending on who is working
–you might run into Sprewell

It took me a while to visit this downtown location, I admit I was doubtful because I relied too heavily on their website pictures which don’t do the space justice. Now that I’ve been a few times, I wish I would have gone sooner.
Located right on Wisconsin Ave, this Y is on my bus route to/​from work. It’s on the 4^th floor of the TJ Maxx building and the track runs around the windows looking into the building’s courtyard. Around the exterior of the track are workout rooms, weights, cardio machines, the locker rooms, and the kid play room. The women’s locker room is spacious and I plan on checking out the steam room, sauna, and whirlpool one of these days. I also hope to check out one of their exercise classes soon, they have classes seven days a week, both morning and evening most days. There is not a gym or a pool in this location but for the most part my workouts do not include either, when they do, I know to go to a different Y location.
Parking is an obvious consideration when frequenting a downtown gym, and although I usually take the bus on my way home from work, when I have wanted parking on the weekend there have been spots on Michigan street. Also you can park in the garage and get validated, $ 1-​$ 2. Hopefully I’ll keep up my workout routine and maybe I’ll see you at the Y (gym rat fist bump).

The downtown Y location is great if you live and/​or work downtown. I used to go after work for 2.5 years. Some of my favorite things are the spin classes, indoor track (¹⁄₈ mile per lap) and dips in the hot tub. Why did I stop going? My prices went up after I turned 25 because I had the young adult pricing previously. It baffled me that a joint membership cost basically the same as a single membership. Seriously? Am I supposed to be married at this point in my life? Am I supposed to be earning more than I was at age 22? Neither of these were true so I split.
The real reason why I stopped going the the Y was that I realized I was going because I was paying for it and not because I really enjoyed much more than the spin classes. I would put my membership on hold over the summer. Even with that, I was paying for months I would never use because I ride my bike outside a lot.

I had been a member off and on here for many years. Location was okay, parking was sometimes difficult to find on the street, or you could pay extra, but at a discounted rate, to park in the garage.
They used to have pretty good service, and certainly some if the staff are really great. A recent experience caused me to drop my membership:
My friend and I so P-​90x, so we have a DVD player and usually found a room, do our video and leave. We were in the middle of our workout when Travis asked us to leave an unoccupied room «because the landlord asked them not to use it and it was to be locked at all times.» He told us to go to studio B. I stated there was a class there. He argued there was not and said it was okay to go there. We went, there was a private class there, we said Travis sent us there, and we proceeded to pick up on our workout. We were then kicked out by another manager, a female whose name I didn’t catch. So we went to the front desk and said, «Where can we do our workout?» Three people at the front desk looked at my friend and I like deer in headlights, inclusive of the female manager. «Well if you didn’t use the sound on your video you could do it somewhere out in the open amongst the equipment. But If you use the sound you’ll disturb other members.» So what you’re saying is that we can’t workout at the gym for which we are paying a membership for? At that point we left and never returned. Waste of money.

I love this gym for many reasons.
Child watch: They are wonderful with my toddler. He gets excited and runs to our door when I say «want to go to child watch?» They feed him meals I pack for him, change his diaper, and did bottles when he was younger. It is a nice childproof room with toys, a table with built in high chairs for eating, puzzles, books, etc. They also play songs and games with him. All this for $ 15 unlimited a month (up to 3 hours/​day). My only wish is that the hours were a little longer, but I love that they have it. I mostly wish they had early morning hours so I could start my day with a work out and shower child-​free. The hours start at 10:30 am on weekdays, so that’s not possible.
Indoor track! ¹⁄₆ mile loop that circles the courtyard of the building.
Weight machines that help you increment with a program called fitlinxx. It remembers all my settings for me. Also, they provide a wellness coach with no extra charge to help set up a fitness program for you.
Skywalk access! I live in an apartment with skywalk access. So, I can go to the gym and get childcare without even going outside!
The hot tub, steam room, sauna. Once again, we can do these things while someone watches our kid without going outside. :)
The included fitness classes. So far I have only done yoga. I really enjoy the yoga classes. I should really try the others some time.
Things I would change if they had the funds, but not deal-​breakers:
Kid-​friendly activities. We have to go to suburban Ys to get children’s programs, but I’m at least happy to have child watch.
A pool. Just a hot tub here, but that is nice.
**edit: they have wifi now! Called «Y-​fi». Clever :)**
WiFi. No wifi here and it would be nice for the data intensive fitness apps and streaming music on my phone.
Less noise in our apartment! This is more an issue with our apartment, but a plea to those who go here. Don’t drop your weights! The people who live below you can hear you. :(

I recently dropped my membership and requested that the monthly deduction from my bank account stop also. I was informed that due to the bankruptcy that they could not stop auto-​billing and I should contact my bank. Seriously? So I had to go to my bank and put a stop payment on their auto-​deduction from my bank account.

Things I love about the Y! 1) It is convenient! I go downtown, but there are a number of locations and your membership includes them all! 2) It is friendly! On my first visit to check the place out, someone noticed I was new and welcomed me (and this was NOT a staff member!) 3) I can pay extra to store my clothes in my locker and they even wash my clothes for me! 4) FitLinx — certain cardio and weight machines are connected to a computer that recognizes me through an ID Code. I don’t have to remember my seat adjustment or last weight settings and it nudges me to increase weight when I am ready! 5) A really wide variety of classes at many different times to fit everyone’s schedule and finally 6) the downtown facilities (the only one I’ve been to) are really nice and very clean!

Ive been going to this YMCA for years, however i just renewed my membership. The gym is just as i remember. This gym is better in my OPINION then the other YMCA’S due to cleanliness, gym lay out, machine availability, and staff friendliness.
I’m not a big fan of overcrowded gyms and at least at the times that I’m at this gym it is not that. I’m also not a fan of a bunch of rowdy kids running around, this is not that either. The locker room is far nicer then other YMCA’S that i have been to as well.
I’m a sucker for the sauna and steam room as well as the whirlpool. These options give this YMCA extra points with me.
The membership rates are much higher for a single person over 25 then the other competitors. However sometimes in life you have to pay for quality over convince.
I’m staying with the «Y»

Make sure to go to Lonnie’s Y-​Cardio Funk Class. It’s amazing. But be on time… really. :)

About a year ago the girl and I decided that we were getting pretty chunky and should probably join a gym. We live on the east-​side and wanted something pretty close and I wanted somewhere with a track where I could run.
The downtown YMCA was the only place that satisfied both of these requirements.
Once you get over the logical and philosophical hurdle of going to the mall to work out, this place is pretty cool. The locker rooms are really clean and large, so you don’t need to be in close contact with the really naked and really old men that always seem to haunt the YMCA.
They have a ton of machines of all types, if that’s your thing, and every single one is facing a flat-​screen tv. I’m more apt to listen to a book while I workout, but all the machines have head-​phone jacks if you want to watch tv.
The track, which was my main motivation for choosing this place, is pretty cool. It’ s a ¹⁄₆^th of a mile, which is a pretty good distance. I’d really prefer it be a little longer, but I understand the space constraints they have to work with and outside of the Petitte I think it’s the longest indoor track in Milwaukee.
I really don’t have any bad things to say about this place. You need to pay to park, which is bogus but it is downtown and so that comes with the territory. And of course, it’s in the same building as Panda Express, Rocky Rococo’s, and Culver’s, which is NOT conducive to me losing weight.
Strangely enough, running a few miles does *NOT* make it okay metabolism-​wise to gorge yourself on butterburgers and fried rice.
Who knew?
Other than that, which is of course my own personal failing, you could do a lot worse than working out here.

I love the «Y».
The staff here are superb and friendly. These aren’t some high and tightly fitness trainers you would find at other gyms. In fact, you see quite a few «average» people teach classes. I would say the people working here are on par on what you would find at a university gym. It seems they are enjoying their job.
The machines here are spot on, and their free weight rack is LEGIT. Even if you are a jacked guy, the free weights go up to 120 pounds, which is more then enough for 99% of the members. In addition, they have plenty of running machines and a very decent track with three lanes. The bench presses are more then enough and it never gets too crowded.
They have a sauna and a hot tub, and various free exercise classes included with membership. None of this sport or super sport junk you find elsewhere.
The crowd here is diverse. The «Y» is non-​profit, and as a result gives discounted membership for those under 24 or have a below average income. This is great in the land of corporate America that such a big organization can still pull this off. I have chatted with many people at the «Y» that I would never meet in my social circles. You definitely gain an appreciation of different cultures here.
Overall, ignore any of your peers ho tell you the «Y» is ghetto. They clearly haven’t gotten out of their comfort zone. I’ll let them all crowd up gold’s gym.

I love, love, love this YMCA for one reason; Cardio Funk. I haven’t been here in years but I sometimes think about dropping in just for this class.

Location is ideal for downtown workers, machines are up to date, lots of free weights are avail, parking is convenient (cheap with parking pass & under 2 hours, free after 6pm on street), classes can be busy the first part of the year otherwise they’re never jam packed, younger crowd is nice, no kids/​teens/​whole families, locker room is clean/​showers are private, instructors are very friendly.
I live near two other YMCAs, but choose to visit the downtown one mainly because its free of kids/​teens/​families. People are there to workout, not a place to drop off their kids after school. Downtown lacks a pool, but does have a nice hot tub (rarely used).
I’ve also made some great friends and networked with people who work at downtown companies.
Overall, great place to workout.