Carlson MetroCenter YMCA

I have been coming to this Y for several months now since switching my morning running location to the city. If you’re not a member of a YMCA yet, what are you waiting for?! Being a member in Rochester allows access to all locations around town which is super convenient. This Y is centrally located and perfect for starting my morning right regardless of where I will be working during the day.
For full disclosure, I do not normally work out here because I run outside, so my experience is not as in depth as others. That being said…
The staff has been very friendly and after becoming a regular, don’t hassle me if I forget my key tag to check in. That alone is a enough to make me keep coming here at the crack of dawn.
The locker rooms are huge and very well equipped with plenty of lockers (also available to rent on a month to month), sauna, steam room, stretching room, lounge area with a TV to catch the news, and a million showers.
The morning crowd tends to usually be over 50, so it’s fun to overhear the older guys shoot the breeze (naked old people everywhere is not as fun, but to each their own).
This Y is basically 3 stories tall — pool, racquetball, fitness classrooms, and weights on the first floor; basketball and some other offerings on the second; the third floor has circuit training equipment and an old school walking track that overlooks the basketball court. Very nice to use if it gets too icy outside!
A star gets knocked off for limited free parking, but it’s the city so what can you do?
If you made it this far, thanks for reading and I’ll hopefully see you at the Y!

The Chester F. Carlson Metrocenter YMCA is a fantastic facility. Whenever I am tempted to switch to a cheaper gym, I remind myself of all the Y does for the community.
The best asset is easily the people. Everyone — the front desk folks, the bathroom cleaning lady, the class instructors — wants to be your friend.
Pool: Carlson’s pool is good-​not-​great. It can sometimes have hot or cold patches and occasionally gets short on lanes. The lanes are plenty wide for sharing, though, and the lifeguards can help to attract the attention of oblivious swimmers who aren’t making room.
Locker rooms: There are four locker rooms: Women’s, Men’s, and then one for each with kids. The locker rooms are old, but very clean (I don’t believe I’ve ever been there when a cleaning lady hasn’t). There are plenty of lockers and a few small changing rooms if you prefer privacy (though most people skip them — not a whole lot of prudish suburbanites here). The showers are open, but three have stalls built around them, so again — privacy is an option. There’s also a small sitting room with a TV in the locker room.
Classes: The free classes are easily the best benefit of the Y. Seriously, if you’re not taking advantage, you’re missing out.
Weight room: The weight room is a little cramped, but there is a ton of equipment and people are friendly enough to share (though you may have to remind one or two people to move between sets).
Cardio: The cardio room has lots of machines and a row of six or so TVs at the front. I’ve never had trouble getting a machine. None of the machines have personal TVs. They even have one crazy machine that I only can imagine is for wheelchair folks who can’t use the treadmills or regular elliptical (or maybe swimmers who want more upper-​body cardio training?). There’s not really enough stretching room, but there is a 14^th-​of-​a-​mile track all the way around. The cardio room and the track are both open to the basketball courts (below), which are always lively.
Racquetball: Several racquetball courts line the front hallway, and they’re nearly always at least partially in use. You can get racquets and balls from the front desk; highly recommended!