YMCA of Greater Saint Louis

Great workout! Everyone we’ve met has been very nice.

Does writing this review for the gym count as going to the gym?
The downtown Y isn’t just the best YMCA in St. Louis. It’s the best GYM in St. Louis.
I love the old building as much as I love the people who fill it. Much like most of its patrons, this building is charming and geriatric. It’s a maze full of character, and from the moment you walk in, this gym will feel like home.
I think this is a gym for people who are more into non-​YMCA-​ish gyms. That’s why I joined it. Swimming laps at any other YMCA in St. Louis is a test of patience. Screaming kids, over-​packed lanes, and sometimes even having to wait for a lane not because the lane is full, but because the pool is at its maximum swimmer: lifeguard ratio.
The pool at the downtown Y is GENIUS. It is JUST a lap pool. No slide. No diving board. Just a cement hole in the ground. Almost always have a lane to myself. The worst part is that there is always a lifeguard on duty, so more often than not it’s just you swimming laps awkwardly with the poor lifeguard bored as all get out, staring at you, probably secretly hoping you will start drowning to break up the monotony of working here.
You don’t even have to leave the locker room at this gym. They have a hot tub IN the locker room, which is both awesome and horrifying, since this is just BEGGING people to get in there naked. Please don’t. They have cardio equipment and a big screen TV in the locker room, so shit, why not just work out in there? If you get bored with that, try and find the rest of the gym at your own risk. Some sadistic bastard decided to put the weight room and cardio stuff at the top of like 50 flights of stairs. Just getting up there is my cardio. Once up there, tons of machines (have never had to wait), always a trainer around, and lots of TVs. Can get hot, but not too terrible. They have an indoor track, which I love, and a really awesome basketball court that is always happening.
Go up more stairs for even more excitement. I don’t even remember all what’s up there. Racquetball, I think, and maybe indoor golf. They also have a ton of pool tables and TVs downstairs.
This gym earns three demerits: Parking isn’t always free. After 7 AM and before 4 PM, parking costs money, even for members (they have a tight parking lot). The hours of the gym leave something to be desired for the paying-​their-​dues-​to-​corporate-​America of the bunch. And remember when the YMCA used to be the bargain place to work out when you were a kid? Yeah. Not anymore. It is RIDICULOUSLY expensive (though they provide most of the amenities of fancy gyms, like towel service). Luckily, they do give scholarships for those whose income falls below certain levels (sliding scale), so that is pretty amazing. Don’t let the hefty price tag scare you away.
The best part of the gym is the people. I’m always greeted by name, treated like royalty, and encouraged. I feel comfortable here, and that’s saying a lot. This gym is a hidden gem of St. Louis. I feel beyond lucky to have found it! And the three times a year that I actually go are the three best days everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

When I first visited the downtown YMCA I was not expecting a flashy new gym. In fact I was a little worried it would be overrun with down-​on-​their-​luck types outside asking for money and outdated smelly equipment on the inside.
Well…I was pleasantly surprised with both the outside (safe) and the inside (clean, not smelly, newer equipment). Our very nice tour guide showed us the game room (pool tables and a Wii) the locker rooms (not fancy but featuring a hot tub and sauna) and the cardio room with lots of equipment.
Aside from the above there are free classes but the times/​selection was a little underwhelming. For instance, there are not very many classes in the evenings and only one offered each morning.
The cool extras I found out about on the tour are:
1. You can get boxing gloves at the front desk to use for free
2. There is cardio equipment in the locker room so can work alone if you feel a little shy
3. There is a track around the top of the big gym so you can run «somewhere»
4. There is a room inside where you can hit balls and practice your swing!
Overall…do not discount this YMCA! It’s clean and offers a lot of extras that the «Gym Fit’s» of the world do not.

The staff is always friendly, the pool is almost always empty for lap swim, the weight room is somewhat limited but always clean and never crowded enough that I have to wait for anything (even during the 5pm rush hour).
I honestly don’t utilize this place for all it’s worth, there’s a full basketball court, indoor running track, racquetball courts, billiard table, etc. but I just lift weights and swim laps here. If I didn’t live across the street I probably never would have gone inside, but it’s a real convenient piece of awesome for me.

Awesome. So friendly. Great pool. And because no one knows about or goes to this place, you’ll have it all to yourself. (Wish there was a half star option, ’cause then I’d give it a 4 and ½, the ½ less because it IS an older building, and some of the equiptment/​workout areas are sort of off in their own little corridors, which could get scary for someone as paranoid (and seen too many horror movies as me). But luckily I just use the pool with my hubbie.) So for me, 5 stars all the way.

A total lifesaver when cabin fever sets in after spending almost two days indoors (if you don’t count SHOVELING SNOW for hours) in this the land of my birth but where I could never live again.
The sweeties at the front desk wouldn’t hear of me paying a day-​use fee, but gave me a towel and waved me in, with a Valentine chocolate to boot (hel-​lo, I’m here to burn some lbs, not put em on!).
The cardio and weight equipment is not quite Club One, but it is all clean and functional and the people, again, so sweet (maybe it’s the Midwest thing – how can they be so nice when it’s 16 degrees outside? Anyone?!!). It’s a huge facility, with ample parking (another weird concept for this kid), and while I didn’t take a class, I spent an hour in the wood-​floored room where classes are usu held and did yoga to my heart’s content.
I also go to the YMCA when I’m in town b/​c this is where my über-​fit grandpa and I used to go together and he’d swim endless laps in the pool. I can barely get out of a bathtub without drowning, so I only looked on sometimes and the pool seemed big and clean with lots of natural light. It was a little lonely going without him this time to ask me how far I ran and did anyone bother me and if so he’d go back and rearrange their kneecaps. Then we’d go home and g’ma would have cheese grits and ham sandwiches waiting to undo all our hard work. At least that hasn’t changed!