Waltham YMCA

Some of the staff are not very welcoming, especially to children and families. Compared to other YMCAs, the services and facilities are very below-​average. They have one Zumba instructor on staff who is fantastic, and the others are laughably bad.

I love this Y. People are great, equipment is first rate, instructors are awesome! Their child watch area has been a lifesaver for me after having twins. I can get an hour to myself improving my health and wellness, while my children play with others and are in the same building if they need me. Definitely recommend!

The child watch program and Zumba classes are what attracted me to the Waltham YMCA to begin with. I had never exercised consistently in my life, but I was ready to make a healthful change. At first I was apprehensive because I have two left feet, but love to move and heard how fun Zumba was. I loved all of the teachers I tried and then decided to add in another class, so I incorporated deep water aerobics once a week. I started to feel stronger and more confident and added lap swimming, Power Yoga, and Pilates. Now after 8 months, I’m at my target weight and have tons of energy and decided to step it up and get toned and strong with personal training sessions. Everyone knows me and my son and he’s made friends with a lot of the other regular kids in the Childwatch– which has turned into play dates with their families outside of the gym. He has been in continuous swimming lessons and has had wonderful instructors and loves any sports class that Coach Dory teaches. The Waltham YMCA has become so much more than a gym for us– it has become a community and a part of our daily lives! We love it there!!!

My family loves the Waltham Y! Great programs for kids, all the equipment I need to get my cardio in, and I just love the Zumba classes. The staff is top notch and very friendly… They really make you feel welcome and at home there! Also, it’s very reasonably priced. There’s something for everyone there.

I am a huge fan of the Waltham Y. We have the family membership. It’s a very reasonable rate that includes free childcare while we work out. The child care hours are extensive and the staff are really kind and great with the kids. They get to know your kids. The family membership also gives us discounts on swimming lessons and other classes. My son loved the preschool gymnastics classes. We utilize the Y monthly for Parents’ Night Out, where we can pay just $ 25 for 2 kids, and leave them for 3 hours to go out. It’s awesome. We also use the Y for aftershool care and in the summers for summer camp. My kids LOVED summer camp last year.

This YMCA is great. They have indoor and outdoor pools, a nice, clean workout room with updated treadmills and equipment, a separate weight room, and lots of classes night and day. My son has gone to their summer camps several times and they are a lot of fun. We have used the childcare room, Parents Night Out (cheap babysitting for the evening), and swimming lessons. What I like best is their membership is month-​to-​month, no contract.

Good facilities and many great free classes. Staff is great. Only downside has been spotty cell/​wifi on hill and throughout building.

Great deal for a Full-​service gym (includes pool and basketball/​soccer indoor courts)! Also, outdoor pool. The young membership for $ 42 a month works great for me!!!

The Y is a great place for a full-​service gym. I’m a swimmer, and finding a competition length pool (25yards or 25 meters) was difficult when I moved to Waltham. I also picked up boxing recently, and was pleased to find a bag. Of course, the pool and the bag are on top of the weight room, the extra room with lighter weights, pilates equipment, and open space for HIIT/​Insanity/​CrossFit kind of training. There’s also a room of cardio equipment that I never used, but I imagine that’s desirable for some. It’s not too crowded (but I also altered my schedule to make sure I wouldn’t be coming in on the weekend or after the 5pm rush) and the staff is nice. If there was anything more I could ask for, it would be more group exercise classes at varying times of day.

Very friendly staff; not too crowded.

I’ve tried the super cheap gyms – Workout World, Planet Fitness – and found the weights areas exclusionary (unless you’re a big muscley weight lifter) and the machines often broken or dirty. And I’ve been a member of fancy pants gyms (Lifetime Fitness, Equinox) where I knew I wasn’t making the most of the money spent. Waltham Y is my perfect middle ground: the mama bear gym to my Goldilocks workout needs.
Waltham Y is always clean and in good working order and the staff are always ready with a friendly greeting when you arrive. They have a huge range of classes that vary between beginner to athlete levels, but I’ve always been made to feel comfortable jumping into even the most advanced classes. The sauna and steam room were a real treat in the cold winter months and the gym is always stocked with lots of fresh towels for swimming and bathing. I’ve been a member for 6 months and I’m loving my experience so far.

Best value for the money. Excellent equipment. Helpful staff. Open early.

I love the Waltham Y ! I just recently moved to the area, and I am so happy I joined! I try and go 3 – 4 times a week, and it has made acclimating to the area easier. The facility is laid out nicely, very clean and all equipment well maintained. The Staff is very friendly and helpful. The classes are varied and there is pretty much an exercise class for every interest. Check it out, you will not be disappointed!

I’ve been going to this Y primarily for the pool facilities and group aquatic exercise classes for over 2 years. The aquatic instructors are excellent and go above and beyond. In particular, Emelia’s Monday and Wednesday night classes keep me coming back. While there are sometimes issues with overcrowding/​overscheduling, the staff does everything they can to be accommodating and make it work. I appreciate the friendly and non-​intimidating atmosphere and intend to keep going to the Waltham Y even when I move a little further away.

I joined the Y over 2 years ago because I started to do triathlons and the Y has a awesome indoor and outdoor pool to train in and also the free classes that they offer helped my training out a lot. Now I am doing half ironmans because I can train in a great atmosphere.

Waltham YMCA is extremely welcoming. I’ve always been able to access their classes and always get a machine if I want it! I would recommend it to anyone!

I have used the YMCA five times a week for the last 6 years except in the summer when they allow me to take a break on membership. Dues are reasonable and resources are extraordinary! I take classes from weights, TRX to yoga. I swim, spin, use the treadmills and weight room. They have the latest equipment, clan and we’ll maintained. I. Can’t recommend this enough. I have also meet wonderful people, staff and members. Give it a try!

My family loves going to the Y here. Everyone is very friendly and very helpful. I feel so comfortable taking my son to the child watch because they are very helpful, caring and make me feel like my son is getting the care he needs. We have done several classes with my son here and have really enjoyed it. Can’t say enough good things!

My family and I have been members at the Waltham Y for many years and while there may be some issues for some members in comments I have read, the benefits, amenities and reasonable prices surely make up for those.
I would say that ChildWatch is one of the main benefits for myself and my family. My children are always eager to go play with their friends and the LOVE the staff who treats them like their own children. My husband and I would not have been able to get into an exercise routine and stick to it if we didn’t have the availability of Childwatch.
The cardio /​weight room is great and meets all the needs of both my husband and I. We don’t find an issue getting a machine whether it be peak or down hours and all the machines are usually up and running or fixed with in a day if down. The floor staff is very friendly and responsive if needs arise.
Both my husband and I take part in the Group Ex Classes as well as the paid classes. Both are great benefits to our membership where we have met many friends who share similar goals. I in fact have met a great group of women who I currently exercise regularly with to help challenge each other. Its great motivation for al of us.
Lastly the family friendly events hosted by the Y are great. My children are always excited to attend a Parents Night Out, Halloween Party, Holiday Party or Healthy Kids day. These are just a few examples of events hosted by the Y and are FREE to members. For our family its a great way for my husband and I to lead my example to bring out health and wellbeing in our children.
We are also looking forward to summer and the outdoor pool which is also included in a family membership!
I would recommend the Y as a great family friendly atmosphere which meets my families needs and I am sure you will find it will meet yours too!

I have been a member of the YMCA for awhile. The classes at the waltham YMCA are very good and the new cardio room is very nice. But there are some major issues with this place.
First, there is a hygiene issue. Second, there is a communication issue. As far as hygiene is concerned, there have definitely been some issues lately such as some kid leaving their feces in the adult shower area, gobs of hair always being in the shower drains, somebody defecating in the pool, major globs of hair floating around the bottom of the pool, the lifeguard deciding to dump the contents of the pool vacuum the pool deck, and naked people sitting on the benches in the steam room. Those have just been recent items. In the past year, there have been cases of people urinating in the steam room, naked people sitting on the benches in the sauna. and the showers just not being clean. Finally, I don’t think that the mats for yoga class are ever cleaned and there aren’t sanitizing wipes around. I have to say that lately the level of hygiene has become a real topic of conversation among members. The second issue involves communication. The people at the front desk often don’t know what is going on (or they aren’t saying). Here is an example: I arrived at the YMCA today to swim only to walk through the shower area and have another member say that the pool was closed because «they found something». She wasn’t told how long or what it was or anything. After sitting there for a while, I decided to go ask the front desk. I was promptly told that they didn’t find anything — it was just a chlorine issue and that the pool would be closed for 30 minutes. So I went back to the shower area and waited with the other people. After a half hour, one of the women decided to go ask. She was told that some kid had defecated in the pool and it wouldn’t open until at least another half hour. As I went to change I heard someone put a sign on the door to the locker room. No body came in to communicate that the pool would be closed additional time. The lifeguards could have done it. The front desk could have done it. And then I realized that the front desk staff that I had talked to had not told me the whole story — it wasn’t just a chlorine issue. This type of behavior is so common at this facility. This is another topic that members have been talking about lately. I would say if you come to this facility, be careful of anything that involves water — the pool, the shower, the sauna, the steam room; do not use the yoga mats; and if you have a problem, don’t expect a response from management.