I love this gym!!! The weight room and machine rooms are always clean and organized. You can view how many people are currently checked in online, so it's super easy to plan a visit during non-busy times. The pool, sauna, and courts are currently undergoing renovation, but I am so stoked for those to open back up because of how much I enjoy the rest of the gym. Also... my favorite part is that they have several FREE parking lots around the gym, which is a huge win for a downtown spot! read more

Downtown YMCA - Gyms Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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The YMCA is more than a gym. It is a community. And the staff at the Downtown YMCA make everyone feel welcome. Gyms can often emulate off toxicity or exclusivity, but the staff at the YMCA make sure that is not the case. They take care of the members and the equipment. Constantly seeking new ideas and spaces for engaging members in healthy living. I always feel at home at the YMCA. read more

Great: Equipment Staff Gains since i been there And they sell monsters in the vending machines. Don't believe the bad reviews, believe me. read more

Find another gym for the time being. My first visit here was okay as the whole facility was open. It was outdated but they had many different courts, swimming pool, separate machine rooms, classes, etc. I signed up to join only to find out afterwards that they were shutting down 90% of the space and now there is a basketball court that's been converted into a small gym space. A lot of the equipment is outdated, there's basically no amenities, and I didn't get any kind of warning before signing up that this was going to be what my membership is going towards. They are still charging full membership prices for about 10% use of the facility. Really unfortunate as it's a great location with lots of parking and friendly staff. The gym was freezing cold when I went last and I overheard employees saying it's because there was a natural gas smell coming from the heaters. I had smelt it as well. Hopefully they get this place looking nice in the future but I was told repairs will take until late of this year. read more

I'll sum up my review by saying WTF. Y'all scaled the gym down to about a fourth the previous size and fancied up that area. And sold half the building to become apartments. I am so beyond disappointed. I have been a Y member since 2014 and I'm probably going to end my membership after waiting 1+ year for the construction to end, which revealed a SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER GYM. Literally no open studios, no basketball court, still no pool, still no sauna. Didn't realize it takes 2 years to make a pool or sauna... Also the first time I visited the updated gym, the new weight room had one single clamp for the bars.... read more

The woman at the front desk (Joyce) is quite possibly one of the rudest people I have ever met. She also will never let anyone in at 5:30am when the establishment opens. She is always late and will open the door 5:45am, sometimes even 6am. This morning was especially cold and there were 7 people (including myself) waiting at the door. When the clock hit 5:35am, we asked each other if there was anyone in there. Then, one person tried the door to find it was unlocked. Before we could even decide to go in or not, Joyce came out from around the corner yelling, "WE ARE NOT OPEN YET! CLOSE THAT DOOR!". After showing Joyce the time on the person's phone (5:36am), she said, "I do not care what time it is. We will open when I say we open!" This woman should not be working with people at all. Not only can she not work well with customers, but she can't even do her job. read more

If a tree grows near the center of town, then does it have a Downtown Branch? Y am I even asking this? I'm what "You Might Call Annoying." Even though it's in an old crumbling building and the shower facilities are what seem like a mile away and a little old and out-of-date - I still really like this YMCA. And it has the stuff that I needed and they were really nice about letting me in without many questions. The new part is a little bit cramped, and the old part is, well, really really old. It reminds me of the facility that I used when I was up in Chicago in Lakeview. Parking is tough when it's not weekend, and due to the long walks to the subterranean and iffy showers, I'll stick with a 4 even though I love this facility. read more

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I hate to have to write a nasty review but I just had a very bad experience with this location. I was charged $30 (2/3 of the cost of a monthly membership) because the fee was returned. There's always money on the card I use so I'm not sure what happened, but the fee got returned, and for that they charged me $30. I called up a representative and explained the situation to her, and she just kept repeating the same line "That gets charged by the billing company" like a brainless automaton. It's very good to know that they will gladly do business with a company that will charge $30 for money they got within a few days anyway. Membership is already more than other gyms and their hours f***ing SUCK so why am I getting dinged for even MORE money? This is completely ridiculous and I don't really want to go go to your gym that's more expensive, less well-equipped, and open less than other gyms anyway. It's a ridiculous business model you have going on. I don't even mind but don't take any more of my money than you already have. Either contact your billing company and get me my money returned or I cancel my membership and you get nothing. Hope that $30 you didn't even get was worth it to you. read more

I have been a member of the Richmond Downtown YMCA for almost 30 years, but the fitness center is poorly run, they don't maintain their equipment and are indifferent to the needs and interests of it's members. I cancelled my membership today and will never return to the YMCA primarily due to the rudeness of many members and the inability of the staff to enforce their own regulations or even have awareness of the environment. They charge 5 times the monthly fee as Crunch yet have worse equipment and assistance, can't turn a profit so they're selling the building and their assistant director openly lied to me this evening about plans to sell the parking lots as well, despite that fact being in the news. Worst YMCA in America due to it's management. https://richmond.com/business/ymcas-downtown-richmond-complex-to-be-sold-to-developers-as-part-of-planned-residential-development/article_442618c4-3008-50b1-95c6-a080639a6ac4.html read more

Terrible customer service- deserves negative stars - impossible to reach a branch without going through Richmond - Richmond is out of touch and loves control read more

This location is never going to open again. It's entirely inaccessible because of the renovations that have been happening for the past what, 8 months? With no end in sight. The current improvements they're making aren't going to touch all the bullet holes in the top floor windows, I guess. The YMCA gets so much funding where does it all go? read more

Nice clean gym with friendly staff but, closing at 4pm on the weekend is ridiculous. Especially when the membership cost is more than almost all the other local gyms. read more

Poorly managed facility. Got charged for an extra month after putting my account on hold, even though the associate who had helped me at the time told me I wouldn't , and if I did, he told me, all I had to do was to speak with the manager and I'd be refunded, even though the monthly contract say thirty days notice. In fact , I had asked him to cancel my membership, however he talked me into just putting it on hold. Well, my card did get charged. I called YMCA downtown Richmond, and spoke with the facility director, who in turn told me that all she could do was to say she was sorry and that she would not refund my money, even though I was given the wrong information and I'm not using the facility at all. read more

Very clean YMCA. I was visiting from Colorado, just glad to have found one closer to me. Bring your own basketball if you want to play.

A big misconception that I see in other reviews is that this facility only has street parking. Not true. They actually got 4 parking lots between Franklin and Foushee! The place has charm, like most buildings in Downtown Richmond it is an early 1900's structure. Don't expect a Golds nor a brand new gym, although they have done several renovations over the years and they get new equipment all the time. Great atmosphere and fantastic staff is what makes this Y truly great. read more

I joined the 10k team and received some free passes to the YMCA here on franklin st and when I walked in the front deck lady just didn't care what I had to say introducing my self and why I was there. Just stuck her hand out and took the pass. I kinda just was like okayyyyy. I asked Sarah the manager and she was just like oh ok. I would avoid coming here seems like it's on its last leg management wise! read more

the location itself is amazing with incredible access, great parking, ada friendly entrance, and close proximity to downtown and the student side of town. however the inside of the building is falling apart due to being outdated and is always very crowded. as soon as my membership ends I will not be renewing it. while most of my experiences have been fine there have been a handful of times where I have been harassed by employees and members of the gym specifically in the locker rooms which has made me so scared I dont even use the bathroom there anymore just to avoid the chance of it happening again. i was walked in on in the shower and items were stolen from my locked locker. on more than one occasion crazy possibly mentally ill people have stood in the doorway of the locker rooms not allowing me to leave or asked for money making me extremely uncomfortable. the management did nothing. read more

This place is screaming, "When will you update me?!" like many other establishments in our beautiful Richmond. It has a huge neighborhood feel and I always see the same people here- probably the same people who have been coming here for the past 20 years. The basketball court is old, the weight machines are totally outdated (which makes working out here not fun at all) and the place is generally packed. The locker room leading to the pool could easily be a deal-breaker for some- gross, wet floors with a grimey feel and lots of wrinkly old dudes. The pool itself, luckily, is well-maintained. I think that the YMCA has a contract with the city of Richmond to screw people over who want to come here. The only available parking is street parking and ticketers are like hawks around here. read more

2nd post on this due to complete lack of follow up from the Y. Been members of Y in multiple states on both coasts for decades. This Y has great potential but needs a responsive and responsible staff. One of us was harassed by a clearly mentally ill young man. My guess, since there was no follow up from the staff, is that he's still lurking around. Scary place for women, if people are allowed to behave like this with no follow up. Nough said. We quit immediately. Richmond needs to take care of their Y. Won't be posting again on this. read more

This is the nearest Y to me, so I decided to czech it out. I joined last week, which got me 1/2 off the entrance fee of $60. Nice! Also got a free consultation appointment with "Banks" to see what I can do for an exercise routine and to familiarize myself with the equipment. With a nice, clear view from Franklin St., you can see they have many treadmills, ellipticals and devices of that ilk to use. After 5pm on weekdays, it's really busy, as it's the downtown location. -BUT- at other times, it's rather quiet. Indoor pool is available and usually at a toasty temperature. I'll be looking forward to shedding some pounds with the Downtown YMCA's help. EDIT: MAKE SURE YOU BRING YOUR LATEST 1040 RETURN TO GET A DISCOUNTED RATE. This is important, otherwise the flat fee for a metro-area pass is $55/month. read more

Very nice YMCA, located in the heart of downtown Richmond Virginia. Beautiful old building, big building with lots of space. Super nice workout area, although I mainly use the basketball courts and steam room. This one had both, and both were very nice. Will visit here again next time in the area! read more

It's in a convenient location as far as downtown is concerned, but it doesn't have an indoor track or private changing rooms that other gyms have. The workout area is smaller than most other gyms too. read more

I checked this gym out, but didn't join. It seemed like a big friendly place. There was a nice indoor pool. Many rooms and classes offered, but I got turned off by the locker room. It looked like you were apt to catch something in there. The showers lacked doors and everything was extremely run down. I was down with everything but the locker room. read more

I had been a member of the Downtown YMCA for about 10 years, then I moved away. It was my absolute favorite place to work out. Facilities are nice. Equipment is current. They've got the group exercise thing going on. And of course they have a pool. Having been a member so long, naturally I came to know practically everyone who worked or worked out there, so it sort of became a place for me to socialize as well, and a lot of the people became very good friends of mine. I haven't been a member now for 6 years, but I can still go back at any hour of the day and see old friends, and grab any one of them for a run or good weightlifing session. Miss the Y! read more

LOVE IT. I love the old schoolhouse feeling - it has so much charm. I have been a member of the Y in three states and many different cities and each one is a little different. Sure the machines here are not the ones that just came out, but they are all well maintained. The staff is very nice and honestly, so is every person I have interacted with while there. It just simply a great place to work out. The pool is great, my daughter loves it. The child watch is also great - another thing she enjoys quite a bit. I spend most of my time on the treadmills facing the windows on Franklin - it's a nice layout and there is always good energy. read more

As a guest of the Omni or Berkley Hotels, you get access to this gym. I was really impressed with the cleanliness and number of cardio and weight machines they had, as well as the friendliness of the staff. The women's locker room was spotless and whether I went at 7 am or 7 pm (at which times I've found it hard to find an open machine at other gyms because people will be there before/after work), there was plenty of space for everyone. read more

As the Omni Richmond guest, we get to use the YMCA that is in the same building. They open at 5:30 a.m. during the week, but the lovely staff there usually let you start earlier after 5 a.m. Clean, well-maintained and well-equipped. Love this gym! read more

What is there not to love about the Y..and further this location? The staff is always courteous and if You live or work in the downtown area it's perfect... Not to mention to 3 Free Y parking lots for members and guests... Great people and Great place to work out! read more

Called today to see what sort of trial periods they offer so that I could check out the classes and see if I wanted to join. The only option is a $60 month pass. Very disappointed as a (free) week trial is pretty standard with most gyms, including YMCAs in other cities. Most gyms give you a free week trial, but I would have been willing to pay something for it. I really would have liked to try this place out as the class schedule is extensive, but I can't swallow spending $60 upfront just to try it out. Will be going elsewhere. read more

The Y downtown has everything you need for your fitness routine. Sure, it is a bit old school but not in a negative way. It includes multiple weight rooms, a circuit room, plenty of cardio machines, an indoor pool and a basketball court. The patrons and staff are friendly enough. Never have I experienced an issue with overcrowding or having to wait on machines. Parking is good as well, there is a lot in the front. read more

This is the best place to bring your children and work out I would recommend this to every parent

I've played basketball and lifted weights at this YMCA a lot over the years. The basketball court at this YMCA is located on the 2nd floor. The basketball court is spacious but it's not modern. The court has a vintage feel.Theres another smaller basketball court next to the main gym to shoot around. On Saturday mornings, guys get together and play pick up games until everyone gets tired. The pick up games are good runs. This YMCA has some modern equipment and some older machines. During the prime hours, the workout area becomes really packed.Avoiding working out during mid evening is smart unless you like a packed gym.The pool is really nice and clean. I love the design of the buildings .The fountain in the middle of the YMCA is really nice. The parking can be a hassle because this YMCA is located downtown. Its hourly parking in the front of the building.Beware, you will get a ticket if you do not move your vehicle in time.The employees are nice. This YMCA has a nice workout atmosphere. This is a solid choice to play basketball and workout. I give YMCA-Downtown a 3.5 rating. read more

YMCA rocks! Free access promotions and financial assistance- they really do want you to be healthy! Always helpful and friendly.