I love the facility Period! But of course as with most city own business theres always the issue of good Organizational skills. U never ever can go here and the schedules are consistent. Especially for the pool. I find this to be one of the worst issues to me personally." Anyway the pool is nice and it is a nice size." It would be nice to see the City either put stairs dn into the pool or a mobile stairwell that can easily be added so that seniors and those with severe handicaps and arm injuries due to strokes or falls would not have to rely upon a lift that may malfunction at any given time or ladders that are OLD n VERY OUT-DATED." THE RUNGS ON THE LADDER R NARROW AND NOT WIDE ENOUGH TO REST YOUR FEET PROPERLY THERBY INSURING GOOD SUPPORT AS WELL AS BALANCE AND SAFETY." Every time they hv done renovations on the st johns center I always pray they hv given the pool steps some much needed attention. But sad to say Im always VERY disappointed. DB read more

Great rec center for the community. I joined this location so that I can utilize the pool and the location closes to me pool is under renovation. Membership fee is very affordable and be paid annually or semi annually. Sign up is very easy. Staff is friendly. There are a full program of activities that you can find the schedule online. There are different classes and pool times for free swim. I am here mainly for the swim but I have taken yoga class here and enjoyed it. There is a workout room, cardio machines, a dance studio and a gym. There are also music classes. Many activities for children and adults. The locker room is okay; it's at the basic level of clean. No frills, just bring everything that you need. I do wish there were more lap swim hours but outside of that I do not have complaints on the facility. read more

St. John's Recreation Center - Recreation Centers Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Very friendly staff, however, due to no fault of their own possibly, the cardio equipment is about 95% inoperable. I have contacted 311 on numerous occasions, I just sent a letter to Darlene Mealy's office. I hope this is rectified. read more

See all

Great programs for the community. The yearly membership is affordable and most importantly there is a pool! List of classes include swimming, arts and craft, basketball, grappling, kickboxing, video editing, music production. read more

the rule is that Monday to Friday from 3-6 pm is family time and an adult is NOT allowed in the building. I can't use the gym or room to stretch before my workout. most important is that no one mentioned that to me when I signed up for the membership. Basically, as an adult, you pay more but get leas time in the facility. I'm losing 1095 hours time a year as a member. meanwhil, I'm paying more membership fee and more taxes to the city. It's not my fault that I can't have a child. Very unfair practice. read more

Great place for the whole family; I would recommend all families take advantage of the location but then that would cause overcrowding for us . They have a variety of different activities / classes / team sports and open play for all ages . read more

The staff are nice but the basket court needs air conditioning and also as the gym they also don't provide lockers and a dry for you clothes after getting wet or sweating etc read more

This is best kept secret in Brookyln. St. Johns Recreation Center has all the amenities that I look for in an OLD SCHOOL setting, yet they boast a serious gym, pool and various other activities. I am a swimmer, so the pool is my sanctuary. There is nothing bad that I can say about this swimming pool.. it is well maintained, water temperature is great and you have a schedule that is accommodating for most, if not all of the members. This Recreation Center gets my five star rating. KL read more

I love this place so much that I pay Uber from Bushwick every day to get here. :( Anyway, this place has 3 floors of activities and outdoor courts and fields! I also found a Spin class video on youtube so I do that and it works perfectly. No more paying for spinning classes! Additionally, EVERYONE is nice and courteous. I talk to the older members quite a bit, as they are quite motivating. The weight room is also great, of course, Men just workout there lol. What about that cardio for your heart health guys? Anyway ladies, don't be intimidated by this. I was at first but I think it's best to ignore the stereotypes about women and weights and just do your thing! I also love the classes they offer, the swimming pool is great and there are slow and fast lanes as well as lifeguards present. It's 2020, no excuses...let's get it!! CON: PLEASE CHANGE THE WATER FILTERS!!! GROSS! Hard to sign up for swimming classes - I still don't know-how. The Park website sucks in general. PROS: Diverse members POOL and Pool fitness equipments 2 indoor basketball courts and about 4 outside Fitness classes, including yoga, Zumba, tai chi, dancing and more. WAY CHEAPER THAN Equinox - I hunted far and near for a gym like this and yay! Adult and kid swings outdoor. :) Running track and other fields. Easy to join and just one payment. Safe neighborhood!! Old people? So awesome - There are people here who couldn't walk before my guy! That's all. Thanks! read more

A wonderful place to swim great staff friendly and caring. So many activities from kids to seniors

Annual membership is a bargain. Big pool with a fast lane, a slow-ish lane, and a beginner/no-lap-swimming lane. The locker room is basic but clean. Helpful staff. The website is not helpful, so go there in person to get a copy of the latest schedule of classes and lap swims. People come from all over Brooklyn to use this facility, but don't your friends, ok? It's great that it's never too crowded. read more

Not sure why when a place is located in a predomimately Black neighborhood, it has to be in the "hood." As if that' s a bad connotation of this place or area. I have been coming here for years. I like the fact it's one of the few recreational center where I can lift weights, play basketball, swim, and run on a track (track is outdoor). Yes, it is city owned and operated. You will not get the fluff that all the private gyms have just to drive up prices. If you are a true exerciser, you don't need the fluff. You want the equipment that is needed to meet your exercise goals. St. John Rec has been that for me since 1995 when I moved to Brooklyn. So, if you are looking for an affordable gym to get your body in shape then you may want to check out St. John Recreational Center. read more

St. John's Recreation Center - One of my indoor exercise location. - Recreation Centers Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Been coming to this rec center for years. It's got a great pool, gym, cardio room and weight room.

I recently visited St. John's Recreation Center and it was better than what I expected for a NYC recreation center. It has a nice sized swimming pool, basketball court, large locker room with spacious lockers and plenty of exercise equipment. The weight training room was in great shape. They had a good variety of machines and equipment including a "power rack" and hexbar. Most of the dumbbells looked fairly new. The cardio room was very clean and all of the machines were functioning. If you are looking for a decent affordable place to exercise especially if you are into weight training and want to use a power rack and or a hexbar then this is one of the locations I recommend. read more

St. John's Recreation Center - Smith machine, Power rack - Recreation Centers Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

Great place to play handball in the summer time. Especially at night they have lights on til pretty late. It's great for any community to have a place to meet and enjoy the weather make friends and play some ball ( basketball, baseball and handball) this review is purely for the outdoors portion. read more

St. John's Recreation Center - Recreation Centers Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

I don't want to give the facility less than 3 stars cause I didn't visit anywhere except the locker room and the pool. The staff I encountered were nice. I'm not sure if this is an evening issue but the ladies locker room actually smelled like urine. Oh and the lockers weren't exactly clean and some of them smelled like sweat. Admittedly I am a little more sensitive about cleanliness but it was the kind of situation where you don't want to touch anything or put your stuff down cause it's wet and it smells. The showers were warm, no complaints there. The pool is on the smaller side but big enough to get a workout. Water was a good temperature for laps, they have weights, kickboards and noodles. The pool and surrounding area was clean. I'll update when I check out the rest of the facility, but I think I'll steer clear of the locker room if possible... read more

Great gym is old school so you will really see results because of the old school machines and is ok when it comes to clean, the pool is big clean and not crowded, the lockers are huge and nice ,staff is ok they could be rude sometimes. The neighborhood is not that safe but during the morning is ok. read more

See all

I love this place. I attended poetry workshops here and the center was very welcoming. I appreciate a place where young people can go to learn and be safe. The employees are also invested and care very much about the young people and the recreational center. read more

Ive been going to the pool for over six months and it's great. People there are always very friendly. The pool isnt fancy but has everything you need. There is also a descent cardio gym, a weight room and they offer some classes( I have not tried yet). Good and affordable place to work out. read more

**REVIEW FOR THE POOL/LOCKER ROOM ONLY** Ive been taking swim lessons here for a few weeks. Now to be clear, I am definitely not a neat freak nor a germaphobe (no offense) . However, the bathroom situation in the ladies locker room needs to be taken care of. The showers look as if they've never been cleaned. The curtains have mildew and need to be replaced and I've even seen roaches on the shower curtains. I do understand that this is New York City and varmin will make their way in no matter what. I just wish they would spray and wipe down the showers everyday, and replace the shower curtains. I cringe at the thought of putting my towel down to take a shower. It just needs a power wash, a paint job and some TLC. The Pool is great and the lifeguards are great as well. I always have a great time. I haven't explored any other aspects of this facility yet, but I really want this Rec Center to succeed! I'm born and raised in Brooklyn and I want Brooklyn to always WIN!!! read more

I've never went to this place but I got a question can I go in for free or I have to pay ? And can I bring a stroller and my sons floaty he a year old . read more

I must say ...this rec center is not bad at all.... the equipment is very decent...the cardio room is nice and all of the treadmills work....never been in the pool though...I've never been a fan of public pools....they must put ALOT of chlorine in it...it reeks all over the place! The weight room is my only issue... the back of the room ...where the loose weights are ...is ALWAYS crowded with juiceheads...you can tell some of the guys have spent time in prison...they have that "prison build"....they constantly drop the weights...do loud and obnoxious grunting...talk loud....and just take up space....they are there everyday all day...and it's just annoying....they don't have the decency to allow others to use the weights or the benches because they hog them all day. There is this older lady that is there all day ....she's made up and her hair is always done...and she wears tons of jewelry..she doesn't work out all she does is walk around and bop her head to the music she's listening to....i think she's there to pick up guys. There's also this guy who flexes and poses in the mirrors all the time....he's a pompous jerk...he'll laugh at other people that aren't up to "par" to where he is....i pay him no mind...I do catch him staring and laughing at me though at times...or he'll peek over at my treadmill and see what time and miles i've run...it's not that serious dude just workout and mind your business!! In the cardio room in the morning ...it's nothing but elderly men and women...most have some sort of handicap...I wonder why they come here...shouldn't they go to the hospital for physical therapy?...that seems much more fees-able...but i think they can't afford it...so they come here to do it for cheap....but some of the cases are ridiculous...there are men that come in wheelchairs and canes trying to run on the treadmill...it's painful to see...they should be in a hospital...not at a rec center...they need to be looked after....the people that come here aren't looked after....so you feel obligated to keep an eye out for someone that will possibly fall down around 11 a.m......tons of kids come to use the pool...they are everywhere and all over in the locker room...so if that annoys you you might want to go after 3....and by the way they close the rooms at 2:30-3:00 p.m. for "maintenance" which isn't true....i think the only thing they do is mop the floors....there's so much dust everywhere they need to do a huge dusting Despite that....this center is decent and the area is quiet and the staff is polite...it's not bad for the price you pay mon thru fri they open at 8a.m. and close at 10 p.m. but they start clearing people out around 9:45 p.m sat and sun (which they are open on now) is the downtime days.....no juiceheads no handicapped no kids...total bliss! 9 a.m til 5 p.m. read more

I am giving a review for the pool. My girls 8 and 9 just started swimming lessons at St. Johns. I take them to practice and play in the pool during the week. I have never seen more than 6 kids in the pool (including my girls) and there are times they had the entire pool to themselves. The pool is nice and clean, but I can't say the same for the locker rooms. The locker room do smell bad and they are very dirty. I have yet to see a maintenance worker cleaning the bathroom or showers. My daughter ran out of the shower after seeing a bug. Adults and kids walk around the shower area with outside shoes and boots on, which I find to be very unsanitary. Overall, for the price it's still a deal to have access to a pool year round in NYC. read more

Don't know why they don't have men and women separate anymore. Was much better. Will lose a lot of men swimmers