My rating is strictly based on my beginner adult swim class with Bill. I had an incredible time and learned a lot from Bill. Week after week, I became a better and better swimmer. It was well worth the cost for me! The main con I had was that the women's locker room was disgusting. The moment you walked in, you could immediately smell the urine. It was awful, I would hold my breath every time. The showers were also gross and had very weak water pressure. The entire 2 months of my swim classes, the machine to dry your swimsuit was broken until the very last day of my class it worked again. read more

Ymc at the upper mainline is a nice club in paoli. They have a wide range of activities. I go to tennis here, but they have outdoor pickle ball, outdoor tennis courts, and around 12 of them. They have indoor as well. They have a gym, swimming pool with swimming lessons etc. They have ample.parking, and you will find parking unless there is an event like a national tournament. You do need to pay membership to use the facility, but I think it is valuable. They keep the facilities clean, and the programs are with quality and provide limited value to everyone. At the entrance, you will be checked in and use the facility. Over all its a decent facility.l but it's a little expensive to use indoor courts!!! read more

2.5 overall, round up UMLY is a lot of basic things to a lot of people, & serves the area. There is room for improvement, but on the whole, most of the people I encountered (families w/children) were pleased. I expect more, but everyone around me was fine w/ status quo. If you need a gym w/ free childcare, this is your place, & the summer camp is convenient for parents, not sure how kids like it. I can't speak to the tennis program or adult classes, but I got a good glimpse of kid programming. We did 3 seasons (4 sessions) of non-member lessons for my toddler, including swimming, tumbling & nature class. The swim program was excellent. Miss Nicki & Miss Elizabeth were absolutely worth gold. Both ladies were the most patient, insightful, skilled, sweet people I could ever hope to have teaching my kid. Just excellent. I made sure to give this feedback to the Aquatics head, & I honestly can't say enough about the quality of instructive care they offered. Grain of salt - another swim mother noted her experience with teenage instructors was not as positive. The tumbling class was a bit of a misnomer. I thought there would be an intro to basic tumbling exercises/positions, like a somersault, a straddle/pike/etc jump, a log roll, maybe learning stretching, etc. None of these things happened. I understand liability for things like a cartwheel, hand-/headstand, split, flip, etc. at toddler age, but don't expect anything more than circuits of jumping on a mini trampoline, rolling down a wedge, walking a 3" foam balance beam, crawling through a tent tunnel, jumping in hula hoops laid flat on the ground, & walking across workout stepping stones--every session. I have most of this stuff at home, & can improvise the rest. I know there is value in socialization, so that was all we took from it. I didn't even get some free time b/c the class was so short, all parents just waited in the hall. The nature class was taught by a Univ. of DE senior, majoring in Marine Bio. She was very kind, ready to instruct, & tried her best to impart all info she could about the animals we met in the Nature Center. My issue (also shared w/ department head) was that 1/2 the parents attending this class were from a specific preschool in Berwyn (to which we were registered, & quickly dumped after meeting these creatures), who were very cliquey / talked nonstop. This was a 45-min nature class. Can you seriously just keep your discussions about masked anorexia to yourselves so your children get a few min of nurturing & substance in their lives? I felt bad for our instructor, but it was also her job to make the class happen, & let the talkers know their behavior belongs in high school, not at the Y. Unfortunately that didn't happen. The class got worse as the 7 weeks progressed. When they announced the last class would be canceled, I was not disappointed, but I was surprised no UMLY employee made mention of a refund for the missing class. I had to contact UMLY & got an apology + refund, but it never would've happened if I hadn't asked. I have done a LOT of nature classes & workshops for kids in the greater Phila area & I have to say, there's so much better out there. Heinz Wildlife Refuge = FREE monthly class taught by rangers / Delaware Nature Society = bi-weekly nature classes ($16 for 1.5h) taught by retired teachers & naturalists --both top notch. Also Tinkergarten classes = $20/hr held in various local parks. For the same price (or more) than the mentioned alternatives, the quality of instruction offered at UMLY, & the hag-factor, just completely made it a waste of my time/$. Again, instructor was good, but they need to give her an assistant, or make the infrastructure to enforce a hag-gag order b/c zero fun/learning happens when the skeleton Barbies start yapping. In fall 2021-spring 2022 when we participated, you did not have to be a member to take classes. That all changed in summer 2022, & it is now obligatory to be a member for most any UMLY class. There are Ys all over the country, & monthly fees vary greatly, from free, to hundreds $/month. This Y location charges $135.50/mo for families + $99 one-time joiner fee (they waive joiner via promo various times per year). If I want to send just my child, it's $41/mo + $99 joiner. Last fall, a NON-MEMBER 30-min swim class (7-week session, one class per week) cost $189. Last year's $189 will now cost me $282 + $99 joiner for one child. Clearly they are trying to boost membership / raise funds. Hopefully this will be put into employee salary / facility improvements. Personally, I don't have use or time for a family membership with my own treadmill & all the activities we do elsewhere. If the tennis program is strong it may be worth joining my child in the future for tennis & swim. But for other activities, I will stick to nature centers, arts centers, & places more specialized in & serious about conveying instruction to their pupils. The #ConnestogaMomsHagfest at UMLY is not my scene. read more

See all

For the daycare, Tiana needs a raise. Miss girl had PATIENCEEE with these children. My siblings are just crazy and i saw them go in there. I also hung out in there with them for a while. I tried my best to calm them down but TIANA did it in 3 seconds. read more

Excellent facilities and great staff . Fellow members are all true ladies and gentlemen. Children members are courteous and well behaved . Teen swim team members are well disciplined and conduct themselves appropriately even when unsupervised. This reflects well on the parents and coaches . read more

I have rarely written any review! But, I have to so in this case. Please note if you wish to bring your children to swim in their pools you will need to be at poolside. But, be sure you keep your mouth closed and not making any gestures. They will taunt you as you were a private swim coach and ask you to leave in front of your children! What an awful experience! We have been at this facility for +10 yrs, and this place is not the same anymore! Terrible customer service, from the front desk to the back. Plus, there is limited access to the pools, especially during the week, because priorities are given to their swim teams. read more

I have been a member for many years. Since the reopening after the pandemic I noticed that the facility is falling into disrepair. The entire YMCA is dirty. If you use the fitness center you'll notice that it actually smells. The bathrooms are really bad. There is trash and urine on the floor. Most members stay away from the locker rooms which have mold on the shower curtains and in the shower stalls. In one bathroom the toilet has been broken for a month with "parts on order." If you swim laps for exercise you'll be competing with about 10 different swim teams to try to find a lap lane and that's if the pool isn't broken which it frequently is. If you scroll through the reviews be sure to look at the date of the review. If the review is more than a year old then it's not relevant because the place is falling apart since reopening after the pandemic. read more

I came here last week with my mom. This place is huge! When you come in, you walk the length of the building to get to the stairwell. First floor is indoor pool and stairway to get to locker rooms (opposite end of the hall). Second floor was individual class rooms (dance studio etc) and third floor was the wellness center (a.k.a. room with all the regular gym equipment). Although the parking lot was still pretty full, considering they were an hour away from closing, everyone was pretty spread out, so it didn't feel that crowded. I saw multiple people trying to figure out how to get here or there, so it can be confusing trying to find the room you're looking for. The crowd seemed to be pretty mixed; I saw everyone from teenagers to seniors and everyone was just doing their thing and keeping focused on their workout. read more

The pickleball program at this Y is a total scam! They sucker people into paying a full YMCA membership due to the popularity and addiction of the sport and there are very very limited indoor playing court opportunities during cold months. Then (regardless of time of year) they charge you extra $ ala carte fees for special "pickleball get togethers". Like we didn't pay enough already for the full membership $ ?! Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere! P.S. The Les Mills fitness program and instructors here are the ONLY reason to join this gym - they are AWESOME btw !!! They should be the ones running the Pickleball program here (eventhough it's not apples to apples of course) but maybe the pickleball program would run more efficient then ;-) Update: here's yet another reason why NOT to join the Upper Main Line YMCA for pickleball: during the winter, on some week day nights there is suppose to be pickleball in the gym from 6 to 8 p.m. The high school kids playing basketball there are suppose to stop playing/leave at 6 p.m. but they refuse to leave and pickleball always starts late. They then return at 7:30 p.m. and start bouncing the ball around the gym during pickleball play which they are not suppose to be doing. Good luck trying to politely or sternly ask the kids to stop, they mostly react in bully manner back to you. And good luck reporting it to the front desk, it goes in one ear and out the other. This is yet another winter where the basketball kids act like bullies and continue with their behavior against the pickleballers. So much for the Y's Code of Conduct policy - https://ymcagbw.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/YGBW%20Member%20Code%20of%20Conduct%20-%20updated%205.24.22.pdf read more

Across all YMCA's, including Berwyn branch, the aquatic department have decided to give priority to Swimming lessons and closing open swimming (if any). Classes go up to 7:45 and closes at eight. Many of us swimmers work and can only make it in the afternoon, needles to say the swimming team starts their training early too and there are classes all day long. Decisions made due to the fact that kids get distracted with us swimmers. Really? Aren't you preparing them to compete? Welcome to the world of distractions in a competition in case you didn't know. We complained with the Assistant Aquatic Director who politely listened to our complain and stated it wasn't her decision. Sadly all lifeguards had to deal with more than five people complaining and we got the same answer. Then we decided to cancell our family membership and let them know why we were highly disappointed. 4 ladies at the front desk were understanding and listening to us. They knew why we were highly disappointed, the manager of the shift whose initials are NP, approached and stated "we can take care of ending your membership, it all go through March 28 and I will make sure you don't get charge again." Then, I said wait "I am not getting refund or prorate for the days I didn't use and you are charging me till the end of the month." His reply was NO. I told him that was not fair, not right. He said again NO to my request again and as he is seeing me obviously escalating issue, which I had the right to do it, he told me to get out. He got mad because I had the right to be mad due to the fact I was going to be ripped off. His customer service skills are less than desirable. He took a bad situation and made it worse. it was only after he was asked three times that he finally agreed to pro rated us starting March 7 till March 28. I asked him to write it on the Membership copy of cancellation form, but I am not sure he wrote It on the original. As I am Hispanic I felt highly offended and discriminated, 100% racist. Things only got resolved when my white American husband asked him for the proration. Then his whole attitude change and a different personality showed up. We Hispanic people know how to do math, and know our rights. Racism in YMCA, business malpractice by one member can destroy reputation of the so "welcome al" moto the YMCA is proud about. I never ever had such a bad customer experience before at the Y in Berwyn. I will be updating and attaching pic. read more

Pay attention to how the five star reviews are from those who have ONLY reviewed the Y, and read like an advertisement .... Disappointed that they continue to price family membership too high for many local families. Higher than Havertown (with clientele from Ardmore, Bryn Mawr), higher than Lionville, higher than West Chester, higher than Phoenixville, higher than Octarora, higher than Kennett, higher than Brandywine .... And yet the members of all those YMCAs are able to use the resources at UMLY. So currently the wealthier locals are defecting to Lifetime for their better facilities and fancy kids program, and the locals with tighter budgets drive to a cheaper Y then still use UMLY whenever they wish. read more

Fantastic facilities, terrible customer service. Really, this should be the YMCA motto, I guess. The people working at the front desk barely acknowledge your existence, if that. A couple of them are on their smartphones too much to even see guests walking by. The wellness center (weights and cardio area) is the worst. With no staff in the area for much of the time, they are just asking for a lawsuit. read more

I called the morning of 7/2/16, to ask many questions and the teenage boy who answered did a good job of answering them (the website was inadequate and confusing). He suggested I stop by later that day to have a tour and ask any additional questions. My husband and I took our newborn and three year old that afternoon and when we arrived several other people were interested in tours and memberships. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough employees to give tours. I thought it was odd that on a holiday weekend at the beginning of the summer season they wouldn't have people available to give tours to perspective members. I asked if we could go check out the outdoor pools since that is what we were interested in utilizing and we had clothes on so obviously we weren't going to jump in. The lady wouldn't let us and she told us we had to become a member to check out the pools. I can't say she was especially friendly about the situation. Most people wouldn't sign a contract without doing their due diligence first. With our corporate discount the monthly membership is $109 and the joiner fee is waived. Since we had already ventured out we decided to just join UMLY and worse case cancel our membership if we didn't like the outdoor pools. We went later that day after going home to suit up and again on July 4. The pools were deserted. I've been to the pools twice since with my kids. During the weekdays there are tons of camp kids and the pools are quite crowded. After seeing how zombie-like a lot of the camp counselors are I can say my kids will most likely never go to camp there! We can visit the other Ys in the Brandywine network; however, none of them have great kids outdoor pools. It stinks we can't use any Y (such as the Royersford outdoor pool or the WC outdoor pool). I don't know if we'll keep our membership after the summer. I haven't heard great things about their work out classes or gym and $109 is a lot of money to spend a month. We may just join during the summer months to use the outdoor pools while our kids are young. I hadn't been to UMLY in many years but overall I am not blown away. The landscaping outside is lacking and it could really use some TLC. The outdoor pool area smells strongly like chlorine and the water is very murky. Kind of skeeved me out... Today when we were at the froggy pool there was water squirting out of a tube near the lifeguard stand and it was obviously an issue. The lifeguard seemed distracted by it and wasn't giving 100% to watching the swimmers. Ultimately, the froggy pool is meeting our needs for our three year old this summer. read more

Upper Main Line Branch YMCA - 7/2/16 - we had the whole froggy pool! - Gyms Near Me - Berwyn, Pennsylvania

Terrible place. Had similar bad experiences on numerous occasions over many years as similarly reported by other reviewers. Biggest problem the unprofessional, unhelpful, occasionally downright rude employees (including people working the desk and summer camp counselors). Unfortunately, many families I know from the area come here. Quit membership many years ago. Have enrolled kids in a few camps and programs as non members just because of their friends. Truly, truly hate this place. Recently was sent a questionnaire asking to evaluate them. Commented that it might be nice if emails with questions inquiring about private lessons (if you come here, you would know of what kind, as this particular sport is very popular here) were actually answered because hey, you know, that would be good customer service and, surprise, surprise, it would be good for business. For whatever reason, working conditions must be horrible here as poor morale is the only way I can make sense of why customer service is so atrocious. Going to look at Lifetime. read more

I love this place! Tennis courts, up to 6 swimming pools, group classes, kid stuff, multiple locker rooms, family changing rooms, lots of parking, nice staff, clean, well kept, lots of cardio equipment, the list goes on and on. I think it's a great value for the cost. More about the pools ( my favorite): One very warm indoor 25 yd pool good for small kids and water aerobics type things. One cool indoor 25 yd for more intense workouts. One pool that is either indoor or outdoor depending on the weather. 25 yd. In the early spring they open an outdoor heated 50 meter pool. In the summer there is a wading pool for little kids, and a fun outdoor pool for bigger kids. read more

The first impression I have of UMLY is not great. Customer service is not friendly. Both employees and members seem stressed out and in bad moods. No one asked if I wanted a tour...I switched from ACAC to UMLY since it is closer to my home. ACAC in worlds better than UMLY in terms of customer service, well it's better period. Please take some classes on how to treat members. What a turn off. read more

This is an amazing place for both kids and adults. We have had our children getting getting swim lessons and the teachers are awesome. Most of them are former competitive swimmers and really care about seeing your child make improvements. If you really want the best instructors for your children then go here! read more

Upper Main Line Branch YMCA - Gyms Near Me - Berwyn, Pennsylvania

We love it here. The summer camp can't be beat. The staff is happy, excited, patient and kind. I'm pretty sure the counselors (mostly college kids) were hand-picked cream of the crop as they are all exceptional kids going off to Georgetown, UVA, etc. The activities are endless and so many fun speciality camps that my three children loved. Can't wait for next summer! read more

UPDATE: Brandywine Y management has restored Silver Sneakers to this and other Chester County branches. This is what happens when a health club tries to do too much, and tries to please everybody (and ends up pleasing nobody). All those different facilities (tennis, pools, kid stuff...) mean the place is often packed. Don't bother with the treadmill; the parking lot is so crowded you'll probably get a long walk just to get inside. Part of the problem is all the special promotions in which non-members crowd out actual members. The physical plant is OK. The problem is the classes. The instructors are poorly supervised; each does her own thing. Find a class you like and then somebody else shows up and it's completely different. No quality control, training or supervision. When one instructor subs for another, she often walks in and admits she knows nothing about this type of workout (cardio, pilates, yoga or whatever) but acts like it doesn't matter. Too many people treat the Health Center as a place to hang out and socialize. They "Bogart" the machines as they get into conversations (forget about listening on headphones as you work out). Management thinks the Health Center is a place where everybody knows your name. It's not a place to just go and do a workout routine. The target market is clearly families with kids. If that's not you, forget it. If you are looking for a particular type of work out and don't need everything in one place, there are better (less crowded) options. read more

A great place for the kids to burn energy and for teens to develop healthy habits. For adults, well it's a bit like attending a kiddie summer camp. Great facilities, but getting full use of the facilities can be difficult what with all the scheduled activities for the kids. If you you have kids, you'll love it. If you don't, well look elsewhere to workout (unless you absolutely require a pool). And it's a bit pricey unless you have a family plan (and a large family). But like many Y's they have special considerations for low income families. Of course most of the kids will be dropped off in Beamers, Range Rovers, and other luxury cars; it is the Main Line after all and this too is a place to make impression. Sigh. read more

Wish I wasn't stuck with this Y Yes, the facilities are sprawling but that is beyond overshadowed by: 1) the policies don't take member experience into account. 2) the facilities are poorly maintained and locker rooms downright gross depending when you hit them 3) the staff are generally as grouchy as their policies. I find my ire boiling over just about every time I have to deal with them. So, why do I bother you ask? My kids friends join teams or camp coordinated through this facility. But after this summer camp experience, I think we're done. read more

I love the camp programs, My son has just spent his third summer at the UMLY camp. He has learned swimming in the Kinderkamp. And playing tennis in the Tiny Tennis camp. UMLY feels like home to him. He will also attend the Eco-Camp, when the school is out coming fall. We also love the outdoor pools. I, in particular, the 50 m pool. My son just discovered the slide. I like the extensive tennis program for kids and adults. We will explore it in fall. read more

We pay a relatively small amount yet gain access to SO much. Our boys go to the Y almost every day to play basketball so I feel as though our membership is well worth it. Not only are they exercising but they're enjoying all the social aspects of being there as well. I also love the fact that I can swim all winter long. :) Kathy C. read more

Facilities are wonderful and the staff is always cheerful and accommodating. Price is right!

Love they Y- Enjoy the spin classes and all of the group exercise. Would like Grit classes to be included in membership. And... wish there were more morning times available for spin in the am other than 6am then 9:25am - how about 6:30am or 7?. Instructors are awesome and you can't beat the price. read more

All in all, this is nice facility with excellent children's programs, preschool and daycare. While it has a fitness center and pools (and we have used all of them), I will focus my review on the opportunities for younger children. We moved our daughter from another daycare to the renovated Early Learning Center (ELC). The teachers there have provided her with a well-developed, creative format to learn and grow. While many of the preschool classrooms are small, this has proven to be an advantage as it keeps the faculty to student ratio below the state limits (often 1:8 versus 1:10). This allows the children to receive more individual attention which is critical in the early years. The Y is on 54 acres, and the preschool classes regularly explore the property and learn about the wildlife. There is also a nature center which has resident goats, chickens, rabbits, snakes, turtles, and a lizard. Throughout the year, the students meet the animals and learn more about them. In addition to nature classes, my daughter's class attends a music and gym class once a week. We greatly appreciate our ability to sign her up for enrichment classes through the YMCA's programs. The staff at the ELC will take them to the class and then pick them up. This has allowed my daughter to participate in many extracurricular activities (tennis, soccer, cooking, gymnastics, swimming, and dance) without encroaching on our weekend family time, and we have been really pleased with her instructors. All in all, I can't write enough wonderful things about this location, the dedicated teachers, and the positive effect that the preschool/daycare has had on my daughter. read more

My family has belonged to the y for many years. About a year ago i experienced several situations that left me pretty dissapointed and we ended up cancelling our membership and going to another club( ellis preserve) that we love. I do not know if they had a management change , but my experiences tend to be a result of management issues, if i reflect on my corporate executive experience. In one incident, our yoga instructor started a yelling argument with an elderly member who simply did not hear her well. She started yelling, talking about how much she is not getting paid to put up with such a customer, etc...everybody was soo embarrassed by her behavior. I looked for a manager and relayed her behavior , but the manager rudely interrupted me saying she does not need to hear story, etc. The same instructor led a streching class, where she had literally 4 attendees and instead of helping us do the exercises correctly, she was watching herself in the mirrors during the entire time. I was so disgusted, i never went to these classes again. And, finally, when they discontinued accepting a free senior program membership for classes, i decided to make a change , thus my poor rating. read more

Some of the staff needs a refresher course in customer service. Asked a simple question and received a condescending answer.

This place scarred me as a child. I will never send my children to camp based on my experiences there every summer from age 6 to 13

This gym is amazing. My kids love the child care, th equipment is all new and it's very clean. Not to mention to staff is super friendly and the pool options are awesome! read more

Absolutely great place to bring kids. Their pools are amazing. Everything is very clean and the people who work there are so nice. Especially the child care area. Miss Jenn is the best!!! Mini Mozart class is so cute with an awesome teacher, Mr. Brian. Only negative is that the parking lot is always jammed!! I suppose that's a testament to their great programs. read more

I've belonged to the Y on and off for several years and am getting more and more disappointed as they expand and update their facilities. Although they have great, well maintained equipment, it is impossible to use it because the place is always so crowded. For the price we pay it is not worth the aggravation. read more

Staff not particularly friendly. Hard to get good explanations when you ask simple questions... particularly about classes. In the "new" "improved" lobby you get to stand in line to enroll which takes apparently 2 people and over 20 minutes... and you get to stand waiting for all the people in front of you as well. In the old lobby, they actually had a nice office. Pools and the floats are not cleaned. The exercise machines in the woman's showers/restrooms have not worked in years and reporting that has no effect. Yet there they sit taking up massive amounts of space. Showers not cleaned regularly. The same hairs can be found when you come back day after day. They do have pools - though it can often be unclear when the open or lap swims are. They don't keep kids out of the lap lanes. You are paying an absolute premium for this Y... so it would be nice if they could do better. The daycare must be a major cash cow because it's nightmarish trying to get out of the parking lot. Same all summer with the camps. It should really be much better laid out. read more

Beware of the scams from this YMCA. Please check your credit cards every months. They will keep charging your cards even after you stop taking the facility. I signed up in Jan'2016 for 3 months and did not realize that they continued to charge my cards til Oct'2016 from Jan'2016. They will just auto enroll you and start milking money from you, if you do not realize. read more

This YMCA is not swimmer friendly, meaning, you have to work around their schedules...pools are always being closed year round...and it gets worse in the summer when the campers take over every pool...how can you have so many pools and not have time for lap swimming daily...this place is clearly not member/swimmer friendly...it's a bureaucracy running only for money...and it's a bit pricey...so if you are a swimmer, find a community pool like Radnor or Villanova... read more

I joined as I saw them advertising Badminton. But was shocked to see no courts, no net, no markings all they have is some enthusiastic players who bring their own net, mark themselves with blue painting tape and play. I cancelled my membership after waiting for 4 months. Shame on Y, they are still advertising 'NEW' badminton. This is pure cheating. read more