I have been a member for a few months now, and I LOVE it! I like how the weight room is not as crowded as other gyms like 24 Hour. No need to wait for cardio equipment or weights. And because it's more of an older crowd, it's way less intimidating. I also like that they have a pool, because I can get a work out in while my sons are at their swim lessons. The vibe here is very low key and relaxing. The staff is very friendly and they have a variety of group classes. The facility is well maintained and clean, and there is free parking! read more

See all

Nice to have this facility in Kailua. Great place for families. Friendly staff. Exercise equipment available and babysitting available while you exercise. Also swim classes for children and babies. Conveniently located and adequate parking on site. read more

My girlfriend recommended that I sign up for a membership at this Windward YMCA in Kailua because she goes there to do swimming and there are some activities that I would be interested in. I reside in the south shore and she resides in Kailua but when we do get to see each other, we like to go to this branch, and the staff and other folks are very friendly and helpful. It is a somewhat smaller facility and parking can be limited during peak hours, but overall, I enjoy the fitness center and it is a great value for your money. read more

Excellent staff if you ever go there, you will not be disappointed. The customer service with Terry and Michelle and everybody upfront is excellent. read more

I've been going to this YMCA location since I was 8 years old. This location is always clean, very friendly staff, very good swimming facilities, very good gym setup (with a variety of exercise equipment), and ample parking. The atmosphere at this location is very comfortable, warm, and friendly. The staff at this YMCA are very friendly and helpful. The restroom and the pool locker rooms are kept up to date and clean. I enjoy that this location isn't in a city environment. I recommend this YMCA location, they're great for workouts and the pool is excellent. read more

1-17-2025 When I was ten years old (1980), I learned to swim here. Free. My family was poor. Now my mom gives annually and so do I. As an older person I work out daily to stave off the atrophy of old age. The employees are always friendly, and the people are not mesomorphic gym rats or selfie taking hotties dressed in yoga pants and bikers' shorts. I get a sense of community here. People drop off extras when they have it. My latest score was free Thai Basil plants that I now have in my garden. Recently I brought brownies and tomatoes. I have also gotten Oregano, cookies, oranges, and dragon fruit. I have worked out in the many places I have lived over the years but only here do I get the feeling of community. read more

The atmosphere at this YMCA is great and the employees there are very friendly and welcoming. This YMCA is smaller than the Nu'uanu but I like it a lot. The pool is heated and feels great on cold days. The locker rooms are kept up well and it is clean. Should see if your insurance company partners with the ymca and you can get free membership through them. There is a Heiau near it you can visit as well. The bathrooms are for members only for liability and safety reasons. So try not to drink too much liquid before going or find a public restroom before. Many awesome programs like water aerobics, group exercise classes, swim lessons and etc held here. Once you become a member, you can go to any YMCA on the island. read more

Visitor from California and treated like a local. Very friendly staff and clean facility.

I was visiting from Florida and used the gym in October, the staff is wonderful and I had a few issues as to the set up for the treadmill. I had never been to a gym that has the treadmill in the back and while using it I was just looking at a stone wall, this was the most annoying problem. I highly suggest turning them around or please get mirrors on the wall or TV set up. I am back visiting for a month and decided to go to UFC gym for my daily workouts. I visit frequently and would love to go back to this particular YMCA in Kailua if this problem is fixed. read more

This Y location is off the Pali, so yeah it is a bit noisy if u r in the pool area. Staff here r super friendly to assist you with any of your needs. Variety of programs - some included with membership, others you pay a small fee for. Yoga, TRX, Zumba, water aerobics! Swim lessons, and swim teams to boot! Indoor exercise room/weight room is with AC so u are not dripping sweat in a sauna! (Hooray for that!) you must have closed toed shoes in this area, and they will ask u to leave the area if you do not have them on. Indoor restroom has 2 stalls, so not much space for changing. Lockers r available for storing personal items while working out. Pool area does have a bigger locker room zone with showers. A decent size and overall a lot can be done with the space they have. Go workout! read more

I went to visit the Ulupō Heiau and afterwards needed to use the restroom. The woman at the front refused saying that it was only for members. I'm a local Mixed Hawaiian woman and that rubbed me the wrong way. I feel like its only decent to let someone use the restroom. I was thinking of joining the Y, but that totally changed my mind. read more

I have been exercising at this gym on and off for close to 15 years. They have child day care services, group exercise classes, a fully equipped gym, personal trainers, and a large outdoor swimming pool. I've seen a lot staff come and go over the years, and most have been very friendly. My only complaints are the hours and size of the gym. The gym is quite small; 1/3rd the size of an average 24 Hour Fitness. It is near impossible to get in a decent workout during the before or after work rush when everyone goes to workout at the same time. It is only open 6am-9pm on weekdays, with even shorter hours on weekends; which can make it very difficult to find time to go if you have a busy schedule. This has been my go to gym for a long time and will be for the foreseeable future. I hope one day they will go 24 hours, or at least extend their hours. read more

I've gone to this YMCA location for years. I've been to the Kahala and Nuuanu locations, but the Kailua location is no ka oi (Google it if you don't know what that means). This Y is located in a cul de sac in Kailua. There's even an ancient Hawaiian heiau in the back. Please be respectful of the heiau. Parking is free and there's plenty of it. The YMCA offers a variety of fitness classes in keeping up with trends. They also have quite a number of children's and seniors programs. One nice benefit they offer is childcare while you work out. The equipment is good. It's clean. It's not the absolute latest in equipment but it's not some huge 1970s Nautilus equipment either. In the cardio room, they have about 7-8 treadmills. There are about 6-7 elliptical machines and about 4 bikes including recumbent. All the cardio marchines have an attached television set to captions. You can watch a program while you work out without disturbing anyone else. The weights area has the usual dumbbells and machines. Most of the younger men tend to pump and preen in the weights area. Why is it men do a set of some exercise then flex to see if the muscle has arrived in the last five minutes? The swimming pool is fine. It's clean. It's not an Olympic size pool but is ok for swimming laps. It's heated. There are family swim hours so you can bring the kids without having them in the way of lap swimmers. There are pool noodles and boards you can use with the kids. This is a very family oriented gym. You see people of all ages, fitness levels and sizes here. I haven't seen any judgement or rudeness. Most people wipe down the machines after use although like any place you have the gross people who don't wipe their sweat off once they're done with the equipment. There are no chatter boxes talking on their cell phones while working out. I work out mostly on the weekends and weekday evenings. The weekday morning crowd is mostly senior citizens. It seems busiest in the morning and afternoon. There are a variety of memberships from solo to family. They offer a Silver and Fit reduced gym membership for Kaiser Permanente seniors. It's a really good deal. Starting January 2017, they will offer a greatly discounted gym membership for other Kaiser Permanente members. Talk to the front desk for more info. The gym is open until 8 pm on weekdays and until 6 pm on the weekends. There's a large courtyard area for a variety of classes or to just talk story and hang out. They have personal trainers if you need someone to kick your ass into shape. I want to give a shout out to Demetrius known to all as "D". He is the sweetest, most helpful trainer there and he has great eclectic taste in music. He makes this gym a warm welcome place. read more

See all

Thank heaven that for its ONE fitness facility, Kailua has the Y! I've been a member for the past three years, and during that time significant upgrades have been made to the facility and equipment, going from a three star facility to a solid four stars in my book. As a non-profit, community-oriented organization, working out at the Y is a much different experience from other fitness facilities. The people who come here seem unpretentious, helpful, and friendly. Although it is small, this YMCA branch has a fair amount of cardio machines, weight machines, free weights, and assorted equipment (resistance bands/tubes, medicine balls, Bosu balls, mats, foam rolls, etc.) It also has a large common room (used for keiki Summer Fun and a few exercise classes), a group exercise room, and a pool. There is a shower and changing area by the pool but no locker room--only a handful of beat-up old day lockers near the front desk. (They seriously need to upgrade those babies!) Child care is also available while you work out. There is a nice variety of exercise classes offered each day of the week, including yoga, Pilates, "boot camp," Zumba, martial arts, hula, ukulele, and much more. The Silver Sneakers classes are formatted not only for seniors but are open to anyone, including those with disabilities or injuries. The group exercise schedule is posted at http://www.ymcahonolulu.org/schedules. Since it's the only game in town, this location is busy all day long. The parking lot is usually full by mid-morning, so you may have to wait for a space or park down the street and walk over (the church next door allows limited parking in its lot after 10:00am). If you need help at the front desk, there is often a wait since there's only one person handling everything. My favorite feature of this location is the personal training service. I've worked with a couple of different trainers and have been extremely happy. The folks here are friendly, helpful, and they genuinely care. Whether you want guidance three days a week or a single session, they will offer great ideas and advice. The Kailua Y is situated in the middle of a residential area just off the Pali Highway near Kalaniana'ole (a couple of blocks from Castle Medical Center and the 7-Eleven.) Hours are M-F 6:00am-9:00pm; Sat 6:30am-6:00pm, Sun 10:00am-6:00pm. Closed holidays. Yelp 365 Challenge #196 read more

See all

Why, oh why did I spend SO many years at 24 Hour Fitness when I could have been coming here? The Y has great, new machines (many with built in tv's, making my cardio go oh-so-much-faster), a POOL, childcare (even though I don't use that as I don't have kids), a POOL, isn't crowded, and it has a POOL. Did I mention that already? Seriously, I've only been a member here for a week, but I'm uber-impressed already. For about the same price as 24-Hour (less if you have a family), you get a lot more - and no crowds or pretentious people meandering around pretending to work out. Score. read more

See all

8 months after moving off island I discovered they were still billing me despite the fact that I had informed them of my departure, and they could clearly see I hadn't set foot in the place in over a year. After dozens of calls and emails and going up the ladder, the director refused to give me my money back. Fast forward, a year later I have discovered that they started billing me again and have for 12 months! (Yes, I need to scrutinize my statements better!) After a solid week of trying to reach them, because they NEVER answer their phone, someone called me back, reviewed the situation, and after another week promised me a full credit, promptly. Well over two weeks later I'm still waiting for my check. I have left two voicemails, no return calls. so much for family values. read more

This is an update to my previous review. They could not find my payment however, Jen said that they consider the account paid and apologized for the amount of time and effort it took to assist them in locating it. I will always pay here with check or card. And keep my cash receipts long after an account has been paid. read more

So many awesome people at the YMCA. The YMCA is like family!!!! From Kalihi to Kailua... Love it!!! There is do many different workouts to choose from... Insanity, Ripped, Strength & Toning, Fit & Silver, swimming, Hot Hula & Zumba!!! & they offer childcare & children's programs too!!! Something for everyone!! read more

Windward Branch YMCA - Time to get Shweaty!!! - Gyms Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

See all

Thankful for the returning of services to our Senior population. Had a nice conversation with Brandi who assured me the restablishment of Arthritis Water Aerobics is in the process. The long standing class was very popular with men and women coming from Kaaawa to Waimanalo, not just Kailua. The purpose of a heated pool serves those with arthritic ailments and more via YMCA members. So many people are wanting to REJOIN ( revenue$$) our beloved YMCA. We look forward to the START day and Mahalo for rebuilding our class. read more

I LOVE this place!! Convenient location with lots of parking! The girls at the front are great! Always smiling & willing to answer any questions. Tons of classes with amazing instructors! It gets pretty busy and most classes get pretty full. My favorites so far, Gayla in Zumba is full of energy & really rocks it! Laine in Mossa Cardio & Strength is fabulous at keeping you moving & motivates you to progress. Sundae in Yoga guides you & helps you to master moves. Molly in Yoga is calming & welcoming, she challenges you & shows you modifications if you need them. I have to definitely try the other classes offered!! I've gone to gyms everywhere (Hawaii, California, Alabama, Abu Dhabi) and this gym is really up there toward the top! It's not glamorous, but the staff make it awesome! this one is both affordable & offers variety. Definitely worth checking out! read more

I called them over a month ago & left 2 messages over several days on the aquatics machine because I wanted to sign my 3 children up for swimming classes. No one called me back, so the following week I called the main number to let them know no one had called me back yet. They transferred me again the the aquatics line & I left another message. NO ONE has called me yet! OK, you don't want my money...I'll go spend it elsewhere. They really don't deserve even 1 star, but that's the lowest Yelp will accept to leave a review. read more

My wife and I came sooo close to starting a year membership here. Had the checkbook and everything. Lazy staff of three twentysomethings said "We can't start a membership today because we forgot the key to the drawer." They didn't seem to care. That's like $1200 of lost revenue for them. I guess YMCA is so big they don't need to worry about money. I wonder what else they forget on a day-to-day basis. Wife and I took an unguided tour as the lazy threesome were unwilling to show us the facility. Strange multi purpose room has jocks with large medicine balls grunting about. Treadmill room looks like modern equipment with TVs on the elliptical machines. This takes couch potato-ing to the next level. There was a yoga vinyasa class going on. Teacher wasn't even watching the students. She was just doing her own practice and students be damned if they can't keep up. She didn't notice her injured student in the back. Teacher's makeup and lululemon outfit looked great, however. I'm sure the injured student appreciated it. Soon after our "tour" we went to a Kaneohe fitness center and purchased a membership there for half the price. Thanks for the savings! read more

I prefer the YMCA over 24 hour fitness because it caters to families. When comparing the prices of what I used to pay at 24, it's pretty similar. What I did not like about 24 was how crowded it got. At the YMCA, I have never had to wait for a machine and although the group classes fill up, if you arrive early enough it'll guarantee you a spot in front of the mirror. The only downside to the Kailua YMCA, locker rooms are far from the workout area, behind the pool to be exact. read more

Probably one of the best gyms I have ever been to. From when I walk out,while I'm working out, and until I leave, I am greeted with the kindest people. I'm not one of those people who needed the newest and nicest equipment, if you have it then I will find a way to get a workout out of it. This place does, however, have a nice range of equipment for you to use. And the community of members are also so wonderful. I have also made some awesome friends while not intending to at all. Everyone is just so welcoming and friendly. Honestly can't go wrong by coming here. Try them out, you won't regret it! :) read more

This was my old gym and I loved going there. It is small and clean, and the members are polite and respectful. I especially liked their precor machines. Being a member of the YMCA for over 8 years now, I prefer going to Y's, rather than the other high profile gyms. Just remember, this Y is situated in the middle of a neighborhood and little kids do play/ride bikes in all over the area. read more

Love everyone is so kind! My son loves the childcare and everything is so clean. I do wish they had WIFI. But overall I won't go anywhere else! read more

The only thing about this gym that works for me is that it is convienant for me. But it is so so small. I also cannot stand that when i come in at 8am and go on the bike, the darn straps are never attached. I have to find them, touch the dirty pedals...ugh..the night shift or morning person should make sure equipment is ready to roll. Very limited machines as well. Too crowded and not enough choices. I thought they were going to expand...guess i was mistaken. Also the showers are so far away..not very convienant. I prefer going to nuuanu. read more

One of the highlights of my day is a stop at the Y. I'm a senior and just to touch base with this happy and healthy environment is good for me. I work out on the recumbent bike a d toss in a few strength machines. I work up a good sweat and I am surrounded by people doing the same. It is clear that we all have the same goal which is to live life to the fullest and healthiest. The facilities are clean and the machines are well kept. Everybody is friendly. Sometime it's a little crowded but if you just hang out you will get your turn. I'm highly recommending this Windward asset! read more

I recently just started going to the YMCA in Kailua. My first impression was that the building and facility looks extremly run down. The office is dumpy with wires all hanging from the ceiling. The womens bathroom isn't the cleanest restroom, and I dislike how the bathroom windows are open - so that anyone in the front of the building could potentially see in. There are no locker rooms but there are lockers you can use while you are there. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The exercise equipment room is very small. So if you are claustrophobic at all you won't like going here. I prefer going around noonish when there aren't that many people there. Some of the equipment is older but still fairly clean- and its nice to be able to watch tv while on the bike etc. . Overall, I like going there because it is close to where I live, the people are very friendly and the membership price is reasonable. I took a body-sculpt class with Sue and it was a lot of fun. read more

First off, let me say that I am really glad that this YMCA is here. There is nothing else to suit my needs on this side of Oahu except 24 hour fitness in Kaneohe, and that place is a real dog. So, I don't mind traveling that extra mile to come to the Y. The fees are comparable. And there is much more happening at the Y since it caters to families. That makes for a better, more congenial atmosphere, in my opinion, than just your average gym scene. This review concentrates on management and safety. The current management is not member centered. The Y director is often absent from the premises. The door to his office is closed all the time. He is basically inaccessible. That would be OK if the place was effectively managed. But it's not managed well. Under the director, the manager who is concerned with membership and front office personnel spends most of the time on campaigns designed to raise money. The aquatics manager is very hard to find during office hours. The pool is used heavily while open, and the presence of the director is needed to ensure quality operation. The only manager who seems to be vigorously involved in the process of managing is the fitness center manager. The downside of this management style is that details get lost in the day-to-day use of the facility. What happens is that broken things do not get fixed, things wear out and are not replaced, needed new items for the facility are not purchased and missteps on the part of staff members are not addressed. There is no system of accountability to deal with these management lapses, and members take it in the ear as a result. Another downside to this management style is that member safety is compromised. That's a problem for me. Just recently an incident occurred in the "yoga" room where many different group classes are held. It was a zumba class, and one of the members collapsed during the class. This was a medical emergency. Things turned out OK, but it seemed to me that it took too long to get needed help for this hapless person. There was confusion among staff members as to who does what. That kind to situation demands a disciplined response from the Y personnel, but it was kind of clumsy. There are hazards on the grounds. Metal doors to the pool pump room have rusted and decayed, presenting rough and sharp surfaces for children playing in the vicinity to get cut and scratched. The machines in the fitness center are bunched too closely, and loose items can cause tripping. Electrical extension cords are used on a daily basis in exercise areas, and these present tripping hazards. The lights for the pool are large fixtures located atop telephone poles surrounding the pool. But two years ago the underground circuit for those lights failed. A temporary circuit with exposed wires was installed so that the pool can operate at night until the circuit could be repaired. But that was over two years ago, and those exposed wires are still sitting 20 feet in the air above the pool deck. Access to the facility is not controlled adequately. Anyone can come into the facility and use the restroom. And this happens frequently because tourists visiting the Hawaiian artifacts nearby tromp through the lobby and onto the premises without supervision. This is not a good idea since these people could be anybody, and that presents a threat to the membership. Money seems to be the goal of management. Inside the facility there is a large hanging poster detailing the names of $1000 donors. There is a tiled, permanent display for showing the names of those who have donated $25,000 and above. This seems to be a big deal with this Y. Expenditures by the facility are not allowed unless someone donates money. Funds for new things are not taken from operating cash flow or retained earnings. Those funds go somewhere else in this non-profit business. This is one of the reasons old things are allowed to wear out and new things are not purchased (like lockers, for example), and this gives the facility a worn and confusing look. Large facility changes and upgrades have occurred, though. The 6 lane, 25 yard pool was just replastered and retiled. A covering superstructure over the inner courtyard was just built, and though it was seen as a needed addition to keep group classes dry, it did nothing to address the need for more space for the fitness enter. And as explained, managers spend lots of time working on money raising activities and these are centered around seasonal highpoints like Holloween, Christmas, Easter, etc. The fitness center manager in the past has been required to make cold fund raising calls to possible Y donors on office time, taking attention away from fitness center duties. So, it's money first, members second, but it's still a great place to work out and socialize. Staff there are good people. read more

This review has been a long time coming. I used to work out at this gym about 5 years ago. The staff was awesome and the location is amazing. If I ever get enough money, I will donate a portion of it to this gym. I miss it! read more

I've been a member of the YMCA for at least 5 years. Even when I moved to Los Angeles, I just transferred my membership to YMCA La Canada Flintridge and then back to YMCA Island Wide once I moved back to Kailua. I began my membership at YMCA Nuuanu, which I loved and then signed up for the Island Wide membership so that I could go to both the Windward YMCA and the Nuuanu location after moving from Nuuanu to Kailua. The Windward YMCA is smaller than the Nuuanu YMCA, which at first was a little disappointing and I had an adjustment period. But the Windward YMCA grew on me and I almost never go to the Nuuanu YMCA anymore. Since it's a much smaller Y, my partner and I really got to know the people who make the Y such a welcoming place. We've made so many great friends here. As an unexpected side benefit, since it's very homey, people are always giving out awesome tasting mangos, watermelons, avocados etc. from their yards after class. The staff has always been friendly and will frequently go out of their way to help us when we need it. The Y has really made us feel like we are part of a community. My husband takes the Tae Kwon Do class, which is included in the monthly/annual membership fee - this is a bargain! There are a lot of different classes to keep you busy. I also love their huge heated salt water pool. I'm not sure everyone knows about this, but it's a great deal for families. They have a day care center where you can drop off your kid for a couple of hours while you exercise and that's included in the membership. Oh and the setting couldn't be more peaceful and special. There's a beautiful ancient Hawaiian Heiau in the back. read more

Really enjoy classes like aqua Zumba, zumba, turbo kick and butt and gut. The instructors are the best like Jenn, Kaipo, Kukana, D., and Teri. They provide exercise and fun. read more