Our family loves Sun Valley. It's relatively inexpensive, has everything we want (Swimming, tennis,…read moreincluded lessons, swim team, basketball court, snack bar, and events like Kids night and Adult night) and nothing we don't want to pay for (golf course, food minimums). The Staff is super friendly and they're flexible and accommodating.

This is a facility where membership is "controlled" by Christine, a woman who lives in the…read moreneighborhood of the pool. It is a pick and choose type club. Calls regarding membership, costs, etc. are never returned. I guess if you're a family on a budget, and you have to ask the price of membership, you're not going to be a good fit. The wait list is 2/3 years, yet there are families in the vicinity, but not directly affiliated with the neighborhood, who joined this summer and *poof* they were members without waiting. It is a very discriminating facility. Don't bother.

This is a very beautiful pool. I wish it were available more often, but the building is, after…read moreall, a public school. It's worth adjusting one's schedule for at least one or two visits, especially during summer heat waves. The showers offered privacy, but -- during my visits during heat waves -- no hot water. The Cambridge YMCA on Mass Ave. also offers cold showers only. My issue is with another post here that the pool at Somerville YMCA on Highland Street is inferior. I've been swimming there since the 1980s. Compared to many local pools, it's Buckingham Palace. The building dates back to 1904, which is an automatic turn-off for many people, even though Somerville YMCA is kept clean & orderly and offers everything you need to stay fit and toned. I love the beautiful old tiles that line the pool room walls and the peaceful atmosphere for lap swimming without someone else's music blasting away -- as at the MIT pool, to "keep the lifeguards awake." If the windows were unsealed to admit natural light, it would be perfect. To swim a mile, you must do 44 laps. Some experienced swimmers find this confining, but it's just right for beginning/moderate swimmers. The showers are excellent; for a little extra money, there's the women's and men's health club rooms, which offer secure lockers, curtained private showers, towels, and a small gym with plenty of equipment. Ginny Smith offers kick boards, but not fins. You must carry in all your gear and take it with you when you leave. The separate shallow pool is a perfect place to do shallow-water aquatics or physical therapy workouts. Lifeguards friendly & helpful. Desk staff -- during my few visits -- seemed inexperienced and inadequately trained. Perhaps there's too much staff turnover: my guess. A must-visit pool.

I actually had a very pleasant swim during the senior lap swim session. The pool was a nice…read moretemperature and not too crowded. When I went to take a shower post swim, I discovered that many of the showers don't work. With the help of other patrons, I found one that was OK. Kind of a bummer that most don't work. On the way out, I met the director of the pool and mentioned the showers. She was the snippiest and rudest admin person I've come across in a long time. Full of herself and with a big time attitude ... "I'm not a plumber!" she told me. Oh my gosh - who hired her?! Not a person you would want representing such an important and promising facility.

Clean 25 yd pool that wasn't too crowded. I went after work and didn't have to share with more…read morethan one person. Also, there's a very large diving well and separate kiddy pool so the lanes don't get full of aqua-joggers or families. Compared to some other local (non-university) pools, it's not quite as over-chlorinated or quite as warm, and definitely cleaner. Cheap entry by day, multiple-session card (I did the 10 entries for $40 which I think is budget-friendly) or gym membership - although I haven't checked out the gym yet. Only complaint is limited hours of lap availability and no AM lap swim during the winter session.

I am trying out several different masters swim programs in the Boston area and this is my second…read moreone I've tried. (See my other review for Quincy masters). So, I have to say, this one is just okay. You get a decent workout, but it's not HARD. And the reason why is not because of the workout itself, but it's because there are no SEND OFF times. Basically, the workout is, you do X amount of sets, but resting wise, you just do 10 or 20 second rests after each set. And so personally I'm not motivated to swim faster because I'm not trying to do anything on a specific time constraint. I find myself a little less focused to go faster without sendoffs. Also, the workout is pretty much the same each time- you start with a warmup, then 2 underwaters, and then the main set, and then an IM set, and the same kind of sprints where you try and do each 25 with zero breath or one, or whatever it is. It's not a bad workout, but I'm incredibly bored because I know it's the same each time. The main set changes each time, of course, but the sameness of structure makes it kinda boring. We get a decent amount of yardage in- anywhere between 2400-3200 per hour and 15 minute workout time. Practices are twice a week. As for the coach, Elyssa, she is a lovely woman. However, she doesn't quite have the enthusiasm I'm personally looking for. I want somebody to yell at me and give me critique. However, in her defense, she does have to coach 6 lanes of people so I understand it's not easy to give personal attention, so I don't blame her. But personality wise, I like a little more spunk in my coach. But everyone is there for different reasons so it's hard for a coach to be everything. The one thing that really bugs me is the staff that works there at the front desk- they are SO unfriendly, rude, impatient and clearly underpaid. They are CRANKY and they are the first people I see when I walk into that building so it makes me want to not be there. The pool is about a 10 minute walk to Harvard T stop (cut off across Harvard campus will save you ample time), so it's not terrible in terms of location. Oh, the pool itself really sucks. First of all, there are bulk heads that's separating the different sections of the pool so there's nothing to GRAB onto when you're doing two hand touches; it's completely awkward and irritating. Imagine finishing and doing two hand touches on a wall. Also, when you get into the pool, they have these blocks that are covered by orange covers that sorta get in the way and make it hard for you to get in- not to mention it is IMPOSSIBLE to get out because of the depth. You have to swim to the ladder to get out of the pool, because there is no way you can get out from the pool otherwise. It's kinda ridiculous. Cost wise, it's $105 for 20 sessions, so that's $5.25 per session, which is pretty cheap. I've looked into many other programs and this is probably the cheapest one. So pros: -Pretty good location if you're in Cambridge -Decent yardage of workout -Nice coach -Inexpensive Cons: -Sucky pool -Unfriendly front desk staff -No real send off times, just go at your own pace (which can be a pro if that's what you are looking for) - A bit dull (atmosphere, people, some of the workouts) If you are in Cambridge and are looking for twice a week workout for fitness, this is probably a good option for you.

I can't believe I have not written a review so far! My favorite gym by far! Amazing classes, a…read morelovely spa area, friendly and accommodative staff and inclusive/judgement free environment. I didn't know I needed to be in an all-women environment to feel comfortable and judgement-free, but here we are! The membership is worth every penny. The Cambridge location is conveniently within the porter square plaza so the er is plenty of parking. Just try it - you'll remember me!

For more than a year, I was a member of this gym because I loved that it was a women-only space. I…read morebelieved it would be a place where all women felt supported, respected, and welcome. Unfortunately, my experience was very different. On several occasions, I felt a cold and unfriendly attitude toward me from the moment I walked through the door. As a Hispanic woman, I never felt completely welcome. The situation with the guest passes was simply the last straw. My daughter had previously been a member of this gym and is still in their system. She does not come with me regularly, which is exactly why using one of my guest passes seemed like a reasonable option. However, the way the situation was handled and the way I was treated left me feeling uncomfortable, embarrassed, and undervalued as a customer. I am not asking for special treatment. I am asking for the basic respect that every person deserves. It is sad to realize that a place that should make women feel safe and welcome can sometimes make some women feel excluded. After this experience, I decided to find a place where kindness, respect, and professionalism are part of the culture--not the exception.

It has all the basic equipment I could need, staff is friendly, and it's never busy! The only con…read moreis it's pretty ancient but it looks like they've slowly been replacing equipment with newer stuff and they have chalk which I appreciate when it gets hot in there. The basic plan is $35 a month which is probably fitting for the area and you get access to other YMCAs so can't really complain.

After nearly five years away, went back today due to having a medical appointment just five minutes…read morefrom here. Very glad to see all the improvements that they've done: 1. Cardio room: replaced crappy old stationary bikes with two almost-new Keiser spin bikes---these are free of silly frills/gimmicks unlike the big hulking Life Fitness, Precor, or Cybex bikes but provide unmatched ergonomics and authentic bike-feel, which is why they are used in spin classes everywhere. Forgot how nice and strong the AC is...sigh, if only the weight room had the same! 2. Weight room: instead of a random hodgepodge of ancient dumbbells, they finally got a full matched set of Perform Better (also the best in the business) rubber coated dumbbells, two excellent Matrix multi-position adjustable benches, a full Valor Fitness squat cage with deadlift platform & arms, a Smith machine with deadlift arms, and a smattering of kettlebells including 25# and 40# pairs, topping out with 55# and 70# singles...80-100# would have been better, but a 70# max KB isn't bad. Some new weightroom accessories I've never seen anywhere else: a Titan multi-grip Olympic barbell, a fat barbell and fat lat-pulldown straight bar, a pair of 6" wooden blocks with handles, and a number of other unusual but useful training tools if you're willing to dig a little and use your improvisatory imagination. Of course they've kept some of the old stuff, like about 4-5 pairs of truly old-school York dumbbells and a gazillion of old rusty all metal weight plates (most gyms now use rubber coated plates with built in hand openings for easy carrying), but hey, better to have an over-abundance of old weights than not enough of the new weights (as sometimes happens in the newer gyms). 3. Elkay filtered water fountains in cardio room and by basketball court...this is a life-saver, literally! You don't want folks getting dehydrated just because they don't like the taste of a crappy old water fountain or tap water through 100 year old rusty pipes. 4. The small indoor track above the basketball court is about the same, but I noticed they've made the best of it by adding a Concept 2 rower in one corner (next to a Wing Chun dummy, which I have NEVER seen in a gym before, wow), a Stairmaster next to the 80lb hanging bag (vinyl Everlast, not bad) in the opposite corner, and a carefully stabilized "Power Tower" in the 3rd available corner. Now that they have kettlebells, the track is perfect for doing weighted carries (Suitcase C, Farmer's C, Cross-body C, etc) which is an incredibly useful full-body and core-intensive exercise most people overlook. All in all, I'd say that this Y while small and still burdened with the ravages of age (the locker rooms and showers are just as decrepit as ever), it does have about 90% of everything essential you really need. The Fitness Director, or whoever manages the workout rooms, has clearly put a lot of attention and care to make the best of their clearly shoestring budget...and does know what they're doing, and does it well. Their opening hours are relatively decent compared to the Cambridge Y or especially the Charlestown Y. Unlike those two places they offer free parking...big plus in this area! I do wish they would get rid of the silly "Health Center" extra membership tier that allows access to their mediocre saunas and just get two really good saunas built into a small increase in membership fees. Their membership fees remain a good 25% or so lower than that of other local Ys, but considering how old and small the place is, that makes perfect sense. If I lived 2-3 blocks away like I used to, I would still come here if I didn't have a car, or whenever I didn't feel like driving 15-30 minutes to better/bigger Ys nearby.

So good but needs details when it's open. It is an amazing place for all people and has no flaws…read morebut the time like honestly it sometimes says open while closed at least they make the water wormer then other pools that would make it freezing cold so thanks for that. If you were planning to go to a pool this would be the place. FIVE STARS

This is a great pool! Free, shade and picnic tables, grass for your towel or bring a chair. A…read morewading pool for the littles (a real one, not a splash pad) and a pool that goes no deeper than 4'6" for the bigs. The lifeguards are very nice and the pool is surprisingly uncrowded. The only negative is it's not open very long during the year - I assume because they hire students for lifeguards.

Really great pool with a nice separation between child and adult areas. Great lifeguarding team.read more

The new underwood pool gets four stars from me. Overall the facility is great. The shallow pool…read morefeatures a water slide and gradual entry in addition to stairs and ladders. I've never actually been in the lap pool but there are not many lanes. This pool is really designed with families in mind. My nine year old loves going off the diving board and both kids like the water slide. This pool takes safety seriously. The life guards are strict and kids need to pass a very challenging test to go in the deep pool. Floaties are not permitted. Long hair must be tied back. They provide elastics if you don't have one. There are several private family changing rooms and there are large single gender changing rooms. There are two areas for sitting in grass - one with umbrellas and the other with trees. Eating is only permitted in the cafe area to discourage ants on the grass. There are two "healthy" vending machines selling snacks and drinks. Ice cream trucks stop by constantly. Cons: Parking is difficult, memberships and member guest passes are very pricey, and unaffiliated non-resident visitors will pay $25- per person (any age). They only take cash/check for member guest passes and visitor admission.