Plan 4 months in advance if you want to cancel. It took us that long to get someone in person to cancel our membership. Then continued to charge us after it was done. No returned emails, no returned phone calls. Not to mention we were not charged consistently during the month. so you will never know when your charge is coming out. I'll be disputing with my bank. do not recommend. read more

This was my first time visiting this YMCA location, and unfortunately my experience was not good due to the behavior of an older-white, female "fitness coach" named Diane. While in the weight room, she walked over to the area I was working out at. After scanning the free weights, she stared at me and the weights I was using ( I had both the 15 and 20 lbs weights).An angry look overcame her face. I believe she got upset because I was using weights she intended for her client, even though they were not marked, reserved, or set aside off rack for later use . Also, there was another brand of 20lbs dumbbells that were available for immediate use, but I guess she wanted the weights I had. Her body language and facial expressions made me feel uneasy. She then approached me aggressively and accused me of blocking a walkway which I was not. To avoid confrontation, because I know that is what she wanted, I moved anyway. Moments later, she began walking very close to me and giving me mean looks in an intimidating manner, as if trying to provoke a confrontation. At one point, she picked up weighted plates I was actively using and deliberately dropped them out of place onto the floor after I told her I was using them. She smacked her teeth, rolled her eyes, and mumbled something under her breath as she walked away. This felt intentional and threatening. I couldn't believe what was happening because all I was trying to do was work out and mind my own business. I do not understand why this woman of golden age was acting this way towards me unprovoked, and then it hit me: this is the result of working out while black! As a patron, I should feel safe and respected in a shared fitness space. Instead, I felt targeted and intimidated. Based on the interaction, I couldn't help but feel that racism, bias, entitlement, and favoritism toward her Caucasian client played a huge role in how I was treated. The YMCA promotes itself as an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone. This behavior was the opposite of that, and it needs to be addressed so no other member has a similar experience. If an employee cannot treat all patrons with respect, they should not be working in a community-centered space like this. Shame on you Diane for your unprofessionalism and disgusting behavior towards me today. It's sad that people like you still exist in 2026. I pray the most high cleanse your wicked heart and remove all evil, hatred, and racism you possess inside of your decaying soul in this present time. I hope you never get another opportunity to mistreat another person the way you mistreated me today. You went out of your way to intimidate to make me feel unwanted and unwelcome, but I refuse to allow such a miserable person as yourself bring me down. You're nothing but an old racist boomer-bully and I pity you. SHAME-ON-YOU DIANE! SHAME-ON-YOU! read more

I would avoid this location. Staff allows certain members to talk loudly on their cell phones in the cardio room and belittles members who complain instead of intervening and enforcing the rules. read more

The equipment is well maintained, staff is extremely nice, gym is clean ! I love the cardio equipment, it attaches to my Apple watch

Love this place. Great facility with nice people! They have everything you might need. I do with they had red light beds, though

Good facility. Diversified population. Lots of free up to date equipment to use. Joined for my son to play bball ended up using facility to workout and walk track during practice. Clean. People are nice. Ample parking. No issues read more

East Lake Branch YMCA - Track overlooking basketball court. - Gyms Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

This guy came in during the cardio dance class and was watching us. He started just by the door like someone taking a tour - which is normal. But then he moved to the front corner of the room and was watching us like we were doing a performance. Eventually I caught him filming us on his phone and informed the instructor. Once I objected to his behavior he started getting loud and then ducked out. A lady in class said he had gone into another class on a different day and been asked to leave. Today a staffer, Greg, said he was aware of it and that the creep was a "member." There are instances of creeps recording women in dressing rooms at YMCA locations and I'm not going to continue visiting this location which takes such a lackadaisical attitude towards this type of violating behavior. It has a "safe" sign outside the building but there are people who have demonstrated inappropriate behavior who are permitted to continue prowling about. They really believe that member concerns should be resolved because GREG is aware of the situation. I dont think member safety or concerns are a priority and they will act absolutely shocked when something bad happens. Conduct like this should immediately be met with revocation of membership. My main branch has better security and standards for member conduct. Although I love the classes offered here, I dont feel safe - even in broad daylight and will not be returning. It's just a shame that the families that live in this area aren't receiving the same kind of consideration we enjoy in north Atlanta. I couldnt stop coming without saying something. read more

I go to several Y's in the area, but I will be avoiding this location at all costs. The staff is, and in hindsight has always been RUDE. I worked at 2 YMCA's in Atlanta and never treated people like they do. Even if it's not the Y, their attitudes are just poor customer service in general. I wasted 20 minutes on 2 different Pelotons which were broken (but not marked). Then couldn't find anyone in the wellness area b/c they decided to sit behind the front desk without anything to show they even worked there. When I went to the front desk, I was cut off and told that they knew about the problem, and that she was "member services", as though she couldn't turn around to relay the message. She was literally sitting there doing NOTHING. Just sad. Of course she couldn't even say have a goodnight when I left. Bless her heart. read more

Rob is an amazing trainer. Family friendly. Clean and professional. Not one bad experience since joining a year ago.

Filthy Swimming Pool Because I love what the Y stands for, I'm not excited about leaving this review. I went to the Eastlake Y yesterday as my regular Decatur Y pool was closed for the day. This is the third time I've been to the Eastlake Y pool and I plan never to return. The pool is so dirty - so obviously cloudy and gross - that I refused to go swimming yesterday and went home. I spoke with one of the lifeguards at the Decatur Y about it and was told that the Eastlake Y pool is notorious for being unclean. There were probably 20 children under 6 taking swimming lessons at the time I was there. Honestly, if I were a parent, I wouldn't let my kid swim in that water. I would, however, demand that the Y clean the pool and have a plan for maintaining it. Sure, the pool is used by lots of people on a daily basis for a variety of reasons. That doesn't matter. Through regular backwashing and ongoing professional maintenance, this pool could be, should be - and must - be kept clean. We are the patrons of the Y; we can make these demands. There are all kinds of bacteria that can still thrive in a chlorinated pool so don't be fooled. Skin conditions and ear infections are just two of the threats lurking in a dirty pool. I didn't want to write this review but I felt that I had to. The management of this Y needs to wake up and take responsibility for properly maintaining this obviously well-used pool. Please, Y management, don't respond to this review with excuses.Just get it done. And please - be sure that each and every lifeguard see to it that everyone showers off before getting into the pool. Enforcing this rule alone would make a difference. read more

EDIT: Because the YMCA got back to me with a very respectful response, I'm upping stars to three. INITIAL REVIEW: Really disappointed in this YMCA. Insensitive teacher for the babies and me classes, and terrible customer service policies. Also, what kind of an indoor pool closes when it rains? Wish I would have known this before I signed up for a membership in the winter in Georgia... Important to know in advance: you have to cancel (in person -- who does that?) 30 days before you want to actually stop paying for membership. 30 days?? Meaning, inevitably, you will end up giving more money when you're ready to not belong. A really frustrating and greedy policy. read more

East Lake YMCA is my new gym and so far I do not have any complaints. I've been a member at many gyms and while this may not be the best gym I've ever been to, it meets all of my needs and is super close to home. The hours are good and I like that they are open until 10pm during the week. I know a lot of gyms are open 24 hours but honestly, I don't see the point. I don't think I've ever gone to the gym after 10pm. So far I have never had to wait for a treadmill and I love that most of the cardio machines have tv's so I can tune in to HGTV while I sweat. I haven't tried any of the classes yet but I definitely plan to. There are spin classes, yoga, strength training, etc. I am definitely looking forward to checking them out. There is also a pool and sauna and decent locker rooms with showers. The gym is clean and the membership is affordable. My partner and I pay $68 a month (referral rate). No complaints from me! read more

After working out at Snap Fitness (Oakhurst and Glenwood Park locations) for the last few years, we finally turned in our 24 hour cards for something a little nicer and closer. If you live in the eastern corridor and need a gym with a few more frills I'd highly recommend it. Inside you'll find spin and other instructed classes, a full gym with 2+ sets of nearly every machine and free weight (hooray, bench press, how i missed thee), a basketball court, jog track, and tons of cardio machines. There's even a pool with lap lanes, shallow end, and deep end, hot tub, sauna, steam room, and family change rooms. Once you have a little'n working out gets hard. If you can stand the thought of spending another 30 minutes or so away from your offspring, the folks at the YMCA daycare will watch him, her, or it for up to 4 hours each day. Hell, you can even pay $7/hour if you need to run errands off property. If you like to track your fitness but don't like keeping a nappy paper journal you can use their fancy technology, which allows you to log in at each machine to input your deets. I myself am super smart and hulkishly svelt so i don't worry with such things but my wife says its cool beans Anyway, it's not as meat-markety as LA Fitness - or as designer fancy for that matter - but the hours are good, it's nearby, and you won't have to wait for weights. Plus, you'll be the handsomest most attractive person there (unless I'm there, of course), and people are pretty chill, so you can really refine your strut without wondering if you're the biggest cock. Like birds, people. Jeez. read more

I don't know why they won't take that evil woman off the service desk when you first enter. Don't understand why she's so mean and there have been many complaints about her, yet we still have to deal with her upon entry. Also, there are some sort of flies in the shower. That's been a problem for years. They are even redoing some things in the locker room but have not bothered to get rid of the flies. The hot tub is closed way too often even though I rarely use it. The few times I wanted to use it it was closed. The steam room has great steam! Could stand to be cleaned a little more but it's good to find one that works so well. The weight room and aerobic machine area is too tight and could use reconfiguration. They have a big room upstairs that's rarely used if ever that could hold the aerobic machines. read more

I recently signed up a month ago but will probably cancel my membership. Although they have a big pool, the regular workout machines, and a variety of classes, there is absolutely no space for women (or anybody really) to do floor exercises. My friend and I used the Heritage room to do exercises but were told that we could not use it because of legal purposes. With no where or space to work out, we had to find a little corner in the space where the machines are(which is actually more dangerous than the empty Heritage Room), in the hallway, or in a corner on the track. A simple reorganization of the machines would make space for women to workout, but the lack of cooperation and accommodation from the staff has kept me from keeping my membership. read more

I have only been a member for two months, and I am already going to cancel my membership because of the following: Unprofessional Instructors I arrived at the gym on a Tuesday to take a 4:00 group exercise class, the instructor finally wanders in at 4:07, leaves the studio and finally wanders back in at 4:15 and starts the class. The class was called "Advance Step" and, yes, the YMCA seems to be literacy challenged, as it should read "Advanced Step." The instructor did not get on the step one time, ( I left after 20 minutes) just stood at the side of the room and called out commands, and these commands did not coincide with the step classes that I've taken for the last 10 years, but I was unable to even watch the other participants, as they knew the choreography and were giving it their own twist. I understand that it is an "Advanced Step" class, but when one is calling out foreign commands one should at least demonstrate said commands, not to mention lead the class, instead of standing to the side giving orders. This is the third class that I've been to here where the instructor was late, as well as non - participatory, and there is a general lackadaisical attitude as well as a lack of form and training at this gym. I am happily cancelling. read more

A lot of Yelpers have legitimate complaints about this gym which I do agree with them all. However, I keep coming back to this YMCA because it is perfect for my needs. I love classes and this gym has an awesome variety. When I want to do a regular cardio workout I agree with others--the cardio room SUCKS. It is cramped and crowded and you have to walk through the weight room to get to the treadmills and elliptical machines. It's claustrophobic and I just don't even bother. No space to stretch out or do floor exercises. So I take advantage of the awesome perks of a Metro Atlanta membership and go to the Decatur Y when I need space to do my own thing. It's only a 10-15mins drive. Funny how it works...Decatur Y has awful, tiny rooms for classes. But a huge and spacious cardio room and completely separate weight room. During their major renovation in 2015, one would've thought they'd accommodate for their growing membership by building bigger class rooms but they didn't. So that makes a lot of classes awful at Decatur since the space is so tight and there are so many people there, but the cardio space is awesome and spacious. On the other hand, East Atlanta has huge classrooms and awful cardio space. Here are the classes I love at ELY: -Nicole (dance fit, step and pump and abs) AMAZING. this is one of my favorite dance classes ever. Nicole is fun and energetic and will make you SWEAT. I look forward to this class every week and it does not make me dread going. Dancing to the song Chainsaw with Nicole is especially the best! -Marsha (yoga) Marsha is one of my favorite yoga teachers. She teaches effective classes and exudes such a calm peaceful light. She's kind and gently helps re-position you when needed. Her classes are a treat for your body as you will feel so light and free afterward. She even took us out to the balcony once for class under the sky when the weather was nice. -Elfreda (cycling) Pretty solid spinning class with great music. Music is the key to not being bored in 1 hour of spinning. Elfreda likes to mix it up and she does a lot of positions on the bikes. -Sam (zumba) Sam loves zumba and you can tell. She has great energy and always teaches awesome dance classes that are very effective at getting your heart rate up. She usually incorporates weights into her workouts. -Aviva (world dance party) Aviva teaches a really fun world dance party with mixes of hip hop, belly dance, african, etc. The class is pretty low-key but you can take it to the next level by adding your own extra steps/hops. -Kathy (power yoga and body sculpting) Kathy's yoga classes are phenomenal. I like her style a lot and she's a fountain of knowledge about health tips. -Susan (yoga) Susan is a great Monday night stress-relieving yoga teacher. She's always making the class laugh and at ease with her style. She's a great instructor and her classes are packed always. Here's some of the classes that I really enjoy at Decatur: -Mamie for yoga. -Heather for spinning -Kyla for body pump -Joseph for spinning By no means have I tried ALL the classes - - there are so many that I have only made it to a handful so these are the instructors that especially stand out to me. Lastly, the staff at ELY are pretty friendly. Fellow members are also friendly. Parking is plentiful. Rates are very reasonable especially for a family membership. Ask around because if you get a referral you both get 15% off of both memberships. Best of all--this gym is for EVERYONE. Meathead, family-oriented, fit, working-towards-being-fit, young, elderly whatever. It's not LA Fitness and there's no intimidation factor. Just go and be you. read more

Great facilities for a Y and the entry fee. Warm pool (perhaps too warm) and nice staff too. Lockers were pretty small though.

I love the YMCA and was happy to get a super deal to sign up. I really like the spin classes which are plentiful and fierce. In particular, Catherine and Emily's a.m. classes will sort things out with lots of good instruction, focus and music. Will's Tuesday afternoon class is another experience entirely and I love it - a cross between a gospel revival and night out clubbing, it's just amazing. read more

Ive worked out at ALOT of gyms in my years. I keep coming back to the ELYMCA. The facility is usually quite clean, the showers are nice and warm, and cold if you want. The staff in the early hours is SIMPLY the friendliest bunch of folks ive ever seen. Ive taken some Yoga classes there and they are quite good for me, 40 years old, male. I dont feel uncomfortable but if you are serious about yoga, you might want to find an "official" yoga studio. The pool is incredible, steam room an sauna before or after work is a GREAT way to chill. In the early morning 5:30-7:00. The gym might have 20 people in it. Free wieghts, Cardio, computerized machines that are a real treat to use to it tracks your weights and reps. Plenty of treadmills, great basketball courts, indoor running track. Ive tried to leave but i keep coming back. Its not a meat market, it's a NORMAL gym for NORMAL people. Even has coffee in the morning which is nice to have before heading to the office. If theres ANY downside, it's usually packed just after the first of the year with people and thier new years resolutions, but they usually fade by feb. and sometimes sat morning kid programs get the hallways with alot of kids. But personally, i navigate around. Thanks ELYMCA Staff! You make this place my home gym! read more

Tamiya working the front desk to get to the outdoor pool is extremely rude and discriminatory. The bad attitudes are only one thing that annoy me about the East Lake Y. I quit coming a long time ago and drive out of my way to he Decatur branch because although it's far from perfect, it's way better than East Lake. read more

Gym is good machine are a bit crowded, The 12 or so classes I have taken have been fun! But the Jacuzzi is down more than a Milk shake machine. Their solution is to tell you that they have a steam room that does the same thing! (FALSE) ... The aquatic Director needs to Answer and rectify the problem. Shouldn't have these pool problems none stop read more

Classes fill up quickly and will not expand other classes at different times. Kids daycare sill sup, which then leaves no option but a wasted trip and waste of money. Pool is very chlorinated to the point it burns swimmer eyes. Pool breaks every 45 minutes, makes it hard to get in any rhythm. Canceling a membership is just as painful as Comcast. read more

Great value for the price. Pro: There a lots of machine and weights. Con: they are very close to each other and there's no room to stretch or even walk through machines. Pro: variety of group classes. Con: The loud speaker obnoxiously interrupts the classes- not conducive to yoga or Pilates. I wish there were more yoga classes. The upstairs track is the best place to stretch, get some space and breathing room. Also there no "intro" step class to teach all of the overly choreographed moves. If u don't already know all of the choreography then it's not a very good workout at all. The Zumba classes on the other hand are very fun and the people in the classes are awesome! read more

I specifically joined for yoga classes (I haven't tried them yet )BUT for now I take my daughter to the little maestros class. It's more of a let's all tumble together and not a music class, bummer. Nevertheless, it's enjoyable; the instructor is very sweet and patient; room is big & clean. The room where they care for the kids whilst you work out is clean and the care takers for the mornings are very nice too. I suggest if you want to join that you ask about a day/week pass to decide before joining! Or ask a friend for a guest pass. The price is great and referrals are awesome! You get a discount on your next renewal and your friend gets a discount too! Good luck on finding a workout place! For me it's close and the childcare is a plus. read more

A warm, friendly, and inclusive place to be healthy. Some more barebones gym chains probably offer a lower monthly rate, but with the Y you get a lot of free class (yoga, pilates, zumba, water aerobics, etc.), the pools, inside track, etc. It's one of the more diverse social spaces in the city and everyone is really welcoming. read more

Family friendly pool loved it for the first time. My stars based on the swimming pool.....changing my review based off my finally getting the family membership and going to the pool every time I come to the indoor pool the lifeguard on duty drill Sargent asshole always has sometime to say to my kids. It's a indoor pool that' not deep in which we still have to watch our own children let them play have fun and stop harassing them. He barely has anything to say to the white people but yet wants to go by his rules with us. It's very annoying but seeing as I'm paying 99 a month I still will be coming but will cancel after this month is over. Oh and I will agure him down EVERY SINGLE TIME and if it continues I will be getting my money back due to subpar service. this job should be for the teens in the summer not a old grown man especially when he gives off perv like vibes very very creepy do better ymca. Also the place is ran down needs upgrades other locations especially in the northern area are much better but that's how they do us on this side smh really sad hate to bring race in it but I guarantee you Buckhead and areas like Cobb doesn't look anything like this Y but I'm sure the one on cambelton rd and this ymca they look just alike ran down and dirty wish I could give negative star review. read more

There are a lot of classes offered. Facility is always clean and well staffed. Sometimes the front desk staff can be short. Overall, the location is close to my house, the hours are good. Negative- membership fees are too high. $53 a month. read more

I've been a YMCA member for over 10 years, and this location has all the amenities you want and the facilities were clean and odor free. The staff was great and helpful.. but the pool was little cold today because they needed to fix the boiler. I didn't see many kids making too much noise or in the way like most locations. I was a great work out. I'll come back tomorrow. Thanks! read more

Love the update on the women's bathroom, too bad with so many families there they didn't provide more room for them. The family room doesn't drain water well in the changing rooms. You end up standing in a pool of water. Pretty yucky. Then more mom's and their little ones end up in the women's locker room. Kinda awkward or women with little boys...changing them on the benches. I love the steam room, but it's constantly dirty. Grown people go inside with dirty shoes. Great spin class on Saturday mornings. ..makes it worth the high cost. read more

I'm used to going to the Buckhead location, so my expectations are higher. The women's locker rooms are disgusting. There are flies, the shower tile is damaged and dirty, the soap offered is cheap, the steam room is awkwardly located near the pool (same as buckhead but equipment is in poor condition), the lockers are rusted...overall just dirty. The fitness area is small and cramped. Machines are functional but in poor condition. Smells musty, not enough ventilation in the area. The staff is not as friendly as I would appreciate. They need to remodel and update the whole facility because if you compare this gym to the Buckhead location it's basically trash. Better options exist and they need to do better. Shameful. read more

So, I joined, and it's great! I got a referral from my sister- but beware, the referral process is crazy. Your referral person has to send an email from the YMCA to you, then you have to register, and then you can join the following Tuesday. Thankfully they took pity on us the day we went to sign up as we were totally dressed to work out (thinking all we had to do is say her name) and gave us a week pass until we could get the referral processed. But it's worth the discount, and I plan to go many times a week since I'm already feeling the benefits. I'm definitely going to need more Yelp sweatbands. read more

Great pool, nice cardio and weight room. I do wish there was more room for me to flex my muscles. Lots of classes offered. I love it when YMCAs have the centrifuge swimsuit dryer and the East Lake YMCA does! read more

I've read some of the complaints so I had to add my honest assessment. I LOOOOOOVE Elgin's step class. It is extremely challenging and fun. It does take a few classes to catch on; however, when you do it's worth it. There were some not so nice front desk personal that they promptly got rid of. The young people they now have at the front desk are professional and courteous. I've taken other classes with some of the ladies and always get a great workout. My 9 year old plays basketball and we love this Y. read more

I really, really like my local YMCA. It's clean, everyone is polite, and people in the work out area for the most part clean up after themselves. My only complaint is that if you go immediately after work (if I hurry, I can get there between 4:40-5), the ellipticals are always completely full. I wish they'd get ride of a couple pieces of lesser used work out equipment and replace them with ellipticals. However, any other time, I don't seem to have that problem. The other thing is I wish they had lockers you could pay to keep like, once a month or something. I hate hauling stuff to and from the gym every day! All in all, those are two minor complaints, and everything otherwise about this place is great. read more

This is one of the things that makes living in this area so fine. Parking can be a bear during basketball season, but there's tons of overflow parking at the Drew Charter School. Nice machines, great pool, incredibly pleasant and helpful staff. Good slate of classes at convenient times. Not very many poseurs here, thank God. It really is a "family" Y. read more

I've been a ELY member for probably 10 years now. I think most of the staff is pretty friendly and they have adequate equipment for both cardio and weights. However, the upkeep of the machines and overall workout area the last few years is making me consider joining a new gym. Hardly any of the TVs or audio on the cardio machines work. They have had the same TVs for almost as long as I have been a member. It is the norm that even the cardio machines themselves are also out-of-order which is super frustrating!! For the price of membership here, which continues to go up and is already not cheap, I would expect that they would be more conscientious about keeping up their equipment. read more

Preface: My main purpose in the gym is barbell lifts. I will occasionally pick up a set of dumbbells or run on a treadmill but I don't use the weight machines, stairmasters, etc. I checked out this gym because it's close to my house and has a pool. You can sign up for a free day on the website. The facility is huge but its really poorly laid out. There seems to be a lot of empty space, but all the equipment is crammed into this tiny area (except for a few extra treadmills and cardio equipment by the track). That said there is a ton of equipment. I went at 6pm, and while there were a lot of people in the gym, I never waited for equipment longer than I would have rested anyway. It's just annoying to keep bumping into people while trying to reset plates. The only places to do pull-ups are on the power cage and one assisted pull-up/dip machine. It would be nice to have a standalone bar so someone isn't tying up the only cage. The free weights area is actually pretty decent. Only one power cage, but two smith machines, a leg press machine, a small area to deadlift (no platform or bumper plates though), a few bench press racks, and lots of extra flat benches. Dumbbells in 5lb increments up to 100lb. Other stuff: 25 yard pool Hot tub 100 yard indoor running track Basketball gym Tons of cardio equipment Yoga/aerobics/etc classes Saw signs for some sort of strength training program, though I didn't ask the details Overall a pretty nice no-frills facility for the low price, especially if you can get a referral discount. read more

I used to love going to this gym until they charged me for the month of April during a pandemic. At the time they told me they could not give me a refund but they would put my account hold , and then apply April's credit to Novembers bill. Well, on November 30th I just had money withdrawn from my account again, even though we are still in a raging pandemic AND I was told by Zach Smagh, the membership director, that April's bill would be used for November. Here are the exact words from the e-mail: "We have frozen your account through October 30th. Your recent payment will be deferred to your return to cover membership through November 30th." So in total I paid $120 for 2 months where I did not use the gym and they refuse to refund and did not live up to their word. They shouldn't even be open in the middle of a pandemic let alone charging people who don't feel safe using their facilities. Given that they won't give me a refund even for the November portion even though they said they would use April's to cover it. , I will never go back. read more

Overall, this is actually a nice facility. The only real issue I have is the way they chose to lay it out. They actually have a LOT of space, yet squeezed all of the equipment into a very small space. There are a bunch of extra rooms/studios that are always empty, yet all of the equipment is smashed into a very small space. I was a member of a different Y that had much much less space, yet made much better use of it. Also, for some reason the gym partition is ALWAYS down. No chance to play basketball. read more