My review is NOT about the YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON GYM. My review is about the YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON Residential program--Huntington House. IF ONLY the Housing section and VULNERABLE TENANTS were treated as wonderfully as the gym and gym members that would be nice. Tenants are watched like criminals from behind an ALWAYS CLOSED CRUZ MANAGEMENT COMPANY office door, but Huntington House is not a prison, jail, halfway house, shelter, recovery/treatment center, or the like. It is simply low-income/subsidized housing where tenants are treated very disrespectfully by the YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON'S agent CRUZ MANAGEMENT COMPANY. The building is treated just as poorly as tenants. Hallways and common areas are rarely swept or cleaned. Trash bins are often placed inside on the residential hallway on at least one floor, instead of outside of the entrance door to the residential floors. Exterminations are rare and many tenants would probably describe their units as uninhabitable. Complaints, maintenance requests are either ignored or, well, ignored! The general negligence in oversight by the YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON of CRUZ MANAGEMENT COMPANY "property managers" is nonexistent EVEN when YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON officials are apprised of problems and, in my situation, even after multiple legal actions. AND I COULD GO ON AND ON...AND ON!!!...AND ON!!!!! INSTEAD, I will refer you to my Substack account. There you can read my claims about the many violations of my state, federal, and constitutional rights by the YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON and CRUZ MANAGEMENT COMPANY since 2020 and YOU BE THE JUDGE in the comment section as to whether my rights were really violated. Search Still I Rise Above Hatred on Substack. MAYBE ONE DAY the YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON will use the many millions in donations per year to make living at the Huntington House as wonderful as exercising in the gym. read more

See all

We love the community that we've built through the Y - because of the amazing Zumba instructors!! Not only are they so fun energetic and have great classes, but they're also very welcoming and we've developed friendships with the and some of the regular Zumba attendees. Special shoutout to Param and Agnes whose classes I never miss!! Fun music lots of variety and great energy! This Y is really great - such a large space lots of equipment, classes, even a full swimming pool with sauna and steam rooms. The staff are always friendly and good service ready to help with any questions! Great value with affordable monthly fees for an all round great experience! read more

See all

I've been attending the YMCA on Huntington, and it's been a positive experience so far--especially compared to my past experience at another Y. Years ago, I tried swim lessons at the Dorchester location, and it was so poor and unhelpful that I had to request a refund and never went back. Needless to say, I was cautious about trying again. This Y has been different in all the right ways. Parts of the facility have been updated, and my swim experience has been excellent. Classes are small, which makes a huge difference. The instructors are skilled, attentive, and manage to give individualized support even in a group setting. Each swimmer gets their own reserved lane (there are four total), which makes the sessions feel structured and worthwhile. The facility also has a steam room and sauna--small, but available--and plenty of helpful swim tools on hand, like paddle boards and noodles. For changing, there are family, women's, and men's bathrooms, so there are options depending on your needs. Overall, I'm glad I gave the Y another chance. The Huntington location hasn't let me down, and I'm looking forward to continuing here. read more

I really need to know to communicate with the President and CEO of the YMCA of Boston. I have reached out to the Main headquarters no success, I have reached out to one I believe in Hyde Park no success. No one seems to be able to connect me to at least give me the phone number to the President's Executive assistant. One time I did reach someone's voicemail I have recieved no call back. This organization is one that claims to be here for the community and for all in the community, I have found that to not be true. I had absolutely no income and they were refusing to allow me to use the facilities due to non payment of the bill. I emailed, I called I spoke with people over and over and consequently my health has gotten much worse as I have not been able to use the facility as I once had been doing fairly regularly. At this particular location that I had been going to for over a decade has truly gotten much worse in terms of treatment of individuals. I really would like to know who oversees these cites. My car was hit in the parking lot of the Y and again no one wanting to take a report and then being told that the camera at this location has never worked. There is no system of accountability and no true way to discern who is being treated fairly. The YMCA is not just for children. Seniors also use the YMCA and middle aged adults. However there is a severe disparity in how everyone is treated, and that is not only cruel, dishonest and unfair! Consider that your mother or aunt or grandmother has no income and has life threatening health conditions but not being allowed to use life changing and saving community centered programs or organization to help her to stay not only alive but healthy. Well that is what is currently happen at the YMCA in Dorchester. Emails after emails after emails and phone calls and going in all I have managed to achieve is nothing. If this is the way that the YMCA is going to treat people it is imperative to let the community know that way we can look for other resources to bring into the community to keep us healthy and safe and not depend on this organization to keep their word to the public and the community. Also importantly all lives matter, and the YMCA in Dorchester need to be made aware of this, there is no reason my blood pressure should be so high when there is a place right around the corner from me where I should be allowed to go and keep healthy. All Lives Matter! read more

Apparently my friend Tony did some messed up stuff and now police are Hunting-tony. This is not that. I'm not serious, I'm just avenue on. I'm what "YMCA" - You Might Call Athletic. And so I use a lot of these around the country. And this is one of the better ones I've used. I very much enjoy using this YMCA because it is state-of-the-art and shiny and new and has a lot of great stuff. It's one of the best in all of New England despite being right in the city. It also gets a little bit too crowded and parking around here can be a nightmare. On the other hand, there are some truly amazing food places in these parts. If it were just slightly more accessible in terms of having enough stuff to go round and everything being as new as some stuff is (the cables were iffy here, not enough benches), and if they offered free member parking, I'd raise it. read more

See all

America's first YMCA, nestled between the Northeastern campus and its basketball/hockey arena is a beautiful, historic gem. The staff are welcoming and the workout areas are top shelf. We were visiting from Dallas. This historic Y was a fantastic find! read more

I go there for the studio. It is great and the staff is super nice! The studio is clean as well.

Affordable. Friendly. Clean. 2 racquetball courts. Basketball. Pool. Yoga. Group exercise. Cycling studio. Modern cardio machines. Decent free weights. Tons of nautilus machines. Endless lockers. Friendly staff/members. Half the cost of other gyms. Free access to every other Y in all New England. Free child care (if you got em). Group exercise classes so intense you pass out 15m in. And an actual positive social mission that helps those in greatest need within the community. I'm with Shaun, this place is the best kept secret in town. But please, stay home, don't come here, eat more cake, pay more for gyms patrolled by dudes with ripped shirts and awkward facial ticks. I'll keep my amazing, centrally located, insider secret Y. read more

Huntington Avenue YMCA - Total renovation. - Gyms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I love this gym. It's affordable, there are so many amenities included, and while it gets busy at times it is never too packed to the point where you can't use the equipment you want. There facility is nicely kept and the staff is friendly. There are locker rooms on the lower floor and mini lockers in the gym area on the top floor. My favorite things about the gym is all classes are free and they have a great variety. There is a sauna and steam room in the swimming pool area, which was one of key things I wanted when deciding on a gym. I also love the space of the top floor workout area where the middle is completely open and overlooks the bottom floor. This YMCA also has any and all equipment that you'd ever need, which is great for when I want to switch up workouts. There's free weights, machines, plenty of treadmills, bikes, resistance bands (upon request), bosu balls, stair steppers, TRX, so plenty of options. There's also a basketball court on the second level. Overall a great gym to go to! read more

Very clean exercise floor with brand new cardio equipment. The staff is very helpful and friendly. Definitely made the right choice when I joined the Huntington Ave Y. read more

Worst customer service ever. They should video the front counter for how not to interact with people. You go down there to fix a billing issue...turns out the person you spoke with on the phone gave you incorrect information. Has the feeling of a used car dealership. read more

Y - Yearning for a larger space M - Missing cleaner locker facilities C - Complete renovation to look forward to! A - Always waiting for machines and equipment By Pearl T. read more

Huntington Avenue YMCA - Gyms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

I was here a few years ago when it was still being renovated. The front part was the only part that was open and there was no swimming pool and you needed to go downstairs for different access to equipment. Fast forward a few years and there have definitely done a great job in renovations. The second floor has good new equipment and the basketball court and swimming pool are very clean. FYI there is only one main court and 4 rims surrounding the walls. Be careful though if you park your bike outside. I recently had my bike light stolen that I had parked right in front of the YMCA door. Be careful out there. read more

Huntington Avenue YMCA - Gyms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Expensive considering what you get for your money. Not worth your money, but then they have discounts for students who already have a gym across the street. How about doing a sliding scale. Facilities are not worth the price read more

Wow. Are some of these earlier reviews wrong. The equipment and facility are as good as any top end gym in New York, where I'm from. And Marcus and Semy are as considerate, helpful, friendly and informed guys I have met in Boston, not just among gym managers. I love everything about the place. read more

Back on 2002 I drove to Boston from Milledgeville ga. on search of pipefitting work.I came with labour $800 dollars for room,food,gas,parkinga and toll fees.I needed to stretch my money intel I got a job.I stayed at the YMCA for about 6 weeks.Some days the rooms were full and I slept on my čar at rest stops.The cheapest hotels were charging $250 per night.I learned to pay on advance.The room was decent and saved me.I got a job after 2 weeks paying $40.70 an hour(prevailing wage) pipefitting.I moved to the Marroitt in Revere ma. where I made a deal to pay $380 a week .I lived there for about 1 year until I moved in with a lady I was dating.I'll always have fond memories of the YMCA on Huntington ave. Boston. read more

This YMCA is nice and clean, good customer services. Especially Jordan at front desk is really nice and helpful. Here also has free nice yummy foods. I definitely recommend this place. read more

Been going here for about a month, after belonging to roughly 5 different gyms (full disclosure none of those were in Boston) The space isnt used efficiently, so even if it doesnt seem that crowded, if youre interested in doing bodybuilding or strength workouts around busy time (6:00-8:30) then don't bother. Ive had to come at 6am to beat the crowd, and there are still only 3 adjustable benches by the dumbbells, so it can still be hard to get what I want. I also like to play basketball, there are good runs and lots of people play here, but from 6:00-7:00 when I can play there is Zumba on the basketball court. There are rooms for classes I dont know why they dont move Zumba in there. Currently I definitely wouldnt recommend this gyn, although one positive is the friendly staff. Also the fact that its a YMCA, I respect what they do for youth my review is from my perspective. read more

I've been coming to this gym for about a month now. It's one of the best priced gyms in the area (trust me, I did my research) at about $44 per month for young adults. I have been told that the price may increase by $5 to keep towel service, but haven't seen that enacted yet. The gym itself has all the equipment you could want, even one of those ladder climbing machines... The equipment is all very modern, complete with cardio machines that have touch screens (I want to say they are Netflix compatible but don't quote me on that). The front desk has portable chargers that they can lend you, that in my experience don't work very well but it's a nice idea. Sometimes the space can be crowded at peak times like 5-7 pm on weekdays, and that can be frustrating if you are trying to use specific equipment (Need the bench? Forget about it.) This isn't so bad if you're assertive and confident about your exercises, but as a woman who doesn't always feel confident about the moves I'm doing, it can be stressful to have guys waiting for you to get off of the machines (in one instance someone waiting for me to finish actually tried to comment on my form being off), so I definitely prefer something less crowded after work, since that's the best time to go. I think this gym earns points for having an indoor pool, sauna, and steam room for such a low price. These are great amenities and partially why I am sticking through the more crowded peak times, as well as a dingy locker room. The locker room, especially the shower area and the hall out to the pool, have very wet floors often times, and that can feel really gross to walk through. Sometimes there is an off smell in the locker room. I do often see staff cleaning it, but I think something could be done to minimize the water from the showers leaking everywhere, design wise. The classes are also great. There are plenty of classes every day, besides the weekend days being a bit more sparse. Cycling class here is awesome, yoga has been great, and pilates was also great. I can't speak on any of the other classes but I did enjoy all of these. Overall it's a solid gym that does have some cons, mainly the locker rooms can get dirty, it can get too crowded, and it can be overwhelming if you are a beginner or a woman during peak times. The classes and the amenities are great. read more

I have been a member of the YMCA on Huntington Ave. for almost two months. On Dec 16th, while exercising at the pool, I was stolen credit cards from my locker. I had a lock, but it was open and then closed again. Unbelievable. I liked this branch because it was close to my place and it has extensive hours to go and swim. I know it is not the best sports club in the city (facilities are not that well taken care of), but I only went there to swim. It is a shame that these kind of things happen there. They have "security" staff who is walking around the locker rooms, but it seems that they are more busy chatting with people or other staff than making sure that everything is OK there. I cancelled my membership because I did not feel SAFE at all since that event. read more

Not sure if I want to write this review... I mean do I really want to tell others about the best gym in the Boston area? Should I tell you that the prices are half that of Boston sports club yet I think this place is better? The staff is awesome. Phase two of construction just finished, this is the place to be. I'm not telling you about the real hidden gem, no not the sauna, not the steam room, not that everything is brand new, and definitely not that the free wifi is ridiculously fast. Agh! I blew it. Yeah, I'm not posting pictures. read more

The Huntington Ave YMCA is both a historic and modern gym with a wealth of workout options and space. Most YMCA members probably are aware but don't actually choose to participate in classes. While certainly a good thing for those like me who go to spin class, there are a ton of missed opportunities. From great masters swimming to yoga to spin there are really great trainers working here. There definitely is an great community mix of locals and young college students. While it is Boston and you get a good young crowd, this YMCA also has regulars of all ages and races. I love the diverse community of other people all joining together to get healthier. The updates with the recent renovation really make this gym a fun modern location with a juxtaposition against the old wood fixtures and architecture that also emphasize the place in history this YMCA plays. I would say the only reason this places isn't five stars is the lack of particular finishes and amenities that would elevate this gym. Nicer locker soaps and other items would be nice. Better air circulation and humidity control would also be great. read more

Worked out here all the time when I lived in Boston. This was my favourite location as it had the pool, towel service and great classes schedule! I love the energy and the community here. I have my personal favourites for class instructors but I challenge you to figure which you prefer on your own! Sign up here! Definitely worth the investment! read more

Please please PLEASE train the staff at the front desk. If they're going to be there as the first point of contact, they should be versed (won't say "well") on basic issues ... disappointed in the "customer service" ... don't really want to rate it because I love the Y, based on this experience though, it was discouraging. As a plus, it was clean ... read more

Normally, I go to the Roxbury YMCA which is about 5 minutes away from where I live, but now I'll drive 5 minutes extra and spend another 5 minutes looking for parking to come to the Huntington Ave YMCA. Visually, it looks like a wonderfully updated gym and has pretty much everything you need. Two squat/power racks vs one at the Roxbury Y (+the one guy always doing bicep curls), 3 flat benches vs 1 at the Roxbury Y, 1 incline (same at Roxbury), a larger selection of dumbbells, plenty of cables, a nice hack squat machine, 2 dedicated areas for deadlifting, possibly some bumper plates for olympic lifting?, lots of cardio machines, lots of area for stretching with yoga mats and fitness balls, a nice basketball court, and a nice pool. I could see that during peak hours this place could get a little packed, but I personally think its worth it. They have really good hours as well (5-11 weekdays, 5-9 friday, 7-7 weekends). You also can't beak the price of the Y, so forget those expensive "sports clubs" and just come here. read more

I f'n love this Y. It's really close to my work and a short T ride from where I live. ("But this doesn't apply to me!" I hear you say. Yeah, I know, I'm getting to the stuff that does.) So the ease of access makes it win huge points with me. I feel really comfortable here and just get a good vibe from everyone. People give each other their space but the staff are friendly and helpful and the other patrons are chill. I haven't come across any meatheads or anyone who thinks they're better than anyone else. (I should note I only really use the cardio and weight room on the main floor. There may be meatheads and/or jerks lurking elsewhere.) The equipment is generally new and in good working order and there exists a fine selection of cardio machines, treadmills, etc.. The men's locker room is always clean. You also get free use of towels! Free towels! FREE TOWELS! Hot damn. In addition to all these fine things, there are also classes, a pool, a gym and many other things to take advantage of (none of which I have because I tend to stick to my routine but I am appreciative that they offer them for those who are interested). read more

A good place to go to if your focus is on exercise, getting in shape, learning something new at a cheap and reasonable rate. You should not go here if you're expecting an upscale environment like the Boston Sports Club. The exercise machines are up-to-date but not as upscale as Boston Sports Club. If you're expecting an Olympic size pool, be prepared to be disappointed since it's a standard size indoor pool. The Y has many different activities and lessons to choose from, such as swimming, martial arts, basketball, etc. The rates on lesson varies depending if you're a member or not. If you're a member you pay about 35% less that a non-member. Membership fees are based on income level and you have to pay a $100 initiation fee. If you sign-up during a promotional period they will waive the $100 initiation fee so check the website often. Another tip, if you're a Blue Cross Blue Shield member, you can save an additional $150 a year. They have a do steam room/sauna room. The men's locker room is pretty standard looking and relatively clean. This place has a communal shower room so be prepared to see some old naked men but this is something you'll see in every men's shower and locker room. The Y does provide you with 2 free towels and some free cheap body wash soap in the showering areas but you'd be better off bringing your own. Overall, the place has some ups and downs. It's not the Boston Sports Club but if your focus is on exercise, getting in shape, learning something new at a cheap, reasonable rate than this place is for you. read more

It's hard to find a gym with a pool *and* yoga classes, which is why I joined the Y. The pros: a diverse crowd and nice urban, family feel, which I like. (I just love that they have family ping pong night.) I am NOT a gym rat, but I'm very comfortable here. Unless you are 16, the Y is not a meat market. Yoga classes have been reasonably un-crowded and well-taught, and they are not competitive. I know, competitive yoga? ...but that has been my experience at some gyms. If people are checking out your form in class, it's because they're new and don't know what to do next. The cons: The schedule, particularly the pool. Because the Y caters to kids and families (as it should), the lap swim hours are frequently interrupted by lessons, camps, etc. I'm one of those people who finds any excuse *not* to work out, and the schedule exacerbates this. I'm a school librarian so unfortunately, I have the same hours as the kids! I shudder to think what will happen to the pool hours over the summer. Classes take place in a room adjacent to the basketball court and weight room. It can be pretty noisy, with squeaky sneakers and Top 40 hits on the radio. I pay the full price and they just raised it - it's about $57 a month. If you think of it as a gym/pool and not "the Y," it's a decent rate. read more

The New Y is pretty lame after all the hype and bs they put us through. What happened? We lived through Zero renovations or less during the last 5 years of the old Y, then a pathetic excuse for an interim Y. Teeny, Tiny like working out in a closet, bad deal with NU for use of their gym. Then With all the hype surrounding the opening of the new Y, we expected to be WOW'd! Then it opens and ......'MEH" Kinda sad..Unimpressive. You would think where we are with design in 2014, they could have gotten a decent architect to do it right. Or at least maybe walk 2 blocks down to the marino center with a note pad and get a couple ideas. Come on, it is the oldest Y in the US there is a legacy that needs to be upheld here! The entrance feels like a back hall of an office building the gym like an office with cubicles removed and workout equipment dropped. White walls already getting nice and dirty, cheap blinds, 1 drinking fountain in the whole gym!?!. Zero Art or interest in the whole boring place. A star for the decent pool and bathrooms are nice. Sux the pool closes early. Too bad the steam and sauna are now along side the pool and will most likely close early too. The excuse from the life guard "so we can clean." Why not do this after close? and the night I was there the cleaning getting done was a personal cell phone call. geesh. A few more improvements that need to happen...... some benches in the showers or more hooks to put our stuff on. Why all of the extra misc "PC" bathrooms. This is getting totally out of control. Mens, boys, girls, women, and now family? What next Gay, lesbian, transvestite, Questioning? Maybe we could even go back to a bathroom for blacks? What a stupid waste of space. bet the family locker room has been use maybe once. I could go on but that's it for now. Oh I forgot the other star is for the free towels! YaY ***Stay tuned i'm gonna review all of the Y's in Boston and I think you are going to be surprised which is now my #1! read more

This is one of the nicer YMCAs I have visited in Boston, and it is definitely a marked improvement since its renovation. It has: * a swimming pool (if you like to paddle) * large basketball courts (if you like to dribble) * two dance studios (if you like to jump around) * lots of treadmills, and ellipticals (if you like to run in place) * two racket ball courts (if you like to run around a box, although one is really hard to find) * free weights (if you lift things up, and put them down) I however typically come for the free weights. I am huge fan of the fact that the YMCA consistently maintains free weights rather than fixed weight training stations. There is a lot to be said about gravity enforcing proper form on lifters, so the YMCA gets a lot of credit over some purple, and yellow fakers in the industry. The weights area is bigger than I have seen at the Chinatown, Somerville, and Central YMCAs, although it still manages to fill up with lifters. It is rarely ever so full that you can not find a station, so you just need to be flexible about the order of your routine, and you are set. read more

Love going to this particular Y! The renovations have surely improved the quality of this facility. There's more machines, and space, and plenty of other things to do like swimming, basketball, classes, etc. They have a steam room and sauna, which are both co-ed read more

I joined the YMCA begrudgingly because it was the most reasonably priced gym near our new apartment. I couldn't justify the $100 month plus joining fees at Boston Sports Club or any other boutique fitness shops. I am so glad I did. I am really starting to enjoy the Huntington Ave Y. I usually stumble in on weekends only but have never had issues finding a treadmill. There are a lot of weights and machines that I never use but lots of other people seem to use them. My main complaint is the lack of water fountains. There is one downstairs by the spin studio. There is one near the weight machines 2 floors above. Why is there not one by the locker room? I do like the fountains they have (water bottle refiller built in) but they need more. I have taken spin with Leoni a couple of times. She is FANTASTIC. Not only are the classes included in the membership fee, you sign up online to reserve your space in advance -- which is great in that you're guaranteed a spot. read more

What a dump! Maintenance and cleaning is seriously minimal. I don't know where to start. Half the lockers are broken and thefts are rampant. The Y's solution is to put a sign up" not responsible for theft". The tiles in the bathrooms have never been cleaned since I became a member a year ago, mold and mildew is all over the place! Only half the time is there soap in the showers or bathroom. The most recent thing is they took all of the control handles off of the showers in the shower room leading to the pool and shut them ALL down!, So showering before the pool is not possible. What is up with that??? I thought this was required before entering the pool! Where is the health department when you need them? The ventilation system in half of the weight room is broken and barely works in the cardio rooms. 2 stars for the good location and it does have a nice set of machines in the weight machine room. Staff is nice.. ...but for $600 a year I would try another gym.. read more

I really like this gym because it is not super expensive compared to the others and it pretty much has all the equipment I need. They have a ton of classes you can register for as well (I've only done the Zumba so far). Also they have a sauna, swimming pool, basketball court and some of the classes are held outside sometimes! One thing that does kind of suck is that sometimes they run out towels, but after this recent renovation they've had it hasn't happened since I've been. My old gym was awful, equipment was always broken, it was super tiny, and there was hardly enough plates to use for weights. I'm super happy I joined. I wish they had a smoothie bar! That would make it perfect for me read more

This gym is cheap! I just joined last week on a student membership which is $40 a month and was able to waive the joining fee due to a current promotion. On joining they provide you 3 free sessions with a trainer to get you started on what to do. They just opened up the renovated portion of the gym and locker rooms this past Saturday with completely new equipment. Plenty of cardio machines. Pool and basketball court to open Monday 2 June 2014. I personally shower at home cause I love close and would rather the luxury of having my own space but the new lockerrooms do look pretty spacious. Towels are provided. The staff here are all friendly and due to the pricing of the gym there's a large range of types of people who work out here. Probably the cheapest decent gym around this area. read more

I love coming to the gym - especially after the renovations there's just more room and more equipment. The reno's look good so far so it makes it enjoyable to go to the gym. There's more renovations going on and I can't wait to see what it looks like. The updated gym has a ball court and a swimming pool which is great cause I love to swim. I'm not sure how pricing works because my membership is affiliated with my school but there's always promo emails being sent to us so it's easy to find a good deal. read more

Huntington Avenue YMCA - New foyer... - Gyms Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

Great experience so far! Amazingly priced for the area and good amenities. They do a really great welcome to the gym and have great people working the desk who are friendly and helpful. I switched from my local Boston Sports Club and very happy that I did. The staff are much more helpful and the amenities just as good. read more

I miss this gym, and I never thought I would say that about a YMCA. I joined in 2007 when I was in college and needed to push a bit more to keep off the freshman 15. Overall this YMCA is in a prime location, has a friendly staff, plenty of equipment, and a great class schedule great for both AM and PM gym go-ers. For classes I enjoyed the pilates, yoga, spinning, and bootcamp style classes. The woman's dry and wet steam/saunas are great, the locker room is large, and the towel service is a perk compared to other gyms (planet fitness, WOW, etc.) Sadly I left in 2011 as I relocated from the area to Waltham yet try to visit as much as possible when in the area. The only downfall with this gym is that 1. parking if you need it is available but scarce and costs $5, and 2. Paul is gone! Paul left a few years ago but was/is a great group fitness trainer, very motivating, and is always willing to help with dietary and workout advise. Paul made me fall in love with bootcamp classes, burpees, and kettle bells. Once thing he taught me just in conversation is that every BLT (Bite Lick and Taste) counts, for me he advised to measure things out.... turns out I was eating more peanut butter than I thought. After measuring things out even the PB I dropped the weight. And if a YMCA staff member is reading this, keep up the great work... you helped me keep off the freshman 15, drop 10, tone up, and learn to love by body! read more

The gym has the bare bones you need to keep up with your fitness regimen: cardio equipment, workout classes, and weight equipment. The space, though, feels cramped at best, and you often need to wait to use the equipment, even in the afternoons (before people leave work). I haven't been able to go to any work-out classes, so I won't comment on the quality-- though the scheduled times for them seem do-able for both morning and night gym-goers. I'm a Y member in the state of Virginia, and I have to say the quality of this Y here just doesn't compare... and I think I expected more pizzazz from a city like Boston. The women's locker room is dark and smells damp/moldy. The bathrooms are clean enough, but there are only 2 sinks... and one of those sinks has a dehumidifier pumping out murky brown water into it. On the plus side: 1) The staff is very friendly 2) Towel service 3) the Huntington Y offers an accommodating week long trial period if you're an out-of-state Y member 4) the entrance has a white board with suggested work-out circuits, including HIIT and body resistance training-- very motivational, especially during the holiday season where the average American easily gains 20+ pounds. read more

For a YMCA, this is golden. I love the Huntington Y- it's way better than the Chinatown Y and better than the one I used to use in Pennyslvania. There are plenty of machines for everyone and theres a huge weight room downstairs. They've got some good classes too- Bootcamp is one of my favorites. The belly dancing instructor has had some serious attitude with me before and the yoga classes can SOMETIMES be a little underwhelming- but for the most part the classes are great. The staff is really nice and attentive and the people that go there are cool. Sometimes the creep factor can be a little on the heavy side- I would go on the off hours when there weren't a lot students like me because of my schedule and sometimes there would be some real sketchy guys hanging around a bit too close- but that's expected at any coed gym I guess. A huge plus for me is cleanliness- the womens locker room is cleaned all the time and the machines are grime free. As a student, the 37 a month price can't be beat. Only word of advice- be careful when you go late in the evening. The area can be a little shady once it gets dark and theres some serious hangs that go on outside the gym on occasion. I never felt really threatened but I dont think its a great idea for any girl to be on the street alone in a city after its dark-especially in that area. Anyway, check this gym out. I actually have switched to another gym solely based on location purposes but I think this place is great. If i were closer to the area I would go here again, no problem! read more