I normally don't go to this location because it hasn't been updated in years and feels pretty outdated compared to the other locations, especially for an area that's growing so much. I stopped by recently because it was convenient and brought a guest with me. Before doing anything, I asked the woman at the front desk how the guest policy worked. She didn't really explain it and instead just asked for my guest's information. I assumed she was simply checking the system to see if my guest had visited before. I stepped away for a moment to check whether the court was crowded, and while doing that, something came up that required me to leave earlier than expected. When I came back to the desk, I told her never mind and that I needed to leave. She responded, "It's okay, I sent the receipt to your email." That caught me off guard. I assumed it was just confirmation of entering my guest's information, especially since I thought guests used to be free (which is why I asked about the policy beforehand). When I checked my email, I saw that I had been charged $20. The issue isn't the money, it's the lack of communication. Before charging someone, the process and cost should be clearly explained. I've never had issues at the other locations I visit, so this felt like a one off experience, but it's enough that I probably won't return to this location. read more

Decent gym, not the biggest but much better after the fairly recent renovation. Peak hours are very busy (5-7 on the weekdays) and you may have to adjust your planned workout due to limited equipment. The classes I've done are good, and the staff has been nothing but friendly. Locker room is clean as is the pool. I do wish they'd patrol the parking lot more in the evening (especially Friday) as numerous people park here and go to the surrounding restaurants and bars, making it difficult for members to find parking. read more

If you park in the parking lot but cannot prove you have a membership at this YMCA location, it is $100 cash or $125 credit to have the boot removed from your car. Having a valid YMCA membership at any other location will not stop this from happening. When the parking in front of a business you are visiting is full, this is why. I hope they feel really good about themselves taking money from disabled people who just needed a safe place to park. Never again. read more

I had the misfortune of parking in the YMCA's large and mostly empty parking lot, which is not close to the YMCA building and looks a lot like a public parking area. When I came back to my car I noticed that every car in the parking lot had a boot on it. In no time I saw some sketchy car pull up and shake me down for $125 to take off the boot that the YMCA authorized this predatory company to put on my car. I was visiting a friend at a restaurant in NoDa who was just getting off from her third job. We were meeting to talk about all of the stress she's been dealing with as a single mom and not having enough money to put food on her table. When I saw the boot on my car I immediately went back to my friend's car to find her in tears. She could not afford to pay the $125 shake down and was pleading for the guy to let her go in peace. There was no empathy from them and more importantly no empathy, no caring, no honesty and no respect from the YMCA. Let's take a moment to remember the core values of the YMCA, as listed on their website: Caring, Honesty, Respect, Faith. I am a firm believer in practicing what you preach. If you say that you are caring, then you should care that you are facilitating predatory companies to make around $4,000 an hour by booting poor innocent people that happen to fall into the spider's web that is the YMCA in NoDa. read more

I love this Y. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. There are many class offerings and while I recently attended a Zumba class found that members of all stages and ages in attendance. That made me feel good. read more

This is my YMCA of choice simply because of my proximity to it, living less than 2 miles away. I am not sure it it is a converted church, school, or office, but the facilities are nice and they have all the standard equipment every gym should have. Parking can sometimes be an issue here as peeps going out in NODA often use the parking as well. Their fitness areas are a bit dis-jointed as well. If you've ever been here, you know what I mean - some of the cardio machines are upstairs, some are downstairs. Some fitness machines are upstairs, some are downstairs. Some offices are upstairs, some are downstairs. My only other issue with the Johnston Branch YMCA is that they play the music too loud in the fitness areas, causing patrons to have to blast their own music to cancel out the Y's. Otherwise, this is a great YMCA and a great place to workout. All of the employees are friendly and are more than willing to offer a hand in any way needed. Great Job Guys! read more

I used to be a member of the Dowd YMCA, a posh branch that definitely has its perks. But I much prefer the low-pressure Johnston. The Johnston Y reminds me of the YMCA from my childhood in Chicago. It's in a cool old building and it's not fancy. The members are friendly and diverse. And there's no competition. The classes are great. I like yoga (especially Kundalini yoga with Patty) and zumba, where more than 50 people dance like crazy in the gym. If you live in NoDa or Plaza Midwood, the Johnston Y is your best choice for a gym. read more

Nothing fancy here, just a convenient gym that doesn't get too crowded with super nice staff. Machines are well kept and wiped down every shift (you know, because not everyone wipes their sweat up after their workout, yuck). I'm typically here in the mornings and there's plenty of room in the basement weight room to work out without feeling crowded or ogled. The employees are the nicest at Johnston - they always greet you with a smile and are more than willing to give you pointers about your work out. Plenty of parking unless there's something going on in NoDa. Yay gym. read more

I guess I'm so used to the University YMCA having everything big all other Y is too small for me. This pool was way too small for meets. Parents and even kids felt claustrophobic being in the pool area to watch. There was no room to sit and watch the kids swim. The gym was small also. read more

Johnston Memorial Branch YMCA - Go Gators!!!! - Gyms Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I gave this y 4 stars because of child watch and gym classes . Child watch lady's are so sweet and its big , for the kids to play in . my son loves it here. I actually only come here to go to the classes and the child watch cause the child watch is not as packed as dowd YMCA . Now the work out gym needs new equipment. If they put Johnston child watch in dowds gym . Uhg that would be the best y ever. read more

This Y isn't my favorite but it serves its purpose. It's close to my house and is nowhere near as busy as the Dowd Y so it's kind of a no-brainer for me. The parking can sometimes be absolutely terrible, especially on weekends when there are a lot of folks strolling around NoDa. Usually you can find a parking spot with a little bit of patience, though. The staff is friendly enough and always greet members with a smile at the front door. The machines are definitely older and the downstairs area of the gym is fairly small. However, the gym isn't usually super busy so I'm usually able to use a machine when I need to. This gym also has a pool, steam room, sauna, basketball court, and fitness classes. I personally enjoy the sauna but beware... This YMCA location does NOT have towels so you'll need to bring your own if you shower or hop on the steam room/sauna or just straight up sweat a lot. Total bummer. read more

The cardio room is small and almost always packed. The last 5 times I've tried to get on a machine I've only been successful 2 times. The women's locker room always seems to have a draft in it no matter what time of year; it could also use a revamp. Compared to the Harris or Siskey Y's women's locker rooms this one is a bit antiquated. I've taken an array of cardio and yoga group fitness classes at this location (with different instructors) and have more often than not been disappointed at the quality. If I'm not breaking a sweat 20 minutes into a cardio dance class, something is wrong w the instructor/routine. A definite plus side to this Y is its location. Actually, this could sway a health and fitness seeker one of two ways - passing by NoDa's restaurants and bars can either motivate you to earn that reward meal/drink or it can cause you to skip a scheduled workout session to sooner enjoy said meal/drink. Not my fave Y in town but it's also not my least fave. read more

Forgot to mention that on another occasion, there was literally a puddle of urine on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. I went up to the reception desk and explained what I had seen downstairs. The receptionist said "the floor cleaning crew is here now but they start at the other end of the building"... ok... you can't ask them to make an exception since there is A PUDDLE OF PEE at the bottom of the stairs???... I went downstairs, stepped over the puddle, ran 6 miles on the treadmill, did my cool-down, washed my face and then (about 90min after I had first reported the puddle) was amazed to see the puddle was still there. Yes, the staff let a puddle of pee sit on the ground for 90min without doing anything about it. I could write other negative comments about the lack of parking enforcement (everyone parks there and visits the NoDa bars, leaving little room for people who are actually trying to exercise)... or the fact they were without air conditioning for 2+ months last spring/summer... but could any negative comment really eclipse the fact that the staff ignored a puddle of urine? I don't think so. I bought a treadmill last year and now I happily exercise in my puddle-free home. read more

Always friendly. Always clean. Neighborly. Parking never a problem. Nice people. Good feel.

I've been making the rounds to all the different YMCAs in the city (so far, the Dowd, Childress-Klein and Gateway). Today, a Sunday afternoon, was my first time at the Johnston YMCA. What a breath of fresh air! Even though it is the beginning of January, only a handful of people were in the exercise room. It was SO NICE not to have 50 alpha male banker dudes surrounding me from all sides like at the Dowd and Childress-Klein. The Johnston is a super low-key gym, and while it didn't have all the machines I wanted to use for my work-out, it was still serviceable. But really, it was just magical to come here and escape the suffocating crowds at the other Ys. I will be returning here soon. read more

Not a bad lil gym. Not an over abundant amount of equipment like I'm used to, but it gets the job done. However, I've never had to wait to use anything there even during what I would consider a peak time to go. This is a great place to go if you're looking for an in and out work out. This review will be updated, I'm going to try some classes and get back to you yelpers! read more

I love this branch! It's small enough to feel like a really Community but big enough for all your fitness needs. Pool is never busy and always has a spot to swim laps, steam and sauna room are located on the pool deck. Group classes are great and they have a great mix of different types! The fitness center downstairs is always super clean and well taken care of. It can get busy down there but everyone is always more than willing to let you hop on in between sets. They also have a mind body studio, cycle studio, and cardio room. read more

By far, the most laid back YMCA in Charlotte. The cardio/workout rooms are small, but the people and instructors are great. It really feels like a neighborhood gym -whereas Dowd feels a bit more like Globo Gym (Dodgeball fans will get this reference). read more

Overpriced Unclear descriptions of classes in terms of whether it is for people who are at an advanced, intermediate or beginner level. Walked into a class and was told they were full with about 10 people in the room. No communication from the Y indicating this class has a size limit or any effort to make attendance of that class possible for people who can't get there 30 minutes early. read more

While nothing fancy about this gym, the clients who work out here make it special. There is a real neighborhood sense of camaraderie here and it's nice to see familiar faces when you work out. The equipment is really well taken care of and brand new and they offer tons of classes. The best part is that you can belong to this Y and not have to have a metro membership. This is truly a gym to work out in and not a see and be seen type of spot. read more

Despite the explicate images burnt into my head by the elders in the locker room, this gym is clean and proficient!

The building was hot and uncomfortable and the staff was less than hospitable. I would suggest you skip this place.