Lovely staff at the reception, in the locker room, and in the pool. On a Friday evening around 6:30, it was wonderfully quiet in the pool: I was one of only two in a lane. The premises seemed clean to me. And when an administrative issue came up, I received a most accommodating response via email in no time. I'm a fan! read more

Finding a big enough pool in NYC for lap swimming that isn't overcrowded is a pain. If you can get here at the right hours, you can get a lane and share it with only one person or maybe have it to yourself for a bit. That's a huge luxury in NYC. Stop by and read the pool schedule to see the times when they have all six lanes open and not taken up with swim team or lessons. If you can fit yourself in those hours, it's good. if you can't you might find swimming here extremely frustrating. The locker room, showers, steam/sauna are clean enough, could be better (they ain't Equinox). People are nice and price is about $125 per month which also includes basketball court/pickleball, indoor track, very well equipped weight room, classes, etc. I think there's a childcare room too. This is a family/community place. All walks of life. I like it. read more

My favorite pool of the Ys I have tried. Nice facility overall with friendly staff and a relaxed vibe.

Ugly gym. And you have to bring your own towel. Even for the showers! . Who can be carrying around their own towels just in case they have time to stop in for a work out? read more

Nice staff and good amenities. I wish there were some more yoga/pilates classes offered. A little expensive for a gym membership at ~$115 for a YMCA but I guess it's manhattan. Most people are respectful and nice to work out with but there is this one older guy that thinks he's still hot stuff that makes comments towards me and it's just like.. fat chance.. read more

The pandemic is well over, yet it still closes at 9pm (instead of its former 11pm) on weekdays. Even more grievously, it closes at a ridiculous 5pm on weekends (instead of the former 8pm). All other gyms in the area are back to their regular times and stay open later. But no, the lazy staff here -- including Robert Saladino and his cohorts -- want to leave early. And for exec director Jasmin Cardona, it's fewer hours she has to pay her staff. It's a great situation for staff. Members lose. read more

When you work out really hard at this Y, it's like being in Scotland... you don't just feel the Burn. You feel the McBurney. The showers are pretty good and have plenty of towels available. It's a pretty nice facility up here although I haven't seen a lot of cute young people using it, mostly older folks. The really annoying part is trying to get into the facility. They won't let you in without going to the check-in desk and the check-in desk is where everybody does everything including signing up so I had to wait forever just for 2 seconds of being told to go ahead and go on in. You need a security number to get through the check in desk. It's just a bad method. This is why the low star rating combined with the complete lack of parking, which is understandable in NYC I suppose. Oh, and parking doesn't exist, and street parking can cost you $5 just for a quick shower LOL. Manhattan. Much nicer than a lot of the borough locations though. read more

McBurney Branch YMCA - CHRIST. AS A BULB. - Gyms Near Me - New York, New York

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This review is for only for the McBurney Branch of the YMCA. There is a beautiful swimming pool here and a nice indoor track. This used to be a wonderful and welcoming place. Post pandemic the hours of operation have shrunk and there is not ample time to enjoy all the facilities for a busy person. Sauna and steam rooms close early and the towel service has completely discontinued. Most of the members are very nice and are there for health, fitness and fraternity. The attitude of the service and custodial staff is abysmal. They are extremely surly and seem to have an adversarial attitude towards the members. This was not the case pre pandemic. I have gotten exceedingly rude treatment and witnessed others receiving the same unkindness as well from the front desk and custodial staff. The place is a shell of its former self. What was once a great community resource for health, fitness and camaraderie is now "get in get out as fast as you can and keep your head down". Not a relaxing atmosphere and the price is higher for fewer hours of operation. The customer comes last at this branch. Not the YMCA of yore. I don't know what their mission is now but it doesn't seem to be uplifting the community. YMCA used to stand for Young Men's Christian Association. Now it seems to stand for Your Money Cheerfully Accepted. Management is out of touch, unavailable, unapproachable, not competent. read more

Great vibe. Not a luxury facility for sure --- but there are plenty of them in the area. I enjoy the mix of people and the friendly, helpful staff. The pool is magnificent. Great access for people with mobility issues -- there are stairs into the pool, for example. read more

I like the children's swim classes - my son learned to swim here. And I'm always able to register him for swim classes, unlike other Ys which have no availability unless you sign up the minute registration opens. And the pool is great - I'm no pool expert but it looks Olympic sized. The woman's bathroom is clean and spacious, showers are newly renovated, and there's a nice sauna. The mixed-use kids bathroom is old and cramped though, it definitely needs a face lift. read more

Gym for Kids, staff and lifeguards dont do anything and they kick people of equipment and off Basketball courts and use the gym as their playground. Not a facility for adult read more

Dirty showers; rude staff; lighting and amenities overall a bit dark and depressing. I know you wanna sing the song and have fun with this one but it's just painful. Bad customer service and staff so rude it just ruins your day. Not worth a $50 discount, actually there are cheaper gyms that just offer much more in terms of customer service. Read the other reviews that say the same thing- I agree, dear manager, appreciate your fixing the issues with bad staff so the community can actually enjoy this location. read more

I am seriously thinking about canceling my membership, and I really would not to, being member since 2007 and having supported the gym during the Pandemic. I love the Staff members, and the Manager is very welcoming and nice, but there are some things that are difficult to digest. Covid emergency is long gone, and the gym still closes at 9PM weekdays (which means at 8.10 the sauna is closing, and at 8.45 the personnel is impatiently looking at you urging you to complete your workout) and, even worse, at 5PM on Sat and Sun (!). The pool is always crowded. My kids never had the opportunity to use the babysitting service because not only there were restricted hours (2 days, couple of hours per day), but when the service was supposed to be available there was no available personnel (!). Not to mention the fact that, during Swimming Family time, there are not reserved lines (and, apart from the crowded space, it is not infrequent to meet people performing low impact exercises who are very annoyed by kids trying to swim, even by the most peaceful and respectful ones); moreover, on Sat and Sun Family Gym is always occupied by teens playing basketball, and it is not a safe space for younger kids: once there set inflatable castle and there were several tools to entertain the kids, now there is nothing and I even have to ask for an extra ball just to do couple of quick passages to avoid the "what we came here for?" complain from my kids. Not to mention the partnership with nearby schools for the afterschool and Learn-to-Swim Programs which were terminated because of the many miscommunications and cancelation due to shortness of personnel (I meet and spoke with the Responsible of the Kid's Program last year, and I learned all that: I don't know if she is still occupying her position or what was done in this regard). I really hope YMCA will do something to restore the offers for Families, and the schedule they had before Pandemic. read more

I agree with several of the previous reviewers. This gym has become more and more a full-time daycare center whose fringe benefit is that they happen to let adults in to exercise around their primary customer: the kids (and their parents' never-ending finances). This summer 2024 has been atrocious. The Y's day camp has become the sole focus of this branch and there is no way to work out during the day without maneuvering around kids, dealing with their endless screaming, lining them up outside all of the bathrooms, scowls from the camp counselors at gym regulars who are just trying to use the bathroom. If working out for you is at all meditative or where you go to forget about your own family or stressors for an hour, this branch is not for you. They are louder than your noise canceling headphones. Given that the entire gym shuts down by 9 PM (and laughably 5 PM on weekends), there is never a good time to work out here. I used to describe this facility as one of the best ROI's, for fitness, in the city. It has fallen off sharply. It is no longer worth the expenditure. read more

Sad to say but this Ymca has gone downhill! It pains me to write this but this place is dirty, unprofessional and treats its members like a number-even though we are part of the community. My child cannot continue his swim lessons as he was locked out of registering soon after it opened and even with a family membership we were given zero understanding , compassion or help-like we just walked in off the street. Horrible! Granted you get what you pay for with the swim lessons here and the staff is inexperienced and a little lazy-not to mention not very motivated to coach your child the proper way. With instructors showing up late etc... But we all know good help is hard to find. Very sad that this neighborhood staple cannot properly serve its community. read more

I love the McBurney Branch Y. The staff are nice and helpful. I'm there 4 to 5 times a week. Members are friendly and nice as well.

Seriously the best gym in the Greater New York area. They quickly fix any issues that get reported. Members are happy at this gym day in and day out. There is pool on premises, sauna, steam room, weight lifting area, tons of cardio equipment that always functional, never even a single broken machine, tons of group classes to choose from that include Tai Chi, kickboxing, ballet and more. Kids programs, babysitting while parents workout, variety of outreach programs as well. It rivals posh gyms and gives them run for their money. There are affordable memberships for low income residents as well, by application. Easy membership terminations available. read more

Completely overpriced. Removed towel service. Short hours. A Complete Disappointment.

Was all set to sign up... Did a tour and then found out there is no towel service? At this price point, come on. There is no way I'm going to bring a towel there and a wet one home each time I want to use the gym. COVID is over - bring this service back and I will sign up. read more

It's ok but I do not understand why they keep it so hot. Today is a warm fall day and 50 degrees out. They have the heat on. It's too hot to be clothed let alone work out. Somebody's gonna have a heart attack from the heat. Weeks later no change. So far no heart attack. 1/4/20. Brought my analog thermometer. 78 degrees in lobby. 76 in cardiovascular room. 76 on basketball court. And a high of 82 on the running track! 82!!! That is 9 degrees higher than what's recommended for healthy gym max temp. What do they do for hot yoga? Have a bonfire? read more

Disappointed. Worse than that -disappointed for my son. Thought this was to be a place to go for him to work out and utilize the basketball facilities. Unfortunately, complete opposite. The front desk staff is absolutely rude and obnoxious. Someone needs to ensure that the rude woman at the desk who apparently won't even give a basketball to a 16 year old young man and verbatim tells him - do not worry about the 4 basketballs under my desk, those are not your concern - does not stay employed for much longer as she is absolutely the worst example of what this place is supposed to be for. I truly hope that she never treats another person as she did my son and she is why the quite expensive membership got cancelled. Please know that the staff here is sub-par, obnoxious, rude and hopefully no one treats her child as she did mine. Disgusting read more

Rude staff, broken machines and equipment, children without parents running around in the weight room and creating dangerous environments. I've spoken to staff and their managers plenty of times with no results read more

Friendly staff and very clean facilities. Great for families and if you just want a relaxed place to work out unlike a lot of commercial gyms. read more

Staff needs to be retrained with the correct information they are giving our. I have a family membership which we've used at several YMCA locations in different states with no issues, but this location gave my son some issues. He attempted to check in to use their workout facility and he was turned away before he could even scan his card. As soon as he walked in he was told he couldn't be there. The front desk clerk didn't ask his age but they did ask him where he's from b/c she had not seen him before. He said he's from NY but his membership is from somewhere else bc we just moved and he's visiting. She told him he couldn't use his membership at that location. He's not one to argue or speak up too much so he left. I called that location and spoke w/someone that confirmed all the rules of that specific location and she did say he should have been let in and she mentioned he could return and try again but In all honesty why would he want to go back after that experience. My son is 17 but doesn't look it but still doesn't make sense to me. I have this membership so he can stay active in a safe place, and instead that "safe place" turned him away for whatever reason. What a disappointment. read more

YMCA says they offer discounts for the poor. I helped my loved one submit her paperwork for proof of poverty. YMCA came back and said that they would give her a 28% discount (reducing from $100 to $72 a month) This is still not affordable for someone on disability. I called the decision maker to explain about my loved one needing an accessible pool but she did not care, I could tell her in her tone. She said that miserable discount was all they could do. I wrote a letter to the corporate office in nyc reexplaining that the only way for her to exercise (imperative for her health) is to use an accesible pool. She was in a terrible car accident rendering her close to immobile. We didn't even hear back from the corporate office. I'm disappointed in YMCA. They advertise like they want to make exercise and care of health accessible but they actually don't care at all. read more

I visited here today and the employee very friendly to me and answer all my questions with patience. I'm going to do the exercise here from tomorrow. I signed up for a swim class, it's a little bit disappointing that I joined them halfway. read more

My husband and I are using this Y for the past two years. It's nothing fancy, but it has everything an amateur athlete may need to stay fit. It gets a bit crowded, especially the pool and the sauna at certain hours, and the weight room may be a bit too small, but all of these are minor annoyances. read more

I love this Y so not really sure why the poor reviews. I come here for the Tabata class on Tuesdays and love it. Additionally, my son comes here for afterschool and I really think that's one of the best kept secrets in this city. It's hard to get info unless you come into the branch but trust me it's well worth the visit! read more

I've been an on-and-of member since August 1998, when they were still at 23rd street. In between my membership at this Y, I've tried Heath & Racket Club (West 13th St.), Chelsea Piers, Equinox (Spring St., Soho) and Crunch (Lafayette St., Noho) YMCA McBurney Pluses: *Best indoor running track in Lower Manhattan. *Best indoor swimming pool in Lower Manhattan after Chelsea Piers. (it's actually rated #01 by NYMagazine for indoor pool) *Awesome Basket Ball Court! *Spacious and brightly lit Shower area and Sauna. *Good, serious and dedicated morning crowd between 06 to 10 am. *Great Pilatis Trainers & Spinning Class! *Close to major train stations. Minuses: *Obnoxious crowd between 06 to 08 pm. Try to avoid those hours. But we understand they need to get in shape and express themselves too....... *Overly crowded and loud toddler's swimming lesson on Saturday between 10 and 12 am. *Dirty shower and bathroom in the evening. Try to use the facility really early in the morning, during lunch hours, or late afternoon (04 to 06 pm.) only. *Annoyingly obstrusive gay cruising in the evening in shower area, mostly done by fat, creepy and smelly old men. Avoid evening time entirely or be ready to ignore them completely. read more

As city YMCA's go this one is fairly nice. I really like the nice, clean lounge area with ample tables and chairs. The pool is a decent size, although it can get very busy at times, and the weight and cardio options are fine as well. I also really appreciate the solid towel service they provide too. The having to wait to get personally/manually checked in can be frustrating at times, there must be a better way to process member entry. read more

Ahhh, the YMCA - back to my chlorine-filled childhood roots. I'll start by saying that I've tried too many gyms in NYC. I've tried the hole-in-the-walls, the big names like NYSC and Crunch, and pretty much everything in between. I decided to return to the Y after injuring my foot so that I could switch up my normal routine with a swim here and there. Walking in to the YMCA locker rooms, you won't see girls caking on make-up before heading out to do squats in front of the mirrors. On the gym floor, you won't find yourself awkwardly avoiding the trainer who won't stop texting you to schedule your "free training session." In the weights area, you won't be forced to endure the awkward grunts coming from overly juiced bros in sweaty tanks. The Y is a clean, quiet place to come to before or after a stressful work day and unwind, without getting distracted by those around you. You'll get a full mix of every race, age and body size in this gym - and it's friggen awesome. I only hope that when I'm 80, I'll be struttin' in to my neighborhood YMCA with a silver tophat on (yes, I actually saw this), ready to get my workout ON. McBurney, I think I love you. read more

The McBurney Y saved my life. Ok, I exaggerate, maybe it was the dialysis or the kidney transplant. All I know is that when I was heartbroken after I realized that the man I was crazy about was totally not interested, I needed a healthier hobby (i.e. away from the internet, and away from any form of alcohol). McBurney is good for my heart, the beating life infusing one, and the crushed metaphoric one. McBurney is clean, and open early and late! M-F 5:30 - 11:00 (for those sleepless nights, I can leave my house and be at the gym before dawn) and for those lonely evenings, I can stay at the gym sweating my sorrow out in the clean sauna until bedtime. They have plenty of lockers, friendly staff, towel service, vending machines and book swap bookcases - I may just move in. And, while walking on the 1/10 mi indoor track, I can ogle the buff men playing basketball. I could swim in the pool, or take water aerobics. I could take a ballet class, and work on my posture. Or, I could just put on my headphones and watch tv while pumping away on one of the multiple and various life cycle machines. Most of all, I will stay away from the computer lab, stay away from my lonely e-mail in-box, or maybe join their writers group and write bad teenage angst poetry. Mostly though, I walk, do some time on the machines, do some reps in the weight room, then sit in the steam room, shower, get dressed, blow dry my hair, and step out onto 14th street feeling lighter, my endorphins lifting me from the depths of self - pity, wondering if I'll have the energy to flirt again. Maybe soon, I'll book a massage. They have an in-house massage therapy room - human touch is healing, and so is the McBurney Y. read more

I don't understand the bad reviews. Here's what I know, and I've been coming to this particular Y for over a year. Before that I was at the Park Slope Y. This is a spacious Y with a great selection of classes (ballet, dance, boot camp etc) and a great pool. I haven't been to all the pools in NYC but as a lap swimmer this is pretty great. Sure there are more crowded hours of a particular day, but people are generally really nice here and know what it means to share a lane. Rude, self entitled people are everywhere and that's not the fault of the gym. There's a great lounge area next to the pool that I find is sort of an oasis. I don't need luxury, it's just a well lit, clean, and spacious (two floors tall open space) where people can eat, hang out, or read and do work. There's a real sense of community here and I've always loved chatting with the front desk folks. Downside? It's not brand spanking new? There's no shampoo vs body wash ie there's only one soap in the showers and it's not Kiehl's? Please. I love the water pressure and the steam and sauna rooms and people bring their own locks and it's fine. I just know I make it a point to come to this particular Y and it's a cool, laid back place. Try it out for yourself. read more

Clean. Check. Spacious locker room. Check. Friendly staff. Check. Convenient location Check. Indoor track. Check. Indoor pool. Check. Sauna. Check. Steam room. BONUS!!! I'm not a member of YMCA but have recently just completed my 8-weeks swimming lessons at McBurney and I must say that I'm a little sad that my lessons are over. I have to admint that I was pleasantly surprised and extremely impressed with the facilities at this Y. I might have to consider switching over to this gym. I absolutely love the big swimming pool- it has a high ceiling, so it doesn't feel closed up (like indoor pools at some other gyms). And as I've mentioned above, the gigantic steam room is definitely a bonus. I love relaxing in there after my swimming lessons. The only downside is the instructors for the adult beginners class. We had two instructors teaching alternating weeks, which I think is confusing for beginners because each instructors have their own teaching styles. Both instructors were very laid back and funny, but I think they need to include some methodologies in their lessons. Overall, I love this Y...and would recommend this to anyone looking for a nice big gym that has many many things to offer! read more

I was having a great time at this gym up until 3 months ago. Everything was going smoothly. I am an employee of The New School, so I get a discount. While I was on vacation in another country my discount ran out, without notification, and went back up to the full price. Not the biggest deal, but the next time I go in to work out and to take care of it, one of the employees simply took copies of my work ID card and told me that it would go back down to the discounted price for the following billing cycle. This didn't happen. In fact I was overcharged for the next two months, then was given the run-around when I went in to ask about it. I was told someone would call me; never happened. I made my mind up to leave the gym and go to another Y, but I first wanted a printout of all of my visits to give to my health insurance company. I've been waiting for this printout for nearly two weeks and the last time I went in to ask about it, I saw the clerk physically move my request to the top of the pile, after it had been sitting in the bin for over a week, untouched. Don't get me wrong, the facilities here are wonderful, but whoever is running the back office has lost me as a member. read more

Such a nice place! Muni-meter parking lines the street. YES! Helpful and super couretous staff. YES! Friendly and funny swim class moms. YES! Super clean locker room and facilities....uh huh you guessed it YES! I travel from BK to take my daughter to swim class after getting off work at 8a and class is at 9:50a. That should tell you something. read more

This place is relatively clean, but like most gyms, it has its share of members who don't understand the concept of wiping up after using equipment. In fact, there are some members who don't even carry around one of the free towels and see no problem in lying down on a bench while covered in sweat. ugh. The best features of this gym are the indoor running track, the really large swimming pool, and the fact that they don't pump super loud techno-crap music over speakers. This allows us portable music player types to keep the volume down and to postpone the inevitable onset of tinnitis. The free weight area is also a little on the small side. There is only one bench for barbell presses and what you usually end up seeing is a bunch of guys standing around, pretending not to be staring at each other but staring each other while waiting for equipment to free up. Oh, how could I forget this: there is no annual contract and its only $83 a month. read more

(My review isn't about the facility, but the knowledge the employees lack in.) I had a strong feeling that something wasn't going to go well in the end. I had called several times regarding their adult swim lessons they were offering. I specifically called beforehand to sign up for the spring session II classes, not the spring session I that was going on when I called. The lady informed me that I can only make an in-person payment, so I did what I was told. I came in and filled out a form, and a lady named Sam was helping me. Saying that my spring session II intermediate adult swim classes will start on such and such date. She gave me a YMCA membership card and told me that I can use the facility before and after my lessons. Cool. I thought this is too good to be true...because it went by so smoothly. Fast forward to the day of my lesson, I came in early and the really obnoxious dude that sat in the front (didn't get his name) scanned my card and said that I wasn't even in the system. I explained that I signed up for the spring session II classes and he informed me that I had registered for the spring I session instead. And that it was my mistake for misunderstanding the person that helped me out. BITCH. PLEASE. Suddenly, it's my fault? Also, why the hell would I pay full price for swim lessons that already started? Really?! Idiots. He brought me over to the same woman that helped me out in the first place: Sam. He said that I had a unique situation that he couldn't help me on. I didn't want to put poor Samantha on the spot, so I just pretended like she wasn't the one that signed me up for the wrong classes. But I think she secretly knew that it was her mistake because she was extremely calm and nice to me. Totally opposite from the first dude. Before I make this review any longer...I'm really disappointed in this Y. I've heard and read nothing but great things about McBurney but after this "unique situation" that took place, and taking a little over a month to get them to issue a refund to me, I don't think I'll ever return. The aquatics director (who was really understanding and the nicest of them all) said I would have a complimentary swim lesson, but it's not worth it. Ugh. On the plus side, they had a rowing machine and a track. read more

I recently cancelled my membership to the McBurney YMCA after being a member off and on since 1999. My chief complaint was that the Freelancers Union discount was halted and no one on staff bothered to inform me of the change. After I saw my full price billing, I went to the front desk to re-supply proof of union membership and clear up the over charge.The woman at the member desk said, "Oh we don't have that anymore. No one called you? They were supposed to." Before canceling I reached out to the YMCA Member Services on multiple occasions and no one ever got back to me. Clearly, this Y is only interested in raising the fees on as many people as possible. Honestly, for $94/per month there are plenty of other gyms available with cleaner and better maintained facilitates. And the member services couldn't be worse than the Y. It's a shame that this Y cares so little for it's members. I did like the multi-generational aspect to the branch but the lack of customer service is TERRIBLE. read more

Never have I ever seen a pool like this in Manhattan. Swimming brings me great joy and it is so nice to find a good pool at an affordable gym that offers reasonable lap swim time. I've been coming here for a month and as you would expect the best times to swim are mornings, later evenings, and Sundays. No matter what activities are going on there are at least a few lanes open for lap swim. Yes sometimes you have to circle swim during peak hours, but not for your whole workout. They have a sauna and steam room for relaxing after a good swim. The locker room has an attendant and is always spotless. The cardio area upstairs has more machines than you will ever need and a small track (1/10 of a mile). There is a huge amount of studio space (free to use when classes are not running) and a basketball court. Next to the gym is a great weight lifting room with machines and free weights. He staff is super friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed. Nothing pretentious. There is a lounge area outside the pool, wifi, and free computers that encourages hanging out, relaxing, and socializing. My only complaint is that it would be nice to have clean towels near the cardio area so we don't have to go down to the locker room to grab them. Time is of the essence when squeezing in a cardio before work. read more