What a great YMCA this one is!!! I grew up in Orleans and went to this very Y when I was a kid. I remember when the basketball courts were upstairs and there was no swimming pool. These renovations are top notch!!! The weights got a huge upgrade. The machines are brand new and there are soo many of them. They even have a play pin for little kids to play in. This is excellent for the parents who want to do a quick 45min work out while their kids are playing in the jungle gym. The pool is absolutely gorgeous. I've been to many pools, such as the goodlife on st.laurant mall, the downtown ymca, and the ray friel centre in Orleans. This pool beats all of them by a mile. The water is clean and fresh. Look at the picture I took. The pool is 20 metres in length and always as a lane to swim in. Since it is a city run facility, the price of membership is fairly good for low income families and individuals, and students. Though, the price is comparable to a Goodlife or the Athletic Club. The staff is unbelievable. They are super friendly and polite. Even higher management is an email away. The only thing that keeps this from being a 5 star review is their washrooms/changing rooms. With all the new renovations this place had, I wish they upgraded their washrooms a bit. By no means is their washrooms terrible. Maybe to have actually shower heads in their showers would be amazing. Overall, I love this YMCA and it's the one gym I'll go to in Orleans. read more

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So glad to report that the service here as drastically improved in the few months that I've been going. Noah K and I love this place, but as I mentioned, we were unable to use the studio to practice our Muay Thai. After emailing the manager, I'm happy to report that they are now leaving the studio unlocked for members to use. The fact that they not only listened to our complaint but took steps to rectify the situation has definitely made me more of a fan! 4.5 stars :) read more

Ruddy Family Y - Recreation Centers Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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This Y has potential to be a great facility, but unfortunately currently suffers from a malaise and early signs of neglect due to apparent under funding. In the pool, you will find rust along the back - extensive rust - on the base plate of the far wall. There is a brown haze on grout in the warm pool (which is under heated) which in some corners looks like filth. The saunas (ladies at the moment) are usually broken due to misuse, and there is little control over ensuring drop in gym players are actual members or have been signed in or paid in, so they come in free at your expense. Class instruction for aqua fit is very good, but equipment in the pool is failing (speakers are rusting, microphone for instructor and music feed are intermittent) while the back wall rusts, and the general cleanliness of the operation appears to suffer from neglect as well. There is damage in the men's shower area that has not been repaired, and clogged drains in the women's showers that continue to remain unfixed. Given the premium cost of membership to this facility which right now runs around $70 per month for a single adult, there are options nearby like the Ray Friel Centre at $40 per month or less. This Y has tragic weekend hours. They close very early Saturday and Sunday making it impossible for a weekend worker like myself to get a workout in on the weekend. During the week, they are open in the pool until 10 and the gym until 11 - which is acceptable for most people with my lifestyle. A greater concern here for me is an incident regarding a donation I made. I joined in September, 2016 and I played a bit of basketball. I noted that the balls loaned out were very poor quality, so on October 21st I made a donation of four Spalding balls ($160) that almost immediately disappeared. Apparently, staff hid the balls away to save for some kind of youth program even though I insisted when I donated that they should be available for open gym and available from the front desk. My inquiries about the balls were ignored and passed off, so it is clear this Y is run by arrogant managers who feel no responsibility for their actions. Given the state of the building facilities and repairs not being in order, I must conclude that the Ruddy Family Y does not bring in enough revenue to properly maintain itself, and while it might be a useful place to exercise, there are other local options you will find better and less expensive. Why spend your money on a place that is likely to fail? read more

This place has everythin u need....pool area, staff is really chill and da ball court is ill....since every1 is gone to all the "pretty" gyms never really busy and u can go month to month which is bomb read more

I recently came down from Calgary for 3 weeks to visit family & friends -- being a lengthy vacation it was imperative that my wife & I found a fitness gym to workout. Fortunately after contacting a few gyms (Athletic Club, Goodlife, YMCA) we found out that the YMCA offered a couples deal for 1 month at $85.00. It was a no-brainer and we quickly signed up. First, the staff are very good -- a lot of them can actually be seen working out the YMCA, either between shifts or during breaks. Unlike some gyms the staff are extremely polite and definitely willing to help you if you have any questions or just need a bit of advice. Second, there is more then enough equipment for any/all exercises for anyone. They have dumbbells that go from 5 to 100 -- including 4 or 5 incline benches. They have more then enough machines for weight lifting (legs, shoulders, back, biceps, etc.) and a plethora of treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, etc. They have mats, medicine balls, fitness balls and an array of various equipment for any workout. In terms of fitness equipment I would give this place a 4.5/5. Third, like any gym there are specific times that people should avoid if they want to experience a positive workout. From our experience, we highly suggest that if you're able to workout between 10am and 3pm, this is the best time. It's generally quiet and the only people working out are the individuals who take it seriously and retired individuals. From 6am (opening) until around 930am there tend to be an older clientele -- in all honesty working out at this time is quite fine, but it might be a little tough to get certain equipment. We worked out early a few times and never really experienced any issues. However, I definitely suggest that you avoid working out after 5pm. Why? Well let me explain ... Every gym has issues -- every gym has these "people" walking around ... but Orleans takes it to another level. You know these guys, the ones walking around with their arms out & their shoulders popped high. The ones who think they're massive and attract anything that walks. The ones grunting with every rep they accomplish. The ones who stack weights on the bar, knowing full well they either cannot possibly complete 1 proper rep or use excuses like "It must be the bar..." when they are inevitably unsuccessful (seriously heard that twice) ... If there were 1 or 2, we can deal with it -- you ignore them. You snicker at them when they walk past ... you give another person that look as if to acknowledge "yeah, this guy is hilarious" ... but these guys are walking around in the 10's -- and they're everywhere. Spending more time walking around, talking loudly, looking at themselves in the mirror ... it's comedic. Listen, I'm here to workout -- not visualize what you look like when the 300 pound bar comes crashing down on your inflated chest. And then on top of that are the teenagers who come upstairs from a game of basketball and just piss everyone off around them -- if you want to workout, great. If you plan on running around, being loud & obnoxious, wasting time using a machine that someone else needs ... then stay downstairs and shoot hoops. They also have a full-size court and swimming pool -- I didn't use either facility but from what I saw it looked really nice. I would definitely suggest this place to a family member or friend -- but only if you're able to wear earphones and tune out the obnoxious teenagers, steroid junkies and don't mind waiting for a machine. read more

I purchased a one year membership to the Y and found this gym to be the best. It's clean, new, has new machines and great staff.

I had a great experience then it got ruined 2 years after I cancelled my membership. I was member of the YMCA in Orleans in 2011-2012, in September 2014 I go to the location downtown to go in on a day pass, and they refuse to let me in because my account shows "left on bad terms". When I asked them what happened they said that my account was never cancelled and that they tried charging me the money but it was not received, which means they declared my account "on bad terms". To solve the problem I needed to contact Dough Crummy at the YMCA in Orleans to look up the form. Of course I did that, 2 days after he gives me a call and leaves a voicemail. I call him back and he says he was not able to find the form and so because he's so nice he's going to cut the fee from 3 months to 2 month. When I explained to him that it's not fair because I had tried cancelling the membership via phone and they said I need to come in and I did, he responded by saying his offer is the only thing he can do and that I used the gym but the money was not received. I explained to him that the YMCA's rule is, if the money does not go through when the member comes in they tell them so that they can pay it and no one told me anything when I was still a member that money wasn't being received (it was up until the membership was canceled), at which point Mr. Crummy hangs up the phone on me, YUP! I wasn't being disrespectful or yelling but that's how he treats his customers, if there's a dispute he will hang up the phone. SO there you have it, the YMCA is a great organization. The management at the Ruddy Family Y, from my experience has been horrible, disrespectful and completely unfair. If I am to give you a recommendation I say go to Ray Friel. Owned by the city, much cheaper, better management and you have access to a lot more facilities across Ottawa than the Y. read more