Downtown Berkeley YMCA

Marshall

Its a wonderful place that does so much for so little. They had a big setback from covid but theyre still there. When they can get the staff, I hope they open up the saunas, steamrooms and spas. And get longer weekend hours

Matthew N

Pretty good facility in general, nice basketball courts and plenty of machines and weights plus tons of cardio. The only negatives are how early they close(8pm) as it was 10pm before the pandemic, along with it being closed on Sunday. Pretty solid gym though maybe some more bathrooms on the main level could be added as well

Dolan Murphy

What’s the deal with their hours these days? Waaay different from the great hours they used to have when I was a member a few years ago. Not gonna sign up again as originally planned due to their restrictive hours.

Alex Merenkov

I wanted to update my review for the YMCA. I don't think my review from before applies in any way after COVID because the members and the gym are so different. I just joined the gym again after 18 months on a medical hold. Here's what you should know returning the the YMCA: 1. It's still strict, you will need to wipe down before and after and adhere to their policies even if they make little sense or aren't enforced equally. Respect the community and facility. 2. The gym is not getting deep cleaned at least not the machines and they are wearing out even though many are new from the last 5 years. 3. They installed ventilation so the gym no longer smells like sweat and the windows are always open now but this means no AC. 4. No towel service anymore but you get your own disinfecting bottle which you'll need since you have to wipe before and after. 5. Rooms have been broken up into a machine room, a free weight room with 4 racks and the old child gym has thankfully been turned into a room with 10! yes 10 squat racks!! That means they increased their rack capacity by like 220% great move! 6. No locker rooms or showers.. weird because CC county has them open but this helps lower gym capacity. 7. People mostly following the rules but some are not wearing masks right. Probably the gym has a high concentration of people who never believed in any of the COVID rules anyways. 8. New online system is nice and gives a record of going to the gym but does not show capacity of the Berkeley YMCA weirdly. 9. It is not really crowded mid day at all. It's desolate. 10. Some days staff was extremely limited no personal trainer on duty and only one staff member in the front. 11. They seem to have added fans all over each room that have some component to neutralize virus particles with blue light. There is also some kind of machine in the stretch area. My suggestions to the gym after a few days of being back 1. Deep clean the machines 2. Remodel the bathrooms to add more bathroom capacity on the main level. 3. Replace more floors with sound proofing and dampening materials when possible. 4. Fix the lightening in the new rack room it is falling out of the socket. I personally really missed going to the gym and Bowflex 552's at home and step aerobics is just not comparable to the literal fitness buffet this place offers. I actually spent more last year on fitness equipment than what it cost for the gym (Weights $380, Aerobics board $110, Bike repairs and parts $600 vs $540 for a 1yr membership). Whats it like going back? Well the first few days my body felt like it was on drugs from working out again. I hurt in regions I forgot existed. Food tasted richer and time seemed to slow. This place can be like a magical temple of the mind and body if you make it that. It is legendary. Good luck to the Downtown Berkeley YMCA and hoping it 50 more years of success!