YMCA of Austin – Northwest Family Branch

I have been going to this YMCA since it opened. I was a kid. The gym is comfortable and still equipped with everything you could possibly need. great machinery and classes. The owner is always walking around learning member names and clearly passionate about the place. The recent renovations are awesome, there is now a little corner to get a free cup of coffee before the workout, and the gym is always clean. seriously. The staff is just on their Ps and Qs and always has been. I hope this place never closes.

Best place around! This YMCA has great classes, a beautiful facility and awesome staff! This gym will not disappoint! I love when I come in and I’m greeted by smiling faces! Do yourself a favor and go visit/​join this gym!

This is my family’s favorite summer spot. They have a wade-​in pool with little fountains and buckets that drop water, which is perfect for little kids, as well as a small slide and a big tube slide in the deep end, which are great for older kids. It’s always clean and well-​kept-​up, and there are plenty of chairs in the shade. Great way to spend a hot afternoon.

This review mainly pertains to the YMCA’s Mother’s Day Out Program, as it is almost the only aspect of the facility I have used, save a few group fitness classes.
Ms. Sarita and her team of teachers takes care of the children here so well. You can tell she has been doing this a while, and you really get the sense that it’s more than a job — that these teachers really care about the kids. I had no qualms whatsoever leaving my child in their care, and since we’ve moved out of the area, we miss it dearly.
The program teaches the children letters, they do crafts, play outdoors and in the gym, and have occasional indoor swim time. They have a program for 3 – 4 year olds and 4 – 5 year olds.
If there was a behavior issue, the teachers communicated with me immediately and in a loving, compassionate way. Can’t praise this MDO program enough!

Worst YMCA. Do not understand why they need 10 days to cancel membership in this age of digital currency. Just a way to suck your money. Worst gymnastics. Dirty pools and jacuzzi. None of great dance classes. Do not waste your money on this

So, we signed my 5 year old daughter up for her very first camp EVER. She attended the Kinder Camp here at the North Branch (Met at Crosspointe Church). We were so excited for her to meet new friends, and get some exercise this summer. I had planned on signing her up for multiple YMCA camps, but wanted to try this one out first, which I am very glad I did that.
I have worked many summer camps (My last one being last summer), so believe me, I know the other side to camps and what is expected from counselors and staff.
First, when looking online at the YMCA camps, it looks like it’s a lot of outdoor play and activity. I know these kids are young, but you can still plan outdoor, fun games for them. I expected to pick up my child and she would be exhausted, but she was always full of energy. She told me they swam, sang songs, and played with puzzles. One time I picked her up a lot earlier than usual and they were doing centers, with blocks and what not, which is fine but I would much rather them be outside getting energy out (mind you they did have nap time to rest).
Second, the most disappointing thing about this camp was the staff. When dropping my daughter there were 2 girl counselors, then when I picked her up there were 2 different girls. Only 1 of those girls even introduced herself to me. In the email sent to all parents, they stated that the counselors would fill us in on how our child did each day, and any other update. I got a note card with a couple sentences on it the first day, and that’s it. They barely even spoke to me. Mind you this was the first camp I’ve ever taken her to, and these counselors should know that with these kids being so young that it is probably a lot of these kids first time going to something like this. They should have conversations with these parents to make them feel comfortable with leaving their babies with them. But they were very unapproachable and didn’t even inform me of the field trip (I had forgotten it was the next day when picking her up), and I saw the sign when walking out so I had to go back in to get a shirt and to ask what we needed to bring. They should be on top of things like that and tell us before we even have time to think about that.
Lastly, I had emailed the Program Coordinator to let her know my concerns, and all she said was:
«Thank you for providing feedback on the Northwest Kinder Camp. I assure you your feedback is valuable and will be addressed.
Have a great summer!»
This little response with no apology, and not even caring if I bring my child back. I guess they have enough business to care about any complaint they receive. I was not asking for my money back, I just wanted some sort of response a whole lot better than this one. It’s just ridiculous. This camp was not cheap, and I expected a whole lot more from them. Very disappointing…
I hope by writing this, there is better training, and more communication with parents. People pay a lot of money for this, and expect a great experience for their child, as well as the parent. I just hope some changes are made.

After more than two years of not stepping foot inside a gym, I decided it was time to kick my butt into gear.
My company pays for ½ of any YMCA membership so after I tested them out for a few days, I decided this place would be perfect for my needs.
I love these classes: Body pump (weight training), cardio agility (boot campish), Strong (combo weights/​cardio), and yoga.
The teachers are great and the space is usually large enough (sat. morning body pump classes are really busy though).
In the main equipment area, there are plenty of treadmills, ellipticals, cycles, kettle bells and weight machines.
They do have an indoor pool and an outdoor kids waterscape. If you want to run outdoors, there is a trail that you can run.
The only thing not included? The motivation to get out of bed when it’s 35 degrees outside.

My husband and I recently joined the Y and frequent the Northwest location. It’s close to where we live and very reasonable at $ 72/​month for a couple. I favored the Y over other places because there aren’t a lot of weird asterisks on the contract, because there isn’t one! You pay every month and when you want to leave, you just give them 30 days notice. They’re also a non-​profit, which I appreciate.
Before we decided to join we looked at a couple of gyms in the area and ended up making a decision between the Y and Gold’s Gym. Ever seen the movie Dodgeball? The Y is Average Joe’s and Gold’s is GloboGym. We wanted Average Joe’s. I knew that if I was going to stick with this working out thing that I needed to find a place with good equipment, a variety of classes and, most importantly, a place where I felt comfortable. At the Y you see people of all ages working out together, instead of just beefy dudes and sorority chicks exercising in their makeup. The equipment is nice (no personal tv screens but I don’t miss them) and I’ve never had to wait for a machine during what I would consider to be the peak hour of 5 o’clock on a weekday evening. They also have a great pool for lap swimming and aqua classes.
One of my favorite things about the Y is their schedule of group classes. They offer lots of different types from yoga to spin to zumba, all included in your membership. So far I’ve tried zumba, yoga and aqua zumba and enjoyed them all. The class schedule can be hit or miss for people not interested in getting up at the crack, but I’ve been able to fit classes into my schedule without too much trouble.
Finally, the locker rooms are ok. There aren’t any single sex saunas, and the rooms themselves are pretty small, but they serve their purpose especially since I only sometimes have to change. I look forward to continuing to frequent the Y!

I really enjoy coming to this gym!
Kindel (I hope I spelled her name right) is a great trainer, and I love being able to attend spin classes so close to home.
Maybe one day I’ll work up the courage to visit the lap pool… :-)

Great family place. Friendly staff. My only complaint would be the parking. Have had several dings on the new car. Not sure if it’s from all the kids there or from the smaller parking spaces.

I love going to the Y and this is my favorite Y in Austin, mostly because of the pool which is my go to workout area. No it’s not fancy and it’s not perfect. But I don’t want fancy and I don’t want perfect. I want a place where I feel comfortable that won’t break my bank. The Y is perfect. You can go to any location in town, most of the classes are free for members, and there is no contract. Awesome.
I am also really pleased that they provide financial assistance to low income families, and have programs that help the community with various healthy living initiatives (ie. childhood obesity, teaching low income children to swim for free, etc.) It makes me feel like I’m not just part of a gym, I’m giving back too.

A copy of the email I sent to all the YMCA directors…
My name is Joshua and my son goes to the Northwestern Adventures Camp in Austin, TX.
Last week Monday, my son and a bunch of other children were in a wreck and on the side of the road for almost 2 hrs while paramedics and firemen were checking out the children. Everyone including my child was ok and thats great! My problem stems from not being CALLED right after the wreck or while paramedics where there. What kind of faith does that leave me as a parent in the YMCA? My child was in a wreck and I find out by a casual comment made when I picked him up hours after the fact. Not acceptable guys! Whats going to happen if my kid is hurt? Are you just going to take him to the hospital and tell me later then too? Do you see my point in the lack of faith in you guys that has shown me?
I called last week Tuesday and left a Voice mail for the director Mitsy and have yet to hear back from her in 7 days. I guess I’m not importnat enough to contact back even though I specifically asked for a call back. Nice to know.
Also, my work reimburses me for half of the cost of camp. I gave the paper that I needed the tax id # and a signature on to the camp counselors with step by step instructions on what i needed filled out. All i needed was a # and a simple signature and i typed out step by step instructions on where to sign etc… and stapled it to the form I needed filled out. I dropped it off last week Wednesday and needed it back by friday to get reimbursement. Well, I get it back Friday at 5:30 pm (too late to do anything with) and guess what? NOT filled out properly. No signature. WOW! I made is so easy, a trained monkey could have figured it out, yet they couldn’t. WOW WOW WOW.
Then my son precedes to tell me that on there swim day that usually they have to take a swim test in order to be able to swim in the deep end. Yesterday (according to my 12yr old son) the counselors didn’t «feel like» giving said test so they made all the kids swim in the shallow end.
Well, I am not a member of the YMCA (nor will I be after all of this) and I am paying full price (840 $ a month) for my child to go there. I find laziness completely unacceptable when I am paying that type of money for him to go there. He should be getting the whole 100% EXPERIENCE.
Well, Needless to say, my son will NOT be back after this month, andI will be making a complaint to the BBB today as well as Unilocal, Angies List and any other review site I can come across in the hopes of discouraging other parents from spending this type of money for that type of service.
Now the only reason I am writing this to you all is because i have tried to call and speak to someone only to be given voice mails which calls are never returned from so this I felt was my last resort.
Thank you for your time.

I am a member of the Masters Swim Team at the Northwest Family YMCA. I just LOVE all of the people on my team — truly a family. We swim MWF at 6am, and some of us recently started training on T/​TH mornings, as well. Julie — the spin/​body pump instructor is pretty awesome. She comes in and teaches Spin T/​TH when she is not out of town for work — it’s not even on the schedule; she just does it to work out on her own and help others while she is at it.
One negative is that it’s really pricey for a single person — it seems as though you get a little bit of a discount if you are married and even more if you have kids. The Masters Swim Team is an additional cost, but it’s worth it. The pool can get too hot for working out, though. And the chemical levels in the pool are sometimes too high. Carolyn, the swim instructor, is the BEST I have ever had. She is great at creating intervals for everyone’s fitness levels, and improvement is seen pretty quickly.

Excellent for lunch time workouts. Weight room is good. Locker room adequate. Staff helpful. Indoor pool is good and not too crowded when I choose to swim.

I joined with a family membership so my daughter could practice her swimming skills at the pool during wintertime. Little pool is very nice, warm… I like the swim boards and noodles they have available. BUT the after-​pool experience may have us discontinuing our membership and soon.
We chose a «family dressing room» as that’s what has worked well for us at various rec centers in other states — the concept is a great one. But at this Y, all the family dressing rooms have multiple lockers in them and other patrons seemed to have their belongings in them. What? Wait… That doesn’t make any sense, does it? So we lock the door so we can shower and change but we are wondering what happens when someone else want to comes collect their belongings and get changed… They have to wait? Hmm. Thankfully, this did not happen while we were there but it’s troubling and very confusing. Make no sense.
Next, it was FREEZING in the family dressing room. When you are wet and cold and have little ones who are wet and cold, cool air temperature is NOT desirable and made us all irritable quickly.
There was one tiny hook to keep all of our bags, wet towels, dry towels for after shower off the floor — in other words nowhere to hang up anything to keep it dry from the shower that gets the floor all wet — and I mean ALL WET. Just one sorry bench which made the process of getting showered, dry and changed very unpleasant for little ones, and me.
Not a pleasant experience if you’ve got a family to wrangle after swimming and it’s wintertime — makes it not worth it. Community rec centers in other states offer much nicer, well-​thought-​out family dressing rooms for a lot lower monthly fee. I was shocked. I’m not expecting towel service but, c’mon, the Y is supposed to be family-​oriented. I may cancel because of this… it’s too expensive to begin with and then this on top of it spolis the experience.

I am not sporty. Not even a little teeny bit. Cue the opening scene to that old MTV cartoon, Daria: she is looking miserable playing volleyball in high school gym class. The ball shoots her way and she stands still, slowly & ineffectually raising her arm about 6 inches from her side. The ball continues past her to the gym floor. Yep, that’s me.
There’s that one time in college, I thought I’d join the intermural coed softball team for the Tex-​Mex café where I worked. That earned me a nice black eye & a new nickname when I fielded one with my face while playing catcher during practice with no mask.
I’ve joined many gyms in the past but always quit going after about a month. I just couldn’t tolerate all the meat-​markety aspects, the musky BO aromas, the cheesy sales pitches, and the only-​released-​by-​death contracts. I just never felt that I was welcome or belonged there.
The closest I usually come to organized sports is cheering on the Texas Longhorns with a lo-​cal beer in my hand. What can I say? I’d rather be using my precious «me time» to take a long hot bath, catch a nap, or read a good book.
Time marches on and the big 4 – 0 is looming near. While I loathe exercise, I *do* love my family & I want to be around in good enough shape long enough to live life to the fullest with them… hence my recent gym going frequency. I’ve set a goal to lose X number of LBs & reduce my waist by an inch or so, and the Northwest Family YMCA is helping me do it.
You know it’s a big change when your 5 year old says as you come in all red-​faced & sweaty, «Mommy, you’re exercising?! Great job! That will make you healthy & strong!»
Here’s why I love this gym:
– It’s right in my neighborhood. There is no excuse when the gym is directly in the path of your office/​school/​home triangle, not to mention the fact that you’re already visiting regularly to take your kid to various lessons and team sports.
– Plenty of space for most everything that is going on. The gym/​fitness machine area is separated from the entrance, so it’s easy to have a quiet conversation with the front desk staff when needed. There are multiple gyms & classrooms, plus a soccer field out back & a playscape in the side toward the woods. The indoor natatorium is big & available all year, and there’s even a tricked-​out pool for outdoor swimming in the summer.
– No thumping club music on the gym floor! Everyone wears earbuds to play their personal fight song remix & no one is forced to listen to that head-​bobbing «What Is Love?» song for the millionth time. Five flat screens play CNN, ESPN, & HGTV on mute for your viewing pleasure. With the free wifi available to members, you can even stream whatever you want to hear on your smart phone.
– Fantastic array of clean cardio machines, from elliptical to cycling to stair-​climbing to treadmill to some fancy new Precor Adaptive Motion Trainers. I have no excuse to get bored with so many options, and I’ve never seen a wait for any of them.
– Very reasonable cost for family memberships. It was only $ 10 per month to add me to our existing family membership. Joining as an individual is not quite as cheap compared to the national gym chains, but you’re also not locked into a never ending contract.
– Well-​staffed & clean childcare area.
– Fairly diverse staff and clientele, from all ages and walks of life. Everyone seems friendly and I actually feel welcome. In the gym. Of all things!
– It’s not just a gym, it’s a community pillar. The Y is always hosting seasonal fun events for families in our ‘hood and these are often free to the public with a foodbank donation or something similar. They use some of the member fees to provide scholarships for families & kids who couldn’t otherwise afford to participate. They’re usually even the polling site for my precinct, so I can go here to vote and then work out!
I can’t speak for the adult classes as I haven’t tried any yet, but I do have Tai Chi & Yoga on my to-​try list. They also offer Pilates, Zumba, Step, Body Pump Bootcamp, Circuit, & Spin/​RPM classes.
If you live/​work near the Parmer/​McNeil/​Wells Branch area, you just might wanna give the Northwest Y a try. Especially if you’re not too sporty.
Get a free guest pass here:
Here is what they could do better at this particular Y:
– Parking. It can be difficult during peak hours, especially 5:30 — 6:30p when many of the kids’ lessons/​practices are going on. Overflow is at the church next door, but sometimes even that is full. My advice is to do whatever you can to NOT be trying to park during that hour.
– Pool chemicals. The indoor pools are almost unbearable w/​chlorine fumes burning your eyes (and that’s only if you’re sitting on the sidelines watching your kid swim), frying your hair after only one 30 min swim. We used to take lessons at Emler (tons of kids in those pools) & never had this issue. Please fix this!

Note: This review is for the pool area only.
I went to this pool today as a guest of a member with my 16 month old daughter. I was impressed immediately with the picturesque location. The pool is on a campus that is surrounded with Oak trees.
My daughter and I went to change into our swimsuits in the outside restroom. It was very, very hot and not filthy, but not what I would call «clean».
We enjoyed the way the pool has gradual sloping entries for my daughter to toddle around in. The older kids seemed to have fun with the slides.
I would go back, but probably go dressed ready to swim.

I used to be a member of this gym and I went to this McNeil location most often. They keep this gym very clean. Everytime I went, they were cleaning the equipment, sweeping, mopping, etc. The equipment is good, new and updated. It doesn’t get very crowded. The people who work the front desk are not very friendly, especially the overweight, older lady that works during the day. You scan your own card when you check in, which is faster. It is kinda pricey compared to other gyms. There is no steam room, only a small sauna and a whirlpool, which is not very hot. They have a nice indoor and outdoor pool. The locker rooms are small and can get crowded at times.

I have a hodgepodge of mixed feelings about the «Y». I joined because I glanced at the somewhat expansive lists of classes and activities offered and liked what I saw. Not that I would ever partake in Martial Arts or Spinning, but if I ever get a wild hair, these classes are ready and waiting for me. Also, my son was unable to join any soccer teams last minute, but the Y had space. Potential kid utter disappoinment averted.
The top of my list here is hands down the Yoga classes. Teachers Carly and Susan are devine. They are fully committed to Yoga and not just focus on proper forms and breathing, but get in a workout of sorts that leaves me sore for days and knowing I accomplished something productive after all my weekend binge eating. Here’s my beef: It’s a few of my fellow classmates. Yes, I know I am attending the «Y». It’s not a luxury gym by any standards. I didn’t pay a lot of money for a family membership ($ 40 per month). I realize I should expect not to be treated really special or anything but my hope is simply basic manners.
Let me get down to my point. I went to my Yoga class after a long, stressful work ridden weekend. I was more than ready to stretch, relax and simply practice my breathing. As I started rolling my mat out, I glanced in front of me and a lady in her 60’s was rolling two mats out. Keep in mind this class gets rather crowded, with at least 20 people with mats all spread out in a room that would not be defined as spacious even by a real estate agent’s standards. At first I thought she was rolling two mats out one for her and one for a friend, but nope they were all hers. So then she walks up to me and announces that I was «too close» to her set up of mats and proceeds to physically move my mat so that she could have a space of what looked like a good 3 feet on all sides of her two mats. Really? In a flash I decided I did not want to be anywhere near the drama of this individual. So I told her that I was going to get out of her way and I proceeded to rapidly high tail to the only space which I could possibly put my mat down without touching another mat. Before I even had a chance to go into child’s pose and attempt to start relaxing, another class participant nudges me and proceeds to expalin that she felt like my mat was too close to where the instructor would need to be and I should move it. To where? I didn’t know.
I suddenly had this revelation that it was possible I was on an episode of Boiling Points and my classmates were in on the conspiracy to make this yoga class so uncomfortable that I would «lose it.» Then later, everyone would laugh and say «ha ha, we fooled you, your on candid camara!» But, no it was not to be. It was just another day at the «Y».
My final thoughts on all the adventures (and there are many unmentionables) I have taken here at the «Y» since I purchased my family membership are that $ 40 seems too high to pay. I’m thinking $ 30 seems about right price wise. Also, the «Y» very much seems like a public place, such as a public transit system, public library or public pool. Really any such place where it’s free, or you only pay a buck or two and fully expect to be accosted by an unshaven man with mental problems who is yelling at you, or the inconvenience of someone’s child deficating in the pool and facing the bummer of having to leave due to a possible cryptosporidum outbreak.
It’s nice with all the equipment and class choices, yet a bit of a drag…

This review is for the YMCA on McNeil Rd.
The facility is in good shape overall. There’s a chlorinated indoor pool which I hardly ever use. The outside pool seems intended only for kiddies and has so many rules on its use I find it frustrating. I mean, making everyone get out of the pool for 10 minutes out of every hour, and then staying out for 30 minutes if there’s even a rumble of thunder, puts a big damper on its use.
The spinning bike classes are my personal favorites. The bikes are well-​maintained and the instructors are enthusiastic and willing to spend time with beginners. There’s a good percentage of older people in the classes.
Too bad the air-​conditioning in the big workout room has difficulty keeping the temperature reasonable. It’s gotten up over 80 at times.
I’ve done yoga and pilates.
It’s a good family-​friendly place overall. I consider it a bit pricey at $ 75 a family or $ 55 for an individual per month.