Oak Square YMCA

This is a very clean facility with friendly staff. Best time to come is any one between 9am-​2pm Monday through Friday because everyone is at work and all the machines are available for use.

If the Y wasn’t the most convenient gym for me, I would have left a long time ago. It’s pricy considering so many gyms are now only 20 dollars a month and it’s always crowded and barely any parking in the lot. On some days, the temperature of the cardio floor is really hot and stuffy and half the channels on the Tvs don’t work. It’s unpredictable which channels will work and how hot it will be. To top it off, some machines are taken over by kids and pre teens, which gets annoying when it’s crowded. You can also hear kids screaming and yelling on the first floor when you’re trying to work out in peace.
This is probably a good place for families with kids but not the best choice for someone who just wants to work out.

I go during the day when I have time and it isn’t too crowded. In the afternoons the space is small for the number of people that go. It gets crowded

I’ve been a member here for about 3 years after being a member at lots of different corporate sports clubs. There’s a much more family friendly, community feel here. The pool is awesome– one of the best public pools I’ve found in Boston. It does get busy because it’s used by swim team during the evenings, but take a look at the schedule to find quieter times. Most of the spin classes are also great. You can reserve a bike online up to 24 hours in advance so you know you’ll get a spot. The Yoga Fitness class on Sundays is great– really hard. All of the other classes are very slow and gentle. The weight room gets really busy during the evenings, especially when there are group fitness classes in the Annex which cuts down on floor space for others. Parking is also tough. Take public transportation here or walk if you can. The staff are friendly and the place is generally very clean. I like that you can use other area Ys for free with s membership here.

We love coming to this Y. I have a 3 year old and we enjoy the pre school playgroup/​open gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They have child watch and from all of the Y’s I’ve been to, the facilities here are pretty legit considering the value. The pool is warm and there are two family bathrooms right next to the pool and entrance which makes it über convenient for a young family. Their maintenance staff is pretty on point to ensure the bathrooms stay dry and clean as it is a busy Y. There is plenty of street parking (both residential and non-​residential) too even if their lot fills up. My mom also comes to the open gym with my son to shoot hoops. She is a little nutty for a retired grandma but hey, can’t blame her if you can stay hit lay ups and 3s.

I guess you get what you pay for. Yes, it’s cheap, and since it is a Y — I guess you can expect it to be average. I was stoked when I realized there is a parking lot, except every time I go (which is at all different times of the day) it’s completely packed. I also wouldn’t recommend doing yoga here — as the studio is directly below the basketball court — you’re trying to zen out but all you can hear whistles and thumping above your head-​haha. The spin classes though are super awesome — would give them a 5 star since I thought I was going to die during the class and it was a great workout. Facility is pretty clean. If you’re looking for a cheap membership some place then I’d recommend — but if you can swing extra $$ then I wouldn’t recommend the Y

So much better than expected! Pretty packed when I went to work out the other day hit it was 7:30 pm. First Y I’ve been to but awesome basketball court and changing schedule. Bought a membership right away!

Best gym I’ve ever belonged to. Very affordable for students and families. Wonderful, friendly, welcoming environment. Most classes are free and open, just register online in advance. Instructors are knowledgeable and encouraging.
Facilities are kept clean and in working order. Quality cardio machines, and many of them. Plenty of free weights, not a ton of variety in the weight room though.
The hours are great! Open late on weekdays, and till 7 on weekends. Try finding another indoor pool in the area that’s open on a Sunday afternoon!
The best part about this gym though, is that it’s truly for everyone. There’s activities for children as well as elderly adults. Classes for all fitness levels. It’s not like other gyms where someone can feel intimidated by all the fit people in their lululemon workout outfits– sure there a few of those here, but it’s mostly a very down to earth, pleasant, melting pot of locals. Great for kids too.

Love this. Can’t beat the YMCA atmosphere. Come to Brighton

Updated review: it’s been 18 months here and it’s time to leave. The Y is a victim of its own success. It’s far too crowded now and parking is nigh impossible at this point. I tried going late at night, but even then the cardio machines are packed. Same goes with the weight room, you are basically bumping into members most hours of the day.
In addition, because so many people end up using the gym, some of the equipment is getting worn down earlier than it should. Locker rooms are cramped with too many people and it’s sort of gross with dirty hot water everywhere from the high Useage.
It’s really disheartening when you motivate yourself to go to the gym and you have to turn around and go home because there is no where to park. :(
I cancelled this month and joined the New Balance gym for $ 10 a month more. It is worlds better and has a huge free garage next to it and is immaculate and empty. I couldn’t be happier.

My boyfriend and I just joined the Oak Square Y. For my purposes, it is perfect. Great location, affordable, plenty of band new cardio machines to use (at least I haven’t had a problem finding one yet), friendly staff members, and classes are included with your membership.
My boyfriend says that he is a little bit disappointed in the weight room due to a lack of variety in equipment but is otherwise satisfied with the gym. For the value, I think it is great.

two years at the oak square y in brighton. where else can u swim in a pool in boston and look out wide windows and see trees? the facility is a gift to the area and all who come. the place is spotlessly clean at all times. thank you.
also, parking! there are at least hundred places to park, so when full, meditate for five minutes and a home going member will open up a space for you. best, phil

I’ve been a member of the Oak Square YMCA for a number of years, and I love it! I learned how to swim at YMCA in Connecticut, and as young teenager, went to another YMCA in Connecticut as a teenager, so I have always had the warm and fuzzies for the Y. When I moved back to Boston after college, and heard stories about the great new YMCA down the street from me in Brighton, signing up was a no brainer.
I pay $ 50.00 a month in membership fees, which normally would be pretty competitive for an urban fitness facility, but considering that you get a pool with it, the price is a good deal. Being a community organization with Christian beginnings, they offer lower rates for those of more modest means.
Pros:
–The facility is new and clean
–Great pool, that has enough chlorine in it to reassure anyone that you are not going to get anything from the water
–Separate locker rooms for children/​families and adults… spared the very uncomfortable experience of being naked in the locker room and realizing that the person next to you is 12
–well equipped cardio room with new (or newish) equipment that overlooks ball fields or the pool
–machines are located in the cardio room, free weights are in a sperate room in the basement… this means the casual member and the muscle bros generally don’t have to cross paths if they don’t want to
–clean locker room with a bathing suit spinner (who ever invented that should have won the Noble Prize)
–ample parking (for urban standards)
–friendly and helpful staff
–low key, respectful, and friendly fellow members
Cons:
–I love the Oak Square Y, a LOT of other people seem to share my feelings, and the place gets packed (a lot of other reviewers have commented on this)
–they close on Saturdays and Sundays at 7pm
–a lot of their classes are only offered at times which are not convenient to people who a traditional 9 – 5 shift
Bonus:
–not only do you have home access to every gym in the YMCA of Greater Boston, but all of the New England YMCA’s offer reciprocal privileges, so there is an unbeatable network of locations almost anywhere you travel in New England.
The YMCA is a community organization, so not everything is sparkling and new, but the Oak Square YMCA is anything but cut rate. And yes, there are a lot of children about, it’s a Y after all. But the clientele is a microcosm of Brighton itself: meatheads, preppy bros, foreign students, young professionals, families, and seniors; black, white, Hispanic, Asian; old timey Brighton born and bred, new immigrants and newcomers. It’s a gym for real people, and it is what it is. If you want beautiful people and beautiful new machines, go to BSC and spend a lot more. If you want a clean, well run, pool and athletic facility; and to get to know your neighbors, come join me at the Oak Square YMCA.

Overall for $ 40/​month this is a great gym. There were several downsides for me. For starters the gym is always packed from 5−8PM. This is typical of most gyms but I mean no parking no machines open etc. Further, since it is a ymca expect the parking lot to be full of parents picking up or dropping off their children around 4−6PM. Also, driving through oak square on Washington St is always a nightmare. No matter what time I would go I would sit in traffic. Another note about parking, my car was hit and run and the YMCA here does not have parking lot cameras. When I called I was told the hit and runs was a fairly common issue.
Let’s move onto inside the gym. The overall weights and equipment are in great shape. They have a wide range of everything. The problem is that they are never available. The gym is overpacked and getting on anything is a miracle. The other terrible part is how many classes go on as well as personal trainers. Almost 50% of the gym is off limits during peak hours for classes or PT. Not only was this absurdly inconvenient the training staff was incredibly rude!
Bottom line is you get what you pay for. $ 40/​month this is a great deal if you’re willing to put up with all of the aforementioned problems.

As a cross-​border YMCA aficionado, this one stacks up as the biggest and most well-​equipped gym I’ve ever been to. One whole floor of machines and cardio, one whole basement of weights, ropes, and classrooms.
The only downfall to this particular location is the surging crosswind of the massive Brightonite population that tends to converge for a solid 5 hours towards the later afternoon/​night. Get here during the day if at all possible or you may be waiting quite a while in between sets.

I’m not sure I’ve ever had such a conflicting review before! I started going to this Y when I lived closer and it was about a mile and a quarter walk. I’ve since switched gyms. To summarize:
The pros: The classes at this gym are wonderful. There was a class I loved every single day except Friday here. The instructors were WONDERFUL to work out with and really motivating– I love Liz, Kim, Amy, and Monique the most but really they are all fantastic. They all had modifications and checked everyone for injuries, they remembered the people who attended after 1 – 2 classes, they had great music and «routines’ that varied consistently, and they really interacted with the people who came to class. I cannot rave about the group exercise classes/​instructors enough. The equipment was also in good shape and pretty new. I never saw «Out of Order» signs on the machines and there was a pretty steady rotation in the upstairs ‘cardio room’ so you didn’t have to wait forever. The pool looked nice, but I never used it so I can’t honestly comment on that.
The cons: When I moved a little further away, I had to start driving there with my boyfriend and wait an average of 5 – 10 minutes for a spot. The parking is just absurd for the size of the gym. There are also spots off to the right that are really tough to navigate– if you brave driving in there without knowing for sure a spot is open, beware. You may not be able to get back out again. And the main con, the reason we ultimately switched gyms, is the weight room. I just started lifting weights and LOVED it but I couldn’t do it at the Y. The weight room is small, cramped, and awkwardly laid out across three rooms. There isn’t enough equipment, so I spent a lot of time standing around and waiting. They had good machines and weights, but not a cohesive layout to really allow people to make the most of them.
Ultimately, if you don’t work full time and can go during the day and you live close enough to walk or take public transit, this gym rules for the price. Also, if you love cardio classes go here and fall in love with them. But if you have to drive or plan on lifting between 5:30 — 7:30, you may want to pay the extra money to go somewhere else.

This Y is a reprieve from the more expensive gyms, requiring crazy unbreakable contracts, which are common in the area. It isn’t the cleanest and shiniest, but it gets the job done.
The staff is very friendly and helpful, recommending classes and asking about my training. There are plenty of classes offered and those that charge a fee are very reasonably priced. I took a swimming class to improve my endurance and the coach was very knowledgable and encouraging.
I recommend avoiding the busiest hour (6 – 7:30ish) if possible as it’s tougher to get a machine, but it’s never so busy that it’s impossible to workout.

I can only compare this YMCA to the one in cambridge. In that sense, this place is hands down far far nicer. There is a pool, a nice weight room with new equipment, a basketball court, parking etc.
There are no racquetball courts, which is the real downside and the reason to use another location. You can use any of the YMCAs in the area for the $ 50/​month rate. Some have said the lockers are small, but I don’t bother using them as I am not going to/​from work. For the price, compared to fancy gyms, this place is solid.
There are also a ton of classes, like spinning that are part of the membership. Overall, having a parking lot and being pretty empty during the afternoon give this place two barbells up

Great gym with brand new machines and its very clean as well. I’ve read a few reviews and they say that the machines are old, but they updated all of them about a year ago. They brought in all new machines, treadmills, elypticals, steppers, etc. the weights are all new downstairs as well. This gym is immaculate as far as cleanliness especially for a gym with as many patrons as this one has. The sauna room is also terrific. This gym has a terrific pool (that I never use since I can’t swim), basketball court, and a work out studio. Baby sitting is also available (don’t have any babies so I’m not sure about their policies). I usually don’t have to wait for a machine but I also go before 6am and after 7pm. The parking seems tough, I live around the corner so I just walk to the gym, but the lot is always full. I still think that this gym is very nice.

I’ve definitely warmed up to this gym. I love the plethora of free weights and open space on the bottom floor. You can probably find me there grunting through my 100^th squat or planking on the mats. The pool is nice, too, but you have to pay attention to hours. Also there’s a lady there that told me I needed to wear a swim cap (my hair was tied up!) because she wanted to keep the pool clean. Though when I asked the staff, they said it wasn’t a rule, so I’m just going to nicely tell her that I prefer not to if I ever encounter her again. Yeah sometimes there are little kidlets running around and you have to be careful to not trip over them, but it’s really not a huge deal. I don’t know what it’s like during peak hours, because I generally go when it’s empty… just the way I like it. So there’s no towel service and you have to wipe down equipment with a paper towel and some spray after you use it, but… overall, this Y is a pretty cool place to spend my time. And yes, I spend copious amounts of time here.
They offer a free 3-​session «Get Started» program for new members, which I finally signed up for about a week or two ago. I was kind of disappointed actually, because I did feel like I knew more than the staff member I was paired up with. And he told me to hyperextend at the end of my deadlift. No! Never do that! GAH.
ALSO, there is no rock climbing there. The wall has mats covering it because they haven’t been able to find someone certified to work the rock wall. I asked this when I first joined, and months later, it’s still blocked off.
Anyway, what I really love about the YMCA concept though, is their advocacy of social responsibility within our community! So that’s why I don’t even mind the little kids that stop to tie their shoelaces in the middle of the hallway.