92Y May Center

Excellent facility. Yes it lacks the attractiveness that other gyms may have but if truly working out is your goal this is a great place. I’ve been a member for two years and I have NEVER waited for a machine in the cardio court. The cybex room is clean and easy to use. Excellent women locker room. Great sauna and steam room attached to the shower room. Very clean shower area. The ladies who work there are meticulous! Great pool however I never used it my friend LOVES it. Great trainers as well! I recently was away for a while and I got a personal email from a staff member just checking in with me to see if I was ok because I hadn’t checked in for a while. I am all about customer service and this was amazing to me. They have tons of members. I
recommend this facility to everyone.

While it is still a Y (four stars instead of 5 for funky clean-​but-​stained towels, naked old men everywhere, crappy lockers, etc), this is a great facility to swim at and not too crowded. I can get some laps in, hit the sauna (again, ignore the weirdo who has to run in place there all the time… it is still New York). They even have nice whirlpools and I like the older crowd (just keep your clothes on!). If you don’t mind a pretty high funk factor (not smelly, very clean), it doesn’t get much better than this and the price is right.

I was a happy member from 1992 to 2012. There was a spirit of neighborhood and camaraderie that crossed over several generations, great classes, nice and knowledgeable instructors. Then the huge dust bunnies in the yoga studio and ladies locker room, along with the increasingly large areas of never mopped corners, hair everywhere, dust in the lockers themselves to the point I was always wiping one out before putting my clothes in, got the better of me. As well as the spectacle of two instructors duking it out over one not finishing class quickly enough for the other to take over the basement studio.
For the last three to five years, my husband has complained about the 92Y May Center. Now he comes home with horror stories of the men’s locker room: black smelly mold on the tile, the steam room rank with bad odor, men who insist on shaving in there as well. The men’s sauna also stinks, loose boards with rusted nails coming out of the bench boards. Men put their wet gym and swim wear on the sauna coals!
Towels are a hit or miss affair, depending on whether the attendant of the day is busy texting or not. Paper towels in the lavatory rarely appear on the counter. He’s been renewing his membership mainly for the steam and sauna, but finally is ready to move on when this membership expires.
The weight room is falling apart with plenty of fancy new machines, but no one who knows how to use them and no attendant. Which was also the case when I was a member: occasionally an instructor would saunter thru, but that was it.
The latest dress code seems to be tights, tank top and tall Ugg boots on a girl, and full street clothes for a man who sauntered in to do a few reps on one of the machines.
Oh and it took three phone calls to clear up that he had paid in full for a year and was not on a renewable automatic monthly membership.
He’s talked to the membership office about the condition in the locker room, but the polite replies and thank you are all that happens. I never thought I’d spend the time to write about this but it is amazing to me that none of the membership people seem to ever use the facilities themselves!

I got a groupon deal and decided to check out the fitness center. I hardly use the gym equipment so can’t say much about that but thoroughly enjoy the group classes. I tried a bunch of other yoga/​Pilates instructors and didn’t like any as much as Yasu Suzuki’s classes. It’s literally become my sanctum. I go to his beginner level yoga/​Pilates and meditation sessions in the evenings and feel completely rejuvenated. I love how zen and fluid the classes are. I’d continue my membership just for Yasu’s classes.

This is a nice gym with a good offerings of classes, a clean gym, a nice pool, good staff. There are more older people here, but that also means that there are lots of beginner level classes and the teachers are gentle and teach gently. Very nice.

I joined the gym about a year ago, mostly because it is close to my home and it has a pool. I am a triathlete and train mostly outside, except for the swim of course :-)
So I give 4 stars because the pool is pretty big for manhattan standard: 4 lanes of 25 yards. There are ¾ lanes open for laps a couple of hours early morning, late evening and weekends, which is perfect. I have rarely seen the pool too crowded to enjoy a good lap swim, this great. The jacuzzi, steam room and sauna are nice addition for post work out recovery.
I only give 4 stars because I find part of the facility a bit outdated, such as the locker rooms or the gym. Specifically, I tried once the spin class and it was a torture: the spin bikes are very old and the saddles very uncomfortable. Would definitely not recommend you to join for that.
They have a decent cardio room, but a rather small weight room, but I do not care too much because I did not join for that.
The staff is always nice and friendly. I have had a few fitness personal lessons with Jake and it was awesome. Highly recommended.

Like a few others on here, I love the gym staff. Everyone front of house is lovely and professional. The membership office… awful.
When I first became a member in early 2011, the membership staff was– like the front of house staff– professional and helpful. Over time, they’ve become increasingly pushy and rude.
A few months ago, I moved out of the area, intending not to renew my annual membership. Automatic renewal was not in my contract, and I advised the membership office, mostly as a precaution, that I would not be renewing. I received a confirmation email from a membership representative.
Yet, I was informed by e-​mail, weeks later, that my annual account had been automatically renewed and my credit card had been charged. When I called to reaffirm my cancellation and request a refund, I was told that I would have to visit the membership office in person, or send a certified letter in order to cancel my membership. And that I would not be getting a refund.
Which is stupid and incredibly annoying.
I elected to send a certified letter in early June. The post office tracking shows that it arrived and was signed for at the May Center. The next month, however, my credit card was charged again. I called again. Was told they hadn’t received it, and I also would not be getting a refund of this month’s charge.
Gritted my teeth, send another certified letter. Post office tracking again shows that it arrived and was signed for. The next month… credit card charged again. Called the May Center again. Was told they hadn’t received it, and that I would not be getting a refund.
Unbelievable.

Since I live four hours away, it is impracticable for me to drive up there and renounce my membership in person. But it seems like that is what it is going to take.
As nice a place as this is, as wonderful as the check-​in and locker room staff are, as clean as it is, the May Center membership office has become a nightmare. If you get a discounted month’s membership, absolutely use it. It is a nice gym. The only qualification I would make is that group classes are increasingly skewing towards elderly members.
As for committing to a membership, however– avoid like the plague. They are no better than a low-​grade franchise gym at this point.

I was definitely pleased by the number of cardio machines available. You will never have to wait for an opening. However, I do wish they had more weight machines.

Came here for the open house last night with my boyfriend and we had a great time taking the boxing class and playing some volleyball. We also got a great goodie bag with free drinks to david’s tea, vitamin water, and a whole bunch of other swag.
The space itself is on the 3^rd floor to the 6^th floor I believe and has multiple gyms, a pool, indoor running track, basketball court, boxing room, etc. There’s a café and all sorts of classes being offered. The members here skew on the younger adult side, which is pretty awesome. I could see myself joining if I lived closer.

If your a beginner at the gym this place is perfect for you. However if your not, this place is very basic.
basic weights, One (flat, incline and decline) bench, a few adjustable benches for free weights, not enough to dead lift, and a single convertible squat rack.

World famous gym. Also has celebrity speakers, performers and hundreds of educational courses in a variety of disciplines.

I’ve been a member of this gym for 9 months now and keep finding myself disappointed with both the facilities and the membership office.
To start the extremely small limited weight room is nowhere near big enough for this gym’s large clientele. It is impossible not to bump into others while working out. There is always a prohibitively long line for the one squat rack and one flat bench press. It has become apparent to me that this is a family facility with workout equipment, not a weightlifter’s gym. Just consider that if you are signing up.
The gym closes at 8pm during the weekends and 10:30 during the week. It is also closed during Jewish holidays.
The Basketball Court is the main appeal for joining this gym but in reality it is never available. The Y is constantly using the court for expensive intramural leagues which are of course not included in gym fees. The Y will also run kids camps, rent the court to local private schools, whatever it can to make money rather than provide the court to gym members. For the 2 hrs a day there are open pickup games for members, the wait can be extremely long, as in 45 minutes, with 5 to 6 teams waiting.
The class schedule is limited and all of the classes seem designed for old ladies. Abs classes consisted of rowing with a bar and stretching out.
All of this I could tolerate, this is the land of the ripoff after all, if it wasn’t for the poor treatment I’ve received from membership services. A recurring theme of my membership has been being told something will happen and then watching it not.
For instance I recently asked for a different credit card to be billed for my monthly dues. I went in and asked in person and was told it would happen. I just checked my credit card statement and my old credit card was billed instead. What bothers me is that I was told my new card would be billed. It’s much more professional to say «that’s unfortunately not possible at this point» so I can make the arrangements I need to.
Looking back, when I and my gf first signed up we encountered a stubborn membership associate that hid the Y’s lowest prices from us and was generally rude. The woman we spoke with was unpleasant and difficult to deal with. She told us «they just don’t go lower than 79» when in reality they do. We had to find the online
69/​month price to negotiate. We were then told that the vague «conditions apply» asterisk on the website means we must pay in full for the entire year in advance. Lol what a ripoff. I ended up getting a «student discount» and my girlfriend met with another associate who gave her 69/​month. The whole experience was an unpleasant stubborn hassle.
Additionally the first woman we met with from membership listened to my girlfriend’s inquiries about setting up a corporate relationship with her large law firm, told her they would try and work with her, and then ignored the subject and did nothing when emailed later. It’s one thing to say no thanks, but to give her half-​assed answers and waste her time is frustrating.
The Y is a nice environment with good members and it does feel like home. The pool looks really nice. The free wifi and free coffee are also really nice touches. Most of the staff are great-​especially Eric and Dan. But this isn’t a solid gym and my experience has been very disappointing.

Super clean locker rooms and showers. The steam room was awesome! The pool could get crowded at times and a few of the lanes are reserved during early evenings which could be a pain. I took some private swim lessons here too and my swim instructor was really helpful.

The facility is awesome! The staff is really helpful and friendly and there’s always equipment available to use, even at the busiest times! The pool is GREAT! 2 Jacuzzis AND sauna & steam room! The brand new strength and conditioning equipment is so cool with range of motion detectors! Crazy! The fact the there’s free wifi everywhere is great, but the car dio equipment having built in Web browsers? Amazing!!! I love, love, LOVE this place!!!

One of the few places in the city where you can actually work out and not feel that everyone and their mother is there working out as well.
The facility is really great. Well thought out and functional options for those that do go to a gym to progressively build their bodies and measure results. Yea, I said it.
The staff is super helpful, the pool is cool and I love the sauna & steam room.
free wifi everywhere is a bonus, as well as the built in Web browsers on the cardio equipment.
Clean environment; I’m in and out feeling great about life because of the zen here.

This is a delicious facility.
I worked at 92y briefly so I went almost every day. I (who HATE gyms) prioritized coming here before my own dear friends. I mean, what have friends ever done for me?
FIRST DAY:
— A personal trainer welcomed me & noted my goals, then created a tailored (very do-​able) training circuit, which she walked me through.
— To help you measure progress, your circuit is kept on file for you. Brilliant. I check in, grab my folder, mark off my completed accomplishments, and I’m done.
—-
FACILITY:
— Huge cardio room, tons of equipment and no wait. Free towels.
— Weight rooms, a private room upstairs if youre shy.
— An elevated circular running track! You can look down on people working out while you jog.
CLASSES:
— huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge variety. All hours available. Really intense with friendly, knowledgeable instructors.
— Pilates here was the first large-​volume gym-​pilates class I ever enjoyed. It hurt, but in the best way.
— Dedicated spin rooms.
—-
LOCKER ROOM:
— Cleanest, roomiest, friendliest, prettiest locker rooms I’ve thus experienced in my short life.
— Spacious lockers.
— Unlimited large fluffy towel service.
— Always being cleaned.
— Cleanest showers ever.
— doing my makeup in here feels like doing my makeup in a rich woman’s powder room.
WINNER:
— Steamroom, sauna, pool!
— SAUNA!!! Unlimited Sauna. I’d sneak in during my lunch break and just relax. Wood, clean, private, relaxing.
—-
CLIENTELE:
— Seniors, foreign residents staying at the Y, and quietly wealthy (that is, not obnoxious padded-​sports-​bras-​and-​booty-​shorts-​to-​the-​gym kind of wealthy), & moms make up the membership here.
PRICE/​VALUE:
— Prices are probably comparable to equinox etc, except much less pretentious. If you can afford Equinox but hate the pizazz, COME THROUGH.

**** this review only pertains to the May Center’s membership staff and advertising people — I have been in the gym and think it and its staff are lovely ****
Nothing’s worse than having your time wasted due to someone else’s mistake, and the May Center really rubbed me the wrong way on that count tonight. I was a member of the May Center for a year, but did not renew my membership as I didn’t think it was worth the price. They sent a «holiday coupon» to our house, though, advertising a promotional 1-​month membership for $ 92. Actually, they sent two offers: a «free week» offer and the $ 92 1-​month holiday special. The «free week» offer, though, was clearly marked «first time visitors only». As I was previously a member, I deduced that I could not take advantage of this offer. The $ 92-​montly special, however, bore no such markings — and I happily proceeded to the May center to sign up. My wife (still a member) had told me the cardio room was just re-​done, and I was excited to check it out.
I arrived, only to be directed to the membership office, where I was asked to fill out 6 pages of paperwork and wait… and then wait some more… and keep going until more than 30 minutes had ticked by. At that point, the membership rep emerged to tell me «sorry, but this offer is only for new members». The membership rep then tried to upsell me on a 1-​month membership that included a ~$ 150 registration fee + $ 90 monthly fee. WHAT?
I suppose the feeling of a possible bait-​and-​switch doesn’t bother me (perhaps this was an honest advertising mistake), but it drives me bonkers that they made me wait 30 minutes, fill out forms, etc before telling me. It was fairly clear from the membership rep’s reaction that I was not the first person to come in trying to redeem this offer who was not a first-​time visitor — so why aren’t they asking people first? Why did you make me wait in line for 30 minutes, 92Y, why?

Everything I like or need in a gym. It’s not getting that fifth star only because there are no views and it doesn’t have the bells and whistles of a fancy gym like an equinox. It’s pretty utilitarian. But that includes piles of clean towels (they suggest limiting yourself to 2), lockers for day use, locks at the check-​in desk in case you forget to bring one (just leave an ID as collateral), a pool, nice bathrooms in the locker rooms, showers with good toiletries, blowdryers plugged in and ready to go, a large cardio room with some free weights and a stretching/​abs area, additional weights and nautilus machine rooms, at least 4 gymnasiums/​large workout rooms, and a jam-​packed workout class schedule with some really great instructors. I’m addicted to the Tuesday night «Relentless» class and the Friday night bootcamp, both taught by Sam Lopez, who manages to work me so hard I feel like I’m going to keel over every single time — which is exactly what I want in a workout class. Michael Hughes’ kickboxing and total body workout classes are also great. I’m still hoping to try the yoga, pilates, and spinning classes at some point. Lots to explore here.
Bottom line: a pleasant place to work out with something for everyone.

I have a friend who practically lives here. He gave us a guest pass, Really nice facility. I figure people will soon start with their phony New Years resolutions and here is a good place to start! And it is a good place to start if you have real resolutions.
Joey Adams
«May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions!»
Jay Leno
«Now there are more overweight people in America than average-​weight people. So overweight people are now average… which means, you have met your New Year’s resolution.»
But seriously nice facility with everything you need in a gym!

I just completed my 30-​day trial membership at the May Center, which only cost me $ 29. Thanks, Groupon!
The May Center is a great facility and I’m glad I got to try it out. Unfortunately, it’s probably going to be out of my price range when I ultimately do decide to settle down and make a commitment. It’s a big step…
I never had to wait for a treadmill at the May Center, even when visiting during peak hours (think Monday after work). The Cybex machine room has a bit of a weird smell, but you get used to it after a few minutes. All the equipment works well and can easily be operated by anybody with a little previous gym experience. There’s also a free weight room, a pool, and a full basketball court. I never tried out the pool or the court, but both looked very nice.
Perhaps the biggest attraction at the May Center is access to personal trainers and massage therapists. I got a free massage on my slightly injured knee, and having access to those services can make a huge difference when trying to get — and stay — healthy.
If you frequent the UES, the May Center is a great gym option and comes highly recommended. By me.