YMCA of Greater Saint Louis

I find it ironic that they are featuring their Cardinals ticket promotion, yet they issue written reprimands to their employees for wearing Cardinal attire during the playoffs. The powers that be need to open their eyes and realize what is really important.

Love this place. I’ve been going here for years. My only knock on this place is that they need another gymnasium. You can just about never play basketball because of Karate, children’s basketball practice & men’s basketball league. All activities takes up both sides of the court, no space for members who pay each month to play basketball.

I’ve joined the Edward Jones YMCA a little over a year ago when I turned 65 and my health insurance offered a free Silver Sneakers membership, which in turn granted me a free Y membership. Pretty cool, huh?
I go to this Y 3 – 4 times a week and there have been many things I really liked about it and a few things that I don’t like.
Let’s do the positives first.
1) Courteous staff. Maria, at the front desk makes a point of learning your first name and every time I go there, she gives me a personalized hello.
2) I like getting 2 towels upon entry.
3) As a former property manager I see little details that other people might miss. On the whole the building and pool are kept relatively clean. (There are things that need attention that I will mention when I finish listing positives)
4) There are nice variety of classes, most of which are free with the basic membership.
I have participated in the beginning and intermediate line dances, as well as all of the water arthritis classes, and most of the senior water aerobics classes. I also did the senior circuit workit class and enjoyed that class as well.
5) The monthly pot luck lunch and quarterly talent show are appealing to seniors and well attended.
6) The indoor track has a nice cushiony surface.
7) The facility has a sauna, whirlpool, and steambaths in the locker rooms.
8) The pool is a decent size with a water playground open during limited hours.
Negatives
1) Some of the equipment needs attention in the personal fitness room such as the wobbly bench on the curl machine.
2) The whirlpool water level is extremely low and often you have to sit on the bottom of the whirlpool in order for your shoulders to be under water. I have left written complaints about this several times.
3) The whirlpool usually has a 4 to 6 inch layer of foam. This could be remedied with the right chemicals.
4) There is a sign that indicates the pool water temperature and the whirlpool temperature. It’s never changed in the year I’ve been going to the Y. In fact, one day the pool temperature was about 70 degrees and the sign still said it was 85 degrees.
5) Several latches are broken and you can no longer lock those lockers in the men’s changing room.
6) The swimming suit dryer leaks when you use it.
7) The indoor track has several areas where the coating has chipped or worn off and should be repaired before someone trips on them.
8) They had several promotions and contests where you track your participation in classes and the staff failed to provide the necessary sheets in the binder they set up in the hallway. Also, there were times when the front desk didn’t have certain forms and I had to wait for them to make a copy for me. I stopped participating in the contests because of this.
Having stated the pros and cons, I would say this Y is no worse than any other. I do enjoy going there and it’s been a wonderful way to get in better shape. I have found all of the people there to be really nice.
April 21, 2015 — I still go to this Y and have only had a few negative experiences. Mike, the aquatics director was giving out free T-​shirts during an annual membership drive. When I asked for an XL he said they didn’t have any and handed me a large. On my way out of the Y I saw a really big guy wearing one of the shirts. I had noticed he came in just after me. I asked him what size it was? He said XL. I went back to the table to exchange the shirt and asked Mike why he lied to me. He got all flustered and said I must have misunderstood him. I don’t like being lied to — I mentioned it to the YMCA director. Never got an apology from MIke. The other thing that bothers me is that the whirlpool leaks and they know about it but don’t want to spend the money to fix it. Some days the water is just an inch or two above where you sit. I have filed several complaints. This is why property budgets have reserves — to fund capital improvements and repairs.

We joined the Y a couple of months ago — we joined on the type of membership that lets you go to any of the YMCA’s in the STL area. This one is very near Teen 2’s school and my office, so it’s often where I end up.
My first impression was not great, because the fitness trainer that was on duty the first time I went there was pretty rude to the front desk lady when she tried to introduce her to me. I decided later that maybe she just doesn’t like her, because she was very nice to me in the workout room when I asked her a question about one of the machines.
The machines are well-​kept, staff is friendly, and they have a nice range of classes for all ability and interest. The locker facilities are nicely laid out and also clean. Their facilities are conveniently located for my work, home, and Husband’s work.
I think they’re less expensive than other places in town, but Husbands work reimburses us as a benefit (Yay!) so I really can’t speak to that.

It’s a safe bet to say that anyone who rates this facility above 2 stars was put up to it as employees of the YMCA. This could be one of the most grotesque and poorly managed community centers I’ve visited, particularly the pool area. One needs only look at the hot tub to grasp just how doomed this facility was from the start. In order to get into the hot tub you must hurdle on top of the 3 foot wet and slippery tile wall that completely encases the hot tub. Never have I seen a hot tub that carries such reckless liability. The layout of the pool area looks like it was designed in an afternoon. With the lap lane connected to the kiddy pool, you can rest assured that you’ll constantly be marinating in the urine of toddlers. I appreciate the YMCA’s economy friendly prices but I’ve been to Holiday Inn gyms that were better designed and maintained than this place. The only athletic qualities people are obtaining when working out here is athlete’s foot.

For the last two years when cold air and snow rolls in the area, I join the Edward Jones YMCA to continue to work out amongst the nasty weather. This Y usually has some sort of deal going on that makes it fairly affordable. For my boyfriend and I, the going rate is $ 78/​month which usually comes with some sort of promotion such as no joining free, first month free, etc. We also take advantage of the «refer a friend deal» and get an additional month free through that.
This year we will belong from December — April and pay a total of $ 314 ($ 80 in joining fees and $ 78/​month for January, February, and March). We received December free as part of a year-​end promotion and April free as part of the «refer a friend deal».
The facilities themselves are well kept. They have a large number of treadmills & ellipticals, so you can usually find a machine to use with little to no wait. The front row of treadmills & all the ellipticals also have personal TVs, so you can watch your favorite tv shows while getting a good workout. This is a great touch (coming from a girl with no cable at home and a dying love for the Food Network)! The various classes offered at the Y are also great. When I get bored of running on the treadmill I mix things up a bit by taking a class. I really enjoy the recently added Insanity classes, in addition to the spinning classes. I hope to also give a kickboxing class a chance before my membership expires. There is also a full-​size lap swimming pool and hot tub, which are both frequently used by me. Swimming is a great workout to give my bones a rest from the jolts of running on a treadmill. The pool can get a little busy amidst swim lessons and swim team practice, but more often than not you can find a lane to swim in.
Last but not least, the front desk employees and fitness instructors all provide great customer service and are willing to answer any questions a member or potential member may have.

My daughter has been going to the daycare here at the Early Childhood Education Center since she was three months old. I love this place. They take excellent care of her. Staff is friendly, communicate well with the parents and responsive.