Richmond District YMCA

The only two things I like about this gym: nice equipment and free wifi.
Other than that, this place is meh. If you are joining the gym purely for cardio, then this is the spot. However, if you weight lift and like to use machines, then you should try your like elsewhere, like 24 hour fitness. There’s barely ANY room in the weight room. I can’t imagine going there during peak hours. It’s just really cramped and no open space.
Also, there are a lot of young people but also tons of older people who come here. Many of the older people tend to zone out on the machines and end up staring. which is a little awkward.
After coming to this gym, I’ve come to realize, I rather more space, more machines, more weights over nice equipment yet tiny, cramped areas to work out in. I also think for the space and limited equipment, that membership is quite expensive.

Night and day experience between this Y and the embarcadero one! Tony, the manager on duty warmly greeted us, trusted my membership card and did not feel the need to call and confirm as he saw my information and license were legitimate. He even waived the visitor fee for our first visit! After giving us a brief tour, he informed us about an upcoming class that he recommended we take. The C3 class was awesome! Super dynamic, challenging, and fun!!! After we got out of class, Tony had printed two reviews of neighborhood brunch spots he recommended! Great facility and exceptional people. :)

The place is friendly, clean, and up to date.
It’s tiny, however– the weight room has one squat rack, one incline bench, one regular bench, a Smith machine, and dumbbells. It fills up incredibly fast, and what qualifies anywhere else as «not busy» turns into a big mess really quickly here.
I only come in for weights, which means the day a dude has «a warm-​up and five sets» of bench presses in the only squat rack on my leg day is the day I’m cancelling my membership– $ 42 (the financial aid price– can’t get cheaper here) for one location at this size with this kind of thing going on is way too much money.
If lifting is your thing, try somewhere else; or at any rate, don’t depend solely on this Y.

I love the Richmond District YMCA. It is so utterly unpretentious and un-​fancy — which is exactly the atmosphere I want when I am sweating it out to the oldies on the elliptical.
The equipment is in good shape — although it is not all state of the art, it meets all your basic needs.
I have been going there for years — sometimes not as consistently as I should, but in my latest fitness push, I have come to appreciate this place even more as I have begun to avail of their excellent group classes. Staff is friendly and teachers are enthusiastic.
The Y also gives back to the community via several food bank drives and other charitable works. This aspect makes it an even more integral part of the neighborhood.

A very basic gym. I joined because this gym is literally less than a block a way from my home. Like 1 min walk! I didn’t join earlier because I was looking for the whole shebang gym (I joined 24hr, crunch, JCCSF, Bakar Gym, Burn, Club One you name it!) and I am just looking for a gym where I can just walk to and from home.
While YMCA is a very friendly and family oriented it’s not a full gym. Classes are very limited, work out rooms are very small BUT it does it for me. It’s an old gym in an old building. I am ok with it for $ 57/​month it is good enough for me.
All I do here is just I need the treadmill, the spin bike and the spin class on Mondays.
I can save my money and joined a yoga studio which I do 3 times a week.
Over all it’s an ok gym, I like it because I don’t see too many gym rats here.
Staff is friendly and it’s a clean gym.

Sad update:
During the course of my membership, I had one credit card expire and be re-​issued by the bank and another stolen. As luck would have it these were the cards I had my Y account auto-​debited to. Instead of handling things professionally when my payment needed to be switched to the new card, they made me feel stupid and embarrassed me by speaking to me in a disrespectful and accusatory manner about the payment glitches while I was checking in at the front desk. I have NEVER had an issue with on time payments with any business, and don’t deserve that type of treatment. I took my business elsewhere.

Tony was a very warm force in getting me to sign up. He sold the gym as a very community-​oriented organization. A «we’ll say hi to you by name» type of place. That shines through. I see a lot of the same people and feel like I «belong» for all intents and purposes. A lot of the people I see, I sometimes wish I didn’t, which is how I know this place is just like having a family.
It’s a small, but useful space. There are enough machines that you’re never without something to do, but it might not be your first choice. The mat area is incredibly limited. I wish there was honestly another room just for mat space. The weight room is also small. If there’s more than three of you in there, you might as well just become friends because you’ll be touching anyway. This is why I never use the weight room.
The locker room is adequate, but sometimes older women will just chill on chairs and block your locker. Whatever, though. They’ve worked hard. They deserve an hour long, topless break.
The classes are really good and the teachers are incredibly attentive. Take advantage of the small class sizes and ask questions.
Also, they have a sweet parking deal where you can park across the street for free!

Ended up moving on June 1^st away from the area and because I didn’t cancel 30 days prior I was still charge for the entire month of June. I have only had my membership a month and now I’m unexpectedly having to move and its out of my control. This is BS and I’ll never go to the YMCA again!!!

A great gym is a fraternity of torment: Big men (and sometimes women) pushing their muscles and themselves to the max, to failure, to the brink of exhaustion. Its a place for camaraderie, for steroids (Caveat: I’ve never taken any myself… although I know a guy…), and for the triumph of a great lift.
An awful gym is High School: Hordes of teenagers rampage about, bathing in axe body spray, screaming and Snapchating on their cell-​phones, not re-​racking their weights (side note: my perfect woman would re-​rack her weights after every set [and because I’m enjoying this fantasy immensely, willing to spot me]), and grunting pitifully as, in their haste to BENCH PRESS 135 BRO, drop the bar on their necks, necessitating swift removal, elective surgery (I would generally suggest amputation of the affected area… although that may be a bit draconian), and the immediate revocation of their parenting licenses.
How about a place like the Richmond District YMCA? It doesn’t really fall in either category, but its the gym I’ve needed the past few months: the people are incredibly friendly, the facilities are clean and newish, and there is plentiful cardio equipment for those who are into that sort of thing. I’ve enjoyed talking to the staff (Tony, Antonina, and Steve especially) who have always seemed happy and genuinely friendly (no matter how early or late it is), and have never been at a loss for a spot when I need one. Its a neighborhood spot which has been a great escape for me, no matter how stressful everything else has been, and a fantastic place to work back from some injuries (note to everyone: dead-​lifts with bad form are… well…deadly).
Not everything is great: the facility is on the small side (which means it can heat up rather quickly on a warm day), the weight room only has dumbbells up to 100 lbs (not a problem for me at the moment, but here’s hoping it will be!), and the squat rack could use an upgrade, but overall, I can’t say I’m at all displeased.
Four Stars.
Extras:
Sauna AND Hot Tub available!
Lockers can be rented for 5 $ a month.
Discounts for Young Adults under 25 available (of which I am elegible, at least for the moment).
The rooftop garden is an awfully nice place on a warm day.

Not flashy like the City Sports club at Stonestown, or as cheap as 24-​hour fitness. But this place is a neighborhood gym that is never busy. It’s so small that only 3 people can use the exercise mats at a time in the main room, but there are so few people there that it’s never been an issue for me. It’s also a bit cramped in the weight room when I want to use the aerobic steps, but I always make space. I’ve always had a free elliptical, whether I go in the morning or after work.
The people here are mostly elderly folks in the neighborhood. It’s definitely not like Stonestown where the young people go. But I kind of enjoy this since it means I won’t end up chatting with my friends.
I wish the classes were more accessible on the weekends or at nighttime. Many of the yoga, core conditioning and zumba classes are during the daytime in the middle of the day, really catering towards the elderly retired folks, which is good, if you don’t work.
I pay $ 41/​month. The activation is $ 99, but if you join during the promotion like I did, it was only $ 1 for activation. Just a heads up to look out for it, because they do offer those discounts.

I’ve come here when Stonestown YMCA closes for a deep cleaning/​renovation. I’ve only used the downstairs workout room with cardio machines. It doesn’t have a pool. It offers classes. It doesn’t feel as welcoming as the Stonestown YMCA.

Great community feel in this small but well maintained facility. Staff are all very friendly and accessible. Smaller list of classes offered and most are geared towards seniors and offer a less demanding workout.

I’m counting the days till Stonestown YMCA opens again. I never realized how much I love that place till now.
This specific location is SMALL! I thought Stonestown was small, but this location is even smaller. There are not that many machines so if you happen to show up during busy hours, you have to put your name down on the waiting list. That’s the reason why I avoid 24 Hour Fitness, the whole waiting around thing is so unproductive!
The stretching area is so tiny, I’m afraid someone will kick me while I’m stretching, which almost did happen yesterday (hey lady with bright orange shoes, can’t you tell I’m down here?)
I guess now I know why everyone in SF drives mini coopers. As I drive in and out of my parking space, I too wish I was driving a red coop instead of my big silver SUV. I could barely fit through the hallway towards the back parking. I had the same parking issue with the parking across the street. Boy, do I feel giant in those tiny spaces, and what’s up with everyone double parking? How am I supposed to get out when your car is blocking me?
Now, despite all my complaints, I do think this place is cleaner than Stonestown. I notice people do clean before AND after they use the machines, which is a HUGE plus. I often notice people do not clean after using the machines and I’m OCD so it grosses me out. At Stonestown, I often get a look when I clean before I use the machine, but here, it seems like MOST people do it, so I don’t get that «what a weirdo» look. And the cardio room doesn’t smell like sweat. The only time I ever wish I had a cold so I couldn’t smell the sweat stench is when I’m at a gym.
Another positive is the machines here are tech-​ier than the simple ones at Stonestone. They’re touch screen and you can plug in your headphones for music/​video/​etc. I love these features, and I think I will miss these when I go back to Stonestown.
In conclusion, for the amount I pay for a Y membership, I would NOT choose this Y over Stonestown (I’m yet to try the others in the city, but will probably check them out in the next few days). Stonestown Y, you better be doing a major lift up while you’re closed now because I’m not happy I have to drive farther.

This is the Y I visit almost every day and there’s a reason: consistency. My fiancée and I do our fair share of weight lifting and athough the weight room is nothing to write home about, we don’t often find it crowded. There are definitely certain times when we have to fight to get a spot, but at others we might be the only ones in the room. Most importantly, there’s none of the loud-​grunting, peacock juice heads you might find at other gyms around the city (I’m looking at you Marina!). Everyone just likes to come in and get their work done with minimal preening.
There are a fair bit of cardio and cable machines, as well as some quiet exercise rooms, a hot tub, and sauna. This Y really feels like a staple of the Richmond district and I enjoy being a part of that community.

the YMCA is such a great place. I love how they are so kid friendly and give excellent customer service.
I feel welcome and at home there. They have numerous services available and also offer a wide range of extra classes, karate, dance, etc.
Thanks YMCA for being awesome.

So it’s small and more pricey than my 24 hour membership was.
NOT a problem since it is 4 blocks away from my home, the staff is SUPER friendly, I have all the cardio machines and weights I could need, and it’s CLEAN without those random downtown bums wearing jeans and stuff. For some reason no matter what time I go its full, and only once have I left cuz people were OBVIOUSLY ignoring the time limit postings (on every wall may i add) but look, once out of how many times? Not so bad.
Plus you don’t have to «pay» for towel service and I have a handy dandy key ring-​membership card to keep on my keys. I also like the little cubbies for storing your extra sweater in when you don’t need/​want a locker, and the hand spray and sanitizer all over. Yay!

I have such mixed feelings about the Richmond Y. Let’s break it down:
:)
–Local
–the crowd is a bunch of normal folks, so I can work out and not feel judged if I’m tomato red
–A fair variety of classes (for a Y, not for a regular gym)
–Friendly Staff
–Hot tub (I’ve never used it because all I think of is bacteria water but It’s nice to know it’s there)
–Often not crowded, always can find a locker for my stuff
:(
–Expensive for what you get. You can buy a 3 year membership to 24 hour fitness for 300 bucks versus the cost of this gym (and I have financial aid to boot and it’s still expensive!)
–Hours sort of suck. On the weekends they don’t open until 7:30 and close at 7pm. That seems really early to close for a gym, especially compared to other location
–Hours on the weekdays are crappy too, they don’t open early enough for me to go before work/​class unless I choose to shower there which I wouldn’t do because, again, bacteria totally freaks me out

Affordable, open late, tons of group classes, and unpretentious — everything I ever wanted from a gym. They have a rooftop garden where you can stretch or do free weights (you just have to bring the equipment back where you got it, duh), dry sauna, whirlpool, cardio room and did I mention a great variety of group classes with great instructors. The class sizes are small, I attended a spinning class with just 4 members there! Awesome and roomy!
After having the misfortune of beloning to 24Hour Fitness, this YMCA is a welcome change.

Friendly, small, surprisingly adequate and dense, in terms of the variety of workout you can get done here, YMCA.
But no one seems to ever be using the machines at the Richmond Y. It almost feels awkward sometimes to be working out because no one who goes to this particular YMCA works out. I guess it’s cooler to just sit around and stare rather at a gym than working out. Probably some Richmond hipster trend.

*BEAST MODE* RAWR! *pumps iron* *pump*
The Richmond YMCA is my alternative gym to the Stonestown YMCA, When i come here its usually cuz of convenience or to work out with my good olé buddy Mike. This YMCA is closer to where i live but the facilities are smaller than my usual Stonestown YMCA. This YMCA is another example of a great community based gym where anyone can come in a workout. Being only a member of the Stonestown YMCA, I still need to pay 5 bucks to get in each time. Best thing to do go workout with a buddy and use one of his/​her guest passes ;).
Their weight room is tiny but still has what you need to put in a good workout. There are mirrors all over the place so you can watch your every bicep curl and check yourself out all you want ;). My only complaint is that the room itself can get a little stuffy. They have two fans and windows but with too many bodies in there it can get bad. The Cardio/​Machine area is very big with a lot of updated machines and a nice little area for you to do some ab work and stretching. Time to get in shape for Summer people!
Go Workout!