Marin YMCA

A good facility. Staff very helpful. It has very good pool. YMCA is more affordable then other facilities.

I went in to cancel my sons membership as he was not using it and was informed I had to pay for the next month as they require a 30 day notice. I asked if I could transfer the membership to another one of my children and they said no. So be sure to go in 30 days before you want to cancel for they are completely inflexible on their billing. I was looking for a win win but they were not interested. So they got their $ 61.00 and I went elsewhere.

I am a new member and here are my fresh notes after 5 – 6 work outs.
I don’t think this place is good for individuals. Individuals pay much more then families with kids. Inside looks like kids playground. It is not a surprise to see kids (under 13) on treadmills playing with the settings but not really using them. I have seen kids occupying exercise bikes and watching cartoon on their ipads. On the other hand I was told that 30 mins is the max for treadmills, steppers and bikes.
You will get two complimentary trainer sessions with your new membership. I used my first one and unfortunately it wasn’t beneficial. He filled his first 30 mins to get to know me and my goals etc. Next 10 – 15 mins we worked on 3 random equipments picked by the trainer because they were available and no one was using them. Last 15 mins… Sales! Sign up for this class and pay $ 300 and you get 50 mins free or sign up for that for $ 350 bla bla… He wanted to extend it so that I would use my 2^nd complimentary session. Because I didn’t learn anything new and didn’t want to waste another hour I refused the offer.
Machines inside are very limited. You need to have a previous gym experience so that you would know what machine to use. You need to be creative to figure out what machine to use for what muscle. Dumbbells will become your best friend.
Basketball Court, Multipurpose room, Sauna are nice. Pool looks good but have not tried it yet. Again, I see lot of kids in. Maybe its my luck :)) I appreciate the towel service, big locker room, clean showers and parking outside even though sometimes it is hard to find a spot to park.
Front desk staff is nice but there is no reason for them to not to be nice. They say hi and bye.
I am not a gym freak but had memberships at 24 Fitness, Golds Gym and Club One before. YMCA has definitely different crowd inside compare to others. You will see lot of kids and lot of people look like they are there to hang out or socialize more than to work out. I wouldn’t care if they weren’t on my way or make me wait for the machine they sit on.
If there was another option close by I would switch but looks like I will stick for now till I figure out my Plan B.
Lastly, enrollment fee and giving 30 day notice for cancellation is a joke.

Great place for families. The Y-​kids (child watch) is amazing, especially the teacher Linda. The swim teachers are great especially Deborah and Robin. Our daughter has learned a lot in just 2 months time. Not to mention the sauna is thoroughly relaxing!

The only complain I have is they close down the basketball court for an NIA class that only have 5 ladies.

This place is great! Took the Yoga class this morning and it was amazing! Packed– with good energy people. The instructor Amber was amazing! She is an excellent instructor! Would totally bring friends to this class!!!

This place has so much to offer families. I wish it was here in Novato just because I wish the pool was closer but I cannot complain bwcause it is still pretty close. The people at the front desk are always so very helpful and willing to answer questions. The facility is always working to stay clean and updated. I know that people can be yucky and not always care about their surroundings so this can be challenging for the facility I am sure. There are so many classes included in the monthly price! And so many wonderful people who are apart of the classes who try to make you feel welcome.

The people are nice here. I guess just make sure you give them 30 days written notice that you are cancelling your membership or they charge you for an entire month that you wont even be there. Definitely a rip off. I would really like to know why they need 30 days notice, because it literally doesn’t affect them either way. They just hope that you’ll forget so they can take that extra money. Nothing against the people that work there. Just YMCA can (insert vulgarisms here). You know, use your imagination

This is a great gym. Clean, friendly and a wide range of classes. They have just purchased all new state of the art workout machines. It’s rarely crowded and they go out of their way to help you if needed.

This YMCA has been my gym for a good 17 – 20 years now. My parents use to bring me when i was a kid and I still am a member pf the Y. It seems like they upgrade the equipment every 4 or 5 years. It’s always clean and the members who work out are also the ones to contribute to the Y being so clean. The basketball court is perfect, full size with 8 hoops to play on. Locker rooms and showers might need a little renovating but still clean which is key!
Reason I give 4 stars is because of customer service. For the most part the employees are extremely friendly and helpful, but at times where a favor is much appreciated, they wont work with you… for example: bringing a guest or re-​registering and asking for the initiation fee to be reduced cuz i’ve been a member for so many years.
Besides that, location is great, right off the 101, hours could be a little longer at night but overall a wonderful place to get you pr the family fit!

The rudest staff in Marin county!!! If you don’t want to get berated every time you walk in with your iPhone as a radio DO NOT GO HERE!!!
Apparently you can’t use a phone in the gym, fine, you don’t need to yell at every person who walks in with their phone on and headphones in their ears Make me show you I am actually using the radio before you let me go inside, seriously?!?

I was not a gym person. I used to like to work out by myself. But seriously since I joined this gym with my friends I spend like 4 hours per day. I take a cardio dance, then 1 hour and a half in the gym, then sauna, then swimming pool and after that hot tub. I don’t regret about the decision I made. It was great. And also the instructors and the service are always nice with you, especially in the front desk.

A really great place to spend some time getting in shape, swimming or taking classes. It’s a wonderful place to have in Marin and a very reasonable gym.

Great facility with pool. Raquetball basketball court. They have a chidcare on site so you can drop the little ones and work out. Hit tubs, TRX classes. Great way to avoid the 101 mess in the mornibg and blow off some steam

Unilocal just emailed me. If I don’t post a review soon, I lose my coveted «Elite» Status — so I had better get at it right now. What better time to do it than right before I was going to go to the gym? It’s procrastinating at its finest!
Everyone has something different they need out of a gym. I hear other people complaining about the gyms they go to; I have heard people complain about certain things at this gym also. I hear people complaining all day long everywhere — it never seems to end.
This particular YMCA has been consistently great to me for the last 8 years I have been going to it. It has a nice layout, is very clean, has a lot of classes, swimming, childcare, great location, etc. Best of all they truly have a great staff of people that have been there for many years.
They are always trying to improve too. Recently they made many repairs including improving the men’s sauna room & all new user-​friendly free weights in the weight room. I think my only minus point would be that they close early on random days — I’m not talking about days like Labor Day (not a big deal), but December 26 was a dislike for me. Most people have eaten like pigs for days and need a good workout the day after Christmas!
You have to check that, though, as they seem to respond to input & try to change things like that to make their guests happy. Final bonus: they give you a towel for your workout! Less and less gyms offer that service & it’s really appreciated by me!

Pros:
Lots of floorspace, affordable plans, nice staff, pleasant facility.
Cons:
Lines for equipment, busy hours nightmarish, pool is underwhelming and somewhat frustrating to swim in (kept getting moved around due to classes taking over parts of the pool, as well pool is too warm /​shallow so not very refreshing). Plan gets pricey, more confusing if you want to use other Marin sites.

This is my go-​to gym when I sign up for a gym. Well, actually the Novato Y is my go to but it’s smaller so there are less classes, which I don’t like (but it’s cleaner and I like that it’s smaller). And you have to pay more to go to both and I’m on financial aid, and they won’t even give me a membership to both gyms which is sad. Anyway, it’s the only gym in Marin that gives you financial aid which is awesome. The gym itself is fine. Lots of classes and lots of variations of classes. They even have small group classes you pay extra for, kind of crossfit-​esque. The front desk people sometimes are nice, and sometimes they don’t care that they are at work. It’s not nearly as crowded as I remember it being years ago, which I am completely happy with. Not the cleanest place, but I guess what gym really is?
The big thing that sucks about the gym is their theft problem. Don’t leave anything in your car and make sure to lock your locker.
Other than that, it’s a nice place to work out, with nice people, members and workers. And the classes are fun. Overall, better gym than others around, but if you don’t have a job or work weird hours, check out the Novato Y because they have a nicer facility and more classes in the middle of the day for the all of the rich moms who live down the street.

When are t.v.s going to be fixed. ?? I think over a month is a bit much

This is a good family oriented facility with friendly staff and good customer service. I don’t use any of the equipment here; I come just for the group exercise classes. What is good about this facilty is that they have 6 Zumba land classes each week and 1 Zumba water class.
All of the Zumba teachers here are great with their own style. Each of them are cheery and supportive. You can attend Zumba classes each week with different instructors and learn something new in each class.

I love coming here! I’m probably a 5 day a weeker, Its my «me time» .
I have 2 little boys who love going to child watch here, the staff taking care of the kids are all wonderful and have helped me get my «clingy» 2 year old to be more independent, and free me up so that I can get a break and go work out!
I always see the same people there too, it’s like a big family.
The parking lot is a little tight but I usually park in the neighboring lot where there are a ton of nice big spots.
Love this Y.