r/SilverSpring • u/SnoringSoda16 • 2d ago
YMCA?
How is the SS YMCA? I found a couple older posts that say it’s old and dated, but those are from a few years ago. Have they updated it since then? Is it nicer now? I am interested in all the facilities but particularly the pools for swimming laps.
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u/PlasticYouth9517 2d ago
The facility is a bit old and dated, but I've never found that to be an issue. Equipment is well maintained and many machines were recently replaced.
The pools are in great condition. There's an indoor and an outdoor pool, and the outdoor pool is heated and open when the outside temp is above freezing. Pretty cool to swim outside most of the year!
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u/LateEmu8638 2d ago
If you haven’t been to the Silver Spring Aquatic Center, I’d check that out for lap swimming. The Takoma Aquatic Center across the dc border is also great!
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u/wombatarama 1d ago
this! the Silver Spring aquatic and rec center is brand sparkling new, huge and spacious and really nice. I go there just to walk around in the AC, but the pool looks great. There's a parking garage half a block away.
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u/Tie_Dye_Scientist 2d ago
I haven’t been a member for about a year and a half, so take my experience with a grain of salt if they’ve made updates. The problem my wife and I had with the Y is twofold. The equipment is fine, but often there is only one machine or piece of equipment if you’re trying to do strength training. The other issue is that the gym etiquette is really terrible at the Y. The high schoolers/young adults who go there and the older folks who are likely retirees will be in absolutely no rush to finish any equipment. The prime example would be squat rack. My wife and I would often want to use the squat rack, see someone is using it for something (could be pull ups, squats, pulled a bench in for unspotted bench, etc.) but they would just take so long between sets and would leave crap on the bench while they walk out of the room, etc. they’d see us hovering and not check if we wanted to work in during their rests. It’s so frustrating. Also when there are multiple of the same equipment, they might be in different rooms. So you’ll need to go between rooms to check, then you might check multiple rooms as you wait for it to be available. If you go for cardio and swimming, it’s great. If you want occasional classes, that’s good too. If you want other benefits of the Y like sauna, somewhere to shower, etc. it works. But if you are going into it for strength training and wanting a regular gym, it’s not going to be that. However, from what I remember it was relatively easy to cancel compared to normal gyms. So that’s another benefit.
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u/Snausages4Evah 2d ago
The facility is really not clean. It is heavily used. In the past we have had things stolen from our lockers. I’m not sure if it is better now.
The spinning classes are held in the gym, sound systems very limited, music choice sometimes didn’t fit the cadence. You have to wheel your own bike into and out of a cramped storage closet for each class.
Some classes are great and have great instructors but you can’t rely on that being the case week to week or session to session. It has so much potential and is expensive considering what you might pay at Golds or other gyms.
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u/TheFuschiaBaron 2d ago
It's great if you have a family, especially young children. We can leave our kids at Childwatch while we work out. They do YMCA aftercare. Swim/summer camp. The outdoor pool facility kind of sucks from a non-lap swimmer perspective but the kids don't know that. For lap swimming you can be in or outdoors, and it's heated during winter to a temp that's still waaaay to cold for me.
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u/Flimsy_Maize6694 2d ago
It used to be a country club before they built the beltway right through it.
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u/FionaTheFierce 2d ago
It is old and dated. The pools are well-maintained. The locker rooms have definitely seen better days, probably 40 years ago. The outdoor pool is heated and open in the winter, which is lovely. Lots of lap swimmers, so there are always lanes set up for lap swimming.
I have been a member for years - I would say it meets my needs and the classes and staff are great. You won't get a "luxury" experience, but they do a good job, it is clean, etc.