T. Boone Pickens YMCA

This review for those (like me) in from out of town or first visit to this location.
1) Great staff. Helpful. As a YMCA member from out of state, I was asked to bring my YMCA card and a picture ID. I completed a form and that allows me 14 visits to this YMCA without charge. (I travel to Dallas monthly).
2) Parking is directly under the Y and is $ 1 an hour; to take the ticket upstairs to the 3^rd floor to prepay with cash; or use a credit card to pay as you depart parking. Late in afternoon, you can park free on the street (meters).
3) Entrance is via the parking garage; go up the stairs to the 3^rd floor.
I’ve only used the pool (go to the back and take elevator to PD– pool deck). They do provide towels, no charge. The rest of the facility looked superb; I noticed a huge cardio area, basketball and raquetsports courts, and a group exercise schedule that was almost non-​stop.
Wish I lived near a Y like this!
Hope this helps you.

I have an adult membership here .This place is really good for workout, indoor games and they do have various group fitness classes (which I love the most!) and yes, they work best.
Staff is really friendly and this place has the best equipment
Although, I would be happy if there were more number of group classes on weekends, since they likely to finish by 2
Membership is really worth it!:)

I have had a family membership for my entire household for my kids sports and after school care for two years that I’ve never use for myself. So I thought it’s a good time to use my membership to work out on lunch. About this place: 1) great location 2) nice, clean, spacious locker rooms 3) huge variety of workout equipment 4) nice treadmills 5) large pool 6) parking is cheap, .25 cents for 15 mins. A good hour long workout costs about a buck. 7) I haven’t had any issues with getting a locker from the hours of noon –2 pm. Everyone who is complaining needs to realize this is an older building and in my opinion has nothing wrong with it. If your looking for some fancy looking gym, go somewhere else. The YMCA is a non-​profit organization. Their website states it clearly. It’s not a 24 hr or a LA Fitness. This is the 4^th one I’ve been to in all of DFW and honestly I’ve never been disappointed.

The process to join is simply miserable. They offer a 20% buddy discount if you know a member. I’ve tried on two different occasions to get that discount, but I think it’s a scam.
There are tons of hoops for the current and future member to jump through before using the website to join and get the discounted rate. I jumped the hoops, guessed at the options on the website (so many don’t actually work), and tried to sign up. At the end, the web site just provides an amount owed. It doesn’t say that they aren’t honoring the discount, but it’s simple math to figure out that there’s no discount!
I contacted the Y for help and got lots of emails from different people, all with vastly different solutions, ranging from our website doesn’t work to just keep banging your head to get our website to work. I tried signing up in person — that might have worked had I not already been ticked off. It didn’t take much for me to give up on the guy at the desk and leave. Eventually I calmed down and tried again. Hoops galore, bad website, still no go. Did you hear my head banging?
Maybe, maybe, maybe, the gym is actually a great place. Maybe the key is to pretend it’s 1970 and not use their web site (which advertises CrossFit and Pilates Reformer classes that, like the 20% discount, don’t seem to exist). I’m just not sure it’s worth the time and effort to find out.

If your staying downtown for business and don’t want to use your hotels gym just know that a guest pass here at the y is $ 20. I think that’s very expensive.

Nice ymca clean spacious lots cardio machines no wait even with new years members.
big sauna steam room whirly pool (all in locker room) parking in bldg dont go past 3.5 hrs as jumps to $ 15. Thank Mr Boone for recent renovations great job. Limited bathrooms is only odd thing but ive never seen a line. Maybe not alot of liquid drinkers?

Been a member for a while, it’s getting worse.
First off, the place is incredibly run down, especially the locker rooms. This wouldn’t be such a big deal except the monthly membership is hardly a relative bargain. Over $ 60 a month is a lot when the men’s locker room is most easily compared to a shower in prison.
The staff is not friendly, twice I invited co-​workers to come work out with me (members get to bring a a guest maybe one time a year, I forgot the policy because I don’t use it) and instead of being friendly to a potential customer, they were annoyed that I was causing them more work. Neither co-​worker felt welcomed or has ever wanted to come back. I notified management thinking that at the very least, an apology to my co-​workers was in order, and was ignored. Membership means nothing.
Finally the life guards are lazy and the quality is deteriorating. A while ago I was giving a family some swimming tips, as the kid was struggling and they asked. Two weeks later that same kid is on the lifeguard tower. The building closes at one time, but expect to be kicked out of the pool 25 minutes before closing time so they can go home ASAP. Again, expensive membership is meaningless.
The brand new LA Fitness on Haskell is cheaper per month. As is Trophy Fitness, and they both have significantly cleaner locker rooms.

This is the perfect gym to get it done! People here come to work out and not socialize. I love the selection of fitness classes that are offered from spinning, body pump, vinyasa yoga, kettle bell* and TRX* training (both for a small, extra fee), and more! I think fitness classes are an excellent way to diversify your workout plan and break through plateaus. I love the spinning classes! There is a pool, indoor and rooftop track, steam room, sauna, basketball court, and tons of cardio equipment. You never have to wait and there is no time limit like some gyms like to impose. I love it here! You can also attend any other ymca facility in the DFW area, what a perk.

left my cell phone here after a night of basketball, i went the day after to see if whomever found it turned it in, was told by staff if any thing is lost on any other night other then a mon or tuesday its gone… i wont go back to this place

I used to be a fan, but after the remodel a few years ago, this place became weird. It’s trying to be an upscale fitness center, and it’s not. It’s a gym. And to be honest, the old look fit it better. Parking is extremely limited and expensive, and don’t expect any discount even with a full membership. The pool is great, lifegards friendly, but frequently crowded during peak periods (lunch and after work). You will have to share a lane, or just wait. The updated exercise equipment and design is great, but the feeling and character of the old Y is gone.

I’ve been a member at the Downtown YMCA for about 7 months now and have greatly enjoyed my experience. The Y has an extensive class schedule, two levels of weight and cardio equipment, racquetball and basketballs courts, an indoor and outdoor track, childcare, spacious locker rooms, and a massive indoor pool. And while this is an older facility, it’s in overall great shape with recent renovations.
The staff here is very friendly and someone at the front desk is always smiling when they greet you. The training staff and the class instructors are great as well. My favorite class by far is the Boxing & Abs class. Other great classes include Yoga, Pilates, and Spin.
The Downtown location is extremely convenient for me, being right across from my office. I ride transit to work so I don’t use the parking but they have cheap underground parking. There are also two bike racks which come in handy for that occasional time where I ride my bike to work. I am on a corporate plan so I am not familiar with their specific pricing but the rates tend to be a tad higher than average. However all around, one of the best gyms I’ve ever worked out at. Definitely worth trying out if you’ve ever considered joining.

Well, its still convenient, and the update is still nice, and the pool is the same as ever, but the place just isn’t the same without the lifeguard Diante. The music is not as cool, and it just isn’t the same without him. He was just this cool, hip, smart, geeky young lifeguard, and so friendly. When I walked up to the pool I felt like Norm in Cheers. If Diante was there I would hear my name yelled loudly for all to hear. I don’t blame the Y, but there’s just some people you can’t replace.

This family-​friendly community institution’s amenities include universal membership valid for any Y in town; an Olympic-​sized indoor pool with classes six days a week; excellent cardio and strength instructors leading group exercise morning, noon and night; indoor and rooftop running tracks; free childwatch; and whirlpool, sauna and steam rooms in the locker rooms (to name a few). No matter your level of fitness or how out-​of-​shape you feel, the caring, friendly staff will help you lead a healthier lifestyle. League sports include kickball at the nearby Main Street Garden park.

I’ve been a member here for a year and a half now. I have had memberships @ Bally’s & @ 24 Hour Fitness in the past. The dressing room is spacious & I’ve never had a problem getting a locker when I needed one. I haven’t tried the sauna in there yet, & probably won’t. Rod is one of the trainers there. His advice is helpful, & he’s nice. The only reason I didn’t give this place 5 stars is because they don’t have the thingy… what’s it called… that thing… the one you sit on & rotate your seat all the way to each side… the thing that works your side abs out. Anyway, Bally’s & 24 Hour had one. I miss that thingy.

Services are top notch! Staff is curtious and there never seems to be a crowd even in the early mornings! Little pricy but worth it.

I’ve only been once so I won’t write a novel, but this place ROCKS! Went to check it out on a free pass and took a yoga class. The place is new, clean and gorgeous! Can’t wait to join!
The yoga class was perfect for a Saturday morning. Very chill, not overly crowded and the teacher was very laid back. I recommend to anyone to lives downtown, especially if you can walk! Not sure what the parking situation is for members, but I don’t remember seeing a special lot. There is a café though, for that perfect post-​cardio snack!

I have been a member of The YMCA Downtown for over two years and it has been the epicenter of my journey back to fitness.
The staff is very friendly and always helpful. The facility is huge (4 floors and a mezzanine or two) and can accommodate several hundred people at a time (no waiting on equipment). There is an indoor Olympic pool, roof-​top track, several basketball, squash and racket ball courts, steam sauna, dry sauna, whirlpool and many rooms featuring a host of group classes. There is also a large and well-​equipped free-​weight section.
It has also two of THE BEST SPIN TEACHERS IN DALLAS (no, make that THE WORLD) — Michelle (12:00 Tuesday) and Dinah (12:00 Thursday). I have taken spin classes in several gyms in Dallas, the US and a few in other countries and they are the best in the biz.
It is also the best place to go in Dallas for a non-​pretentious gym experience. People running the gamut of age, ability and fitness levels workout here and it is free of the meat-​market vibe. (Hey, sometimes you just want to workout.)
Also, a big shout-​out to the PowerHouse Deli located on the first floor. A post-​workout chicken wrap really hits the spot after spin class! (I hear that one of the ingredients is magic.)
The family membership is $ 97 per month with no contract. But this also gives you full access to all Y’s in the city (including Park Cities Y), free childcare and access to the Y kids’ sports programs so I see this as more of a positive.
Negatives:
— The building is aging and some of the machines (although well maintained) could use an update. However, a massive multimillion dollar renovation (thank you T. Boone Pickens!) is set to begin in February 2009. Once completed the Y is going to be a world-​class facility and will probably outshine all of the other fitness clubs in Dallas.
— Too much chlorine in the men’s whirlpool. I’m sure it’s necessary, but if lighting were to strike it, we might be able to witness the evolutionary process that created life on Earth. Great for science, bad for the nostrils.
— Are showers with curtains too much to ask for? I like looking at naked people as much as the next guy, but a little privacy please. (I hear this is not the case in the women’s changing room.)
I am giving it three stars today but that will probably go four-​five after the renovation.

Now I don’t know about the rest of you, but I spent puberty getting pummeled in dodge ball and skipping showers in gym because I was a «late bloomer;» exercise was uncharted territory for me. Because of this, I knew that I couldn’t go to any gym in uptown — I hated all the windows and how everyone that was a member seemed to already be in great shape. Plus, the unacceptable douche factor.
Then I found the Y in downtown.
For those of you who are a little self-​conscious and aren’t ready for strangers to eye all of your juicy bits, I HIGHLY recommend the Y. There are lots of old, out-​of-​shape people that make you feel like you’re a young pup with an eating disorder from the moment you walk in.
The Y is a great place to learn how to lift weights or how to use a treadmill if you’ve never used one. The Y is a fantastic place to take a group yoga class for the first time. The Y is a wonderful facility to sign up for league sports, and if you’re an experienced health nut, the Y is a great place to come if you’re dedicated to your workout and don’t like distractions.
The Y is NOT a good place to meet chicks or dudes.
They don’t have stupid gimmicks like coed steam rooms or coed masseuses or any of that other shit that attracts lame, insecure douches who need to be around attractive people of the opposite (same) sex at all times to feel validated. Even as a modern, liberal male I find that concept to be inappropriate at a gym. Basically half the guys that join secretly hope that their workout will somehow lead to a steamy sexual encounter with a stranger. That’s right, tonight will be the night you can finally WRITE a penthouse letter instead of just READ one! Sorry, but your life is not like late-​night programming on Cinemax, no matter how much your actual lame, real-​life dialogue resembles one of their scripts.
At the Y, the staff is sweet and friendly, and after joining, they will know you by name in a matter of days. When I first visited the Y, they gave me a tour of the gym and showed me how to use some of the equipment. They thanked me for coming and said they hoped I’d join. They never hassled me after that — UNLIKE 24 hour fitness, the Texas Première Club or Gold’s Gym, where «Brad» from their «motivation team» would call me relentlessly once a day for two weeks and leave me really inappropriate messages:
«Hey broseph! It’s ya boy Brad from Gold’s! What’s up?! You catch the game last night? GO MAVS WOO! Anyway, I was thinking why don’t we get your flabby ass in here and shed some of those chicken wings you ate last night! I’ll give you a free personal sesh — just you and me and the treadmill, bro! OH YEAH! I’m tellin’ ya, lots of hotties in here today — you’ll wanna get you a piece! See ya at 5:30?»
Yeah… I don’t know who responds to people like that. Not me.
The Y boasts a large, uncrowded weight and cardio room, an olympic sized swimming pool, 4 full length basketball courts, over a dozen racquetball courts, an indoor and outdoor (rooftop) track, multiple exercise classrooms, saunas and jacuzzis, trainers and lots of nice, real people. It is probably the best equipped gym in the metroplex — bar none.
I came here three years ago at 195 lbs and with no clue where to begin. Now, I’m 165, in the best shape of my life and I’ll never switch to another gym. I’m glad I don’t see a whole lot of new faces there. I feel like I’m part of a little-​known secret club that has yet to be infiltrated!
The only downside is that membership is expensive — $ 64/​month/​person. I split a family membership with my brother and fiancée and pay $ 105 a month, which is a much better deal. Also — parking is basically 75 cents an hour.
BOTTOM LINE
I love the Y and if you honestly just want to go to a great, comfortable, no-​hassle gym, you will love it too. A little pricey, but if you go 5 days a week like I do, you’ll get your money’s worth.