Hazard Center YMCA

Small gym with hardly any free weights. $ 10 for a day pass. I feel like I got swindled. Average age of the people was about 70. So if your 70, then this gym has what you need.

I love the quiet in this gym. No crazy loud people. No loud music. Never busy when I’ve been there. Small and cozy, mostly older crowd so I don’t feel so self-​conscious about my weight, my gym clothes, panting at 2 miles/​hr on the treadmill, lol!
I love their designated 90 min limited parking spots. Always easy parking in the garage. Great central location in the Hazard Center off Friars Road near the 163 and 8 freeways.
I wish I had time to go every day.

I’ve tried this YMCA a couple times. It pretty alright, definitely smaller than other locations I’ve checked out (Toby, Mission Valley, Downtown, La Jolla). Relatively convenient area — right in Hazard so you can get lots of things done — shopping, movies, food, plus its literally across the street from the Hazard Center trolley. The crowd here tends to usually be on the older side, which is fine. Machines aren’t as updated as other locations. There has never been a wait for machines when I went. Locker rooms are alright, nothing too special but hey its just a locker room. I’d definitely suggest checking it out if you just want/​need a small, relatively basic gym or if you are in the older crowd and don’t care for the young or super intense exercisers, lol.

I recently joined the YMCA and got the «plus» option so I can use all facilities… but I think I’ll end up going to this one most of the time because of not only the central location but also the large selection of mind/​body classes.
My favorite classes are the restorative/​meditative yoga classes taught by Marguerite Baca. She is a gifted instructor and such a kind & gentle soul as well. Plus, she has a great sense of humor. :)
I look forward to trying various locations but in the meantime I can be happy just with Hazard Center. Yay!

This gym is tiny. It has treadmills, stairclimbers, elliptical machines, bike machines, weights, two rooms for classes, and a set of locker rooms. It’s mostly an elder crowd that comes here to workout. The best thing about this gym is that it is never packed so there is no wait time to use any of the equipment.

I Love this GYM, it’s a small place but very relaxing and it has everything you need for a good work out. It’s not a loud GYM and most of the members are older than 40. They have clean restrooms.

Small location, but great for a workout where chances are very few people will be around. Great classes — mostly yoga. Big down side: no kid’s place.

Henry Cheng is an excellent teacher. Watching Henry, a master teacher is motivating. Tai chi is good for balance and joint health. An extra benefit is hearing about Chinese culture and language.

I just love all of the YMCA locations. I’ve been members at other «big» gyms, and have never found something I like as well as the Y. For me, Hazard Center is where I go when I want a mellower experience. They have all of the same equipment — just on a smaller scale. It’s usually not very crowded, so you can hop right on whichever machine you want to use. The large majority of the classes are centered around «Mind/​Body» — so there’s a very large selection of Yoga, Pilates, and Stretch-​type classes. The staff is extremely helpful and quick to answer any questions about the equipment — and seem to really care about the people who come in.

I only go to this YMCA because I work right in this plaza. It’s convenient for me, and luckily this one is never crowded.
I think it’s because the machines aren’t as up to date compared to the other locations. And the bathroom is so disgusting at times!
Please maintain your bathrooms! I found a used pad on a toilet seat.
GROSSSSS

3.5 stars, but I’ll round up since I love the Y in general. Not bad, though definitely not my favorite Y location. This place is teeny, and kind of hard to find (at least if you’re like me!) I took a Mat Pilates class here that was pretty bootcamp-​style. It was actually kind of hilarious. I prefer the more relaxing classes (if I’m going to do something like Pilates or yoga), but whatever. It was also pretty darn warm in the room, even before we began exercising! I definitely feel like I got a workout! My husband said the machine area part of the gym was adequate. We probably won’t frequent this location, but it’s nice to know it’s around!
It goes like this:
Friars
Toby Wells
Hazard
I haven’t tried the Downtown location yet…
Check it out! But I highly recommend the Friars location over this one (or even Toby Wells, but it’s kind of out of the way…)

I love watching old people exercise. It excites me. It makes me smile. It gives me hope. It creates a purple light that only some people can see.
With that all said, I only come here if I want to do cardio or see old people do cardio. The Viejas bus must drop people off here because I’m often the youngest person here by 30 years.
If you just want cardio, come to this Y; if you want weights, go 5 minutes farther down the road to Mission Valley.

Wow — — this gym must be one of San Diego’s best-​kept secrets… I had been yoga-​studio-​hopping for some time, taking advantage of the «one week free» offers, but I was hesitant to pay over $ 100/​month for yoga. I belong to 24 Hour Fitness where yoga classes are scarce and I can’t always make them, so I wasn’t sure what to do.
Lo and behold — — the Hazard Center Y, for half the price, has a full-​fledged studio with classes offered all day. Plus, you get the benefit of a locker room and state-​of-​the-​art cardio equipment, each crowned with its own TV and iPod hook-​up. The first yoga class I took (today) was great — — just as good as all the others I’ve taken — — but with a more diverse make-​up of students, including more middle-​aged and elderly yogis. I liked this a lot. Overall, the gym and class felt less «gym-​y» and more community-​center-​y, and this was refreshing and more comfortable to me.
I say check it out, for sure!

The foot people have left! (Or at least haven’t been washing their feet in the sinks here lately) The gym’s way too crowded with January people with New Year’s Resolutions, but come March it’ll be mine all mine again. Can’t wait!

The San Diego YMCA’s are so awesome… tell me why every staff member there is super friendly, the yoga classes are great, and you just feel fresh when you leave from the Y. its not like a sleezy gym like some of the others in San Diego, you just go, exchange smiles and work out… its amazing!
I so recommend going to Banu’s Yoga on Saturdays… it will change your life!!!
Love the Y’s! All of them are great, be it downtown, mission valley, or hazard… and they always have events going on!
Something you can’t miss out on and it gets you involved with your local community and city… ;-)