ORIGINAL MONDAY REPORT: It’s the next best thing to adding an hour to your day … adding an hour of accessibility to services and facilities that help make your life better. The West Seattle and Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) locations recently started opening at 5 am, and want to be sure everyone in the community hears about that. We asked branch executive Cleveland King to explain what the earlier opening time enables:
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Opening at 5:00 am allows us to better serve a wider range of members whose schedules don’t align with a later start time. Many of our members rely on early-morning access to fit in wellness before work, school drop-offs, or family responsibilities begin. A 5:00 am opening provides uninterrupted time for workouts, swimming, and programming, helping members build consistent routines without feeling rushed.

From a programming standpoint, the earlier opening supports structured aquatic offerings — such as Masters Swim — by allowing adequate warm-up, instruction, and swim time while still accommodating lap swimmers and other early-morning users. This flexibility reduces congestion, improves the member experience, and creates a calmer, more welcoming environment during peak hours.

Additionally, opening earlier reinforces the Y’s mission of accessibility and community support. It signals that we recognize and respect the diverse schedules of our members, including shift workers, parents, and professionals who need to complete their workout before the traditional workday begins.

The Fauntleroy YMCA is at 9140 California SW; the West Seattle YMCA is in The Triangle at 3622 SW Snoqualmie. Find their activity schedules here. This is the Y’s 150th anniversary year.

UPDATE: The Y clarifies, after readers said the Fauntleroy Y staff reported they are NOT opening earlier, that this is for the main West Seattle YMCA only.