West Seattle YMCA

[lonelycrow]

I can’t believe how dirty that place is. Do they have janitors that up keep the place?(especially men’s locker room) I had a guest pass and will say I won’t be a member. Everything looks at least 40 years old or what high school it resembles.

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[shihtzu]

I know. I am considering joining. I love the people there and their child-related things are fabulous. However…I’m having a hard time justifying the cost of a membership and one reason is their aging facilities. Don’t get me started on the parking :)

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[goodgraces]

Agree wholeheartedly. For the sake of all the great family programs there I SO wish I could look past the dirty building, the dark (no natural light) rat-maze-like interior, and the horrendous parking situation. But I can’t. I’ve tried. There’s just bad feng shui there, for some reason. The people are great, but the facility really has poor energy.

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[mrhineh]

I find it only as dirty as the people who abuse it, leaving their towels and other crap thrown about. It’s a gym and I accept it as that. If I need shui, there are other “fengs” out there. I go to work out, not grasp energy. If thats not your goal, then its a fine place. It has its flaws but until someone does a better job with youth programs and a nice staff, I’m happy.

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[Seattle SEO]

I agree with the above post. Sometimes we have to just accept what we have because it is better than not having anything. I’m sure the staff that work their would like to see a better place as well, but there just isn’t any money, but I applaud them for hanging around and that the kids at least somewhere to hang out instead of the streets.

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[goodgraces]

I wish people would learn to respectfully disagree, as opposed to mocking someone else’s words. On the other hand, mrhineh, thanks for proving my point about the bad energy there. Must come from (at least a few of) those who frequent the place.

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[jamminj]

we really wanted to like the Y, but just couldn’t get past how poorly kept their facilities were. If their pricing matched the shape of the facility I wouldn’t mind, but I guess what they charged didn’t seem to match up what they were offering.

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[WSB]

Since the Y has been a longtime sponsor of WSB, we have had the opportunity to learn more about it behind-the-scenes. I hope that if you explored membership you provided feedback that you might reconsider if different conditions existed with the facilities. Also, note that the West Seattle Y also includes the Fauntleroy facility – if you haven’t checked that out. Last but not least, while I don’t believe there’s anything certain, we have in the past reported the Y talking with developers of nearby properties about partnerships. So if you’ve decided against them now, you might want to be checking back somewhere down the line.

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[angelescrest]

Y’s do have their own vibes. We started in San Diego Mission Valley (bright/cheerful/new), segued into La Canada’s (yeah, the place on fire in CA–weird atmosphere, kind of Stepford-like), then the now-closed Vashon Y (small, welcoming, community-like), to Fauntleroy (zen location) to the West Seattle Y, which really does have all the goods but the facilities are dated. When working out, I don’t go for social hour, and my feeling is that’s the same for most people, but the childcare is such a plus–I’ve used it for years. My teens would be there daily if it were a bit closer. There is something fundamentally different about belonging to a Y–it supports the community and is never just a “fitness club”. If you haven’t tried the Fauntleroy Y, I would suggest trying it out for a completely different ambiance/feng shui.

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[cathyw]

I love the West Seattle YMCA and use it at least 5 days per week. I have found the women’s locker room and common facilities to be clean and well maintained. YMCA staff are regularly present in the locker room checking for occasional litter and dirty towels as needed. If there is ever a special problem in the locker room, staff are more than happy to take care of it right away. Whether or not the facilities are “dated” they are more than suitable for my needs. I love the sense of community and diversity in the Y membership. Young and old, all ethnic groups are respected and welcomed. The staff is personal and friendly. There was a time when I saw greener pastures and switched to another modern club. The personal warmth, caring and friendliness were just not there. I decided that “fancy” wasn’t what I was looking for. I moved back to the Y.

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[anatidaephobia]

Funny, my husband and I each grew up using our local Y’s as kids, and when we walked through the WS YMCA, we both remarked how much better this one was than the ones from our memory. It offers a lot more. Strangely enough, the fluorescent lights, industrial floor tiles, and chlorine smell in the bathrooms are comforting somehow. Brings back childhood. The raquetball courts are VERY dated, and just add to our nostalgia.

I definitely think our WS YMCA is priced for families that plan to use it frequently. It’s perfect for families with small children. There isn’t a business out there than can compare with kid-friendly offerings. For families, it doesn’t have to be posh. It’s clean and friendly enough. People exercising there are either participating in games, like basketball, or working out to sweat and get it over with. No one is concerned how the people look or what they wear, and this same attitude is extended to the facility itself.

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[Jiggers]

If you have kids, then you’re used to a lot mess and dirtiness. I don’t have kids and I want a cleaner place for my money and can afford a better gym membership so I don’t go their.

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[Bonnie]

I go to the Y about 5 days a week or so and have not found it disgusting or dirty. I have seen people leave wet towels around, is that really the Y’s fault that the people who go there are lazy? I actually like it a lot. Those who don’t like it can always go somewhere else.

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[Josh Sutton]

Hi All,

I’m the director of the Y, a frequent reader of WSB and (sometimes) poster in Forums. Thanks to all of you for your comments. We appreciate direct feedback, and take the postings here as such.

Lonelycrow (and a few others), I am sorry that we did not meet your expectations for facilities and upkeep.

Just so you know, we clean our facilities each night after closure, daytime cleaning staff revamp between noon and 4pm, and building staff do daily walkthroughs and upkeep. We will continue to look at how we can improve at this. I use the WS facility myself and often have to pick up a few straggling towels along the way.

It’s true both of our buildings are not as new as others in the area (Fauntleroy Y is 1920’s w/a 1950 update, WS Y is 1984). We try hard to compensate by regularly investing in the facilities & equipment.

During the 4th of July weekend, we closed the West Seattle Y for our annual refinish of all wood floors, regrouting in the locker rooms and carpet cleaning in the Cardio Room. Late this year we will do our annual pool maintenance, draining the pool, regrouting, tile work. Fauntleroy just got painted last year, and will have more improvements with the Church’s remodel coming this fall. Each year we add or replace approximately 1/5th of our fitness equipment.

Our Board of Managers and leadership staff continue to work with our neighbors on the issues of parking and additional facilities at the WS Y. It’s a tough nut to crack, but we hope to find some good solutions.

We also contract a survey of our members each year. Despite our older buildings, I am pleased to report members responses put our West Seattle & Fauntleroy Y (service, value, programs, staff, positive community impact and relationships) in the top 15% of YMCA’s throughout the country. Our only area of low scores was (not surprisingly) facilities.

Lastly, a plug (not sure if I’m breaking the 3 rules? if so, please delete). Your Y membership is good at all YMCAs in King County. We are opening a brand new facility in Highline in two weeks. We opened a beautiful branch in Coal Creek last month, and 11 months ago a new one in Shoreline. Many of our members work downtown and use that facility, as well.

For those that may require support with the cost of a membership or our Y programs, we offer financial assistance. You can inquire at the front desk.

Should you have further suggestions, concerns or ideas about our Y, I can read them here or you can reach me directly at the Y. My email can be found at westseattleymca.org, look under Contact Us.

Josh

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[Valerie]

The YMCA has a lot of really awesome fitness instructors. My favorite classes are Zumba and Nia. These are so much fun! Yoga too. Actually all the classes I’ve taken there are fun and the instructors always make you feel welcome and cared for, whatever your level. Thank you YMCA instructors and staff.

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