Lakewood YMCA
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Lakewood YMCA presents a mixed but generally promising picture for families, particularly highlighting excellent on-site childcare and a clean, well-maintained environment. Parents seeking engaging supervision for younger children while they utilize gym facilities or considering programs that mirror the childcare experience will find strong value. However, significant concerns arise regarding the professionalism of staff within the Athletic Department, which could be a critical factor for families looking into sports-focused summer camps or youth leagues. Parking is consistently noted as highly limited.
Key Highlights
- ✓Childcare staff is exceptionally praised for being 'so great' with kids, energetic, excited, and providing 'fun activities' to keep children busy and entertained.
- ✓General staff, including front desk and gym personnel, are consistently described as very friendly, helpful, and welcoming.
- ✓The facility maintains high standards of cleanliness and organization across the gym, locker rooms, sauna, and steam room.
- ✓Non-member day passes are readily available and the process for obtaining one is noted as easy and efficient.
- ✓Offers a good selection of fitness classes for adults.
Standout Features
- ⭐High-quality, engaging childcare that actively keeps children busy and entertained with fun activities.
- ⭐A very friendly and helpful general staff creates a welcoming atmosphere.
- ⭐Consistently clean and well-organized facilities, including pleasant locker rooms and relaxing sauna/steam rooms for adults.
- ⭐Availability of a non-member day pass for flexible access.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →If considering enrollment in any sports-related summer camp or youth league, parents should specifically inquire about the training, supervision, and professionalism of the athletic program staff/coaches/referees.
- →Plan your visit with parking in mind; arrive during off-peak hours or be prepared for limited options, as the lot is small.
- →Parents with younger children can confidently utilize the on-site childcare, which is a standout feature.
- →Utilize a non-member day pass to personally assess the facility and observe specific programs (if possible) before committing to a membership, especially if a specific program or camp is your primary interest.
Things to Consider
- ⚠The Athletic Department staff (specifically referees for soccer games) exhibited severe unprofessionalism, including being 'constantly on their phones,' 'rolled their eyes, shrugged, even laughed' at parents, and one ref 'walked out in the middle of the game to go sit in the shade.'
- ⚠Parking is a significant challenge; one review states it 'accommodates about four people,' while another acknowledges it's 'somewhat limited' but they only 'once had a problem finding parking.'
- ⚠The facility is described as smaller with 'limited equipment,' specifically noting 'only one of each piece of weightlifting equipment,' which might indicate overall resource constraints for various programs.
Price & Value
Specific pricing for summer camps or other child programs is not detailed. A 'non-member day pass' is mentioned, implying flexibility. The high quality of childcare described suggests excellent value for parents utilizing that service. However, the documented issues with Athletic Department staff could diminish value significantly if a poor experience in a sports program is encountered.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •No specific information regarding accessibility accommodations for special needs was mentioned in the reviews.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •No information regarding outside food, internal food sales, or specific food policies was provided in the reviews.
🚗Parking Info
- •Highly limited parking; one reviewer states it 'accommodates about four people.' Another reviewer, while acknowledging the limitation, only 'once had a problem finding parking,' suggesting it's consistently tight but not always impossible to find a spot.
- •It is advisable to plan for potential difficulty finding a parking spot, especially during busy times.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Can get 'very busy' during 'certain evening hours,' potentially impacting parking and the general gym experience.
- •No specific information about crowd levels during daytime, morning, or children's program hours.
🛡️Safety Features
- •No specific safety features (e.g., controlled access, staff-to-child ratios, first aid stations, security measures) were explicitly mentioned in the reviews, beyond the general cleanliness and helpfulness of general staff.
⏰When to Avoid
- • Enrolling children in organized athletic programs (like soccer leagues) without thoroughly vetting the staff professionalism and supervision, given the serious complaints about referee conduct.
- • Visiting during peak 'certain evening hours' if limited parking or crowded gym facilities are major deterrents.
- • If your family requires extensive or diverse specialized sports equipment, as the facility is noted for having limited options.
Pricing/Package/Events
🛡️Safety Policy
- • Safety of children and adults in YMCA care is taken very seriously.
📅Booking Policy
- • Program registration available online.
- • Changes to Day Camp or Track Out Camp weeks can be made via an online form.
- • Updated Permissions and Policies apply to all programs and memberships.
What People Say
What's Great
- Clean and well-maintained facilities (mentioned in 3 reviews)
- Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 12 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 6 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Nick Principe
a month agoVisiting from out of town and couldn’t find parking at the downtown y so I came to Lakewood. Super helpful and nice clerk at the front desk got me all setup for a non-member day pass while also taking care of other folks coming in. Really made the process easy and took time to answer my questions. It’s a smaller facility but the equipment was in good condition and well organized. I got a good workout, got to enjoy the sauna and steam room, and then take a shower. Nice locker room and setup!
Zach Sunderland
7 years agoThis would definitely be a five star review if it weren’t for the parking and for limited equipment. This facility is clean and well organized, the staff is friendly and helpful, and people that workout here are somewhat reasonable. Parking accommodates about four people and there is only one of each piece of weightlifting equipment
Jessica Masterson
a month agoSo disappointed in their Athletic Department. We went for a soccer game and the Refs were constantly on their phones, rolled their eyes, shrugged, even laughed at us when we asked them to pay attention to the game. One ref walked out in the middle of the game to go sit in the shade. Even the parents of home team came over to apologize and said their Refs are always that disengaged and rude. Very sad, and not the type of Values YMCA Employees should be exhibiting.
Emily Kay
7 years agoGreat gym at a great location!! Very nice and always clean. Great selection of fitness classes. Everyone that works here is very friendly. I have a little one and use childcare and they are so great with my kid. They are always energetic and excited to see my kid and have fun activities for him to keep him busy and entertained. One thing to note is they have somewhat limited parking (though I’ve only once had a problem finding parking, just something to keep in mind) and that there are certain evening hours where it is very busy.
Terra Booker
a month agoFriendly and clean. Great sauna and steam room.