Oak Square YMCA — Attraction in Boston

Went here very recently to see what type of facility it was as it relates to overall suitability for training. The young college-age gentleman at the front desk did not acknowledge me due to his face being glued to his iPhone. I waited about 30 seconds before I asked him for some assistance. He was helpful and courteous. This facility is very well equipped. It has a nice lap pool, basketball courts and plenty of free weights and cardio equipment for everyone to enjoy! The locker room is large and has plenty of space for the guys to put their belongings. The only issue that I had was that the upstairs cardio area was very, very warm and it smelled like sweat. It was disgusting. If anyone was carrying a virus or bacterium, it is likely that many people would have been exposed to any virulent spores. That is not a situation that anyone would want to be in. I don't know if management will read this but, if they do, I hope they turn the thermostat down to 60° Fahrenheit at least 8 hours PRIOR to the peak times so that the cardio area is not so hot and humid when it gets crowded. On another note: management should be vigilant about older men who wear entirely inappropriate shorts and tank tops during their workout. I noticed an older gentleman (same guy) working out on the machines and sweating profusely. He failed to wipe down two machines that I saw him working out on! It was repulsive. Indeed, people must have respect for those who want to use the machines after them, so it is good manners and good hygiene to wipe down the machines after each use. I have a couple of day passes that I and my partner will use this week. Maybe I will ask the management team about the possibility of lowering the thermostat to 60° Fahrenheit 8 hours PRIOR to the cardio area becoming busy. If they are able to do that, then, I and my family will join. The YMCA is, overall, a fabulous place to train both for individuals as well as families. Thank you very...

Swimming pool closed on and off for the better part of the last year due to maintenance. Half of the time the water is green from a malfunctioning water cleaning equipment and the pool has to close due to bacteria. The other half it's the HVAC equipment. The lockers were closed for weeks to replace them. Now the pool will be closed for a month for more repairs.

Classes are cancelled regularly due to this and only credit towards the purchase of another class is offered (and only when requested!!!). I want CASH, not credit because I do not want to come back. I was told this is not possible.

Very little family time available in the schedule and regularly canceled last minute without warning after you make the drive because of missing staff.

The lockers are FREEZING and the pool area is a SAUNA. Horrible experience going into the lockers after a swim.

Also the family lockers are clearly marked as for families ONLY, yet men are coming alone to change there and management doesn't enforce anything. But if you use the regular lockers as a family you get yelled at.

I decided not to renew my subscription and will be...

It’s a perfectly nice YMCA, but one of the reasons our family joined was access to an indoor pool. Family swim times are limited and there are just too many members at this location to accommodate everyone in the therapy pool. Except once, every time I’ve taken my son swimming, we either had to wait or were told to leave because pool was at capacity and there was a line already waiting to use the pool. There’s really nothing the staff can do if the building is too small, but some info about other YMCA swimming options would be helpful, or post signs so you don’t get in, get changed and only find out when you enter the pool area. I would understand better if it was a public pool or this was an infrequent issue, but it’s frustrating to pay $100/month only to be told almost every time that you can’t use an amenity you’re paying for. We’re going to end up switching to a larger branch even though it’s much further out. If taking your kids to the pool is important to you, I highly recommend joining a...