YMCA of Greater Boston - Huntington Ave — Attraction in Boston

I think a lot of these 5 star reviews without any comments are bogus. I would think twice about joining this YMCA, especially right now. It was once a stellar facility for the community and was managed well. The management has deteriorated over the years and began a collapse when in 2014 the Y and city allowed Northeastern to take over the old facility for dorms and they replaced it with this shinier but inferior substitute.

2021: Place has become nothing but an overflow gym for Northeastern. Why am I going to pay the Y $60 month for a gym that college students get cheaper and then literally take over? And they are students who attend the most expensive colleges in one of the most expensive cities in the nation, so let them pay full price or use their own gyms.

Edit 10/7/21: If you are looking for a high school gym this is the place for you. The place is now home each night to mobs of high school aged teens and college students who literally take over the fitness center. Not sure how or why this is the case, but it's not a great place for adults who seek an adult atmosphere, that is unless high school and college students who like to look at their phones as they hoard equipment is your thing! Nearly zero gym etiquette...

Most YMCA facilities close as they indicate in the official hours. This one does not. The manager told me that they close early 15 min because the building’s alarm goes off at 11 pm (official closing hour). Then why don’t they just adjust the closing hour to 10:45 pm instead? This weird practice just creates confusion and frustration for members. He confronted me with a frustrated voice even though I did not leave the building after 11 pm. I did nothing wrong and just followed the hours like other facilities. The front-desk man, an African American man wearing glasses, asked me to leave at 10:40 pm today. This same guy was staring at me the whole time in the men's room when I collected my stuff to leave. I got so intimidated that I rushed myself to leave when there were 10 minutes until the closing time. Isn’t it a kind of micro-aggression? They have cameras around the building so they can fact-check what I wrote here. It’s the third incident at this facility so I have to leave this review. It is not that hard to be transparent about closing hours and treat members respectfully. The staff’s behaviors should uphold the YMCA’s...

I've been going here for a few years. I really like the Y as an organization, but it's pretty obvious that this location needs to do a better job. The facilities are generally really nice, most of what you could ask for in a modern gym. But management needs to pay attention to upkeep and security. Something that I have mentioned to staff many times - The basketball courts: The floor needs to be cleaned and resurfaced more regularly, it is dangerously slippery for playing basketball, especially compared with other Ys in the area, like Oak Square, which keeps the court in excellent condition. To boot, several rims are tilted and have need adjustment for years now. Also, despite policy, people come in and throw their backpacks and clothes everywhere around the gym. There are rarely any basketballs to borrow or basic amenities like a working pump at the front desk. Belongings are frequently stolen (mine have been, and by accounts, others have been too) and accountability...