Prospect Park YMCA — Local services in New York

I really didn’t want to have to write this review, but just want to warn anyone who may feel intimidated in a male dominated weight room to stay away from this facility. Please do find a gym that fits your needs, you’ll feel great, and this place is the exception (which is incredibly disappointing for a facility that touts “family values”), not the rule! but I would hate for you to have an experience similar to mine.

I was in the weight room as the only female of probably 10 men. I was doing a super set and using 2 sets of dumbbells (as were others in the room). A man came up to me and told me I couldn’t have 2 sets of dumbbells and he was going to take one set. I told him I was actually using them as a super set. (He at no point asked to “work in” otherwise I would have let him). He started becoming hostile and said “I am taking a pair, tell me which ones I can take”. He then invaded my space to take a set, I stepped back, flustered and intimated (I am not a fit or strong woman). I then waited for him to finish, he used them for about 10 minutes when another kind soul tried to stand up for me and told him what he did was ridiculous and bullying. The man got very aggressive and threatened this member who was trying to help. It was very intense, a lot of shouting and pretty upsetting. I went to tell the front desk and showed a photo. They were not surprised by the man I showed them and admitted they had been having problems with him prior to this. They tried to send security down but he had fled. They escalated the issue and the higher ups at the gym said that they would conduct an investigation. This investigation took 1.5 weeks and culminated in them aggreeing that the behavior from this man was despicable and should have never happened, but because he didn’t physically assault me they were not going to do anything and he would remain a member.

Naturally I cancelled my membership. I’d be terrified if our paths crossed again, but it also demonstrated clearly that management would rather do anything to avoid rocking the boat than do the right thing. You would have a swifter resolution and actual consequences for this behavior in any other kind of facility, from a mom and pop gym to a big box chain. It was suprising and especially disappointing to me as the Y is supposed to be one of the safer places for the community, but they cannot seem to understand that intimidation and bullying should be dealt with (unless of course someone has thrown a punch!)

For the beefy men out there, this may be a good fit, but keep in mind the minimum age to use the gym is 12 or 13 so it is full of high schoolers from about 4-6:30 on weekdays.

The two stars are for the front desk staff that were so kind to me when I was upset and assured me that the issue was with the man and not myself when I really needed that support. I really genuinely appreciate you guys and how wonderful you...

This facility seems to be poorly managed overall. Firstly, as several other reviewers have pointed out, the weight room sometimes resembles a high school gym. It can get quite chaotic during peak hours, with teenagers noisily using the weights, flexing in front of mirrors, and overcrowding the space. Given the limited room in the weight area, it might be worth reevaluating the allocation of space between the cardio section (which often has ample room) and the weight room. The cramped quarters have even led to altercations, with some individuals displaying entitled behavior, such as outright taking weights from others. I've personally witnessed such incidents, and it's disappointing that these issues persist despite multiple complaints from members. It makes you wonder how influential some individuals must be to avoid consequences.

The locker rooms leave much to be desired in terms of maintenance. Day lockers often serve as personal storage spaces for many patrons, leaving few available for daily use. I believe only the smaller lockers are meant to be rented annually, not the daily lockers. The sauna doesn't reach the desired temperature, and the showers feel exposed due to the lack of functioning curtains.

Lastly, the primary reason for my gym membership was access to the pool. Unfortunately, even this area seems to suffer from poor management. The posted rules suggest circle swimming, but many patrons don't adhere to this practice, causing frustration when asked to enter and circle. The lifeguards, while understanding their role may be limited, do not actively enforce these rules, which can lead to further confusion. The core issue, however, lies with the pool manager, who fails to regulate lane speeds effectively. The lane speed signs are inconveniently placed, and it often becomes a free-for-all in the pool. Swimmers in the medium lane can be too slow, and there are no signs providing guidance on how to allow others to pass.

In summary, I am a member of this gym because it fits my budget and offers the facilities I need, which is quite rare in New York City. I genuinely hope that this honest review reaches the general manager or the person in charge so they can work on addressing these issues. The staff is welcoming and kind, but the lack of proper structure makes the workout environment...

Some thoughts for other queer, trans, or non-binary folks: place is clean and there are staff around. Bathrooms: gendered. There are "family" bathrooms in the basement and on the ground floor that are single stall but are a bit cumbersome to get to if you have to go to the bathroom and you're doing cardio on the second floor. I think there is some signage about using the bathroom you feel most comfortable using. There are stalls in the bathrooms just for changing and plenty of lockers. There are saunas (and steam rooms) but they exist in the "male" and "female" bathrooms/changing rooms. I've been to other places where a sauna has been in a more equitable and accessible space that was open to any body and it worked just fine (and meant folks were in bathing suits or their workout clothes) -- you won't find this here (yet?? please y!). Otherwise, if you're into lifting weights, the free weight room is a bit small and packed (you'll probably have to wait a bit to do weighted back squats) and between the hours of 4:30-7:30 it's mostly a high school club room (with little oversight from staff) but it does have all the basics covered. If you happen to be there when the high school guys are be prepared for spontaneous wrestling matches or basketball passing in the weight room. I haven't seen a staff member intervene once when this happens which would be nice since the space is so small and it's a bit dangerous with all the weights and people packed in. Solid gym option in the neighborhood. Edited because some of the friendly staff are gone(?) and just a heads up that there seems to be no oversight when the weight room gets rowdy although a member of staff is usually present. The weight room is really small and wish there a dedicated corner for barbells with a deadlift platform or...