YMCA of the East Valley — Local services in Redlands

A mixed experience at the YMCA of the East Valley: Having been a member for about three years, I’ve come to appreciate some aspects while finding others frustrating. On the positive side, YMCAs generally offer a more reliable and ethical membership experience than many private gyms, which are notorious for confusing contracts and cancellation issues. All the branches have friendly and welcoming front-desk staff who do their best to create a positive first impression.

However, the organization’s leadership is clearly focused on child and pre-teen programs, which seem to be its main profit center. Adult programming and facilities often feel like an afterthought. It’s good to see they’ve finally introduced a membership option for 18–24-year-olds, which had been a surprising omission for many years.

One major issue is the pool and locker room access. The facility maintains separate locker rooms for adults and for youth, but the adult locker rooms are still closed during pre-teen swim sessions. Since the pool is only open for general use for about an hour a day—and the adult locker rooms close for two hours prior—this effectively removes the pool as a viable amenity for adult members. During those times, even restroom access requires walking to the far end of another building on campus. It’s hard to understand why this policy exists when the pre-teens already have their own dedicated locker space.

Overall, YMCA of the East Valley feels less like a community hub for all ages and more like daycare center with a gym attached. If you’re an adult looking for a social, fitness-oriented environment, you might be better off investing in some basic home equipment and enjoying the area's many...

First, this is the hottest gym I've ever been in and in the desert no less. Easily 95+ degrees in here most days. With the membership dues revenue, there is no way to justify not having some fans in here aside from the tiny ones on each treadmill which are rarely used anyway.

Great place for families with a need for all the activities offered and the staff here is great. Very friendly, they offer great tours, and they're always welcoming.

Personally, I only joined to use the gym and to have options for other activities for my family to do while I'm there but the gym isn't all that great compared to most other gyms. The treadmills are placed on what feels like unstable ground which makes them so loud that it's intolerable beyond a walking pace. And some of the free weight stations, like the flat and incline bench press stations feel "off" in a way that is hard to explain but it has a significant impact on the amount of weight you can lift and overall comfort.

And I really wish all gyms/health clubs would eliminate the requirements of having to visit in-person to cancel a membership. Life happens and some of us have to pick up and move for work on short notice or have emergencies that prevent us from using our membership. And from a moral standpoint, they CAN cancel your membership remotely but they choose not to, and that is likely an intentional, financially-driven decision that favors the business without regard for the welfare of customers. That is where I have an issue.

Overall, it is a great place if you're someone with a want/need for all the...

It was a wonderful place to work. I felt welcomed and genuinely cared for by my coworkers and the members of the organization. However, I was unceremoniously fired, and frankly I don’t quite understand why. I did ask and HR didn’t want to disclose any information. They cited harassment but the term was used so loosely that it didn’t quite constitute a reasonable offense to which I was let go. Moreover, the last week that I worked also saw the termination of other employees in succession, one after another, which seemed fabricated and odd to me. The also instituted a policy that prohibited members from spending more than two hours in the “fireplace room” which was a members lounge, due to members resting and getting, “comfortable” in there. One woman was caught sleeping with a blanket over her in a chair, which prompted the executive director (Marvin Hernandez) escorted out. This woman was homeless, and had nowhere else to go. She was left in tears, and on the streets. It was a wonderful place to work, but was left heartbroken at the dismal of employees and some members for no apparent reason, as I wasn’t the only one. I personally wish they lived up to their motto, and had more compassion for people as Christians should. However, I understand the expectation does not meet reality.

I was fired march 20, so It seems they flagged my review. because they didn't like what they saw....