Presidio Community YMCA - Letterman Pool — Local services in San Francisco

I visited the YMCA Presidio around a year ago. Today was my second time, and this was because the location I normally attend (Chinatown) is currently closed for a few days due to renovations.

I was aware that today, being Labor Day, I had to make sure I knew their schedule. The website said "Holiday Hours September 2: 2pm", I was surprised right away, because it didn't specify anything about a different schedule for the pool; it was strange because for most YMCA's locations, pools tend to close 15-30 minutes earlier than the rest of the facilities. They have listed on the website the hours both for the pool and the gym; so since for Labor Day it only said 2 pm; I didn't think much of it.

I had completely forgotten that the pool wasn't at the same address than the gym so I went to front desk at 1:00 pm and asked for directions, doing that plus walking to the actual pool took me around 15 minutes. Which was fine, because I had planned a 35 minute swim.

As soon as I entered the pool's front desk I wasn't greeted, instead I was received with a "just letting you know, you'll be kicked out off the pool in 15 minutes". I was surprised and said "why?" to what she replied "well, because we're closing at 1:30 pm."

She said this with the most condescending tone, and I told her that the website said that they were closing at 2 pm completely dismissing what I had just said, she repeated "just letting you know, we're closing in 15 minutes, you have plenty of time". Not sure in which world does 15 minutes is plenty, (let's also take off 5 minutes to properly change into swimming attire) unless that's all she can handle when swimming. I was really mad and ended up leaving, I didn't see the point of staying.

I shouldn't be surprised that the staff at Presidio is rude and entitled.

I went back and informed the staff at the gym's front desk, I told them that coming from the Chinatown facility, I'm more than aware that the pool always closes earlier than the rest of the facilities, but I decided to trust the website. I want to make clear that this isn't the main problem, set aside that it was a mistake from whoever posted on the website, I understand this can happen to anyone.

What is not right, is the way I was "received" at the pool. She could have said the exact same message with a different delivery, on top of the commute I had to do, plus the fact I wouldn't be able to get a swim session; the last thing I needed was a rude and patronizing...

YMCA treats paying members like second-class citizens. Swim teams, swim lessons, and water polo take over the pool with guaranteed access, while the majority of paying members, the very people who keep this place running, are completely shut out during key hours. On Fridays the pool is basically unusable, and this isn’t a temporary issue, it’s been happening for a long time and continues to get worse.

And now they have the audacity to announce yet another membership fee increase starting July 2025. They claim it’s to “expand and improve services,” but the truth is the exact opposite: services are being slashed, pool hours are being stolen, and members are getting nothing in return. It’s dishonest, misleading, and frankly exploitative.

Don’t be fooled by the YMCA’s “community-first” branding. The reality is they prioritize a few programs over the majority of their paying members, all while squeezing more money out of everyone. If you value honesty, fairness, and actual access to what you’re paying for,...

This YMCA is blatantly cheating its members. Since June 1, 2025, the pool has been closed every single Friday evening, permanently, for water polo — with zero notification and their website still showing the wrong pool hours to mislead people.

On top of that, the pool is shut down 4:30–7:00 PM every weekday for swim classes, which makes it nearly impossible for working members to ever use the pool they pay for.

We’re paying full membership fees for services that are consistently denied. This is false advertising, disrespectful to members, and a total breach of trust. The YMCA clearly prioritizes private programs and profit over the people who actually fund the place.

Shameful and...