SOMERVILLE YMCA

It’s gross, dirty, old, and overall weird 😣the best that can be said for it is that it is, technically, a gym. But even though this one is way closer, it’s the Cambridge YMCA for me dawg.

The homeless guys upstairs I believe have a free membership to the private men’s club. And no matter what the staff says to them they use it as a laundry mat.. so you see people down there picking sores on the bottoms of their feet .. truly they were taught no basic hygiene whatsoever, men in their late 50s and 60s? Disgusting. I’ve had stuff taken out of my lockers. So I quit. Stay away from that place. They barely clean it. Same rolled up Band-Aid in the corner for two weeks. The maintenance guy. I don’t know what he’s doing in there.

Old and small, like a 1940s gym. At first you might think just the building and facilities are old, but I was surprised to see an elderly man watching a Laurel and Hardy film in one of the small upstairs offices. This may also strain credulity, but believe it or not -- there is a man in an iron lung living in the basement. Wow! I really liked the quirkiness of the owner of this particular YMCA (a very nice guy), a brolic mustachioed man who typically wears pinstripe unitards.

The price is right and the location can't be beat. Are there that many places I can walk five minutes to lift weights, swim, and do my cardio? I will be sad if this place ever finds a new location. Is it fancy? No. Nobody expects the Y to be an Equinox. It's a community center. In the suburbs people sit in their cars for 20-30 minutes just to get to a gym or pool. I am very grateful for the Y.

Unprofessional Attitude of Morning Staff My experience at the gym has been quite disappointing due to the attitude of the morning staff. On several occasions, I have encountered a vulgar and unprofessional demeanor from one of the employees. Recently, when I requested the key, the employee was reluctant to provide it and displayed their displeasure at having to get up to fetch it. Additionally, their verbal language was aggressive and entirely inappropriate. As a paying customer with a monthly membership, I do not believe I should endure such behavior from a stranger. When I asked for their name, the employee, who identified themselves as "Mitch" or something similar, showed even more disdain. I hope the gym management takes steps to address this kind of behavior among their staff. Lack of professionalism and respect towards customers is not acceptable in any establishment.