Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA

Worked out at this location for 3 years and I’m going to miss it. Plenty of machines, weights and usually not long of a wait if someone is on a machine. Workers are always super friendly and everyone genuinely nice. Never had a bad experience and wish all gyms were like this. KEEP IT UP GUYS! YOU ROCK!

I have been a member at this YMCA for about five months, and unfortunately, it has become increasingly uncomfortable to be here. Compared to other locations, this one is severely under-resourced. It is overcrowded, and there isn’t enough management oversight to ensure members have a positive experience. This past Sunday, I attended a yoga class that had already reached capacity, yet additional people were still allowed in, making the space uncomfortably cramped. During class, a woman next to me repeatedly moved my yoga blocks without asking, which was both distracting and disrespectful. I eventually had to let her know that this was unacceptable. While it’s unclear if the instructor noticed, they did not step in to address the issue, even though they are the only one who should be giving direction in the class. Beyond class experiences, the facility itself does not make good use of available space. The aerobics room and spin studio are often locked, even though opening them could help ease overcrowding and reduce wait times for cardio equipment. Additionally, the gym equipment is in need of upgrades—new mats and dumbbells are definitely needed. It would also be beneficial to allow member access to the kettlebells, which are currently chained up for class use only. Overall, this YMCA has potential, but improvements in space management, equipment upgrades, and better oversight from staff are necessary to create a more comfortable and functional experience for members.

Our family is so appreciative of this community facility. The staff members are always kind, the space is clean, and there is a good variety of programming. In addition to workout equipment, classes with fabulous instructors, we also enjoy the child care services and family activities.

3 stars originally because some things are good here and some things are bad. But enough bad things that I switched to 2 stars and will be stopping membership. The good is that there is generally enough equipment for the amount of members here. The equipment covers most general population needs for aerobic and strength training. There is a basketball court and swimming pool. The bad: restrictive hours, restrictions on using the full ymca (court and pool), and faulty water fountains. The hours are fairly restrictive, especially on weekends. If you have a full time job or work on the weekend you probably will struggle to workout here. Also, the water fountains are consistently low pressure and run at a trickle and the filter lights are often yellow or red for weeks at a time. Some of the staff seem to care and most don’t seem to care. Finally, the basketball court and swimming pool are only open to general members at VERY few, specific times of the day — so if you have a full time job you most likely cannot use the YMCA pool or basketball courts — even if no one else is utilizing them when you are there. Overall, good equipment, but restrictive hours and few chances for general members to utilize the basketball court and pool; plus, faulty water fountains that are rarely working or have a green filter light. Edit: The YMCA regularly closes as well, per photo below. Not sure if they post any of this in advance, but it is frustrating to travel to the gym just to find out it is closed unexpectedly.

I’ve loved being part of the Bed Stuy Y for about a year now, since a friend brought me to Jorge’s amazing Zumba class. And I am so passionate about it. Don’t be fooled by the architecture: this is a lovely community org which provides free childcare to members so that they can work out (or take a break!), and is clean, friendly, fun, and sweet.