Boll Family YMCA

I love this YMCA, staff are friendly and helpful the machines are serviced regularly and there are an abundance of classes to choose from. The pool is great. The only change I would like which may be physically impossible and that is it would be nice if they had a steam and a sauna room. They also have the theater from time to time they have various displays and activities. And also classes I just love the convenience of this Y

I am rating this for the summertime and mostly about the pool.
cons:
–parking (like everyone said)
–limited hours during the weekend

pros:
–newer facility
–classes
–kettlebells in your workout, even if it’s not a class (most YMCAs in this area won’t let you)
–rockclimbing wall (only open during the weekend in the summer)
–racketball court
–swimming pool (good for adult swimmers without kids… not a lot of swim classes during the summer during the day)
–pilates machine (not that familiar with them though)
–never had a problem finding a machine or working out before/​after work hours.

A moderate facility at best. I think the ONLY reason to choose this place is if you live within walking distance of YMCA.
1. Its way over priced for what it offers.
2. Parking is a bbig problem.
3. Hours are limited — especially on weekends when most professionals or students would like to work out.
Unfortunately, there are no other options available and they people over there know that so things are unlikely to change.

As a child, my parents both worked so I spent a lot of time at the YMCA in Ann Arbor. So when I started looking for a gym downtown Detroit, Boll YMCA was a no brainier. The facilities are great, lots of running machines, treadmills, rowing machines, etc and they are very up to date! They have a pool, track, basketball courts, squash/​raquetball courts and lots of classes (yoga, childcare, spinning, Pilates). I was a huge fan. Unfortunately, the parking is basically non exsistent, especially if there’s a Tigers or Lions game. I wish they could work out something with the local lots… Had to give up my membership because my money was tight and the parking is terrible. I’d ride my bike or walk in the nice season but winter… No can do.
If you live downtown and are looking for a gym, I’d put money on Boll. They are a full function gym and do a lot of good for the community.
PS I like the gym cause there’s no weirdo judgements folks. They also have trainers.
My only real complaint is the parking.

I take it all back! The YMCA bought a squat rack and I couldn’t be happier. This is such a great addition to the downtown community. It is clean, not too busy, the equipment is nice, and staff are friendly. Prices are very reasonable. They have a lot to offer: track, pool, rocking climbing (although very limited size/​hours). Extended hours are an area for improvement: closing Saturday/​Sunday at 5pm doesn’t work now that more and more people are living (not just working) downtown. So happy to have this nearby!

Just cancelled my membership to this gym after a few months because of their lack of parking. Street parking is not sufficient for a downtown gym. especially when there’s a Lion’s game and a concert happening simultaneously. and all you want to do is workout for an hour after work without paying $ 50 to park in a structure. Also while working out with cardio equipment. I have switched machines 4 times because they are all not functioning correctly. Really unimpressed with the lack of parking and poor equipment maintenance. :(

Such a gorgeous facility with incredibly friendly staff. I was visiting from Boston when I realized this was in my neighborhood. It was a super peaceful, relaxing workout in a brand new building with so many amenities (indoor track! Enormous jacuzzi!). I went during the day and there was basically no one else around, so I had so much space to myself. My only disappointment was that they charge a $ 5 fee for visitors, which isn’t super typical. But I didn’t mind putting my money towards this place at all.

Super friendly staff! I am both a member and someone who takes students with autism here. I have come to know them as very community oriented and they are above and beyond helpful with our community based instruction program for students with autism. As a member I have loved the hours and the cleanliness of this place. I like that people comes to the fitness center to work out and everyone is focused on their individual workout. I like the view from the treadmill and the track. They have some wonderful and fun fitness instructors. The senior class looks like it’s jamming and the spin class is fun too! I don’t play basketball but it looks like there is always a game or two going on. The most wonderful thing for my toddler is the very warm therapy pool. No shivering toddler makes me happy. I have been to indoor pools that are just plain too cold for little guys (and older folks too). You don’t have to worry about that here because the lap pool and the therapy (family) pool are separate. The locker rooms are always spic and span.

Friendly, clean, huge, modern… what more could you want?
Oh, childcare and tons of classes for adults and kids? You got it.
Plus, a great location for those of us working Downtown and in Midtown. And the People Mover lets off right by the front door, if that helps you out.
Great Y!

I really loved working out at the Y, but am extremely aggravated by the way their accounts are handled.
First of all they require that you provide them with your banking information so they can withdraw funds from your account each month. I hate having money automatically withdrawn and prefer to set up automatic payments to be made through my bank. But they told me this was impossible, and the only way to join is to give them my banking info.
What I moved out of state I went in a couple of weeks before leaving town, and learned that they have a thirty day cancellation policy — thirty days from the date that they automatically withdraw funds. To be fair, I’m sure this was written in the contract I signed. But the withdrawal date was a couple of weeks after I went to cancel my membership, and they told me it was impossible to not have this draft go through, even though it would be a payment to cover the following month’s membership. The person I spoke to at the front desk said the only way to avoid this would be to change my debit card so that the draft would not go through, which I did. It was a hassle. But then I continued to receive invoices to pay that last month when I was already gone. Finally I just ended up paying the bill because I was afraid it would go to a collection agency.
Basically I had to pay $ 80 to cover a month and a half of membership time after I tried to cancel. I argued with them to at least pro-​rate my membership, so I would pay for the 30 days after the date I tried to cancel, but the extremely unhelpful people I spoke to (repeatedly, in various offices) kept repeating that this was their «policy» and they couldn’t make any changes because money would just automatically be removed from my account.
Anyway, I loved going to the gym there, and everyone was nice. But the accounting situation is a real drag.

Childcare sucks here my child has stayed in infant room for 3 months he should have been moved to toddler room, very disappointed at the treatment and the biting policy? There is none.

Impressive facility!
Pros: Very well kept, with lots of group exercises. Lap pool and a separate «floater» pool. Ridiculously nice lockers and numerous showers.
Cons: Only thing I can think of, is that their weight room area is rather small. Very limited amount of machines.
*Tip: if you’re staying at the Hilton Garden Inn downtown, you get a pass to visit the facility for free!

This facility is just plain amazing. A state of the art gym with a towel service for a fraction of the price. There are a few lug heads to contend with at times, but I love the indoor track and weight room. I should mention that they also have a rock wall, pool, computer classes for locals, and massage rooms! Because of my current work schedule and my overall laziness, I have not taken any work out classes. But it is open till 10 on weekdays which is nice. The only Complain is that the parking absolutely sucks. During a Tiger or Redwings game… you are better off staying home. On a few occasions I actually drove there and turned right around and drove back home. They are building a parking garage right next to it currently.

This place is excellent. It’s clean, everyone is very friendly, they have excellent programs and resources, are a great asset to the community, etc. The only things I could ask for would be for the memberships to be a bit cheaper and that they had a sauna/​steam room.

Love this place. Loses a star cause of the parking situation and I also feel some of their classes are a bit pricey. I just moved from Los Angeles and didn’t pay those kinds of prices. Honest.
But I love the facility.
Pros:
*it’s new new new!
*great locker rooms with towels — cause I always forget mine and I work out before work!
*towels /​cleaners provided to wipe down machines
*lovely staff
*great trainers
*lot of community outreach
Cons:
* parking
* those gosh darn stairs — up and down and up and down
* no whirl pool or steam room
* pricier classes not included in membership

This YMCA is beautiful, the nicest I’ve seen. It’s new, spacious and has nice staff. The equipment is new, there are 2 pools, and it is a place you can spend a half-​day exercising and catching up on studies/​reading…
…if there were any parking, which there isn’t.
Some genious built this Y without building parking, in downtown, near Tiger stadium. Yep. After the fact, the Y made arrangements with some local lots to provide «discounted» parking. However, there are no discounts on event/​games days — which are most days during the summer. For example, the entire week of 7÷16÷2012 through 7÷22÷2012 are «special event» days. Parking, even at the municipal lot (despite what appears on the YMCA website), is $ 10. No discounts or validation honored, period, end of question.
Furthermore, the street parking pay stations are all broken (hey this is Detroit) and don’t except cards. So you have to have a pillow case of quarters with you (no other coins accepted) to park on the street.
The second issue with this Y is that despite its enormous size, it has a lousy layout for utility — including an undersized and under-​cooled weight-​fitness area. It seems that most of this Y is taken up by offices and lobby areas. There is only one room for weights and machines. There are only 2 or 3 weight benches crammed into an area the size of a walk-​in closet and not enough machines. Even during light times, the place feels crowded. Free weights and machines should just never be in the same area — period. People who use free weights often drop them and grunt (because they are idiots — although those same idiots do sometimes use machines, I know). Keep them in a quiet room somewhere. I need to use free weights, too, but I don’t want to spend too much time with these people. Let me get in and get out.
Also, the design of the pool room, although spacious, is LOUD! Again, the genious who designed this overpriced complex built a concrete box for the pool area. They have basically crafted a large, noisy echo chamber. With children and screaming getto-​adults in the play pool, it becomes intolerable. Keep your head underwater in the lap pool or wear ear plugs.

3 stars for the overall, if I was just rating the weekend Spin classes (taught by David and Peter) it would be 5-​stars no question! And truthfully I use Boll as a fitness center, when in reality I think it’s more of a community center, so in that regard they may be a 5-​star status for those coming for that purpose.
Overall, Boll is undoubtedly beautiful and was designed and is directed in a way that responds to specific needs of families and members in the city. I work downtown and ironically am really close to just go after work, but instead I visit the Downriver YMCA after work and drive into the city on the weekends for the spin classes (those two are absolutely worth the drive).
I tried a few of the classes during the week and I was really disappointed in the experiences, so I stopped trying. Beyond that the exercise room/​weight room hybrid is a bit cramped and leaves a lot to be desired. I go elsewhere for those kind of workouts.
I haven’t used the pool area, and due to rumors of repeated theft, don’t really use the locker rooms. Parking is horrid. There’s been a number of times I’ve driven down for a weekend class when there was a Lions or Tigers game and had to turn right back around to leave because there was no parking. Sure there’s discounted parking at other lots but 1. it’s still paying to park and 2. there seems to be events going on all the time now downtown (which is great for the city, but makes parking difficult).
In the end, if Boll wants to serve the growing professional community downtown as the Detroit fitness center, there’s a lot of work to be done. (Figure out the space issue for the exercise room, class schedules that accommodate work schedules, check in on classes to know when an instructor is phoning it in, etc).
If you cycle, seriously… go check out the Spin classes on Sat/​Sun at 10:30. As long as you save me a bike ;-)

If you live, work, or go to school in Detroit, you should check out the Boll YMCA. It is an absolutely gorgeous facility. It has all the bells and whistles: huge cardio area, tons of free weights and machines, a rock climbing wall, pool, whirl pool, fitness classes, indoor track, basketball courts. My husband likes it because they have towels in the locker room and soap dispensers in the showers, so he doesn’t have to worry about bringing all that with him. There is also a common room that he and I will study in.
It’s never super crowded. The longest I’ve waited for a treadmill is maybe 5 minutes, and that was the week after New Year’s. For my husband and I, we pay $ 77/​month. We usually go after 6 so that we can park on the street for free. This is nicest gym in Detroit. If you are looking for someplace in Detroit, take a closer look at the Y.

Well I finally started to use my membership, after 6 months of procrastinating about it.
What a nice facilty.
None of the, to steal a line «I pick things up and put them down» type places.
Nice new equipment, a running/​walking track elevated over the bball courts, Olympic size pool, family pool and hot tub.
Personal trainers are available along with day care
The parking can be tough but the Opera House Garage has discounts for Y members.
Located next to the people mover it seems convenient for all downtown workers.

The Boll YMCA is truly a gem of downtown! I love, love, love this place and recommend it to friends whenever I get a chance. I was first drawn here because it’s basically the only full gym in/​around the downtown area. But as soon as I walked in, I was blown away.
The Boll is HUGE — 3 floors plus basement house house basketball & racquetball courts, an indoor track, a rock climbing wall, clean and large locker rooms, a lap pool and family/​kiddie pool (clean, lifeguarded, and open nearly as late as the entire facility), 2 rooms for group fitness classes (free with membership), a weight room, and full gym. Along with the fitness stuff, there is the theatre (featuring plays written/​produced/​acted by local and young talent), and plenty of rooms for the Y-​arts youth program and children’s summer camp. The lobby is always decorated with art and designs of the kids… it showcases more young talent and gives a warmth and energy to the place that a standard gym would lack.
All the staff I’ve encountered are professional and friendly — the trainers, maintenance, and front deskers. There’s a full schedule of group aerobic classes scheduled with evening, early morning, and weekend times. The group rooms are beautiful hardwood floors, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the hustle and bustle of the downtown streets. The gym is on the third floor, also boasts huge windows and a gorgeous view… my job on the treadmill goes by all the faster when I’m able to peek out into a lit up Comerica Park on game night.
Being in this place makes me WANT to stay and work out longer. When thinking of downtown’s finest spots, don’t forget the Boll.