Greater LaGrange YMCA

I need to start off by saying that I firmly believe in the concept of the YMCA in general. A clean, safe, friendly place to exercise and enjoy physical activities, in a non competitive, low stress environment. I have experienced this at other YMCAs in the past. Unfortunately that is not the case with this location.
I too, was a member when it was known as the Richport YMCA, and this LaGrange location pales in comparison.
I found some employees to be helpful (especially Linda), but others to be rude and on one occasion, belittling.
When I initially joined, I told the person who signed me up that I was especially looking forward to taking classes. She never told me that the majority of classes have a limited number of persons admitted due to lack of space, and that I needed to obtain a number from the front desk in order to attend the class.
I arrived the day of my class 20 minutes early, out of eager anticipation. I waited patiently for the class to begin, only to be told I couldn’t participate because I failed to get a number from the front desk and now the class was full. This was never mentioned to me when I was signing up. WTF? I had specifically mentioned my intention to take classes. Boo. Poor customer service.
Also, the bathroom/​locker room isn’t as clean as it should be. It’s quite small, so in theory it should be easy for staff to maintain it. At various times I have seen bottles and cans, used band aids and other debris littered around both before and after my work out. I guess nobody checks throughout the day for cleanliness. For at least five days straight there was a Gatorade cooler with the top off, filled with both dirty water and tissue in the handicap stall. Gross! Was it collecting rain water dripping from the roof? Was it a student science experiment? I don’t know, but I do know it was icky and should not have been there.
I have been on the treadmills numerous times and experienced «muscle heads» slamming weights down with such force that I could feel and hear it through my earphones. I mentioned it to an employee, and she just shrugged.
I have not found this particular YMCA to be welcoming or helpful. I am not interested in working out around macho guys who slam weights around. I just want a clean friendly place. Perhaps I should look elsewhere.

I grew up in this YMCA back when it was the Richport YMCA. I have a lot of great memories from there. When I got older and moved into my first apartment, I immediately joined the YMCA. It was GREAT! There were two pools and I never had trouble finding a lane for lap swimming. The women’s locker room even had its own little workout area for folks who didn’t want to workout in the larger area. The staff and fellow patrons were always friendly. Mainly, as someone who can’t do certain cardio exercises due to old injuries, I went to the Y because of the pools. It was a sad day when they closed and moved to the new location. But I understood why. The old building was crumbling and repairs would have been extremely expensive.
However, the board of directors promised members that the move would be temporary.
Really? It’s been nearly 10 years and they’re still at the tiny location on 31^st street. It’s a major disappointment. The staff is still amazing, but the facility is small. You have to go all the way to Elmhurst or Oak Park if you want to swim. And the membership fees haven’t changed. I’d rather pay MORE to have access to a single facility that has everything the old building had (or even just a pool) than pay the current membership fees to access the same equipment and classes that are available at other lower-​priced gyms.
I miss the YMCA of old. I hope the higher-​ups at this YMCA realize what an asset a bigger facility would be to the community. The Brookfield/​LaGrange Park area on that side of the tracks doesn’t have a decent community center. There certainly isn’t a singular location with family friendly programming, exercise equipment, and an indoor pool… that isn’t located in a school. Please reconsider your long-​term stay at the current location. I would rejoin in a heartbeat if you just had a pool!

Lots of bonuses at this gym — one of the best kept secrets around. Great cardio equipment, childcare in the Kids Zone, extended hours and many different classes to chose from. Childcare, most classes are included in the VERY reasonable month to month membership. NO CONTRACTS!

i love the ymca, but the best part about it is coach matt. my kids always look forward to learning from him. he is great with the kids. i heard he leaving, this will be a huge loss for the ymca. they dont have a gym that is adequate and they dont seem to care. the one saving grace was coach matt. good luck coach matt. we will miss you.

What a great asset to the community.
Love the Y for its welcoming atmosphere. Come-​as-​you-​are for a great workout with tons of NEW equipment and a wide variety of classes.
The staff takes great care of the kids while you work out. Kids’ Night Out, summer camp, Bright Ideas preschool and several kids’ classes (offered at a discount for members) make it the most family-​friendly gym around.

I love it here. Reasonably priced especially in comparison to the last place I belonged to with just as much equipment and a much better class schedule. There is nothing worse than a class schedule that only accommodates people that don’t work and give very few options for early morning and evening/​weekend classes. Their class schedule has so many options throughout the day and you can catch a spin class everyday of the week. Everyone at the desk is very nice and they remember you. Every piece of equipment has a TV built into it and the equipment isn’t old. The month of my birthday I received a free t-​shirt. They run promos randomly for the joining fee. I especially like the fact that it is month-​to-​month and I can cancel whenever instead of a contract. You can also go to other Y’s in the area for free. I wouldn’t hesitate to tell someone to join. This is still their temporary location so there is no pool in the building.

The facility is small, but they pack every possible machine and activity into it! I don’t do group classes much, only because I prefer individual exercise, but the instructors I’ve had have been very patient and helpful in explaining the activities. The various machines and free-​weight area offer a great way for people to vary their workouts for maximum benefit.
My kids have also been in the basketball and baseball leagues offered offsite through the Y. While I miss having all activities offered at one location, as at the former Rich Port facility, the coaches do a great job. Having coached a couple of times myself, I was impressed by the training offered to the volunteer coaches. Some classes are free, while others are fee-​based, but the prices are usually reasonable. I’m particular about what people work with my children, and I have found the instructors to be patient, trust-​worthy, and intelligent.
The workers in the babysitting are wonderful, too. Some of the ladies who work in there also teach some of the little kids’ classes.
While the parking is limited, on a few rare occasions over the years, I have called the desk staff during bad weather and a staff member has escorted my children into the building from my car at the stop sign so they could get to class on time. What a blessing! Then I could go park and walk to the building without fear of the children slipping on the ice or walking into class late.

Great staff make this place so good. Yes it’s small but the group classes are the best in the area.