Presidio Community YMCA

Basics covered.
This YMCA has all your basics covered — a indoor basketball court with several hoops, a stretch room, weight room, and even yoga classes available!
If trendy gym membership is not your thing, YMCA is a great place to get an affordable deal. I especially liked the treadmills and ellipticals with their own tv screens. Parking is available.

Things I love:
Wellness appointments with Jon B.
Lots of variety when it comes to classes.
The clean, large pool (the high ceilings are a super plus, especially compared to the Chinatown and Embarcadero YMCAs).
Things I don’t love:
Rude members. Sorry, even if membership was $ 200/​month, it still wouldn’t justify your bad attitude.
Parking by the pool is a pain, but if you can find parking right outside the Presidio (on Lyon and/​or Baker), it’s free!

LOVE this gym. The cardio machines all have TVs on them, so I can really put in a lot of time, and it goes by quickly. I don’t watch tv normally, so it’s a guilty pleasure. All the equipment is really nice and up to date. I went to two spin classes — one the instructor was a ball of energy and her class was motivating and easy to follow. The other one was so lackluster and didn’t give any indications at all (what level to be on, what rpm etc), that I walked out midway through — it was that bad.
The basketball court was the reason I upgraded my membership from my normal richmond district location, as it’s huge, tons of balls, and my kids love it. PLUS they have a sauna in the ladies room! Amazing value and great place.
My only complaint is the shoddy cell service, but that’s nothing to do with the YMCA, but rather the area that it’s in the Presidio.

Spotless. That is all. If I wanted to say more, I would have said more. Thanks, Unilocal,for not letting me post a pithy review.

Thank you soooooo much to the super friendly employees here!
We had hiked 5 or so miles (steep uphill & downhill) from downtown & desperately needed to use the bathroom. Tourists, eh! They kindly let us in, then had to assist us with the beverage machine — bloody thing refused to take a crisp $ 5 bill! Oy ve!
Thanks again, YMCA, for your generosity & brief hospitality!
Renovations currently underway.

I have been really excited about going to this gym for a while. The Presidio Ymca is a really good Y they have the best facilities out of Stonestown and Embarcadero. The first thing you will need to do when visiting this gym if you drive here is pay $ 2.50 for parking and the meter only accepts card or coins, no cash. The men’s locker room is kind of small compared to the other gyms I’ve been too, but during mid day of a weekday it’s not that crowded. My favorite part about the weight room is the high ceilings and the two squat racks, which look brand new. In addition, their basketball gym is pretty big with 6 hoops and a wide court. The only downer I experienced was the lack of wifi so I couldn’t listen to music while working out.

With all due respect to my beloved Richmond District YMCA (I miss you guys!), this is probably the nicest Y in San Francisco, or, for that matter, California (Seattle’s Downtown Y is still my favorite on the West Coast, but that’s neither here nor there). Why (Y)?
The facility is wicked clean, the staff are nice, there are two (TWO) power cages with bumper plates, tons of cardio equipment, and various and sundry foam rollers for those of us with muscle tightness. I love the «No Clothes Allowed» policy for the sauna, and the general layout of the gym is just fantastic. The only problem? Its a pain to get to (you can take the PresidiGo or 43, Masonic), so I’ll probably stay at the Richmond District Y, but man, what a great facility to be able to occasionally use.
That is all.

Parking is a reasonable $ 1.20 an hour in front of the building. The front desk staff is generally friendly when you enter and check in. Towels and lockers are provided but bring your own lock. The fitness floor staff are not very friendly. The cardio machines are available, but occasional wait time for the more popular machines, like the Precor elliptical and treadmill depending on the time you workout. There is a sign up board on each machine. The circuit weight stations are readily available with minimal wait or none at all.
Some people wipe down the machines after use and some never do! Sometimes you end up having to wipe down the machine before you can actually use it.
Best thing about this YMCA is the location!

What’s customer service? Snarky condescending front desk staff. I’m thru with the YMCA.

The customer service at this Y is awful. I filed a complaint over 3 weeks ago and was told by an HR representative that the Wellness Coordinator would be in touch within 48 hours, and I have still not received a word. Most likely going to cancel my membership with them because of this which sucks because I really liked going there. But they clearly don’t care about their guests.
Update — I couldn’t bring myself to cancel my membership because the positives about this place outweigh the awful customer service. I do have to add another negative thing that I’ve been experiencing lately. There is a woman that works at the front desk with super short hair that she dyes some shade of lavender or gray and wears enormous plugs in her ears… she is so SOUR and RUDE that I can’t even try to ask her for any help because all she does is give mean glances across the desk and snap at people. Not sure why she’s employed in such a community oriented organization. YMCA Presidio — you ought to reevaluate her skills.

I have been going to the Step Class at the YMCA Presidio on Sat. morning at 8:30 since 1999. We have had many good teachers but we are very fortunate to have had a great teacher, Michele Resta for the past 10 years and more. He has kept our class fun, energized and challenging.

Stacey, Suzy, Adrian, the best crew you can find: professional, friendly, fun, always available to help you and assist you.

I wish the pool was kept warmer, especially in the winter!

I don’t recommend the Presidio Pool if you’re an adult swimmer who really likes to swim and are not a masters swimmer. This pool caters to masters and children swim teams. The lanes are not available as the pool posts that they are, as they will easily block off the lanes for swim lessons or extended use by and for the masters and swim team swimmers. If you do swim laps, you’re likely to share the lanes with people of all levels as, as I mentioned, the lanes will not necessarily be provided as they advertise. We have actually recently cancelled our membership here and are happily exploring the other pools in the area.

Its nice to be able to go to the Gym, and know that the space is Clean, that the Machines Work, that a Fresh Towel is waiting, that the Facility is being Well Kept, and that its not crammed with people every hour its open.
1^st. Parking is Pay 10am — 5pm, at $ 1.20 per hour or $ 7– for the Day ‚
That might seem annoying, BUT it also means the Gym does not get huge crowds during the Day.
If you can suck up the fee it will result in gym equipment that is easy to access.
2^nd, The staff is friendly, but not obtrusive, and with 3 Areas to Work Out, a nice mix of Aerobic Machines, a Large Basketball Court, and 2 Spaces for Classes most members will find their needs fulfilled within the main building.
There are many more things via this YMCA, such as the Nearby Pool, a Variety of Classes, and even a nice place outside to leave your dog.
For me its a civilized Gym option.

Zumba with Claudia was so fun/​funny. I’ll definitely go back with mi madre!

The historic pool has been ruined!
I used to love swimming in the pool before it was remodeled some years ago. It was peaceful with a historic atmosphere. I went recently (Jan 2013) and was very disappointed to find that the original pool had been truncated and at the end was a shallow toddlers pool — as there is in many other YMCAs. So instead of a peaceful swim the place was crowded with kids and their parents. There were no lanes open for adults to swim lengths. I didn’t mind that as I only had a few minutes and wanted a quick shower — so sat in the hot tub to relax — which is at the end of the pool.
It is too bad that such a beautiful historic structure has been modernized. On the other hand, if you have children it’s not a bad place to go.
Another change was the metered parking outside. As the buildings next to it are now occupied you can’t sneak behind them for free parking.
So if you came to this pool years ago and were hoping for a quiet swim, look at the schedule.

This gym was probably one of my best finds in San Francisco. Of course, I really only use the basketball court, so take my review with a heavy grain of salt. I have never stepped on the workout machines or utilized the weights.
If you’re looking for a fun place to shoot around or play pickup games indoors, then you have come to the right place. During the stated pickup times, games are going. During the «open gym» hours there are always hoops to shoot around on. What a concept, right?
The employees are friendly and helpful if you engage them. Really, who cares? You’re there to work out, not impress the front office girl.
My subtraction of one star is a combination of two things. First, you have to pay for parking. While it is extraordinary that they have an empty lot available for use, paying for it M-​F totally sucks (–½ star). My next subtraction of ½ star is the membership cost. I was blown away to say the least – maybe it’s because I’m not originally from the Bay Area. Expensive.

My second favorite pool in the city behind the Koret Center.
Great speed breakdown for laps, good division from the water runners (which btw, is WAY harder than you think and only slightly as emasculating as having your former synchronized swimmer girlfriend nearly drown your pathetic ass with crazy upside down exercises)
And while one review wrote that the pickup water polo game players on Wednesday were here fourth «con» on a pro con list (that for the most part I wholeheartedly agree with), it’s the best, and perhaps only, legit water polo spot in the city unless you pretend to be a St. Ignatius Sophomore.

One thing about the SF YMCAs is that they really focus on families and community. That being said, this Y is no different.
Stacy whips my family’s butts into shape at her Bodypump class. However, beware that although one of her classes start at 7:10am on a Sunday morning (sheesh people, what ever happened to sleeping in on a Sunday morning?), her class is filled to the max by the 7:05am and the YMCA opens at 7am… You do the math. In other words, you have to get there early or you might not be able to get those 2.5 or 5 lb weights for your bar bell. You snooze, you lose… Luckily for me, my mom is an early bird and can get me there so that I can grab that prime spot in front. Once the class is over, I feel them endorphins rushing through my body, bringing a smile to my face happy that I did not sleep in on a Sunday morning.
For those that like to sleep in, the pool provides an amazing, relaxing, and yet energy-​exerting experience. I have been fortunate that during most of the hours I have been there 9AM-​4PM on weekdays and weekends, I have had to share the lap with at most 2 other people. It’s almost like having your own private pool. But, please keep this secret on the DL.
Additionally, the Y offers other classes such as Spin, Bodyworks, and Zumba. However, for those young-​and-​in-​their 20s, it might be best to hang out at the 24 hour Fitness, Club One, and Crunches of San Francisco instead. I find these classes are not quite as challenging and intense as the ones that I took while at UCB at their rec center. However, for those baby mommas, THERE’S CHILDCARE TO WATCH OVER YO’ BABIES AND TODDLERS WHILE YOU TIRE AND TONE YOURSELF OUT EVEN MORE as if watching over a toddler wasn’t tiring enough. There’s also classes designed to keep your pregnant body and cravings in check.
See you there!