YMCA of Greater Seattle – Meredith Mathews East Madison

Meredith Mathews YMCA has everything needed for an effective workout… and they clearly have continuous quality improvement in motion. (Equipment options and general indoor environment have been greatly enhanced since I first joined.) Staff is positive, helpful, friendly and the place has a superb community atmosphere of inclusion and diversity. It’s not ‘fancy’ but fitness doesn’t need fancy! ;)

Love this neighborhood spot! I go here and the Downtown Y (which is hard to compare, the downtown one is sooooooo much bigger!)
First of all, every single person who works here seems to be in a great mood all the time. All the time!!! Every time you walk in or out of the door, somebody says hi and that they hope you have a good day. I’ve belonged to some of those big corporate gym chains, and this is a very different vibe. It really does make me want to work out more.
Weight room: They’ve got pretty much any machine you could want in duplicates, but you might have to wait for free weights, bench press, squat bar, etc. Especially if you’re there in the early afternoon while the high school DUDES are there. The space isn’t especially huge, but if you’re willing to be a good neighbor then it works out fine.
Pool: several lanes, never swam there.
Sauna: !!! This is how I plan to survive the winter. Unfortunately, it’s teeny tiny, but I’ve never seen it super full.
The whole facility is always full of families with kids, older folks, high school students – really a great mix.
My only complaint is parking – that little lot is usually stuffed full during the after-​work rush about 5 – 8 pm. It’s hardly their fault, not like they could really have a big lot right in the middle of that neighborhood.

This is my local YMCA. Membership dues vary based on age. Some say it’s expensive, some say it’s okay, but I think it’s only cheap when you do a whole family plan. Lots of parking in the lot, and lots of street parking. Up the stairs, you will find a big basketball court, a spin (bike) room, a stretching room, and a day care (they will watch your kids, when you work out!). On the main level, a small work out room, a medium work out room with cardio and free weights and machines (most people), and a studio room (for group work out classes). And finally, the locker rooms and the pool & dry sauna on the side. It’s not a big place, nor fancy, but it gets the job done. I like it for the amount that I have to pay monthly. And I can go to any YMCA in the U.S. also family and friends are free with member.

This place is rip-​off!!! Seriously, how is it possible this place be so full of people all the time and you waste your time waiting around!!! They over enrolled more than its capacity. Cardio and weight room is especially overcrowded not to mention there are always 2 – 3 machines that are not working. Staff is ok. They try to be professional. If you just want to hang out and people watch, I guess this place is ok. If you are time crunched and just wanted to work out I wouldnt go there not to mention parking and the street parking spaces around are also always clogged.

Meredith Mathews is one of the important social hubs of Capitol Hill and the CD. It’s a friendly space with a great diversity of both people and activities. I’m a great believer in rotating between different workouts, and at the Y during a week your can go from shooting hoops, to weights, to swimming, to bike spin classes, to yoga, in a way that’s impossible in a smaller gym. Start in with a session with one of the coaches and you’ll up your motivation (they’re good at it).

Where it all started a year ago at this y .
Lastyear i was out of shape overweight and not in a goodplace in my life oneday at this y i made a choice to change not only my outer self but the inner also. Anyways this tiny y upgraded there space with brandnew hd flatscreen tvs and new stuff i like it stretching rails added new same rails that were removed from the downtown ymca
I like the chAnges very much new staff too anyways smaller but better

I’ve been attending classes her for several months and LOVE it! All of the instructors are friendly, well versed in athletics and willing to help out in any way!

This review is long overdue, but I’ll start by saying I was a member from 1÷2013−1÷2014. I only did gym classes here; I cannot comment about the other exercise equipment/​pool/​etc. While there’s a variety of classes, and the instructors are overall AWESOME, there is something seriously wrong with the classroom. Besides being too small, there is no ventilation and the room becomes unbearably hot. The mirror is oftentimes completely fogged up by the end of the classes! I put in several requests to fix this; if there’s that much heat and moisture in there, I’m sure there’s mold in all the ducts as well. The problem never got resolved, so I took my money elsewhere. It’s a bit of a drive for me, but Community Fitness up in Ravenna also has an impressive class schedule AND functional ventilation.

This review is long overdue.
To all the Unilocal haters out there-​kick your tude to the curb.
I get some people can’t be pleased, but seriously, all the complaining about this YMCA makes my heart hurt a little…
So I’m here to lift this place up to where it deserves!
Small-​sort of, but there are 13 other Puget sound locations that vary in size that your membership will get you into, so… stop complaining there. It still has a basketball court and a pool-​what else do you want people?
Towels-​omg! They provide FREE towels! You should be so lucky. My last gym didn’t even provide sanitizing spray, much less towel service and people still like to leave them all over the locker room. Give people an inch, I tell ya.
Classes-​they got em’! Doesn’t fit your schedule? Then go work out in one of their other areas! Or try a different day! Or again, one of their other 13 Puget Sound locations that your one low priced membership will get you into!
Small parking lot? Wait, what? They HAVE a parking lot? Do you need a valet service to be satisfied people? It’s not Costco sized, but if you have a license to drive a vehicle, we trust that you can manage your way around the parking lot. Besides, it’s no Trader Joe’s parking lot, and did I mention that the parking lot even exists?!?
Kids? In a swimming pool? At the Y? You don’t say. I don’t have kids, I don’t want kids, but I respect that they will always be better swimmers than me and probably hanging around the Y, especially the pool. Did you guys know that the Y totally helps kids stay active, healthy and out of trouble? Yeah, it’s like one of their platforms. Ps-​we all used to be that size and that hyper, so maybe a little leniency, huh?
This review has turned into something of a rant, but I get offended when people attack my Y, or perhaps don’t see all the good about it staring right at them. They are friendly, clean, have modern equipment, and variety. If you are having trouble viewing those advantages, perhaps you might like to be disappointed with another gym that will charge you way more and never have the amazing staff that Meredith Matthews YMCA has!
*steps off soapbox, extends arm-​drops mic*

I love the Y and what the organization stands for. This Y is in a convenient location and unlike the downtown Y, has free parking (albeit limited).
I mostly use the free weights — the equipment is nice and new, but a very limited selection, and the dumbbells are in kind of an awkward corner that makes them a pain to use.
The staff is super friendly. The locker rooms are not the most luxurious, but they are very clean and comfortable. The crowd is a little older generally but very friendly and low key. Obviously a very different atmosphere from a commercial gym.

I have been going to this YMCA for the past 3 months and have enjoyed most of what it has to offer.
The basketball court is nice, and is usually pretty empty, which is great if you want an indoor court to yourself. The pool is a decent pool — nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. The equipment is all pretty well-​maintained and I’ve never had any issues with the weights, the treadmill, elliptical, or stationary bike.
The men’s locker room isn’t anything worth writing about, but it’s definitely satisfactory enough to take a shower and get changed without being paranoid about the cleanliness of everything.
The people that work here are super friendly, welcoming, and helpful, which always makes for a more pleasant workout experience.
One downside is that parking can be crowded, especially during busy times, and the parking lot is a little awkward (it’s on a really steep hill and there can be mini-​traffic-​jams during peak hours). Street parking isn’t too bad to find, though.

I’m a big fan of the YMCA as an organization. When I work out at the Y, I always feel that I’m doing some sort of good deed for the community. I like the fact that, unlike most private gyms, the Y welcomes kids. And that it offers discounted memberships to low income people. And that you can find people of all ages there, not just young gym rat types.
I go to Meredith Mathews primarily because it’s the Y closest to my house. I sometimes walk there, but if I drive, I usually can find a spot on the street, in their lot, or even at the church next door. (It allows Y member to use their parking lot, except for Sundays and Wednesday evenings, when they have Bible study or some other church thing.)
However, I can’t say I love this particular Y. I’ve pretty much given up on the exercise classes, since the rooms are super tiny and they either limit class attendance (by handing out reservation cards) or pack the rooms so tightly you can barely shake a toe, much less a leg.
I do use the pool, but again, it tends to get crowded, no matter what time of day you go. However, the pool is clean; they seem to be paying more attention to hygiene these days. And they never limited MY towel usage. It’s too bad that the facility is nowhere near the level of the Eastside locations (and I’ve been to Bellevue and Northshore), but I believe they are trying to do the best with what they have.

I want to love this Y as much as I do the one downtown, but the showers in the locker room could stand a good scrubbing. I’m talking Dyson the hell out of the ventilation grates, and spray down the entire shower area with high-​pressure hot water. When I squish a tiny bug on the wall and can still see its corpse two days later…
The pool is just as wunderbar but has its fair share of floating bits. I prefer to use this pool bright and early in the mornings.
The staff are incredibly nice. You almost forget you live amongst dour folk when you come into the Y and are greeted with such affable positivity. I suspect the general manager has lectured everyone on towels because getting more than one is not always easy. Then again, the towels here aren’t as large as they are at the downtown Y, but I didn’t join for towels.

I like this gym for its friendly, laid-​back, family-​oriented feel. The staff are nice and the patrons all seem to be able to share equipment, something I don’t find to be true at some larger gyms. It is less intimidating for me to work out here compared to some higher-​end gyms I’ve gone to downtown — there are people of all ages, sizes, etc. here. The women’s locker room seems to be pretty well maintained, though I try and avoid the post-​swimming lesson onslaught of screaming children and stressed out mothers. I have never encountered any equipment that was out of order or blatantly shabby, even if some of it is on the older side. They have a pretty good selection of classes that are free with the membership, and which cater to all ability levels.
My only complaint is that the weight room is really small and you have to schedule your workout around earlyish mornings and when school/​work gets out in the afternoon if you want any hope of having space and equipment available for weight training. And the only specific stretching area is along one wall in the cycling clasroom, which is fine if there is no cycling class and 2 or fewer other people trying to stretch simultaneously. I recently visited the gigantic, more modern downtown location which kind of puts the Meredith Mathews location to shame, but without a major building expansion there’s really no way for them to improve the space issue. While I like this Y for what it is and its proximity to my house, it seems Meredith Mathews may be overwhelmed by the population surge in the surrounding neighborhoods.

We left this gym and are no longer members.

Pros:
1. Friendly staff.
2. Great community atmosphere.
3. Unpretentious and diverse.
4. Great exercise classes with teachers who care about your safety and progress.
5. Pool.
6. Clean
7. Towel Service
The Y is very focused on the family in terms of price and amenities, which is awesome for families, but single adults pay a very high membership fee at $ 60.
Cons:
1. The exercise rooms are too small, so if you don’t make it to class early, you often can’t find a spot.
2. More medium sized weights (5, 6, 8 lbs) are needed by the exercise rooms. It’s not uncommon to get stuck with 2lbs or 12 lb weights.
3. Not enough individual work out rooms. Since they turned an extra exericse room upstairs to a children’s play area (in addition to the children’s daycare area), there’s only a small space in the cycling room upstairs to do some stretching and it’s not fully equipped with weights.
4. Hours are limited, it’s closed on every holiday, and closes for over a week in the summer due to renovations.

This YMCA is small. As your «friendly neighborhood gym,» it’s great. Cardio, weights, a basketball court, spin room, swimming pool, etc. It has tons of features that make it great.
Sadly, it’s much too small to cater comfortably to all of Capitol Hill and the Central District as it tries to. The cardio area is often packed with no free machines. The free weight area is too small to accommodate more than 2 people at a time, leading to lots of «bumping and grinding» with other sweaty people trying to pump iron. The group cycling class I go to at 6:15 every M/​W/​F fills up really early and often turns people away.
On the up side, the staff is great. The front desk staff is always helpful and accommodating. The instructors are good at what they do, and they offer a surprisingly wide variety of classes: group cycling, yoga, total body conditioning, and lots more. It’s also very clean, and I don’t have any diseases after showering there almost every morning for a month.
This Y can’t really help that it’s so small. And what they do with the space they have is really great. Short of expanding the building, I can’t think of anything I would really change.
(On a side note: Fellas, if you’re going to shower in the locker room, please step into one of the curtained stalls. They’re clean and private, and it keeps me from unintentionally seeing you lather up your naughty bits. Don’t go flashing your junk around at unsuspecting gymgoers — it’s just common courtesy.)

I really want to like this gym. I really really do. The location is fantastic and the staff is very friendly, however the hours are terrible (if you work at all on weekends, you can forget about fitting in a workout), and while there is a wide variety of available classes, there are not many timeslots to choose from, and none of them are offered at the same time every day, so consistency is not really possible. Also, they are closed on every holiday.
That said, if you have a typical 9 – 5 Mon-​Fri job and aren’t really looking for many classes, this could be a really good gym for you, as it is rarely overcrowded.

While the cardio room is claustrophobic, you get used to it. The pool is a bit dank, but has awesome nautical murals and is never all that crowded.
I enjoy the structure of group exercise classes, and as other reviewers have noted, the diverse comrades are charming. There’s a nice spinning studio upstairs, but their schedule doesn’t work for me. The yoga is hit and miss, but I’m impressed by Bridget’s Iyengar-​style classes. Ms. Teresa’s aerobics classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays are not to be missed.

This Y is pretty great. The clientele is super diverse, and that’s one of the best things about it. People are there to work out, not to pick somebody up or to look good. You’ve got senior citizens, middle-​agers, teens, aging hipsters, and little kids who are all there just to move their bodies. Nothing fancy, but everything’s there and equipment is well maintained. The staff is extremely friendly, although I have had some problems with them screwing up my bill.
I set up for direct withdrawal, and they set it up incorrectly. I didn’t get charged for 6 months, and they they asked for it all at once. I hadn’t noticed, and asked for a break on the total. So far as I saw it, this was not my fault and I had not even noticed it’s failure to come out of my account. They eventually halved the bill. So a warning: although it’s a great place to work out, check your bank statement!