Future Leaders Academy @ Ymca Anthony Bowen

This is the dirtiest and worst run YMCA I have ever been to. I have never seen them vacuum, wash the floors, or clean machines throughout my membership. There is sweat and dust congealed on the machines and on the floor. A dead cockroach was on the floor for weeks before it was removed. They had a rat infestation and did not clean up the rat excrement. The cleaners are always in the locker room and yet the locker room is never clean. The fitness studio floors are also never cleaned. They regularly have leaks in their ceiling and do not fix them for weeks or months. Broken machines and equipment do not get fixed for months. Most of the front desk employees are unpleasant, unhelpful, and sit on their phones with their heads down. They would be better off working a job that is not member facing (maybe cleaning!). Complaints to leadership are futile - if they respond and acknowledge the feedback, they do not fix any of the issues. This branch does not value their members or their wellness. A change in leadership is clearly needed.

I love the YMCA national organization for what it does in communities and for how it allows me to use any facility nationwide. I’ve gotten to visit 30+ Y gyms around the country and can say this is the worst one I’ve seen. Horrible organization. Dumbbells, bar stops, and other equipment are often scattered across the facility. Machines are heavily dusty. There was a leak from a pipe labeled “sewage” that was leaking onto a bench for MONTHS despite my repeated attempts to notify the desk staff. The staff have a 2-3 week lead time for responding to any emails or calls. There will be 1-2 days each quarter that the facility will be closed in less than one days notice. Similar to other reviews, the desk staff is often unpleasant. And all this for $113/month? What a rip off.

Joined with my partner and had a mixed experience overall. Had some good classes and was able to use the gym for my workout needs, especially the kettlebells and heavy bag. No real spaces or equipment for Olympic lifting like clean and jerks. I’m not sure why they don’t let you use the classrooms when they’re not being used for a class because the areas for stretching and other simple workouts get really packed sometimes. Ultimately it’s an overpriced gym in my book. I get that it’s a non profit in a hip area but for $100/month or so I think the members deserve some better equipment (for example, the kettlebells were old, cheap, and only went up to 45lbs), a fuller class schedule, and better service overall. However at least it’s not in the $175+ range like other gyms in DC, and you can get a good bang for your buck if you are able to use the gym for your needs. Based on reviews I read I knew to be wary of their cancellation process. I gave a full 32 day notice of cancellation (the policy is 30 days before your next billing date, which is ridiculous), but when I called to confirm it went through, the initial customer service/front desk staff was dismissive and even a bit rude, and said I was going to be charged. She said the process happens “offsite” and there’s no phone number to reach the department that handles cancellations, which seemed deliberately opaque and convoluted to me. When I finally got in touch with Tommie the head of member services she was much more professional and supportive and was able to process my cancellation, which I appreciated.

DIRTIEST GYM IN DC. this place is foul. Dirt, dust, debris all over the floor. Cleaners don’t clean anything except the bathrooms. I have never seen a vacuum in this place and I’ve been a member for almost 5 years. Not sure why it’s so hard to hire a daily cleaning crew for a gym that has hundreds of members coming in every day. I once told them about a dead roach on the floor and it took them over a week to sweep it up. There’s been a leak in the weight room ceiling coming from the women’s restroom piping for over 3 years - their solution is a bucket on the floor. Sound system stopped working almost a year ago and they haven’t fixed it. There’s not enough free weights by a landslide. WiFi hasn’t worked for years but they gaslight members into believing “it must be an issue with your phone”. Heat isn’t working on the back half of the facility. Staff doesn’t care, manager does nothing to make changes. THIS PLACE IS FOUL.

Ive tried to come to the gym 4 times and out of those only 1 time i could find the childwatch operating on its hours. I dont have no one to wach my children wich is the reason i enrolled here and drive 30 minutes to this place. They also stopped me every time to sign WAIVERS since they havent signed me on the system or gave me a card or anything im just not signed up even tho i brought my documents since 29th September and i have to explain myself about why im not on the system yet as well since they have no comunication between staff so after a lot of time spend explaining just to be send back due to childwatch not being open. Just awesome experience trying to come back to take care of my health after kids.