Lancaster Family Ymca

The City Center YMCA is one of the best fitness facilities in Lancaster, PA. I appreciate that they open at 5 AM on weekdays, which makes it easy to get a workout in before the day starts. They offer plenty of cardio options, including treadmills, ellipticals, stair-steppers, and stationary bikes. The strength-training area is solid as well, with free weights and Smith machines available. Their indoor lap pool is excellent for both exercise and casual swimming, and I’ve often enjoyed using the sauna before cooling off with a swim. They also have a full-size basketball court with four side courts and offer youth recreational leagues like the Jr. NBA. The indoor track is another great feature for both walkers and runners. The staff at the CCY are friendly, polite and courteous, their always willing to lift a helping hand. A day pass is reasonably priced at $10 for non-members.

You get what you pay for at this place with cleanliness being a big issue. It’s obvious that certain parts of the space aren’t adequately being cleaned or maintained regularly. There’s a noticeable amount of dust on the equipment that seems to sit there for long periods of time, and the walls and ceiling are also visibly dirty. For a newer facility, the locker rooms are also surprisingly run down and already showing a lot of wear. The pool area is another concern — the chlorine smell is extremely strong and overwhelming, to the point where it’s uncomfortable to be in the area. They also allow people to work out in regular street clothes, which adds to the overall lack of hygiene and makes the environment feel less professional. A gym should be clean and well maintained, no matter the price, and unfortunately this one falls short. Would love to know where management is allocating their funds.

This is a remarkable gem in historic Lancaster. Traveling to be with family I emailed in advanced and learned from Jenn that this Y has day passes. Terrific! Only $10.00 (March 2025) and the facility is top notch with super nice employees too. The members were diverse in age, size, ethnicity and ability and all were welcomed. Filled with Precor equipment- stationary bikes (both recumbent and upright), weight machines, treadmills, stair masters - weight machines, a basketball court and a pool which had an ambient temperature of 80degrees the day I was there. Lots of lanes for swimming and I was there after lunch and there were lanes open, and easily accommodated my slow pace. The hot tub and sauna was delightful too. This really is a treasure that this visitor to Lancaster is most grateful to have discovered. Thank you!

Above and beyond. New leadership and experienced coaches with a team that really lives up to their commitment for health and wellbeing. I am grateful to experience this momentum when I dig into being present for my workouts.

I’m so grateful for our local Ymca and especially the silver Sneakers program. I am very disappointed in the women’s locker room. It seems to be extremely dirty and the shower is barely dribble. I laid my coat down in the locker room and when I picked it up, it was covered with black greasy dirt. Taking a shower was a bit like hoping that a light drizzle will water the garden. Just a little more attention to these items would really elevate the experience.