Downtown location closes the locker rooms to clean daily. Men's 1-2pm woman's 2-3pm. The man working 5/12/2026 habitually doesn't adhere to these times. Today I went into the men's locker room around 2 pm, he was in a changing stall with the curtain closed folding microfiber towels. He then went and closed off the woman's locker room and then returned to the men's and began moving wet floor signs and vacuuming. I went back into the men's 30 minutes later before I left for the day, the women's locker room was still closed and he was still in the men's.
Beyond that the water pressure in the men's sinks is awful. There are 2 drinking fountains in the common area. If you're drinking from the the taller one and some one uses the shorter one the taller one stops working completely.
I like the Downtown Y's convenience to me--I can walk there. I like the classes and all the equipment for training on my own. The Downtown has its own kind of vibe that makes it different from all the other Richmond area Y's.
I love that the programs are open to all ages and abilities! I love coming to the Y because it is encouraging, the staff are friendly and attentive, and there are all kinds of people all trying to be healthy together.
I really enjoy Aoife O' Sullivans Boot camp and Body Sculpt classes. She always offers a variety of exercises and switches the routines to keep it interesting. She also offers modifications for each of the exercises presented. She is kind and encouraging of all.
I wish when Aoife or any other instructor is unavailable to teach the class that a substitute could be found to cover rather than cancel.
The gym is very well-equipped for the cost of membership—the staff is friendly and responsive. IMO, the combination of facilities/equipment, location, and cost makes the Downtown YMCA the best option for strength training in the city (if you're not a student or employee at VCU).