Charles River YMCA - Great Plain Ave in Needham

What a disappointment, not all gyms have same equipment. I figured this gym would be up to date but their MATRIX cardio machines are old & not up to 2025 standards. They don't even have any of the pictured one below.....NEEDED FOR HANDICAPPED PEOPLE......the place is clean & well managed, but ignorant when it comes to needs of people with leg amputee prosthetics. I will change my rating if they include 2-3 leased machines like one below

Wonderful staff, indoor year-round pool, spectacular swimming lessons for children, adults, and adaptive swim lessons (hard to find elsewhere). If you live near Needham, give it a try, and you may not look elsewhere

We switched over from Lifetime Fitness to Charles River YMCA in 2021 and the rest is history. This gym is not excessively big or commercialized which gives off a true community-based feeling. I also love this Y for being very kid friendly.

The Charles River YMCA is a wonderful gym and community. I have been a member for several years and participate in many group activities such as Barre, Pilates and Zumba. All the folks at the Y also did an awesome job keeping me active during the pandemic by offering virtual classes and now hybrid. I'm glad to be back in the gym and look forward to attending more live classes. Thank you, YMCA!

The swimming pool has well-trained lifeguards. Today I saw a swift rescue. One lifeguard jumped into the middle lane of the pool to rescue a struggling old female swimmer. He skillfully pull her into the shallow side of the pool. Great job! Isaiah!

This YMCA branch has become a real life-saver for me this winter as the temperatures dropped and I couldn’t work out/run outside anymore. Their covid-related reservation system is also a good incentive not to skip gym and to schedule your busy day around the workouts. Also love the fact that I can just come in and work out at my own pace - no pressure to take group classes/personal training sessions that sometimes occurs in “regular” gyms. Very relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The only downside is that it’s almost impossible to sign up for the swimming pool - it’s almost perpetually overbooked!

It's a small gym, no doubt, but definitely has pretty much everything you could need. If you're a gym rat who NEEDS a rack at all times, there's only one for everyone to share, but that being said, the gym-goers at this Y are generally not of that variety and you might only need to wait for one person to use the rack ahead of you if at all. The staff are friendly, the facilities are always clean, the Zumba classes on Saturday and Sunday mornings are SO good (some of the best in Greater Boston, no doubt). For folks hating on this Y, they're just used to bigger more glamorous gyms. This place definitely does the job and is so convenient if you live in the area.

This is a great YMCA location if you are looking to get in and out on a treadmill or elliptical machine - but this location has very tight quarters. It's clean and I've never had an issue waiting for a machine, but it is definitely a small facility. I have never tried a class at this YMCA but there did seem to be a limited schedule (which may be due to demand). All in all I liked this YMCA for a quick workout on my own but wouldn't plan to workout with a group of friends.