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| - I have to disagree with the other reviews. They screwed this place up royally. Its predecessor, Ballantyne Village Y, was terrific. A little small, but plenty of cardio, strength training options, and classes. Locker room was small, but it was laid out well so you weren't always on top of each other.
I don't know who designed the new Y, but I'm not sure they ever stepped foot in a gym before. There's not enough cardio equipment as the shiny new building has attracted a lot more folks. They didn't account for this.
It's hot and stuffy. The old Y had several fans right over the bikes and treadmills. You could work out hard and not be completely drenched. You could really push yourself. In the new joint, a simple endurance workout leaves you dripping. The air doesn't move, and with an open first floor, it's extremely warm upstairs where the cardio is.
It's turned into a Gold's Gym. Muscle heads from end to end grunting and dropping weights. Of course they all have to do super sets, so they're taking up two machines, benches or more. It's a mob scene any time of the day. Can't imagine what after work is like.
The locker room is a complete disaster. The layout is terrible. They've crunched 50+ lockers into one small rectangular area. If there are more than two people in there you're on top of one another.
The employees were a disaster at the old Y, and that hasn't changed. You're lucky if they acknowledge you at all when you walk in. They're two busy with their own conversations to pay any attention to anyone or anything in the gym. In fairness, that's not true of every employee, but certainly the majority.
As much as I'd like to jump ship and go somewhere else, the pools available at other branches keep me hooked. Since this is the closest Y to my house, and on my way to work, the convenience makes dealing with all the negatives a necessity. Of course, many of my runs are outside now to avoid heading there.
It's new. It's clean. And it's pretty. Lots of strength training equipment. Other than that, it's a disaster.
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