Winder Barrow Brad Akins YMCA

★★★★Christy Smith

Always a good safe place to work out. Plenty of machines, free weights, classes, and activities.. Only complaint is they won't leave the ceiling fans on while your working out!

★★★Dominic Ottaviano

I have been a member of this YMCA off and on for nearly 20 years, but I unfortunately had to cancel my membership due to a shift in how the facilities are managed. Over the last few years, the YMCA has felt less like a community fitness center and more like a massive daycare and afterschool program. My primary issue is pool availability. During the school year, the swim teams completely pack the indoor pool for the entire evening, making it incredibly difficult for regular members to find space. I hung in there and waited for the outdoor pool to open, looking forward to outdoor morning lap swimming. However, the hours were changed this year. It used to match the indoor pool hours, but now it doesn't open until 10:00 a.m. By opening at 10:00 a.m., there is no longer a quiet morning window for adults to swim laps. Instead, the pool immediately fills with scheduled activities, water yoga, and camp/daycare kids. While I know the staff says there is always "one lane available" for lap swimming, trying to exercise or relax in the middle of that much chaos and noise is not a good experience. It is disappointing to leave after two decades, but the current scheduling just doesn't accommodate adult members who need functional pool access.

★Alaina Lareau

Just really unimpressed by the attitude and behavior of the aquatics staff. I’ve heard some very inappropriate conversations to be had around children. A lot of complaining about not wanting to be in the water with the kids and the hassle of watching them. The general feeling is that these folks don’t care for children and would prefer if they weren’t here nor in the pool. This will be my last time doing swim lessons at this location.

★Ron

Definitely racist and discriminatory vibes from the evening staff. If you are a black person, one particular older Caucasian woman will find a reason to have to stop you and ask you about your membership. This lady stops me EVERY TIME. She once tracked me down the hallway to say my key card didn’t scan. So I walk all the way back to the front just for her to say she didn’t see my name or face pop up. I’m like “I thought you said it didn’t scan?” How would anyone’s info pop up if it didn’t scan? Its just her way of making you feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. She will also get other staff members to stop you and say something to you for some reason. The whole time she will be behind them whispering things and making it weird. The other staff members usually don’t even know why the heck she is making them stop us. She’s just looking for a reason to question your membership or the validity of you being there. It’s a nice facility if you can make it past the staff with the same energy you walked in with.

★gaby yovera garcia

I felt discriminated against because of how I dressed at the gym, a place where you go to de-stress and wear comfortable clothes. I left this gym because they have problems with clothing. I know the gym is "Christian," but being Christian goes beyond just clothing and controlling how people dress; it's about being patient, respecting, and loving others. Bye ! They are too strict, and this is the Winder location.