The Y in Catonsville

I recently deleted a 4-star review I had left for the Y in Catonsville, and after my most recent experience, I feel a 3-star review is more accurate — specifically due to our experience with the Stay & Play area. On February 28th, 2025, my 2-year-old son was asked to clean up, and when he refused, he ended up hitting one of the staff members. I want to be clear — I do not condone this behavior, and as a mom, I understand it’s not okay for my child to hit others, just as I wouldn’t want anyone hitting him. I take full responsibility for my son’s actions and would have gladly worked with the staff to correct the situation. However, the way the staff handled the situation with me was very disappointing. When they told me what happened, they were extremely rude and unprofessional. I tried to speak with a manager about it, but that conversation felt hopeless — there was no effort to communicate or find common ground. This was especially upsetting because until now, my communication with the staff had always been positive, and we had a good understanding. It’s also worth mentioning that my family doesn’t attend the Y every day — there have been months where we haven’t attended at all. Regardless, we have consistently donated to the Y to help support its programs and to continue enjoying our time there. Overall, I’m very disappointed with how this situation was handled. I expected more understanding, communication, and professionalism from an organization that promotes community and family values.

Very small gym with not much for preteens/teens to do. But thats ok, I come for the water fitness class. The pool is pretty cold. Roberta is amazing, very fun and full of energy. When the kids want to go we head to the EC one.

Since I have the membership it has been a pleasure going to the Y. The gym is fantastic very clean and maintained. The bathroom is good and have liquid soap for the shower 🚿. The pool is also.nice the water should be a little bit more hot for the kids but that's ok. So far so very good 👍😊

UPDATE Jan. 2025 - I hate complaining, but as a gym member, I expect very basic things like clean bathrooms and heat in the winter. This Y has gone completely downhill over the last year. The women’s changing room has been without heat SINCE THANKSGIVING, in the middle of winter with no space heaters provided. Dirt and mildew all across the floors and lockers, and it’s clear that they’re not routinely cleaned. The accessible shower is missing half the screws and is not secure; I’m worried for elderly members or those who have disabilities, as this is totally unsafe. Where are our membership dollars going?! I was staying here for the water aerobics classes, but am 99% sure I’m going to cancel it and switch to Merritt Club. Do better Y! ____ A year ago, I became a Y member specifically to utilize the pool. This is now the second time this week alone that the pool has been closed “due to weather conditions” despite the fact that: 1.There was no lighting/thunder at the time, 2. There were no closure announcements/notices on the Y website, swim schedule, or social media, and 3. The pool schedule had no cancellation notices. Today, July 1, at 3:30 p.m., I arrived to do lap swim (which was on the schedule and not noted as canceled). After I had changed and walked over, the door was locked and the pool was empty. When I went out to ask a staff member about the closure, I saw a sign that said “The pool is closed due to weather conditions,” despite the fact there had been no lighting/severe weather today. After asking a staff member, I was told there are no lifeguards, so the pool is closed for the rest of the day. I understand that the Y is experiencing staffing shortages. I would 100% understand if the Y has to enact limited swim hours due to a lack of available lifeguards. However, I believe the Y should better communicate these closures by keeping their website up to date on cancellations or hour changes. Y memberships can be pricy, and for the amount I’m paying solely to use the pool, I wish closures were better communicated. I’m very appreciative of the Y and its staff but also want to communicate this issue as I am not the only member impacted by this.

Nice and clean entry area. I visited the pool area today with my 3 kids for family swim. Pool area is very nice. It only has 2 family showers but luckily is was not busy today so we were able to get one without a wait. The shower floors could be cleaned as there was hair in a lot of places and it was only 11am. The lifeguards were nice and seemed aware of all the kids in the facility. The kids loved the pool area. They also had 4 lap lanes in addition to eh 2 family lanes.