Sara's YMCA

This small but mighty YMCA is a staple for Ballantyne. Group fitness. Hot yoga. Personal trainers. Outside stations. Sun deck for stretching. Pilates reformer. It has it all. Ample parking. The staff here is THE BEST. Great place to get mentally and physically fit.

I'm a FAN of anything that has to do with physical activity as a BODY at REST stays at REST but a BODY in MOTION STAYS IN MOTION & I for one plan to stay Moving for LIFE.I was so SAD that I had to miss the Grand Opening yesterday due to having a ton of out of town guest for the CIAA tournament who needed me to give them rides when all I wanted to do was WORKOUT. So today just one day shy of the Grand Opening I made it my GOAL to get here and to GET MOVING.I stumbled in on the last 30minutes of a Zumba class and followed it up with a run on the state of the art treadmills where I took a run virtually through Italy.I decided to tour the facility post workout as I cooled down and really enjoyed the outdoor jungle gym that I at first glance thought was for children however after taking another look it was indeed an alternative workout with instructions for all parts of the contraption. WoW.. I also ventured off to the outdoor rooftop overlooking Ballantyne Corporate offices where one could use several outdoor machines with a view which was pretty cool. This place is a MUST COME, MUST SEE, MUST DO .The ONLY downfall and the reason my STARage is 4 instead of 5 is because they don't offer childcare this facility is 16 and older. I appreciate that but I do have a toddler and would like the option to come for lunch to see my hubby who works in Ballantyne corporate with my son and get a workout in with my hubby which isn't possible with the absence of childcare :-(

My son's early morning chess scrimmage landed me on this side of town with a few hours to fill. This was the closest YMCA according to Yelp, so I headed over for what turned out to be a great workout. This Y is pretty nice, very open and spacious and the staff at the front desk were so welcoming. The layout is pretty nice, most of the weight machines are downstairs and there is also like an area outside that you can workout. The cardio machines are upstairs, and this location is in a business park so the view from the treadmill is pretty nice. There is also an outside area upstairs for workouts......I enjoyed my experience here.

I love the Y! The staff is amazing and everything is so organized- they've put a lot of thought into making all of the moving parts work together!

This nice new facility replaces the Ballantyne Village YMCA. I like the bright & airy open spaces of this building. There are some outdoor workout areas here as well as an exercise room that opens up to allow for sunlight & fresh air.Downstairs you will find free weights as well as some machines....and upstairs you will find plenty of exercise equipment including treadmills and elliptical machines. Both floors have rooms that are used for Pilates and Yoga classes. Speaking of classes, I have not yet attended any classes here, but am looking forward to getting back into Yoga and Pilates.For people like me who need a little extra help & motivation in my fitness journey, they offer various personal training packages. I am looking forward to signing up for one so that I can get a little extra help in jump-starting a new fitness program! The locker room is a bit on the small side compared some of the larger Ys, but the lockers are nice - both full size and half size lockers are available. Unfortunately, towel service is not included in your membership, but is available for an extra fee. They have not yet opened up the cafe but once it opens, it will be nice to have a convenient place to grab a salad or smoothie after a lunch-time workout!I really was hoping that they would have a pool at this facility, but unfortunately, no such luck. Oh well, it's still a nice facility and I am glad that this is right behind my office so I have no more excuses not to go for a workout during lunch or after work!

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.

Newer Y with a modern feel. Caters to adults ie no childcare or camps. Pretty good classes.

My favorite Y to workout! It's rarely ever crowded and even when it's "busy" it is nothing compared to other gyms in the area. I have never had an issue getting on a treadmill or using the weight equipment, even when it's during a peak hour. The gym is really great if you're new to weight lifting and don't want to be in front of a ton of people. I love the outdoor area, it's awesome for burpees, pull-ups, using the sled, and more. Super clean facility and nice staff. I have nothing bad to say about this Y

We are so blessed to have such a beautiful facility to workout in!!! Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Bissell and to everyone who worked so hard to make this happen!! You can tell that so much thought and planning went into constructing this facility! It is beyond beautiful and simply like nothing that I have seen (and I've been to numerous Y's, and a multitude of other gyms throughout the US. )If you travel and visit some of the other Ys in other cities you will realize quickly that Charlotte puts a lot of focus to ensure that their facilities are well taken care of.I feel extremely lucky to have the opportunity to live so close to 2 great Ys with such wonderful instructors and such fabulous, well cared for gyms!

L-O-V-E!! This place isn't even 100% complete yet but i'm already in love! I ventured over during my lunch break on their 3rd day open. How convenient, only a 5 minute walk across the street. I seriously have no excuses now!! Walking in there's the lobby with plenty of chairs & tables, what's soon to be the Cafe to the left, and the community room to the right. Straight ahead there's the reception desk and the scanner is just to the left in a small cubby hole in the wall. Used to waiting for people to move to scan my card at the desk, I was very happy to see the scanner was in an isolated location.The ladies locker room is beautiful. My favorite part is that they now have Changing Rooms so you don't have to go into a stall to change anymore if you need a little privacy. I can also now squeeze my smaller lock onto the lockers to keep my things safe. The only thing that I miss about the old locations locker room is that there are no fans at Saras. Though it's pretty cool in this locker room, optional fans post workout would be awesome. I took a little stroll around the facilities post workout and I was very impressed. It made me excited to return & wish I had time after work to come by before my long trek home to Salisbury. I wish our YMCA was this nice! All of the equipment is top of the line. My favorite part is that you can Create An Account and log in from most cardio equipment each time you workout. It saves all of your stats, lets you watch TV, listen to music, connect your ipod, log into social networks and take virtual runs/walks. It's pretty awesome! I played with it the entire time I worked out. Once you register you will also receive an email with information on how to sign in from the web or mobile app and complete challenges. On the treadmill there are triggers on the handles that allow you to increase/decrease your speed &/or incline. Throughout the facility theirs all sorts of equipment you can grab to assist in your workout. There is even an on-site physical therapist! On nice days you can even enjoy an outside workout from the roof or ground level.Overall this is a solid YMCA. The best i've seen yet. I've heard some people say they wish it had a pool. But for this to be a corporate YMCA, I think a pool would be too much. Just stick to the basics to serve the needs of the corporate community and do those well, which I think this location has accomplished. I can't wait to give the cafe a try when it opens! I've uploaded tons of photos, enjoy!