The Santa Monica Family YMCA is dedicated to serving the community by providing programs and services that enrich the quality of the physical, mental, spiritual and social lives of individuals and families.
I love this YMCA! Josh, Media, and all the others on staff are wonderful. The gym is clean and well-kept. There is a pool, sauna, and a daycare / childcare separated area. There are also men's and women's locker rooms. There are two rooms with treadmills, bikes, and step machines. There are 3 squat racks and 2 bench press racks.
Update: After closing the sauna for weeks, the best solution the Y came up with is putting a plastic basket on top of the sensor. That is not a fix—it’s incompetence. Management has known about this dangerous problem for years and still hasn’t solved it. Now the same people who always tamper with the sensor are dumping water on it, making the situation even more dangerous. Two days ago, an older man nearly passed out when the temperature reached close to 200 degrees. How many warnings do you need before you take real action? Regular members know exactly who keeps causing this problem. Why haven’t you revoked their memberships? Do your job before someone gets seriously hurt. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This YMCA location is exposing itself to significant legal and liability risk due to a clear and ongoing failure to enforce basic safety standards in its sauna. Yesterday, the sauna temperature reached 205°F, a level that presents a foreseeable risk of serious injury. This was not a random malfunction—it resulted from members deliberately tampering with the temperature sensor by covering it with wet paper towels. This practice is well known, has been raised in prior reviews, and continues to occur without effective intervention. I immediately reported the issue to the front desk and requested that staff address it. Although staff briefly checked the area, no meaningful corrective action was taken. The individuals responsible for tampering with safety equipment were not warned, removed, or even spoken to during the 20 minutes I remained afterward. Allowing members to manipulate safety controls in a shared facility—especially after repeated complaints—constitutes a failure to mitigate a known hazard. Ignoring this behavior creates unnecessary risk to patrons and exposes the organization to avoidable liability should someone be injured. This issue requires immediate enforcement, monitoring, and clear consequences. Treating it as a non-issue despite documented concerns reflects a serious lapse in management responsibility.
I never leave review but this seriously bad problem! I go to sauna today around 10am. Usually I go evening time, but today I go morning because I want make sure nobody mess with temperature sensor and make sauna too damn hot. But same problem again. When I get there, temperature very hot already close to 190°F and sensor all wet. Somebody poor water on it, very clear. I sit outside for 15 minute, hope temperature go down. But no, when I check again, it close to 210!!!! I say what the hell and leave right away. I no want what happen to poor man last week happen to me. I sure YMCA know about incident. Sauna was like 210-220°F when that guy faint, fall and hit head. He very confuse and EMT take him out. I hope he okay but make me very disappointed YMCA still no take this serious. I already complain this problem three or four time. I tell them about those damn gringos always mess with sauna but they do nothing. So this time I just leave, no want headache. I think it no do anything! If man almost die not make them care, it useless. Only reason I still have membership because sauna help my medical condition and body pain. But I no want heart attack or hurt bad just because they let sauna run too hot. I man with health issue and YMCA only two minute from my house. But after today I done. I very fed up. This serious safety issue, maybe life threatening and I no want bother no more. They know this problem for years and they no care. Put plastic basket on sensor is joke and you know that. We tell you people now dump water on sensor, way worse than before with paper towel. Temperature never over 200 before, now they dumb water and it go over 220. You make it worse. You never listen member, never take action, never kick anyone out, never take membership. What sad place. Management should ashamed themselves.
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