YMCA of Rapid City

Negative experience: a sad day they got rid of good leadership for someone who fails to admit when the Y makes a mistake. I cancelled my membership today and won’t return for awhile. The new interim director is doing her best to push people out. I hope they get someone soon who actually cares about having patrons or we won’t have the Y anymore.

Negative experience: They have nothing for 3rd to 7th I tired and they offered me nothing only scalarship program that my 7th graders has to qualify for and if not we have to pay 500 DOLLARS!!

Fantastic experience: The Group Exercise classes are my favorite part of this Y!

Fantastic experience: I have always enjoyed my experiences at the YMCA here in Rapid City since I was a kid. Administration is always looking for ways to improve the experience. Very clean, very friendly, and very affordable. I can’t say enough good things. Staff including Ryan is wonderful at handling memberships. Always helpful and supportive. Great job!

Negative experience: The lobby bathroom is always really dirty. I’m here early morning. Clearly the place isn’t cleaned before the doors open for the day. Nasty people

Negative experience: does not accept One pass or Silver Sneakers very disappointed. It says on the One Pass web site they do, but I called and they do not.

Positive experience: The basketball courts are so good but there could be more balls like there was couple if years ago.

Positive experience: I primarily use the weight room and the basketball courts. The weight room has everything you could need in your fitness journey. However I will say that the cleanliness is terrible. The floors appear to be never cleaned for both the weight room and basketball gym. I will continue to go because it is very affordable but it just feels like a dirty, dusty YMCA compared to other ones I have been to.

Fantastic experience: Our YMCA rocks!!! Shannon and Nicole are always making it a great place to be and you should see Nicole and her smile when helping our seniors in the fitness center and Shannon staff for making it a great place to be..all the YMCA staff is awesome!!!

Negative experience: When I first joined the YMCA, I appreciated the community and facilities. However, recent changes, particularly the two price hikes, have left me disappointed—especially the one targeting the 26-29 age demographic. As someone in this age group, many of us are navigating significant financial responsibilities in today’s economy: saving for a home, paying off car loans, managing Rapid City’s rising rents, and affording groceries. Singling out this specific demographic feels unfair and unsustainable. Here are my key concerns: 1. Value for the Price This rate increase might be justified for a high-end gym like LA Fitness, where equipment is consistently maintained and upgraded. At this YMCA, however, I’ve only seen one upgrade (the cable machine) in four years, and even small items like yoga mats are already deteriorating. 2. Alternative Pricing Suggestions • Why not base membership fees on income, with proof, to ensure fairness? • Or consider families with dual incomes, who may better absorb such increases, rather than targeting young adults trying to establish financial stability. 3. Public Gym Expectations It’s unreasonable to cater to complaints about noise from something like a speed bag in a public gym. Noise is part of the environment—no different from the sound of footsteps above the locker room. 4. Membership Flexibility Offering an option to opt out of access to multiple locations could make pricing more equitable. For example, someone living in Rapid City likely doesn’t need access to Custer. Nationwide YMCA access would justify this model, but that’s not the current setup. Ultimately, I’d appreciate seeing price increases reflected in noticeable improvements to equipment and facilities—not targeted demographic changes. I hope this feedback helps guide future decisions. PS. Bring back Night Owl hours

Negative experience: The hours are too limited. Very difficult to get what you need when you work full time and have to work around kids schedules. It close at 5pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday. No night owl any more. Going to have to find a gym with better hours.

Negative experience: I have been a YMCA member since I was kid in their day care. Take it from me this is the WORST facility ran by incompetent people. My 12 year old son cannot lift with me unless I pay them $100 additional on top of my already $94 monthly payment. On top of that their pool and open/family swim is non existent. When I signed up for our family membership they offered child watch up to two hours a day, this policy has since changed where they now charge you $2 an hour if you plan to use this service. They also have zero parking. When I initially started my family membership you had an option to purchase a parking pass for a vacant parking lot across the street for $10, this policy has also changed. If you’d like to have a parking spot when you show up expect another $20 monthly payment for this pass. This place has turned into 1 big money hungry facility that falls short to provide proper services to their loyal members and sad how much it’s regressing. Please save yourself the frustration and find yourself and your family a more deserving facility.

Negative experience: Pool doesn’t have a schedule on when it’s opened or closed you’ll have to show up to find out, cafe closes at 2pm and if you bring food you’ll have to eat it at the lobby at a tiny tall circle table while 3 couches are facing you. Staff always has a frown on their face and the councilors for the kids are always yelling and also have frowns on their face, along with not letting the kids have fun. the gym downstairs is alright but the wifi and cell service is so bad down there that you can barely play music without it pausing every 10 seconds, most machines are taken so you’ll have a wait, a lot of people use the wrong machine for exercises, but that’s okay. the gym is clean and the staff down there are always happy and ready to help, one of them even puts fruit out to keep you healthy and asks how your day is going, we love her. Basketball courts are ALWAYS full so good luck running a game in any of the 3. there is a walking track circling the top of the main one which is neat. The drinks they sell in the lobby are very pricey when you can buy the same drink at the gas station literally a 3 minute walk down the side walk for $2 cheaper with far more options.

Positive experience: Wish they would have informed us prior to booking a party that our 10 year old daughter and all of her friends would have to pass a Marine Corp swim test in order to swim in 3 feet of water and use a water slide. Granted they all passed but that’s just crazyness… this ain’t the military folks, this is a water slide in 3 1/2 feet of water

Fantastic experience: Had the absolute best experience at this YMCA. They made playing basketball as out of towners super easy, and it was a real highlight on our trip. Thanks again!

Fantastic experience: this Y has been and continues to a great part of the Rapid City community, it truly brings people of all ages together! It has something for everyone.

Negative experience: what can I say about the YMCA of Rapid City. so I decided to get a day pass to see if this place was right for me, $20 for a day pass is very high most YMCA's do like $6 but I thought maybe they would have more to show me. so I walked in I noticed the place is clean but a lot of foot traffic from kids that are getting off from school. I did not mind that but once I got into the workout rooms there was only a few free weights, and machines open, since all the kids want to talk, joke, and play around. I gave it a chance and I did wait for a while to get what I wanted to use. Then I thought maybe I can check out the swimming pool as I walked to the pool area I noticed the doors were locked and the pools were not filled up, then I noticed they only do the pool area a few days out of a week, as I thought to myself of paying for the membership fee and not getting what "I" would like out of this place is not worth it. not a bad place if you are a kid but if your a adult I would stay away unless you want to pay for a high membership fee.

Negative experience: This haz never been addressed by either YMCA or RCAS since I brought this to their attention. RCAS workers in one of the YMCA buildings (with INFANTS) are allowed to vape indoors (which can lead to second or third hand smoking for kids and INFANTS!!!!). Been trying to report this to RCAS and YMCA for weeks and I've been ignored constantly so here's a public statement for parents that send their children to 625 9th Street.

Negative experience: $60 for the privilege of parking is ridiculous. It's clearly nothing more than a greedy cash grab to try to squeeze more money out of you which is why they implemented it January 1st so they could take advantage of new years resolutioners.

Negative experience: I got taking pictures of me

Fantastic experience: Best gym in town. We started going because we needed child care so my wife and I could work out together. Staff is great, place is very clean and the weight room has it all. There is also a dress code, unlike some other places in town were folks dress like they are at the beach.

Positive experience: Dedicated staff, clean, friendly environment. Thanks for being open and honest.

Negative experience: Child care has gone way downhill! Received a message from staff asking parents if they can find alternative care for the summer due to staffing issues. If you returned in the fall you would receive a free month $660. I found alternate care for my daughter and gave a two week notice but was denied the weeks vacation that the Y offers. The childcare staff are unable to take breaks and scrutinized by management. It’s no surprise there is no consistency. My daughter was bullied by several students and there were zero repercussions. I COULD GO ON FOR DAYS WITH ISSUES WE HAD. Don’t subject your child to this type of environment. There is nothing Christian about their preschool and my daughter regressed academically while in their care. LEAVING THE RAPID CITY YMCA WAS THE BEST DECISION I HAVE MADE.

Fantastic experience: We travel and so go to many YMCAs. This is one of the best.

Negative experience: The YMCA is not a safe place to work out if you're of a certain demographic. I have been harassed, bullied and treated like I work out there for free even though I'm a paying customer. I have aired my grievances to staff members who I thought cared, only for them really not to. I feel that there is a certain ideology at the YMCA and you have to adhere to it, or you're not going to be able to work out there. Since I can't change who I am and was born this way, I will have to look for another place to work out in Rapid City. If you've moved here from another place where that ideaology prevented you from your normal life, I have some bad news for you. That same ideology that you escaped is very prevalent in the center part of Rapid City and alive and well at the YMCA.

Negative experience: The childcare here is awful and unorganized, let alone extremely expensive. i tried signing my son up for summer camp, was told i had to sign up for discounted price. so we did, just to be told it was full and to be put on a waiting list. I tried calling to see how long we would have to wait so i could look for other alternatives for my son to have a fun summer. “i can’t disclose that information to you” is what they told me. they called me again on a Monday at 3pm, two hours before they close for the day, telling me they have room for my son. I went in tuesday morning and was told the application had to be returned wednesday before noon. I turned in the application tuesday at 4pm. I recieved a phone call the next day telling me my son cannot go because of the directors misinformation. I wasted all my time into trying to get my son into summer camp at the ymca, and now he’s stuff doing nothing due to all the other programs filling up. don’t waste your time here.

Negative experience: The staff is great and the fitness equipment is also great! But, if you want a hot shower after doing your fitness workout, don’t join the YMCA. If you enjoy cold showers, then it’s the fitness organization for you. If you enjoy a warm shower and halfway through it the water turns cold, then the YMCA is the place for you.

Negative experience: The showers are gross and have no privacy. They have HOTEL CARPET for the locker room floor, absolutely disgusting. Total rip-off considering how expensive it is.

Negative experience: Scheduled a first-aid training through the Y. Notified them a couple weeks before that I had to go on emergency travel and asked if I could move my training to the next one on the calendar. They wouldn't reschedule me nor give back my $75. Not my definition of "Christian".

Fantastic experience: There is no place like the Y! Great staff and programs for the entire family.

Fantastic experience: Best gym hands down anywhere

Fantastic experience: This place is amazing! It has excellent child care, good gyms for sports, and a large, high quality workout center. It also has swimming pools!

Negative experience: Bad gym and lots of bad conditions however the facility is nice for small children

Fantastic experience: Clean, well run facility, staff are helpful and courteous as well as friendly. Equipment and weights are well maintained. Excellent.

Fantastic experience: I have been a member now for over three months. I have found great staff, nice members, and a yummy café which is available for lunch without membership. The pool and sauna are my favorites, and I can highly recommend the water exercise classes. Also, I found out my membership is good in other locations and since I will be traveling soon, that is a plus. Thank you!

Negative experience: If you are trying to go for a PR and become the strongest version of yourself this gym is not for you! I was going for a 500 lb deadlift pr(on a deadlift platform) and after completing my goal a staff member confronted me by yelling halfway across the gym. He scrutinized me for dropping the weight even though my hands never let go of the bar. Making a scene throughout the gym and everyone's attention on me. I tried telling him it was a 500lb pr and he told me that other people can handle that weight better then me. Ultimately this ruined my whole experience on a 500lb deadlift that I have been working toward for over a year.

Positive experience: YMCA childcare is one of the best around. Nice facilities, good hours and best of all the swimming lessons!

Fantastic experience: Excellent thank you

Fantastic experience: Heavenly place where everybody is so friendly and professional. We love to go and spend some quality family time there. All staff is willing to get to know you and make you feel you are a part of a big,lovely family. Always Clean and safe. Your safety is always number one concern and that feels even greater when you have you kid with you. Since you know there are always extra pairs of eyes watching out your kids for their safety. Thank you guys!

Fantastic experience: Heavenly place where everybody is so friendly and professional. We love to go and spend some quality family time there. All staff is willing to get to know you and make you feel you are a part of a big,lovely family. Always Clean and safe. Your safety is always number one concern and that feels even greater when you have you kid with you. Since you know there are always extra pairs of eyes watching out your kids for their safety. Thank you guys!

Fantastic experience: The swim program is amazing thanks to Francis. She is amazing with the kids and will even pull kids into classes that havn't signed up. So the kids that hang out after school now have something productive to do and are learning a life skill. It is just wonderful to have people that truly care about the kids.

Negative experience: I travel a lot and visit different gyms. I normally find a Y to workout at because of the one day price but i very disappointed that they want $20.00 for me to visit for an hour.

Fantastic experience: I have been to YMCAs all over this country. Many of you may have read my White Bear Minnesota Y review, which was glowing. Possibly the best facility I've ever seen. But facility isn't everything. Culture accounts for a lot, too. The Rapid City YMCA has, hands down, by far, the best culture and the most family oriented feel about it of any YMCA I've ever been to. And I don't just mean "mom dad and the kids family." I mean that everyone acts like they are members of the same family. Like a constant, perpetual reunion. A culture like this is hard to cultivate and keep up. The CEO and general manager of this facility have got to be the best, and I hope to shake their hands one day. Don't miss this YMCA. And by the way, the facility is excellent. Clean and state-of-the-art. You couldn't ask for more.

Fantastic experience: I loved it

Negative experience: THE OTHER EVENING MY SON WAS IN THE SHOWER AND HIS LOCKER WAS UNLOCKED FOR 10 MINUTES WHILE HE SHOWERED. ANOTHER YOUNG MAN HAD HIS CAR KEY AND WALLET STOLEN WITH IN MINUTES OF MY SONS LOSS. THE MONEY THAT WAS STOLEN WAS ALL THE MONEY HE HAD. THE STAFF AND THE RAPID CITY COMMUNITY OFFICER DID AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT $3000 CAN BE STOLEN AND YMCA AND THE RAPID CITY POLICE COULDN'T MAKE TIME TO TAKE A REPORT, SO THEY SENT A non CERTIFIED COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER TO TAKE A REPORT. I HIRED AN ATTORNEY TO FILE ON BOTH ENTITIES. THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE THEIR JOBS.

Negative experience: My experience of Rapid City's YMCA is negative for a variety of reasons. But the one that stood out was from their complete lack of sympathy and compassion towards travelers. Having been traveling the US in a van for several weeks with my friend, we looked to the YMCA as an important refuge for body and soul. A place to meet fellow Christians, rest and shower. At Rapid City however we were to be charged $40 for this 5 minute privilege. It didn't have to be like this, a limited use of their resources would have meant a great deal to us.

Negative experience: I get you need membership.. but I called to ask if I could bring my 101 year old grandmother to swim and exercise fir one hour.. was told it would be 35$ fir a day pass. I said no I only wonna come for and hour.. it's sad I can't bring someone fir an hour. There is no place in town to take her just to get in the water. Really doesn't seem fair.

Fantastic experience: I love it so much the place is amazing and cheep

Fantastic experience: It is a good place with several equipment. The swimming pool is good without the young children that are going to train. They have 3 swimming pools and prefer to swim without many children. Two of the 3 are opened.During children swimming time is impossible to swim until 7:45 pm and the swimming pool closes at 8:30 pm. I like to swim one hour. Another con is that 3 or 1 people doing exercises occupied a huge area of the swimming pool. In my humble opinion, they need to open the third swimming pool that is closed and used sometimes

Fantastic experience: Good place to work out and learn new things and my wife Darci works there.

Fantastic experience: As a frequent visitor of the RC YMCA I have a lot to say about this place. I love how I feel at home here and everyone knows my name. The childwatch program is perfect for parents that want to be fit or have a minute to themselves in the Courtyard Cafe for lunch. Sharon and the volunteer in childwatch always treat my son so incredibly well. This is a great family place and they always welcome out-of-state members with their AWAY program. We always put our older son the the sports programs that they offer for school-age children. My only complaint is that their family pool isn't always open for swim, but I understand that staffing it can be expensive and sometimes there are classes going on so I can't really fault them for it. I can also say that the wellness center is in the basement and there are no windows and can be very crowded at times. But I still love it. We are moving soon, but I know the first thing I will do is join the YMCA there. I just hope it feels as much like home as this one did.

Positive experience: It's a great place but I feel out of place in their gym!

Fantastic experience: We love our YMCA, if you can't afford a membership you can volunteer for I think an hour a week and get a free membership, I have really enjoyed the staff and the 2.5 hours of free childcare every day while you are working out is a life saver.

Fantastic experience: This is an awesome facility. They have a large amount of treadmills, bikes and the weight training area is huge. Their pools are great if you want to work out or bring the family. The staff has always been well informed and friendly.

Negative experience: Terrible. Day passes are 15 and no good from 11am-2pm.

Positive experience: Awesome facility. Great equipment. Just visiting. Guy at front desk was rude and crude tho.