After a long day of work or school, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind as soon as you get home? Showering of course! Not only does it clear your skin and wash away all the bacteria that could cause some major problems, but it also freshens up your mind and helps you get through your day with ease. And although showering may seem accessible for everybody, not everyone has the ability to do it, especially those that are living the van life or don’t have a home. When that’s the case, finding a nice place where you could shower for free should be your top priority and one of these places is the gym. But do all gyms offer free showers? More specifically, can you shower at the YMCA for free?
YMCA used to offer free showers but this is no longer the case except for a tiny minority or if you’re a student in certain areas of the United States so it’s better to contact your local YMCA to verify this kind of information. You can however shower for free if you get a day pass or if you join someone that already has a membership.
In this article, we’ll talk more in-depth if you can shower for free at the YMCA as well as some tips to do it if they don’t allow it.
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Can You Shower at the YMCA for Free?
The answer to this question isn’t as straightforward as you might think since there are a lot of possibilities that come into play. Let’s take a look at all the possible cases to better understand the situation.
If You’re a Member
If you’re already a member of the YMCA, then you’re allowed to shower whenever you want and without any extra costs. It doesn’t matter if you trained or not or if you just want to shower without training. As long as you have a membership, then you’re free to do as you please.
If You’re Not a Member
If you’re not a member of the YMCA, then it’s a whole other story and history of events.
Previously, YMCA did allow non-members to access their showers for free, but not just any non-member, only those in need of it.
This means that they only allowed homeless people or those living “the van life” to access these kinds of facilities for free and only during the last hour of business.
However, as time went by, these sorts of services became rare since they cost them a lot of money for the extra water, heating, and cleaning of the showers.
And currently, only a small number of YMCA facilities still stick to giving free showers to people in need (like this one). Because of this, it’s always a great idea to contact your local Y in order to verify this kind of information. And if your local does provide this service, then consider yourself lucky!
Another instance where you could use the showers at YMCA for free is if you were a student in certain areas.
According to this recent news video, YMCA is offering free showers to students located at Millsaps, Belhaven, and Jackson State.
And who knows? If you’re a student too, then your local YMCA may offer this service as well. All you have to do is contact them and ask them about it.
Tips to Get a Free Shower at the YMCA:
Even though getting a free shower is a thing of the past when it comes to YMCA facilities, there are still some methods that you can try:
Get a Day Pass
Who said that you need a whole membership in order to benefit from all perks that come with being a member of a YMCA facility?
In fact, all you need is a day pass which costs as little as $12. With it, you’ll be able to train and access all of the YMCA’s services like the pool, locker room, fitness classes, and most importantly, a hot steamy shower.
Join a Member
If you know someone that has a YMCA membership, maybe a friend or a family member, then you can join him for free during one of his sessions and benefit from a shower at the same time.
I’m sure that the staff there won’t have any problem with it since you’ll be considered as a future potential client so they want you to try out their services.
If you don’t know anyone that is a member of the YMCA, you can wait outside one of their facilities and talk to someone that’s about to enter, explain your situation, and ask them whether or not they mind if you accompany them (spoiler: most people will say yes!).
However, this method doesn’t work all the time since there are some staff that won’t allow it and even if they do, you only get one try at it.
Contact Them Directly And Ask for it
Wanna know something interesting? At the end of the day, YMCA is a non-profit organization that aims to help youth all over the world “develop a healthy body, mind, and spirit”.
If you’re really in need of a shower and you don’t have access to it, I’m sure that if you contact your local Y and explain your situation to them in all honesty, they’ll be glad to help and provide you with this service.
Conclusion:
Although YMCA doesn’t offer free showers anymore (except for a minority), there are still some alternatives that you can try in order to gain access to this service for free.
- You can get a day pass which will allow you to train and benefit from all the perks that come with being a YMCA member.
- You can join a friend or family that has a membership for a tryout session.
- Or you can contact your local YMCA and explain your situation to them.