Jewish Community Center of San Francisco - JCCSF

This is my all time favorite chill and hangout place. It has everything that I need in a community center. The JCCSF offers great events which includes the speaker series called "Talks and Conversations". I love the JCCSF classes (foreign languages, fitness, dance, music, swimming pool, and more). I absolutely love reading and hanging out in the amazingly beautiful atrium. The cafe is opening soon.
Also, the JCCSF is near Muni Transportation and has a parking garage. Please visit the JCCSF and give it 5 stars too ...smile

Alas, back again with an update re: the fitness center. The air conditioning in the gym fell apart last year, and then again this week. Think Bikram Zumba. The whole gym floor is warmer than normal. It's like you don't need to work out to sweat.

Last month, they failed to announce clearly that the women's locker rooms would be closed for three days.

And earlier this spring, they reconfigured all the gym equipment and removed some popular items. Without surveying gym members. It was a mess. We still don't understand why they made those changes.

If it weren't for certain classes on the JCCSF schedule, we would join another gym. So maybe consider that before you come here.

This is regarding the JCC's swim classes:

The JCC will not teach your child to be water safe.

This is because their instructors are NOT CERTIFIED in anything. Kids are stuck in small partitioned areas of a shallow pool, so they don't have room to swim more than a few feet. As a result, my child could not swim properly after more than two years of lessons at the JCC.

My child could not tread water. He could not glide for more than a few feet. He was not water safe because he was NEVER taught to be water safe.

We found a water safety certified instructor at another school and, within a month, my kid was treading water and swimming much more properly. He's finally on his way to being a strong, safe swimmer.

I just wish I had left JCC sooner. I could have saved a lot of time and money.

Returned to this place hoping to relive the good old days, but was saddened to find that it no longer offers massage services or has a cafe. It used to be my go-to spot for relaxation and enjoyment. Missing the charm it once had.

This place was pretty good, but they just removed several of their circuit training machine and moved the machines too close together. The wait times for the machines have increased, so I'll be finding another gym. It's no longer worth $175 per month. Also, the quality of their classes and trainers are not great.

The JCCSF is a great place for kids who are learning to swim. The facilities are family friendly and super clean. The teaching is very good and I found the staff to be very helpful and responsive. The class size is small. Plus, there is convenient parking in the building. I highly recommend checking it out!

Some plusses to this gym for sure: clean (excellent cleaning crew), safe (lots of security), well kept equipment and lots of classes.

Some negatives that are very important to me, maybe not to you. Important enough that I will start seeking another gym.

-One of the main reasons I joined was because it has lots of windows that OPEN. Until recently they were opened and it was wonderful for you health, etc. Now that they close them, gym smells and I feel more likely to 'catch' something.

-WAY too many people texting in-between sets. Sorry, but there should be a no communication on cell phone policy (there is only a not talking--but text is quite akin to talking). Thus often a long wait for someone to do their three sets in the time I could have done 10!

-At times there seems to be more trainers than gym goers. Said trainers use all the good machine for very lengthy times in order to explain each exercise--this should be limited during peak times!

-Trainers (I could see a newbie doing this) using and training folks with a jump rope in the middle of peak times! (great excercise but very dangerous to be performing whilst gym is crowded. I have seen this many times.

-Most men are NOT washing their hands when done using the bathroom--yuck. Gym can't control that, but they could certainly put up signs.

-The cardio machine are WAY too close to each other. Lose a couple of them (they are never all filled) and create some space!

-Emails to staff NEVER get answered. I have sent 3x.

-Parking is expensive.

ive been a continuous gym member for almost the past 10 years, and was also a member back in the late 90s, at the old JCC. would normally give the gym 4 stars, but two weeks ago, everyone returned to the gym after the passover holiday to discover that they reconfigured the entire gym floor. popular equipment and machines had been REMOVED altogether, or moved to non-sensical locations and placed more closely together in cramped spaces, while unnecessarily and overly-increasing the open stretching area (as if one cant stretch at home?). it's chaotic and disruptive with so many people fighting over fewer machines and equipment. NO other gym-goers ive spoken to are pleased with this--as one person commented to me, "this is a clear case of if it aint broke, dont fix it." and one of the gym staff attendants said they werent even informed that the changes were going to happen. what level of incompetence is required to make such unwanted changes that weren't based on customer or gym staff feedback?

BIG FAIL (MASSIVE) to whoever concocted this plan. please remedy this or you'll be losing members.

Someone did reach out to me and gave me an email address to contact them, and they STILL haven't reached out.

Great facility! I am taking a beginners Hebrew class, it has an excellent instructor, serious learning atmosphere and a great value for the price!