Member & Guest Policies
Membership Cards
When you come to The J, please bring your membership card with you every time. It’s your passkey into the building, and your ticket past the reception desk. Membership cards are non-transferable. If yours is lost or stolen, please call us at 330-867-7850 right away. We can provide replacement cards for $15/adult card and $5/child card (ages 5-12). Members may be charged $15 for a replacement card if unable to present their card after three visits in a row. Thank you for helping us keep The J safe and secure for all of our members!
Member Discount Policy
Starting in 2025, membership discounts cannot be stacked. The highest eligible discount will be applied (e.g., ECE discount, Lippman discount).
Membership Type Change
- Current members can choose to upgrade their membership anytime throughout the year and must maintain that upgrade for twelve months. New members can’t downgrade their membership until they have achieved twelve full months of membership.
- Barring extraordinary circumstances, memberships cannot be both upgraded and downgraded in the same calendar year. Extraordinary circumstances must be approved by the executive director.
- A one-time $50 change fee will be charged to cover the adjustment and maintenance of a downgraded account.
- Summer membership only members will not be issued membership cards.
Unaccompanied Minors Policy on Campus
All children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult when entering and exiting the building. Under no circumstances will a minor under the age of 14 be permitted to remain in the building unless accompanied by a responsible adult or in a supervised program.
To view the policy in its entirety, please CLICK HERE. Updated 1/16/2023.
Be Our Guest!
Guest Pass fees:
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$3/Baby (2-year-olds and under)
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$8/Child (3 to 13-year-olds)
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$12/adult (14-years and up)
In-Town Guests
We welcome any local guest at The J up to three times per calendar year. A member must always accompany guests. Please CLICK HERE to view the full in-town Guest Policy.
Out-of-Town Guests
It's good when family and friends come to visit! We welcome out-of-town guests up to 14 times per calendar year. Please call 330-867-7850 for more information on pricing and restrictions.
*Reciprocity: Out-of-town guests with proof of membership at another JCC may use our facilities free of charge for a maximum of one week a year with verification of good standing with home JCC. Membership Associates reserve the right to call your home JCC to verify membership. After that period, out of town guests may buy unlimited daily guest passes for the duration of their stay in Akron.
Campus Video and Photography Policy
Members may use devices to take photos or video in public fitness areas under limited circumstances:
- Video and photography of other members/guests without their expressed consent is strictly prohibited.
- Members may not take photographs or videos if doing so presents a risk of injury to themselves or others.
- The use of photography or video equipment may not interfere with other members’ use of the fitness equipment.
- The use of photography or video equipment must not detract from other members’ experience.
- Photographs or videos may not be used for commercial purposes. (No promotion of brands, products, or services not affiliated with the Shaw JCC.)
- No videos or photos taken on the Shaw JCC premises may be shared or posted on social media that contain provocative images, hate speech, false narratives, explicit language or music, or negative content.
Lockers and Towel Service
Monthly towel service is available for $16 per month for single adults or $32 per month for families/couples. The fee will be drafted monthly from your account just as membership is. You must have a valid bank account or credit card on file for drafting purposes.
Family and Accessible Changing Rooms
You’ll find family changing rooms available to those who cannot use the stairs from the lower level locker rooms to the indoor pool and to families who would like a private place to change together before and after swimming. Please ask our member service staff for more information and directions to the family changing rooms.
To safeguard our members’ privacy, we ask that children six years of age and older use the appropriate locker room for their gender. If your child of the opposite gender needs some help from you in the locker room, we invite you to use the family locker rooms located off the main lobby.
Attire
For our members to feel comfortable at The J, please wear appropriate attire in our facility. Shirts and shoes are required in all areas except the locker room and the pools, and, for safety reasons, proper footwear must be worn in physical activity spaces. We cannot allow outdoor shoes in the gymnasium. The J reserves the right to determine what is appropriate clothing.
Keeping it Kosher!
All food served by the Shaw JCC must be kosher, and we ask that all food brought in to the building and outdoor pool be respectful of the laws of kashrut and those who keep kosher. What does that mean? Jewish tradition dictates that meat and milk be kept separate from one another in the kitchen, on the table, and in our stomachs. Because Jewish law also dictates certain rules about meat types and preparation, we ask that you leave meat at home and, when you’re bringing food to The J, pack cheese sandwiches, tuna fish, peanut butter and jelly, and all of the other wonderful treats you can imagine that don’t include meat!
Shabbat (Saturday) Policy
Jewish law and tradition embrace the Sabbath – Saturday, a day of rest, when no work is done and no money changes hands. To respect that tradition, we do not sell goods or services at The J on Saturday. Please remember to buy guest passes ahead of time. We cannot charge member accounts for guest passes or Shabbat cards.
Loss of Privileges
The use of physical force against another person or with the intent of damaging Shaw JCC property may result in suspension or loss of privileges. Verbal abuse will be handled in the same way as physical force and may also result in suspension or loss of membership privileges. The Shaw JCC of Akron reserves the right to revoke any membership in event of inappropriate behavior, failure to follow safety rules and/or disruptive behavior to Members or Staff.
Photo/Video Permissions
The Shaw JCC of Akron reserves the right to use the name and photographic likeness of all individuals included on the membership in all forms and media for advertising, trade, and any other lawful purpose, with the exception of ECE and Camp JCC children that have a restriction listed on their photo release form.
Membership Freeze/Hold Policy
Freezing an account stops payment on the account and also stops the clock on the membership for the duration of the freeze. The types of freeze options that are available: General or Medical.
- A General Freeze can be placed for up to 3 months. There will be a prepaid non-refundable $20 maintenance fee charged for the membership freeze.
- A Medical Freeze may be placed on a membership account if it is determined by a medical professional that the member should not workout, or use the JCC facilities, for a period of time. With respect to a medical freeze only:
- Written communication from a medical professional is required to state that the member should not be using the JCC facilities due to medical conditions (the medical condition does NOT have to be stated).
- A one-time prepaid non-refundable fee of $20 per medical freeze will be required at the time of the hold.
- To resume membership after a medical freeze, a medical professional must provide written communication to the JCC that the member is medically released to resume activities at the JCC.
- For all freezes:
- One membership freeze will be allowed during a rolling 12 month period.
- Any freezes for a membership account will begin on the 1st of the month.
- Freezes cannot be initiated retroactively. (no refunds/credits will be issued).
- During the freeze, monthly billing will be postponed for the entirety of the freeze period.
- If a membership unit is frozen, all members in the unit are on hold.
- Membership discounts are not available for members whose accounts are on freeze, during the freeze period.
- Billing automatically resumes immediately after the freeze period ends.
- Members who freeze their accounts will have their annual memberships extended to account for the period of the freeze.
- All membership access cards will be deactivated during the freeze period.
- Member units can only hold/freeze their membership once per calendar year, unless extenuating circumstances are presented and the executive director has full and final authority to permit or deny these additional requests.
For any questions regarding Member & Guest policies, please call 330-867-7850.