I've been a member of the Grange Club for years now. It has Cricket, Tennis, Hockey and Squash…read moreclubs for all abilities at very reasonable prices. The clubhouse is a real gem. Just look at the pictures. As well as the great facilities it has a real social focus with regular club events, quiz nights etc. Highly recommended.

The Edinburgh Lions is probably one of the best basketball clubs in Edinburgh…read more Passionate to make a difference in Scotland's basketball scene- the Lions offer an extremely social yet competitive environment to play basketball. Their adult and youth teams are regular contenders within the National/Lothian leagues and they offer extensive development opportunities for players and coaches. If interested in playing/coaching basketball I would recommend getting in touch with Lions!

Drumsheugh Baths was the venue for my weekly school swimming lessons AKA embarrassments, where I…read morewould flop into the pool like a floundering turtle, rather than diving gracefully into the water using the perfect technique, which a lot of my friends managed to do with very little effort. I've never been massively into swimming, because after a few lengths, I lose patience with having to exert myself too much, which is probably more to do with my rubbish technique than anything else. Despite this, I do think messing about in the pool is fun, and I was keen for the fun section of our swimming lessons, when we got to lark around slightly and swing on the rings that hang over the pool. Drumsheugh is interesting, in that it's the oldest private owned swimming club in Edinburgh and has retained a lot of its original, Victorian features. The club was founded in 1882, and still has rings and trapezes over the water, plus modern gym, sauna, and hot tub facilities. Membership numbers for the baths are limited to keep the pool chilled out and not too crowded, although the website does say there's currently no waiting list, which is obviously helpful if you're keen to join.

I've been coming here with my family since I was able to swim (and before that too) and I've got so…read moremany fond memories of it. It's always been chilled, lovely hot bath, sauna, trapeze and rings. So much fun to come here as a child and even more fun bringing the next generation for a dip in the pool. It's always been a great experience coming here and I WISH there were such nice pools in London.

EDIT: I've changed my rating of this gym from 3 down to 2, and I feel even that's pretty generous…read moreat this point. Since writing my original review, the niggles I had previously have become full blown pains in the posterior. The core issue is that the gym is WAY TOO BUSY for the amount of equipment they have. I literally haven't been able to do a single squat in there for about two months, despite being in at 6:30am, three days a week, every week. Not only are the squat racks routinely occupied by girls doing things that aren't squats, but the numerous personal trainers are often seen hogging three or more bits of equipment at once while they show their charges how to 'superset'. And on the weekends, I want to leave before I've even entered. The number of children is totally out of control. You can't walk from the entrance to the changing rooms without tripping over a little Hugo or darling Tarquin. There is a "no kids" sitting area by the entrance and a "no kids" corner in the changing rooms, but these are roundly ignored by the mummies and daddies and not enforced at all by the staff. Of course, I'm tied to a 12 month contract, but as soon as that is up I'll be finding somewhere with a more reasonable people-to-equipment ratio and that doesn't also function as a kiddy daycare centre. My original review is below. ---------------- It's hard to know how to rate this gym, because your experience of it will largely depend on what you plan on using it for. One the whole, one would be justified in having quite high expectations of it because it is somewhat on the expensive side, with far cheaper options available in Edinburgh. However, it's also not obscenely over-priced, and you broadly get what you pay for. Firstly, the gym is geared up as a 'club', with loads of ancillary facilities above and beyond the gym room itself. There is a large cafe/breakfast bar with a spacious seating area. There are loads of computers that are free to use for members and are all very modern. There is some sort of crèche/child play area, which seems very popular. There is a heavy emphasis on classes and instruction, with a wide variety of classes happening throughout the day. There are also one-on-one personal trainers available, with one one-hour session per month available to use as part of your regular membership fee. If any of the above sounds great to you, then Virgin Active at Fountain Park is probably a good option for you. However, if, like me, you just want a place where you can get in, do your own workout and get out again, then you may be paying over the odds for what you end up using. The gym itself has recently been renovated and is reasonably well equipped. Almost all the gear and machines are brand new. For me, there's not enough space in the free-weights area, which does get crowded. There are only two squat racks, which are almost always in use. Seriously, even at quiet times you will be very lucky indeed to do be able to do any squats. There are a decent number of benches, but there isn't really enough space for them to all be in use at the same time. There's only one flat dedicated bench press, but that is normally available. The cardio machines are pretty numerous and there's always free space there, as far as I've seen. There are also TVs in front of the cardio machines, and you can plug in your headphones and select which TV you want to listen to, if that's something that appeals to you. The showers are great and there are plenty of them, but the rest of the changing rooms are not great post-renovation. Although there are easily enough lockers, they recently replaced the large wooden benches with these small leatherette couches that just do not have enough space on them and you will have to compete with your fellow members for who gets to put their bag down. There are also not enough toilets by a long way! Also, did I mention that there is a child crèche? At certain times (mostly Saturday morning), the gym can be FULL of tiny children. Screaming, crying, shouting little children everywhere. I think there's a child swimming club or something on a Saturday morning, so the changing room can sometimes be flooded with hyperactive naked five year olds, which doesn't make for a great experience honestly. These are niggles, however. On the whole, the facilities are excellent but unless you plan to be in here 7 days a week, you may end up paying for more than you use.

Ok. Walking in here, this looks like a 5 star venue. And I…read moreguess it is for many people as its quite busy and popular. It's also a 5 star price you pay. I've tried it out a few times and really wanted to like this place. It definitely looks nice. And so do most people going there. Yes, if you want to show off, this is the place to go. I dont easily give a one star. But here goes. So I was discussing a possible membership here, and could try out a class for free. Nice! I got recommended to try out 'Nova' and 3 personal trainers told me how wonderful this class was. A modern mix of yoga and pilates and a great workout. So, I was going to meet the person that would convince me to sign up 10 minutes before the class. Had to ask for her name at reception. I was nicely on time, but heard she already left. Weird. A nice personal trainer took me to the changing room. Nice, apparently I needed to take a lock with me for the lockers. They could have told me. Oh well. Ok, I can leave my jacket behind the counter, that's friendly. But I dont really like it with my money and phone in there. Oh well. Trust is a good thing. Class starts, teacher puts mic on, music blasting. I copy the people around me take a mat, shoes off. She informs us this will be the second to last class and then they will stop 'Nova'. Nice, so they let me try out a class they are discontinuing? My doubts start to grow as this is the third weird thing (after my contact not being here and no info about taking a lock). Ok, lets hope the class is any good and it can still be a 4 star venue... Worst. Class. Ever. Horrible. I have been doing lots of yoga. This is no yoga. This is trying to create something entirely fake with poses that yes are stolen from yoga. I embrace and love creativity and love special new yoga classes like aerial etc... But this is turning yoga into... nothing. The teacher with the classic fake enthusiasm you'll mostly get at gym classes announces from time to time 'and now lets go back to some yoga!' 'and now to pilates!' 'and now back to get some eastern in here!' (referring to yes yoga poses trying to sound cool). In between the pop music and poses taken totally out of context we do some out of place Anjali mudras (hands together). Ok maybe it is not my thing. Maybe it irritates me they there to call this in any way related to yoga, where teachers were actually trained for at least 200 hours while this is probably a weekend course, who knows. But the real reason for my 1 star review is that we had to 'fall' fast through our knees and bounce. again and again, knees pointing outwards. Sometimes getting down in 1 big movement, sometimes in 2,3 or 4 'jerky movements'. I have fragile knees but as in all other classes good advise and support is given I have not had an issue for YEARS. Advice like 'dont put knees over toes' etc,,, has always been given in the many many classes I've done in the past. Here nothing of advice. On the contrary, she was pushing to just do this horrible movement as fast as possible. Again and again. And then again. And yes my knee hurts horribly. Still. What a horrible and totally unsafe practice. I am not coming back here. Ow yeah, and me and this a bit older lady were the only ones not wearing make up in class. Enough said. addition: they emailed me to ask how my visit was, I replied with the story what happened in the class and never heard back from them... this makes me want to give them a minus star, good looking place but how incredibly unprofessional and even dangerous! (my knee luckily got better with rest)

On our first night in Edinburgh, some friends wanted to kick off the trip with a whisky tasting, so…read morewe booked a whisky-and-cheese pairing at SMWS. I don't drink alcohol, but their online mocktail menu looked great, and when my friends made the reservation, the staff confirmed they'd be happy to accommodate me and that I could order a drink at the bar. I was genuinely excited given the variety of mocktails listed. The space is gorgeous, and even without drinking, the whisky selection is fun to explore - the names alone are worth a chuckle. The staff were warm, and our whisky-tasting guide was both knowledgeable and entertaining. After we settled in, I headed to the bar to order a mocktail, and I probably should have stopped while things were still going smoothly. The bartender ended up calling over an off-duty staff member because they were "between menus." He was extremely friendly, asked thoughtful questions about what I liked, and said he'd come up with something based on what ingredients they had. The drink was delivered to me later in the tasting room, and it was... fine. Interesting, with a smoky note - perhaps an attempt to give me a peaty, Scottish experience - but not quite to my taste. When I paid, I'll admit the price surprised me, as my mocktail cost more than a friend's dram of whisky. My friend later mentioned that it also felt like a miss that I wasn't given a cheese tasting tray alongside everyone else, especially since our group nearly bought out the tasting. My place setting was empty until my drink arrived. I didn't think of it at the time or feel entitled to anything, but offering a "no-alcohol" tasting option - a mocktail or NA beverage plus the cheese pairing - would be an exceptionally thoughtful addition for guests who accompany drinkers. As the sober friend tagging along, the experience was perfectly okay and largely in line with what I expected - but with a couple of small tweaks, it could have felt much more inclusive.

I stopped by for a final couple of drama on my last evening on Scotland (09/09/25). There were…read moregreat scotch offerings at all price points, the atmosphere felt upscale, but still comfortable, and the staff were all pleasant and very helpful. I'd definitely return.

Great local gym at Boroughmuir Rugby Club, much better equipped for weightlifting than most of the…read morebigger fancy gyms in Edinburgh. Gavin is really friendly, and runs a professional operation. The membership rates are amazing, even when just on month to month. For people interested in lifting weights, the gym has four or five Olympic bars and plenty of plates, and even a protected floor for deadlifts. What more do you want?

From the owner: We are an independent working gym, with both a full gym and CrossFit Box, CrossFit Skirmish under…read moreone roof. We have a functional training studio which means you can Olympic lift and drop weights to your heart's content. We have bumpers, bars, ropes, pull up bars, kettlebells, battle ropes, infact, everything you need for serious fitness. We also have free weights, cybex machines, cardio suite, spinning studio and dance studio with Zumba, Aerobics, Circuits and dance classes. We are also home to local rowing and sports clubs and the odd Olympian! We are based just off Colinton Road at Boroughmuir Rugby & Community Sports Club, with free unlimited parking. We offer great value, with no joining fee, membership starting at just £22 per month or simply 'pay to play' for £6 per day. We offer a whole lot more including free inductions or intro personal training session when you join plus our healthy living manual. We also have a great Energy Protein bar and supportive team and gym community who inspire you to work hard and play hard.

YES! Finally a 24…read morehour gym opens in Edinburgh. Pure Gym is situated on the new up-and-coming quartermile in Edinburgh, just a stones throw away from the Meadows and a short walk from the University - ideal for everyone. It only costs £17 a month to be a member of the gym, with a £20 initiation fee which is such a bargain. The gym is a really decent size and is filled with lots of workout machines and weights without being overcrowded. Every member is given a pin code which is used to enter and leave the gym, as well as enter the changing rooms. Classes are available at the gym, such as spinning, and there are plenty of personal trainers on hand to help you with your work out. Pure Gym is purely a gym - there is no swimming pool, sauna or jacuzzi, but there is a sun bed! The gym is never too overcrowded and there are always plenty of machines meaning that no one has to wait in line to use one - amazing.

So I gave Pure Gym a go…read more I've never been a member of a gym, nor have I ever been on any of those mad machines. I tried it for three days to learn the ropes and (since I'm not sure I'll have time for gyming for a bit) to try out a gym while I have a bit of free time. Applying for membership took about 5 minutes, all online and I was good to go immediately. The next day I showed up for my induction which was given by a lovely, relaxed - and most importantly completely not intimidating - lady who was patient in showing the machines, how to use them and explaining the ins and outs. After induction I was left to my own devices, so I tried out some machines. I was there at rush hour (but maybe some days are busier than others) and it was fine. There was no waiting for anything and everyone was friendly. I made the most of my brief membership and had fun. The gym itself, though I can't compare to other gyms, seems well equipped and there seems to be a relaxed atmosphere. The classes look like fun and apparently rarely fill up (even when the online thingy says they have, apparently they recommend you try showing up because there's so many no shows). There's a few rules such as: your stuff needs to be locked up (padlocks are available for £4), you need to carry a sweat towel when you're using equipment (again, available in vending machines) and there's no opportunity to bring friends (you're paying very little so I guess that makes sense!) Overall it was a good introduction to gyming. I had fun. The facilities are adequate, the staff are friendly and the atmosphere is fine.

This place was a perfect end to our trip through Europe! So good that I ended up booking a second…read moreday of Escape at One the following day. The spa was not busy/overwhelming at all. A substantial amount of thermal/water amenities, all of which feel very sanitary/maintained. I wish I was able to schedule a massage - however, it is completely understandable I couldn't squeeze in an appointment the day of. I felt completely relaxed after my appointment! My only note is that the aroma mist in the salt room did not seem to work (this may have been user error). Additionally one of the showers in the locker room was not in service. Definitely recommend booking here if you are looking for a relaxing day!

The fact that this spa is roof top just says luxury to me!…read more It puts the spa into Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa, and just off Lothian Road. Mind you they can be quite pricey, but this has all got to do with the image their trying to project, as well as the various treatments they offer. As usual I haven't heard of most of them, but was particularly curious about the rainforest shower. Thankfully, I have a friend who has actually been to the Amazon (they come in REALLY handy!) and basically it's a room with showerheads all over the ceiling, so it seems as though it's raining in the room. Ofcourse if you'd rather just have a facial and a massage, they do that as well. They've got two pools, one of which is thermal, and a gym for those who'd rather "feel the burn" than relax, though I'd rather get in the sauna when there's that alternative.

The Scottish Arts Club was founded in 1873 by mostly artists and sculptors and over years has…read morebroadened into most of the arts.  It is a very relaxed club in terms of dress code and it is a very friendly club with many social , arts and musical events over drinks and food. It has a clubroom, a studio, dining room and a garden too. It has a very homey feel to it.  It is a home away from home which is what club life is really all about.   The club has reciprocity with a good number of arts related clubs and other highly ranked social clubs. I love this club.