I love this place. I have visited the Lido a few times in recent weeks and have been impressed by…read morehow clean and organised everything is. It is such an amazing feeling to swim in the early morning sunshine- I highly recommend it. The pool is a great temperature too. Remember to bring a pound coin for the lockers!

Splishy sploshy splashy, that's just how my afternoon went when me and the girls decided to don our…read moreswimwear, some of us wearing a little inappropriate outfits (not naming anyone Huddy!) and head on down to the local pool. Who cares if it's a breezy day, we are British after all. We swim n the Atlantic Ocean, a little pool in Hackney does not fill us with fear. Well actually it was the crazy OAPs splashing around that did but that being said this place is awesome. Seriously cool! It's a heated pool so you'd rather be in swimming than hanging about. There are loads of lanes and it's big enough to fit everyone in. they even have a little cafe there so you can sit pool side and nosh on chips and Slush Puppies like you did when you were a kid. It's not even pricey, a few bob a ticket and you can swim for hours. Thank you Hackney Council, I knew the money I paid you was going somewhere!

Solid 4 stars. I really enjoy coming here for a swim as they have 2 pools: one indoor and one…read moreoutdoor pool (both are 25m long). They're part of Better Health and so I use their pay-as-you-go membership. The biggest bonus is that this leisure centre is smack in Soho/Covent Garden and thus I can combine a visit here with lunch in Chinatown or I can meet up with a friend for coffee in Seven Dials.

Let's be honest here, i have not tried the sporting facilities here. I wish i could but instead i'm…read morevisiting the osteopath. I was in pain and one of my colleagues who comes here regularly told me they are great here. The osteopath who is taking care of me (Andrew) is really nice and does listen to you and try to distract you from the pain when manipulating your body. He has also been able to give me thorough advice and even email me further suggestions. Anyway, every time i go there, i am drawn to the big glass wall and stare at the outdoor swimming pool. I realised last week that there is also an indoor swimming pool! Generally speaking, the place looks clean and well maintained and all the members of staff i have spoken to are friendly. Hopefully i'll be able to check the facilities further soon and will update this review

Can you keep a secret guys?? Not many people seem to have noticed it yet, but a year and a half…read moreafter the Olympics there's some exciting stuff going on in Stratford again... Yep living near the Park is paying off nicely at the moment - my new local council swimming pool is none other than the Aquatics Centre! It's been open to the public for the last few weeks and I have to say it's a pretty special venue - I still get tingles every time I walk in. It's £4.50 per swim session for an adult and there's an easy peasy online system to book in advance. There are 2 full size pools inside - the Competition Pool for the hardcore swimmers and the Training Pool where they separate the lengths into two 25m sections. Personally I found a 50m pool to be ridiculously long in real life (my superwoman stamina is a err work in progress) so I tend to do laps in the 25m lanes. You choose a pool and a start time online but it's pretty lax once you're in, and you can stay as long as you like. The water is a nice slightly warm temperature and it's usually a uniform 1.2m depth all the way along (though somehow they can change the depth of different sections - the mind boggles!). It's not all lanes - there are also sections of the pool roped off for 'fun' as well as swimming lessons. Also saw signs for a total wipeout stylee 'Splash Time' for kiddies at weekends that sounded like great fun if anyone wants to lend me a child?! The reason it misses a 5th star is that the changing rooms and shower facilities are just not that great. It's spacious yes and there are plenty of cubicles, hairdryers and lockers, but the layout is a little confusing (quite a wander from the lockers to the female showers), they seem to have too many staff/cleaners milling around not doing much, and the showers themselves seem temperamental and need you to wave a hand past every 3 seconds. Is this how Michael Phelps showered?! (*pauses to enjoy the mental picture*) Ahem. Yeah I expected better. So remember to bring your own towel+toiletries, a plastic bag for your wet cozzie (I haven't spotted a drying machine yet) and a £1 coin for the lockers. And please only tell your special friends - the nicest thing at the moment is that it isn't too busy on weeknights! See you there :)

The swimming pool itself is great, most of the time quiet, you can choose your line depending on…read morehow fast you want to swim so that you don't get disturb by other people while swimming. The changing space however is really poor for this kind of aquatics centre - you can really tell you're just meant to come, quickly change, swim and leave. There are few showers and they are quite temperamental. The lockers and cubicles are just not that comfortable to use. So it's a very good pool, but come there for exercise only and not hoping for a full spa experience!

I live a good swim. And here at the Kentish Town Pool I get to have a good swim in a beautiful…read moreenvironment. The main pool here is one of the Victorian-era swimming pools and it's really quite magnificent to swim in it...especially when at certain times of the day the sun hits the water just right. I use the Better Health App to sign up for a swim. I avoid the busy times - early mornings and evenings - and so most of the times I share the lane only with a few other folks.

A fabulous new gym at a price to…read more suit everyones pocket : love it!

I'm a fan of unusual & weird places and I would says that the New Docklands Steam Bath is…read moredefinitely high up on this list. I've first heard about this place when I was telling a friend about my wonderful experience at the Turkish "Hamam" in Dalston. My friend listened attentively to my story and then told me about this place in the docklands...I started doing some research about it the very same evening. Let me preface the following paragraphs by saying that I really like going to saunas: I treasure the whole spa-like experience that goes along with it. Yet, I'm not a fan of the high-end spas that have popped up everywhere these days. I prefer the down-to-earth saunas where locals go and where you don't have to save up for months for a single visit. The New Docklands Steam Baths fit this bill perfectly: upon my arrival I already sensed that I had discovered something unique. The bath is located in a very much deprecated area; many Londoners probably wouldn't set foot here. Outside the place I saw many black cabs parked as well quite a few Mercedes. Once inside I found my way to the café-area where the register is. I paid £14 plus a £10 deposit for the locker key. I went to change and dressed up in my bathrobe and my pechtemal (a traditional Turkish towel used in hamams) and then I ventured down into the baths. And let me tell you: it's gritty down there: not in a dirty and disgusting way though, but because of the kind of characters you find there and the way they interact with each other. I first walked around and familiarized myself with the localities: two dry saunas, and various steam rooms with varying degrees of humidity. While doing my online-research about this place I came across an article, in which the author talks about the two main sauna traditions being nurtured here: The Russian tradition of 'Venik' where you first heat up in the sauna and then beat yourself (or each other) with oak or birch branches that have been dried first and then soaked in water. And then there's the Jewish bathing ritual of "Schmeissing", where the men take turns in scrubbing each other down from top-to-bottom. This is done where one guy lays down on a bench in the very hot & steamy room and the other guy lavers him up, using what looks like cleaning mop and it works like a giant shaving brush. The "Schmeissing" seems to be a very ritualized and cliquish undertaking. I was talking to a regular, who mentioned that these guys are a club and meet regularly. According to my source, there's even a pecking order and it's quite hard to become part of this club. The Russians or Eastern Europeans seem to be less organized, but during my visit they would all arrive in pairs or small groups. They would all wear these funny felt hats, which protect the hat from the intense heat. (Note to myself: I need to get one of these!) When I arrived I was reading about the possibility of booking a massage. My inquiry with some of the locals resulted in the following answer: "Yeah, talk to Simon, the heavily-tattooed guy who's relaxing in the steam room over there." Non sooner advised than done. I went up to Simon and he told me that he'd be happy to give me a massage in about half-an-hours time. Deal! I made the best use of the 30 minutes and went into the hottest sauna and beat myself up with oak branches... Turns out that Simon had actually grown up in Germany and so we chatted in German for some time. Then he suggested that I should just relax and let him do his work. It was really a very nice massage and I felt great afterwards. I paid £15 for a thirty-minutes massage. (60 minutes would be £25.) Aside from the Jewish and Russian men, there's a third group of men here: the can drivers (my guess). They mostly sat in the common area, chatting and washing themselves ritually. It's really a funny bunch that hangs out here...including myself! All in all, I find this to be a wonderful oasis of some old-world London. I'm so glad that a place like this still exists. I might not become a regular, but I will certainly be back!

All I can say is avoid this place! It's situated in a rough area of London that appears to be a…read moregiant scrapyard - lovely! When you go in it's just as bad. People are rough, unfriendly and the place seems to be occupied by East End ruffians. It could be so good and the treatments could be superb. But nobody talks to you, nobody helps you on your first visit and nobody offers a massage. This place is terrible. Avoid at all costs!

The Marshall Street Leisure Centre is a community gym, pool, and day spa owned by the Westminster…read moreCouncil. It recently re-opened after a major refurbishment. The 25m pool is stunning---a relic of Victorian leisure and is worth a quick glance even if you don't go for a dip. It's conveniently located on a side street, moments from Carnaby Street & Oxford Circus. As the complex is owned by the council, it is remarkably affordable...most memberships start in the 40 pound range without any sort of long-term contract or commitment. They also do day passes if you just want to drop in and use the pool. In the pricey world of London gyms this is really amazing value. However, the low price comes with some draw-backs and the centre doesn't draw the same posh crowd found at 3rd Space or the Oxford Street Virgin Active. Marshall Street can also be crazy busy after work. Try coming here at 7pm and you will queue a bit to get a treadmill or to the free weights (the free weight section is small with only 2 benches). That said, come on a Saturday or Sunday and the gym will be virtually empty! If you're looking for an affordable no-frills gym with central London's most stunning pool, The Marshall Street Leisure Centre needs to be on your sort-list.

For the gym: Staff is pleasant, nice equipment but for the love of God no one picks up after…read morethemselves here. Aren't we all adults? Re-rack your weights people.

I have tried the swimming pool - it's got a decent size and the water was definitely warm (perhaps…read moretoo warm for my taste, it's good for relaxing but if you swim for more than 5 minutes your core body temperature generally hot!). The staff were really nice and supportive. The changing rooms were clean and actually quite nice. I did not try the gym but it looks overall fine, albeit a tad small for my taste. Overall worth going if you are staying at the hotel or need a spa/pool/gym in the area, as I'm not aware of any other swimming pools near Marylebone station.

terrible it wasnt clean and was gross staff was rude telling me if i did not like i then i should…read moreleave so overall it was bad

Considering how long I've lived in the area and how often I've walked or cycled past, it is a…read moremiracle that I waited until today to have a swim in Serpentine Lido - on the hottest day of the year!! We arrived before noon and didn't have to queue - different story when I left around 2.30pm ... Compared to other lidos, this one's not spectacular, but I just love the fact that you have the opportunity to dip into the lake in the middle of Hyde Park. And I've never swum with geese and swans before. The water was a good temperature and still relatively clean (it can get covered in algae) - but nowhere near clear, but it's probably a good thing that you can't see the ground. I was glad my friend is a regular and expertly walked up the stairs past the changing rooms - best come with your swimsuit under your clothes, they are a bit yuckie and overcrowded (single cabins only, no communal nudity - we are in the Royal Borough after all). You end up on a terrace with a small kiosk and then have the choice to turn right into a lovely area with paddling pool which is inhabited mainly by families with young children. Or turn left and cross a bridge to the main water. The area closer to the lake is a bit meh and we were already too late to find a flat bit, let alone a sun lounger (mind you, I didn't hear any German accents, so all fair play). My first experience of sunbathing on a steep slope, even later arrivals had to make do with the tarmaced "beach". The (cold!) showers spray a gentle trickle of water, but I love the fact that everything here is just a little bit rubbish and hope it will never change. Perfect for a couple of hours, then make room for the next person.

I feel like I'm so much more British now that I've actually been here and swum in the lido!!!!…read moreHazahhhhh!!!! It's rated 5 because it's just something you need to do once. There aren't many days when it gets hot enough to actually jump in the water, but you should give it a go at some point! It's about £4.50 per person and the grassy part by the water fills up fast but you can also lay on the cement (sounds nice!), and there's also a back part with a playground that's nice, just not right on the water. I especially like that there's an entire area reserved for the swans. Good for them for standing up for themselves. You go swans.

I used to go to this gym but stopped when a male friend of mine told me that one of the personal…read moretrainers informed him that male staff watch women get changed in the dressing room from the boiler room.

I am writing to you to compliment the high calibre of staff here at the YMCA. This morning a…read morefemale lifeguard (on the 7am shift), checked in on me to see if I was alright. My swimming cap was not covering my ears (which the audiologist told me to avoid getting water in them). She noticed me pulling on it in the deep end of the pool. She went above and beyond to see if she could find a spare cap for me in the back room and from reception. I do not know her name. However, I would like to give positive feedback about her. She left at 8am when changing over with Gary. I would like to give feedback about Gary who does life guarding in the pool area. I have had the pleasure of knowing him since I joined your club in April 2021. Whilst I was swimming and reached the wall at the deep end of the pool, he introduced himself to me and asked if I was OK with him keeping watch around the area, to which I replied yes. I asked him if he was a swimming instructor, as well as a life guard and he confirmed yes. My initial impression of Gary was one of a professional and friendly person who takes his job seriously and who cares about members' safety. I felt reassured and also confident that I would be in an environment with friendly staff. It is now April 2023 and I can say that my first impression of Gary remains of high esteem. I enjoy speaking to him and have observed he is well liked by other service users (as people always greet him when they arrive and leave the pool). My most memorable times at the YMCA have been when Gary, Sinead (the swimming instructor) and Warren (both of whom I have not seen in a long time), have been on shift. I can say without a doubt that their presence makes attending the YMCA even more worthwhile. They are kind hearted, enthusiastic and encouraging!