My hotel didn't have exercise facilities so they suggested this gym. I didn't know where it was…read morebut saw it when I went to Rabbie's Cafe (right next door) Located in the basement of an office building is a self serve gym concept. They had a kiosk where you can become a member, buy a day, 3 day pass, etc. if you need any help there is a call button & someone does come out. I got a 3 day pass for about $16 USD. You use a code to enter and exit. They have an abundant amount of cardio equipment, free & machine (Matrix) weights. I visited around 7:00 on a Friday night and they weren't busy, just right. Equipment was newer and in good shape and the floor/area was clean. They also have showers & lockers (need to bring your own lock) as well beverage vending machines. TVs show health tips mixed in with Ads & commercials. Great place for a visitor to keep the workout routine at a reasonable price!

NOTE TO VISITORS: They have day passes available, and you MUST get them online to get an access…read morecode to get in. Wanted a little gym time on vacation and this hit the spot! The gym is in a sort of funky area. You have to enter a building and walk down an odd corridor to take some stairs down to the gym. It feels a bit like you're going to a basement. There really isn't natural lighting so it added to that vibe. The equipment is ok. They had enough machines and cardio equipment for most. The weight area felt a little light and small, but plenty to get a quick workout in. The people were quite nice and friendly, something I don't experience much in the states at gyms. In the states it's a laughably competitive environment where everyone tries to outdo each other. Being at a gym while on vacation, where am I going to get a protein shake, or a caffeinated preworkout? Luckily they had a pretty solid little machine there with anything you'd need pre, intra, or post workout. Def come in if you're from out of town, and if you're a downtown local, not a bad option at all!

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.

I did my research before joining a gym in Edinburgh, and I think that this is definitely a…read morefive-star gym that beats out the rest on quality and price. It is not just the new, fantastically-built university gym for Edinburgh University, but it is also a community gym that welcomes members of the public to join as well, for just slightly higher rates. I like that this gym has variety and great quality. The main cardio room has great machines with touch-screen TVs that are easy to navigate and the best and most current gym technology. Behind this room is a weight room that can be very busy with lots of testosterone monopolizing the weights, but at lunchtimes it is much less busy and intimidating. In the back, with stunning views of Arthur's Seat, is my favorite gym room with great elliptical trainers along the walls and many large individual mats on the floor for using weights, medicine balls, exercise balls, etc. It is much more calm than the other rooms. I also love the classes. So far, I have been to two spinning classes, two Zumba classes, and a circuits class. They have all been great with really nice and helpful instructors. You book all of the classes online from seven days before the classes, but can also sometimes show up and see if there is extra space to join in. Spinning definitely fills up quickly, but it's worth it! This is a fantastic place and has a great vibe about it. With your membership, you also have access to the pool that's in another building. Thus far, I have been more than happy with all of the many other offerings in the main building!

great gym, just the hours, the open hours should always be the same 6am or earlier. Many if not…read moremajority of gym goers are early birds, but have to wait till 9am, on sat and sunday. Notice there's a queue every weekend. All gyms , rcp included, open real early 7 days a week as they know this, dont be lazy and open earlier!

Swimming lessons are great but gives young children and parents a false sense of safety. The kids…read moreare not thought ISR skills which can be life saving...my wee one is completely use to having the arm bands which floats her body in a vertical way not possible to do it without them https://www.parentspreventingchildhooddrowning.com/post/the-hidden-dangers-of-childhood-swimming. Where can I get ISR lessons instead in Edinburgh ?

I really, really, REALLY like the new Victoria Baths. I like it's old retro poolside wooden…read morechanging rooms and old school tiles and viewing gallery. For some reason it's always relatively quiet and if it's not there's the odd kid and parent combo but purely learning the basics of swimming with arm bands, apart from that there's a couple of old women in the slow lane and basically the rest is all yours. Private showers are a rarity, especially if you've just learned it's not ok to have "proper" showers when you're at swimming and shaving your arm pits is pretty much frowned upon... Unless you have your own private shower that is!

Fitness Soul Studio can be found in a wee warehouse on Tennant Street, between Leith Walk and…read moreBonnington Road, and is a great resource. I come here on Saturday mornings for my Insanity Class (held elsewhere during the week), but it's the venue for loads of classes during the week. A quick look at their timetable and you'll see familiar names like Zumba, CrossFit and Kettlebells, so there's a variety of classes to suit everyone. The room itself is a large gym hall type space, unheated but don't worry you'll warm up soon, with a stage at the front and various accoutrements of the classes tidied away. It's an ideal space for classes with plenty of room either side of you. As you enter you're immediately met by a small kitchen/lounge area with a couple of sofas, a fridge, kettle etc. This is a great touch as not only does it provide us with somewhere to wait before the class begins, but if you need to refill your bottle, or sit and have a natter, you're sorted. I can't speak as to the other classes, as like I said I only come here once a week for Insanity, but it's a good venue and I'd recommend trying it out. Don't let the February Fitness Cliff get you, stay motivated and #digdeep!

I have worked with Leszek of Fitness Soul over the last two years on a 121 basis.What I love about…read morehim is that he is genuine and walks his talk. He himself is a top athlete, so what he teaches and encourages me to do, I know comes from real life experience. He covers everything from strength to flexibility and I am always impressed by his knowledge and friendly demeanour. On top of that, he has helped me look at my diet and nutrition and again he leads by example. If you are looking for a high-quality Personal Trainer who has a very professional outlook combined with a genuine interest in you achieving what you want regards your fitness and health, make Leszek at Fitness Soul your first call...you will not regret it.

I had the worst experience with this club and rude customer service trying to cancel my membership…read more The locker rooms were unsanitary and slippery, with no plastic bags for your clothes or any place to put wet towels. Half of the equipment in the gym needed to be fixed and updated. The mats were dirty, and there needed to be more weights for everyone. The steam room was out of service daily, and the swimming pool was filthy. I signed up for a yoga class, and they called to cancel the same day without an explanation. I wasted my time, energy, and money. I recommend joining the One Spa Gym, which has excellent state-of-the-art equipment and a fantastic spa experience. I canceled my membership after three visits, and I paid over £100 in the joining fee, pro-rated costs, and another month on top of that. Beware of scams, and stay away from Bannatyne.

I'd been looking for a new gym recently, not because there was anything wrong with my old one, but…read moreI'd moved house and it was now the opposite end of town. A colleague had recently rejoined Bannatyne's (which is handily only 5 minutes from the office) and was extoling its virtues, including how really reasonably priced the membership was. That's what really sold it to me. Bannatyne's is one of the higher-end gyms, but unlike Virgin or Nuffield, you get change from £40 for your membership - even if, like me, you go for the more expensive monthly rolling contract rather than signing your soul away for a whole year. It's even cheaper than Edinburgh Leisure. The gym itself has a good number of machines, and lots of equipment. Occasionally I've had to wait for the leg press, or the particular kettle bell weight that I want, but never for too long, and I just go and do something else in the meantime instead. The cross-trainers, treadmills and bikes have all got touchscreens with outside VR (I like to pretend I'm jogging through San Francisco), or TV (watch Eggheads whilst I cycle) to keep your mind off the whole exercise thing. And you can log all your exercises on your phone using their app. Pretty nifty. The pool itself is 16m, and quite shallow, and I've yet to find it so busy that I couldn't swim contentedly. There's a huge jacuzzi and a decent sauna and steam room too, which are always welcome. I haven't been to any classes yet (despite being a class fiend previously) but there's a good selection, you book up to 3 days in advance, and only the most popular end up with waiting lists so you're sure to find something you want to do. Best of all is that included in your membership is a free health check and a six-weekly fitness regime appointment with a PT. Now every time I go in I pick up my wee booklet and work my way through the various exercises I've been given, and tick it off on the back, feeling ever so accomplished and smug with myself. The facilities are all clean, modern and in good nick. I'd highly recommend Bannatyne's to anyone looking for an affordable city centre gym, and I'm glad I joined.

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)