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.
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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.
