I called up in the morning and managed to speak to Jojo, who deals with new members. I explained that I was looking to join a club and would like to try theirs out. She said that although they normally charge a £15 trial fee, she would waiver this for me. I met Jojo later on at 1:30pm for my session. I must say that both the receptionist and Jojo were very professional. I can't find any criticism of Jojo - She was polite, friendly, positive, she knew about all the classes and was actively involved in them herself (some sales people have never put a pair of training shoes on in their lives).
The gym segment of the club is on the lower ground floor, so has natural light. They have a cardiovascular section with about 50 machines, a full set of Technogym machines, a very decent size free weights area, varies studies for classes (including spinning) and some stretching areas. The changing rooms are downstairs along with an 18 meter pool and a steam room and sauna.
Good Points: Virgin have kept this gym in very good condition. They seem to take care of how their gyms look and also have up to date equipment. The staff seems professional and well trained. The gym didn't seem to get too crowded at anytime - even though I trained at about 2pm. They have natural light, which many gyms in the city lack. The members seemed friendly and at least two people approached me to converse - most members work in companies around the city.
Bad points: The main criticism I have about this place is that I felt they could have had more mirrors. There weren't any in front of the running machines and none in any of the machine sections. They could have even done with one next to the dumbbells in the free weights section. Just one other thing that I felt that they should have included was a Jacuzzi next to the swimming pool.
A final word: The people running this gym take pride in what they do. The ambience was good enough (it wasn't buzzin', but good enough). Jojo offered to start me up on £60 per month with a £15 joining fee to use just that one Virgin Active club. I'd say that represents value. She also offered me a weekend rate of £27 per week, which would restrict me to using the club from Friday night to Saturday night. That would also be good value to someone living locally. I've given four stars to this club because they are good at what they do. I can only give five stars if there is some very prominent wow factor! read more