After several years of perseverance with this gym I have finally lost patience and cancelled my membership. The club could be so good, but it is let down by useless management. As I write, the air conditioning system has been broken for 2 months and I was told this week by a staff member that it will take a further FIVE months for the necessary replacement part to be delivered and installed. This is completely unacceptable and is compounded by the management's lack of proactive communication on the issue - they do not bother to keep members updated and have offered no explanation for why the problem is taking so long to resolve. The main studio where most cardio classes take place is unbearably hot (25-30 degrees at my estimate - there is no thermometer, which contravenes the 1992 Workplace Health and Safety regulations) and instructors regularly open classes by warning us to drink plenty of water and go outside if the heat makes us feel faint.
The ladies' changing room is full of leaks - there is water coming through the ceiling and all through the walls where they meet the floor outside the showers. This has been the case for literally years and nothing has been done (a male friend told me the men's changing room is the same). The club's "solution" is to carpet the leaky areas with piles of clean towels to absorb the water - but woe betide members who ask the front desk if they can have an extra towel for their workout or shower, as towels for members are strictly rationed for "environmental reasons".
There are some good classes on offer (spinning is good), but not enough. The timetable is not well thought out, with classes bunched together. Popular classes are over-subscribed with members regularly being turned away, but the gym fails to put on more classes to meet the demand. There is no advance booking system either; you have to get there 30 minutes early to get a ticket and then hang around waiting for the class to start, which is stressful and impractical for busy people.
I believe most of the problems are caused by poor management. The gym has had on average a new general manager every 6 months for the last few years and none of them ever make themselves known to members by working on the front desk or using the club noticeboards to display their photo, name or email address.
Positives:
The gym looks good following a recent refurbishment (in which the AC system was unfortunately not upgraded or even checked), and it has plenty of fantastic new equipment (PowerPlates galore, good weight machines, rowers, cross-trainers, climbers, treadmills etc).
Most of the front desk staff are very friendly and pleasant.
Changing rooms are nice (though make sure you have a chunky padlock as there have been several incidences of thefts from locked lockers in the past few months).
I would not recommend this gym to anyone. Membership costs around £70 per month and it simply isn't worth it. read more