90 Mansell Street
London
E1 8AL
020 7481 0896
Date of visit: August 2011
I had been to this place before, but decided to try out payasugym.com to get a one-day pass. It cost £6 and it was easy to do. The only thing that I didn’t like about payasugym.com is that you have to top up a minimum of £10 – What if you are only in town for one day? Anyway, within a couple of hours I was at the gym and Anthony, the guy at the reception took my code and then let me get straight on with the session. Anthony was friendly and professional.
The gym is on two floors and has all the cardiovascular equipment on the ground floor, with the basement being used for machines and free weights. The cardiovascular section consists of 30 piece of PRECOR equipment, which include treadmills, stepping machines, rowing machines and bikes. Downstairs there are PRECOR weights machines and a free weights section. There are also two power plates and a stretching area.
Good Points: The best points about this place are a combination of location, price, quality of equipment and service given by staff. The staff was really friendly and ready to assists. The owner (franchisee) Andrew Newall came over for a chat and even asked for feedback on how he could improve the place. This doesn’t happen in most gyms and it definitely won’t happen in a no-frills gym (check out The Gym Group). All machines are top of the range PRECOR and they even have a t-bar row, which many other gyms don’t have – this is great to work your upper back. The place was clean and very well maintained and the ground floor has natural light, which again is rare in central London gyms. I also noticed that there was a cleaner on site and the changing rooms were being maintained well. At least when I went in there at 1:30pm it was not crowed and I didn’t have to wait for any equipment.
Bad points: Although there was a big mirror in the free weights area, I would also put in a few more both in the machine/stretching section and in the cardiovascular section. Apart from this I can’t find fault.
Final word: Remember that this is a no-frills place, so you only have cardiovascular machines, weight machines and free weights. There are no saunas, nor steam rooms, nor pool, nor aerobics classes. If you are looking for these things, you need to look at a different club. However, the monthly fee is £19.99, which compares to £60 for the Virgin Active around the corner. This is a bargain, especially when you consider the location. I also found out that they offer a personal training service, which is a fraction of they price of other gyms in the area.
I have given a 5 here because they seem to be carrying out their proposition extremely well – location/price/equipment/service. It’s worth checking out – even if you just get a one-day pass, as I did.
Saturday 6 August 2011
Sunday 24 April 2011
LA fitness Piccadilly
LA fitness
Rex House
4-12 Regent Street
London
SW1Y 4PE
Tel: 020 7849 8448
Date of visit: April 2011
I booked my three-day free pass on the Internet in the morning and then called in to arrange my first session. The pass enables you to use an LA Fitness gym for 3 consecutive days for free. It’s a great scheme and I believe that letting the customer “test drive” is always the best way to sell.
After my session Hanna advised me that I’d be looking to pay a £50 joining fee and then from about £50 to £60 per month, depending on the scheme that I went for.
Good Points: The staff seems nice and when I asked the manager to turn the music up, he did it straight away. The equipment itself is fairly good; it’s all Technogym, as in all LA Fitness gyms. The location is very good (just a few door down from Lillywhites).
Other Points: On the day that I went, I had forgotten to pack my ipod, so I was dependent on the clubs music. It’s a shame that they had it on so low that you couldn’t even hear it in most parts of the gym. It was as if the staff had assumed that on that day (a public holiday) its members were all hung over and just wanted to go through the motions. Like most people, I find that good music (that is at least reasonably loud) helps pump adrenaline through my body. This in turn helps me push myself harder, feel less pain and enjoy myself so much more!
There was no air conditioning in the free weights section and as a result the place was super stuffy and stank of male sweaty bodies (not my cup of tea!). Hanna told me that this was temporary and they were fixing it there and then. She also offered to find some air freshener (believe me, there was no air in there to freshen!).
Although the equipment is ok, the machine section is so drab. They have no mirrors, no ambience, no natural light (there is no natural light in the whole gym) and low ceilings. The free-weight section is also tatty!
Summary: In general this gym is nothing special - it's just ok!. Unless you are looking for a pool, you can find much better places (e.g. Gym Box). I’m sure that on weekdays it gets packed and there is more energy in there (also more of a wait to get onto machines). If you’re looking for something ordinary, go and get yourself a free three-day pass.
Friday 15 April 2011
Topnotch, London Bridge
51-55 St. Thomas Street
London
SE1 3QX
Tel: 020 7403 4914
Date of visit: April 2011
I had call Topnotch, which is located in some arches at the back of London Bridge Station, months ago to enquire about trying their gym. On one occasion I was told that I’d be allowed to have a free trial and then on a separate occasions I was told that they didn’t do free trials. Finally, this morning a lady called Indie agreed to let me have a free trial pass.
When I got to the gym I was told to wait for a lady called Sugani, who arrived shortly after and gave me some paperwork to fill in. Sugani didn’t stop smiling throughout our interaction. However, she didn’t really understand about the industry and hadn’t even used most of the things that she was trying to sell me – she was basically clueless! When I told her that I was there for a free trial, she told me that I’d have to pay £10 (even my PhD in maths couldn’t help me out there). Anyway, after some insisting she agreed to let me try it for free. After she showed me the gym and gave me my guest pass, I asked her for a padlock for the locker and a towel. She said that she could only sell me a padlock (other gyms always lend you one on trial visits). Both Sugani and the man on the desk were really unhappy about giving me a towel. They made me feel like I was imposing! Hey, is that anyway to treat a royal guest? Sorry, but for me all customers should be thought of as royalty!
The club itself is large enough and contains both free weights and machines (most machines are the old style LifeFitness), two power plates (although they are a different brand), a cardio room with about 40 pieces of equipment in all, at least one studio for classes, a spinning room, a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, a sauna in the male changing rooms, and an on site physiotherapist.
Good Points: This club has many facilities, including a pool and Jacuzzi. The location is also very good. The place is set in arches and could be really something special (see what Soho Gyms have done under some railway arches in Waterloo). At least on Friday lunch time, when I was at the gym, it wasn't packed.
Bad Points: Sorry to say it, but there was no vibe in this place! The equipment is so old. The running machine that I used seemed to be on it’s last legs and wasn’t stable. This gym has no natural light and I just didn’t think that the lighting that had been installed was effective. There were only four mirrors in the main part of the gym. They have an old carpet on the floor and in general the décor and equipment are similar to the sort of thing that you’d find in your local council run sports centre.
The Staff: Come on people! More training! More focus! The staff didn’t know what they were doing. They looked hungry to sell/close, but didn’t understand the product. Sugani was telling me things like their cinema style cardio room is unique – she only needs to go over the bridge to check out Bannatyne’s on Old Broad Street and she’ll know he has exactly the same thing (with quality just as poor!). It also appears that she’d never taken any classes or tried the equipment (whoops).
Changing Rooms: They were ok. There was a cleaner in there when I took a shower – but he was just hosing the place down. Some of the showers smelt bad (yes, I know there are members that can’t be bothered to use the urinals). They need to use more bleach! The Sauna was really hot (which is good in my books), but also really small (max 5 people inside – and that’s not without some form of physical contact!), which is strange when you consider the size of the gym.
The Close: After my workout, sauna and then Jacuzzi, I met Sugani to see how she would try to close me. She offered me a £50 joining fee with about £63 per month for 6 months. There was also an option to pay £299.50 up front with no joining fee for six months. This gym would not be for me, it has a good range of facilities, but is under par on most of them.
Final note: The management really needs to think about how they can upgrade their facility (see Making Money in the Fitness Business, Thomas Plummer). They also need to think how they can make their staff happier – this is key to having happy customers.
London
SE1 3QX
Tel: 020 7403 4914
Date of visit: April 2011
I had call Topnotch, which is located in some arches at the back of London Bridge Station, months ago to enquire about trying their gym. On one occasion I was told that I’d be allowed to have a free trial and then on a separate occasions I was told that they didn’t do free trials. Finally, this morning a lady called Indie agreed to let me have a free trial pass.
When I got to the gym I was told to wait for a lady called Sugani, who arrived shortly after and gave me some paperwork to fill in. Sugani didn’t stop smiling throughout our interaction. However, she didn’t really understand about the industry and hadn’t even used most of the things that she was trying to sell me – she was basically clueless! When I told her that I was there for a free trial, she told me that I’d have to pay £10 (even my PhD in maths couldn’t help me out there). Anyway, after some insisting she agreed to let me try it for free. After she showed me the gym and gave me my guest pass, I asked her for a padlock for the locker and a towel. She said that she could only sell me a padlock (other gyms always lend you one on trial visits). Both Sugani and the man on the desk were really unhappy about giving me a towel. They made me feel like I was imposing! Hey, is that anyway to treat a royal guest? Sorry, but for me all customers should be thought of as royalty!
The club itself is large enough and contains both free weights and machines (most machines are the old style LifeFitness), two power plates (although they are a different brand), a cardio room with about 40 pieces of equipment in all, at least one studio for classes, a spinning room, a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, a sauna in the male changing rooms, and an on site physiotherapist.
Good Points: This club has many facilities, including a pool and Jacuzzi. The location is also very good. The place is set in arches and could be really something special (see what Soho Gyms have done under some railway arches in Waterloo). At least on Friday lunch time, when I was at the gym, it wasn't packed.
Bad Points: Sorry to say it, but there was no vibe in this place! The equipment is so old. The running machine that I used seemed to be on it’s last legs and wasn’t stable. This gym has no natural light and I just didn’t think that the lighting that had been installed was effective. There were only four mirrors in the main part of the gym. They have an old carpet on the floor and in general the décor and equipment are similar to the sort of thing that you’d find in your local council run sports centre.
The Staff: Come on people! More training! More focus! The staff didn’t know what they were doing. They looked hungry to sell/close, but didn’t understand the product. Sugani was telling me things like their cinema style cardio room is unique – she only needs to go over the bridge to check out Bannatyne’s on Old Broad Street and she’ll know he has exactly the same thing (with quality just as poor!). It also appears that she’d never taken any classes or tried the equipment (whoops).
Changing Rooms: They were ok. There was a cleaner in there when I took a shower – but he was just hosing the place down. Some of the showers smelt bad (yes, I know there are members that can’t be bothered to use the urinals). They need to use more bleach! The Sauna was really hot (which is good in my books), but also really small (max 5 people inside – and that’s not without some form of physical contact!), which is strange when you consider the size of the gym.
The Close: After my workout, sauna and then Jacuzzi, I met Sugani to see how she would try to close me. She offered me a £50 joining fee with about £63 per month for 6 months. There was also an option to pay £299.50 up front with no joining fee for six months. This gym would not be for me, it has a good range of facilities, but is under par on most of them.
Final note: The management really needs to think about how they can upgrade their facility (see Making Money in the Fitness Business, Thomas Plummer). They also need to think how they can make their staff happier – this is key to having happy customers.
Tuesday 12 April 2011
The Reebok Sports Club
16-19 Canada Square
London
E14 5ER
Tel: 020 7970 0925
Date of visit: November 2010
I really enjoyed working out in this place and found it packed with energy. After arranging a free workout over the phone, I went to meet Kaley, who showed me around. She was really nice and quite professional. My only grip was that she didn’t show me all the studios and tell me about all their classes. This gym is big and has almost everything. It has free weights, lots of machines, including some nice free motion equipment – I’d say that the cable crossover was the best that I’ve used. They have about 80 cardiovascular machines, a basketball/five a side football court, which is in the middle of the second and third floors. There are 6 studios in total with an extensive timetable of classes. They also have a 23-meter swimming pool and a spa.
The male changing rooms are vast and the lockers are coded like a hotel safe box - so you don’t need a padlock or card. All towels are free and can be picked up in the changing rooms – I used 3 (sorry, that’s really not environmentally correct!). There are plenty of showers, with adjustable temperature and shower gel and conditioner. The male locker room also houses a sauna and steam room (ladies have the same facilities). I also saw a standing tanning bed, which, I believe is free to members.
Good Points: All the equipment was to a high standard; all running machines had a touch screen TV. There were lots of mirrors, i.e. in front of the running machines and you could see a mirror from most of the other machines. At lunchtime the vibe was good, with lots of bankers running around trying to squeeze in a power work out before getting back to the office. The gym was vast and never packed.
Bad Points: Somehow the lighting in the free-weights area wasn’t intense enough, but in other areas of the gym it was ok. They have carpet in various areas of the gym, including the changing rooms. Of course most people walk barefoot on it and so there is a constant smell of cheesy feet in the changing rooms.
Final Thoughts: This place is comparable to 37 degrees, it feels a bit bigger and in my opinion it’s much better in every way. Kaley said that I could join for £35 and then £94.50 per month, no contract and just one month’s notice to cancel. This was the corporate rate.
London
E14 5ER
Tel: 020 7970 0925
Date of visit: November 2010
I really enjoyed working out in this place and found it packed with energy. After arranging a free workout over the phone, I went to meet Kaley, who showed me around. She was really nice and quite professional. My only grip was that she didn’t show me all the studios and tell me about all their classes. This gym is big and has almost everything. It has free weights, lots of machines, including some nice free motion equipment – I’d say that the cable crossover was the best that I’ve used. They have about 80 cardiovascular machines, a basketball/five a side football court, which is in the middle of the second and third floors. There are 6 studios in total with an extensive timetable of classes. They also have a 23-meter swimming pool and a spa.
The male changing rooms are vast and the lockers are coded like a hotel safe box - so you don’t need a padlock or card. All towels are free and can be picked up in the changing rooms – I used 3 (sorry, that’s really not environmentally correct!). There are plenty of showers, with adjustable temperature and shower gel and conditioner. The male locker room also houses a sauna and steam room (ladies have the same facilities). I also saw a standing tanning bed, which, I believe is free to members.
Good Points: All the equipment was to a high standard; all running machines had a touch screen TV. There were lots of mirrors, i.e. in front of the running machines and you could see a mirror from most of the other machines. At lunchtime the vibe was good, with lots of bankers running around trying to squeeze in a power work out before getting back to the office. The gym was vast and never packed.
Bad Points: Somehow the lighting in the free-weights area wasn’t intense enough, but in other areas of the gym it was ok. They have carpet in various areas of the gym, including the changing rooms. Of course most people walk barefoot on it and so there is a constant smell of cheesy feet in the changing rooms.
Final Thoughts: This place is comparable to 37 degrees, it feels a bit bigger and in my opinion it’s much better in every way. Kaley said that I could join for £35 and then £94.50 per month, no contract and just one month’s notice to cancel. This was the corporate rate.
Saturday 9 April 2011
Fitness First Monument
Swan Lane
London Bridge
London
EC4R 3TR
Tel: 020 7623 6895
Date of visit: April 2011
Fitness First does a really good job of advertising its free day pass and as always, I booked mine on the Internet. I called Mo and arranged to meet him at 11:30 on Friday morning. On arrival Mo was friendly and I liked him (However, see my note below on customer service). He gave me the normal disclaimer to fill in and sign and then just told me to go and train. I wasn’t even told what they had.
I can tell you that you’ll only want to train in this place if either your office is very close or you want to play squash. The gym, which is under the north side of London Bridge, consists of about four squash courts and some gym equipment placed in a small room and along the corridors – this is a maze! I should compliment Fitness First on their creativity. They have eight treadmills and about twenty cardiovascular pieces altogether. There is a small free weights section and machines scattered about the place. This is a very basic place.
Good Points: At the time I went into the gym it was not crowded. They have squash courts, if you are looking for that. The staff did seem friendly.
Bad points: The gym is old and needs painting at least. It’s on about three floors and it just doesn’t feel like you’re in a gym. There are only about two mirrors in the whole place – Sorry, I’m vain! I need more than this! There didn’t seem to be any vibe in this place. I’m really sorry, but I’m a high-energy cat and I wouldn’t thrive in this ambience.
Note on customer service: I have found that in general Fitness First doesn’t really do a very good job of training their staff in the field of customer services. If you are working in the industry and would like to know how to behave, book yourself into the Savoy for a few nights and take notes on how the staff treats you! That’s what the staff at The Third Space (see another review for this club) seem to have done.
London Bridge
London
EC4R 3TR
Tel: 020 7623 6895
Date of visit: April 2011
Fitness First does a really good job of advertising its free day pass and as always, I booked mine on the Internet. I called Mo and arranged to meet him at 11:30 on Friday morning. On arrival Mo was friendly and I liked him (However, see my note below on customer service). He gave me the normal disclaimer to fill in and sign and then just told me to go and train. I wasn’t even told what they had.
I can tell you that you’ll only want to train in this place if either your office is very close or you want to play squash. The gym, which is under the north side of London Bridge, consists of about four squash courts and some gym equipment placed in a small room and along the corridors – this is a maze! I should compliment Fitness First on their creativity. They have eight treadmills and about twenty cardiovascular pieces altogether. There is a small free weights section and machines scattered about the place. This is a very basic place.
Good Points: At the time I went into the gym it was not crowded. They have squash courts, if you are looking for that. The staff did seem friendly.
Bad points: The gym is old and needs painting at least. It’s on about three floors and it just doesn’t feel like you’re in a gym. There are only about two mirrors in the whole place – Sorry, I’m vain! I need more than this! There didn’t seem to be any vibe in this place. I’m really sorry, but I’m a high-energy cat and I wouldn’t thrive in this ambience.
Note on customer service: I have found that in general Fitness First doesn’t really do a very good job of training their staff in the field of customer services. If you are working in the industry and would like to know how to behave, book yourself into the Savoy for a few nights and take notes on how the staff treats you! That’s what the staff at The Third Space (see another review for this club) seem to have done.
Tuesday 5 April 2011
The Bankside Health Club
Blue Fin Building
110 Southwark St
London
SE1 0SU
Date of visit: April 2011
I called the club and spoke to Marta. I must say that she was very nice and very helpful. We arranged to meet the next day. On arrival Marta asked me to fill in the normal paper work, she showed me around and then I got to use the gym. They say that the whole club is 16,000 square feet and has 3,000 members. It did feel a bit smaller. All of the equipment is in the basement. When I arrived at about mid day the gym was not packed. They use a lot of Techogym equipment and there seemed to be enough cardio machines and free weights for the number of members at the moment. They also have a boxing ring in the middle of the gym.
Good Points: The staff seemed nice, as did the members. They really seemed to have put a lot of thought into the layout of the gym. It seemed to flow. They had mirrors everywhere and even the seated rowing machine was positioned in such a way that I could see my back when I did the exercise. In general I would say that this is a good club and compared to other gyms in London, it's good value. As a resident I was offered £42 per month for off peak and £61 per month for peak membership (joining fee is £20.11). They also have a sauna and steam room in the changing rooms.
Bad points: There is no natural light. Also, I don’t think that they should have TVs on all of the running machines – how can you see yourself in the mirror. I go to the gym to look and feel good, not to watch Eastenders.
110 Southwark St
London
SE1 0SU
Date of visit: April 2011
I called the club and spoke to Marta. I must say that she was very nice and very helpful. We arranged to meet the next day. On arrival Marta asked me to fill in the normal paper work, she showed me around and then I got to use the gym. They say that the whole club is 16,000 square feet and has 3,000 members. It did feel a bit smaller. All of the equipment is in the basement. When I arrived at about mid day the gym was not packed. They use a lot of Techogym equipment and there seemed to be enough cardio machines and free weights for the number of members at the moment. They also have a boxing ring in the middle of the gym.
Good Points: The staff seemed nice, as did the members. They really seemed to have put a lot of thought into the layout of the gym. It seemed to flow. They had mirrors everywhere and even the seated rowing machine was positioned in such a way that I could see my back when I did the exercise. In general I would say that this is a good club and compared to other gyms in London, it's good value. As a resident I was offered £42 per month for off peak and £61 per month for peak membership (joining fee is £20.11). They also have a sauna and steam room in the changing rooms.
Bad points: There is no natural light. Also, I don’t think that they should have TVs on all of the running machines – how can you see yourself in the mirror. I go to the gym to look and feel good, not to watch Eastenders.
Monday 7 March 2011
The Gym Group, Vauxhall
6A St George Wharf
London
SW8 2LE
Date of visit: September 2010
After hearing so much talk of no-frills gyms and where the industry was heading, I thought I’d head down to my nearest no-frills club.
The Gym Group’s Vauxhall site gave a really good insight into where the industry is going. The gym is spacious (20,000 sq. ft of open plan space), has lots of natural light and lots of mirrors to accentuate both of these qualities (although I would have put even more mirrors in.) The equipment is new and includes about 37 running machines plus a least the same number of climbers and other cardiovascular equipment. It’s a bargain at £15 per month. I paid £5 for one session, which was all done on the Internet. The entry system is fantastic. It’s just like getting into a bank.
The changing rooms are done out with low cost materials, but they are nice. There are no tiles in the showers, just vinyl and they do seem clean. The lockers, however, are flimsy and some are broken, so when I put my padlock on you could still open it.
I would have liked to have seen their one staff member show more presents. He should be looking to know everyone by name and do his utmost to give the gym a face. I did feel that the gym was faceless. It was almost like walking into an airport or train station. You just felt like you were in a public space. Although the other members seemed nice and there was a mix of backgrounds, you could see that the £15 price tag attracted people from the lower classes (sorry, I know this isn’t PC).
Unfortunately for me the battery had run out on my ipod, so I was reliant on the gym sound system. The music that was playing was so quiet that all you could hear was the sound of the air-conditioning and cardiovascular equipment. It just made the ambience a bit eerie. I would have had the music up a bit louder, but not blasting.
These guys obviously don't want to push the free weights side too much. The free weights area is very small and at the back of the gym. You can't find the dumbbells you want and I’d say they need more equipment. I saw a lot of biggish guys who wanted to do free weights for £15 per month, but felt that there was a restriction there.
In all, if you are just after weights and cardio (no pool, no classes, no sauna), this is a bargain and is where a large section of the market is shifting.
London
SW8 2LE
Date of visit: September 2010
After hearing so much talk of no-frills gyms and where the industry was heading, I thought I’d head down to my nearest no-frills club.
The Gym Group’s Vauxhall site gave a really good insight into where the industry is going. The gym is spacious (20,000 sq. ft of open plan space), has lots of natural light and lots of mirrors to accentuate both of these qualities (although I would have put even more mirrors in.) The equipment is new and includes about 37 running machines plus a least the same number of climbers and other cardiovascular equipment. It’s a bargain at £15 per month. I paid £5 for one session, which was all done on the Internet. The entry system is fantastic. It’s just like getting into a bank.
The changing rooms are done out with low cost materials, but they are nice. There are no tiles in the showers, just vinyl and they do seem clean. The lockers, however, are flimsy and some are broken, so when I put my padlock on you could still open it.
I would have liked to have seen their one staff member show more presents. He should be looking to know everyone by name and do his utmost to give the gym a face. I did feel that the gym was faceless. It was almost like walking into an airport or train station. You just felt like you were in a public space. Although the other members seemed nice and there was a mix of backgrounds, you could see that the £15 price tag attracted people from the lower classes (sorry, I know this isn’t PC).
Unfortunately for me the battery had run out on my ipod, so I was reliant on the gym sound system. The music that was playing was so quiet that all you could hear was the sound of the air-conditioning and cardiovascular equipment. It just made the ambience a bit eerie. I would have had the music up a bit louder, but not blasting.
These guys obviously don't want to push the free weights side too much. The free weights area is very small and at the back of the gym. You can't find the dumbbells you want and I’d say they need more equipment. I saw a lot of biggish guys who wanted to do free weights for £15 per month, but felt that there was a restriction there.
In all, if you are just after weights and cardio (no pool, no classes, no sauna), this is a bargain and is where a large section of the market is shifting.
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