YMCA Club

Fantastic experience: Friendly and helpful staff. The Swimming pool is on par if not better than those in expensive gyms. Court booking is easy, the gym and the court are nice. Facilities are not world class but are enough for leisure play. 10x more value you get here than those ridiculous packages at David Lloyds. A real shame it is closing down next year. Going to miss our friend Jay there.

Negative experience: Been quietly sold off and closing down How could the Charity Commission agreed it?

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff, not crowded space, suitable price (student 45 pounds per month)

Negative experience: I used to go to this gym but stopped because someone told me that male staff members watch women get changed from the boiler room.

Positive experience: A welcomed experience while visiting the UK

Positive experience: Pool needs a bit more care, the entrance to it is not the most hygienic. The pool is spacious and the staff are very friendly

Positive experience: I would like to sincerely congratulate the management team at YMCA for cultivating such a dedicated and hard-working staff. After a full year of utilizing your excellent facilities, I feel it is important to recognize one employee who consistently goes above and beyond for customers. Japhet has worked in the reception area for over a year now and never fails to greet everyone with a smile. His friendly and warm demeanor sets all at ease as soon as they walk through the door. He is always polite, courteous and addresses every patron's needs with patience and care. Beyond excellent customer service, Japhet maintains an inviting and organized workspace. He leads by example with his diligent work ethic and positive attitude each day. It is clear he takes pride in his role and loves what he does. I strongly feel Japhet would be a prime candidate for managerial training opportunities. He has proven himself as a natural leader among the team and would no doubt excel with added responsibilities. Thanks and keep up the Good work.

Positive experience: The swimming pool is easily the best quality/price in the area. It’s not fancy and facilities itself might be a bit old but they try to keep it clean which is nice. I’ve been to all pools in the central London and the cleanliness/hygiene is much better in comparison. Refurbishing pool and sauna was a good improvement although took a long time.

Negative experience: The swimming pool was closed for 6 months. The management team kept pushing the reopening date of the pool back. Yes, the price is good for a central London gym with a pool. But the quality you get does not match the price tag. There are so many other better options in the area. The manager did not allow me to get the refund although I clearly stated that I only want to use the pool. The showers are badly maintained and are very moldy.

Positive experience: I wish opening hours on weekends were longer!! Such a pity!! 1-2h if only

Fantastic experience: I had not been to this venue for many years, but it remains an oasis of calm in the very heart of the city. From pool to gym, dance studio to cafe, facilities are excellent, the ethos unique and a cool vibe. Membership incredibly cheap for what it offers, even as an informal meeting place or resource for local schools etc. Long may it continue.

Fantastic experience: A nice gym with daily/weekly passes for travelers and visitors to London. The price is reasonably cheap for the facilities you are getting. You get discount if you are St Giles Hotel guest.

Negative experience: I studied there last year for my level 3 in personal training and I still haven’t been able to get my certificate yet despite of handing in all my assessments. There is no way to communicate with them. I have tried reaching out to their office through emails and phone calls but no one ever replies and this is a place in central London. I have applied for a job and the organisation has been asking me for my certification but there is no way to get it now it seems. Awful services.

Positive experience: Clean and good facility not too busy so don’t need to wait if need to use squat rack, bench or machines. The pool is clean and the temperature of the water is good for swimming, nice sauna and steam room Nice staff

Fantastic experience: Came to do a class here, really friendly class buddies and instructor. Then came upstairs to the cafe and had a very well made sandwich by the handsome guy with glasses Alan who is very hospitable.

Negative experience: Done level 2 and 3 PT course here in October. Now end of February and I'm still waiting for YMCA to mark my after course work. They don't respond to messages, student support after is next to nil. Facilities are dated and the admin is terrible. Both our exam papers weren't ready on time and we had to sit around all day waiting to take the test. Trainers are fun and nice people. Do yourself a favour and don't use YMCA. Go elsewhere for you training. I do not recommend ising this company at all.

Negative experience: Management are extremely rude & disrespectful

Fantastic experience: I love this gym, amazing people, profesional teachers. The best!

Positive experience: Very friendly cafe staff and generous food portions !

Fantastic experience: There's so much here that I ended up getting a bit lost inside on my first visit. Haven't used the gym, so I can't comment on the equipment, but I really like a lot of the classes here and am impressed with how many different sports and activities they do. If I was going to join a YMCA, it would be this one!

Negative experience: Customer service great when they want you to sign up then when you need to cancel you get no reply :( I’ve sent 3 emails and no response. Sadly place has gone down here and quite grubby, shame as used to be fab. Steam room never open.

Fantastic experience: Excellent value gym, loads of equipment, never too busy at midweek lunchtime (only time I’ve been) and the cafe has a great selection of wraps post-work out.

Fantastic experience: Today I had a nice experience at the cafeteria of the YMCA club. A handsome gentleman with glasses prepared a delicious food “Workout” for me. Besides, I rested comfortably during lunch time before training.

Fantastic experience: Lovely staff, big pool and great facilities.

Positive experience: Good sized gym with several levels, although some equipment is old and doesn’t function as should. The locker rooms (I can only speak for the men’s) are pretty bad - some lockers take your money and you don’t get them back, showers dirty, soap not restocked, etc. Cafe - it’s good for a quiet place to chill however the food and drink is expensive. £3 for a coffee and 50p for anything other than dairy milk (usually just Aldi oat or soya milk). Why am I being penalised for having an allergy!!! Please stop this outdated policy! Overall the gym is friendly enough (I’ve met one or two aggressive/cocky people since I joined 5 months ago) and most equipment is decent condition. Membership is at a competitive price for central London (although still pricey by most standards). The changing rooms should be cleaned better and the lockers should be fixed. (I haven’t used the swimming pool purely because of the state of the changing rooms - if the showers etc are dirty then I don’t want to know what the swimming pool is like…)

Fantastic experience: Very good customer service, tasty food and reasonably priced.

Negative experience: I used to love going here to help deal with anxiety. However I recently had other members there be really aggresive. Going there became stressfull so I cancelled my membership, I was offered a free week which seemed very token. It is sad but I will not be returning

Fantastic experience: So far has been a blessing to have a nice family environment with Wraps and café. The food is very nutritious and both Summer and Allan are a friendly couple and great company. Hope everyone, enjoys their delicious soups and milkshakes, as much as I do.

Negative experience: The YMCA renewed my membership although i explicitly told them to terminate it a year ago. I then called them and they agreed to send a copy of my contract to clarify the matter, but they did not. I wrote to YMCA and they did not respond by email either.

Negative experience: Closes at random different time each day all way too early, and reception never picks up the phone to confirm hours. The gym rooms are constantly rented out by private dance and other classes and unusable.

Negative experience: Staffs are friendly and its big enough to have fresh air inside. However the swimming pool is the dirtiest one I tried in london. It has steam room beside the pool and people repeatedly use it and come in to the pool without taking shower. No one cares There is only two showers beside the pool and no one check if people take shower or not. I am a member of YMCA, but I am really disappointed by the way that they manage the swiming pool

Fantastic experience: My son has attended the basketball lessons at the YMCA for two years. The lessons are always different and varied. The main reason the lessons are a success is due to the fantastic teacher Coach Robin. He is brilliant with children, clear with instructions, and provides a really exciting 45 minutes the class. Can’t rate him highly enough, He was born to do this job.

Fantastic experience: Amazing club with plenty of facilities and classes included!! Coming here everyday is really pleasant. Especially the cafe with a lot of variety of healthy food and the excellent service provided from Alan, very kind and friendly.

Fantastic experience: Absolutely love this place, i had a gym session and swim today, can't recommend this place enough, good vibes friendly staff always there to help. And a lovely little coffee place to sit down and rest after my workout.

Fantastic experience: All what you need in one place. Gym..sauna..pool..and waiting maybe in further steper( climbs)trainer cardio maschine

Fantastic experience: Really friendly club with relaxed members representing all sorts of Londoners. Great staff who know you to chat to and help. Great value for location. Quiet pool with decent size overtaking lanes and steam& sauna. Plenty of space for changing and lots of hot showers. Always really clean. Would highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: The Cafe is brilliant with a very personable chef too! Very healthy options alongside easy access to pool, sauna and gym equipment

Fantastic experience: Great location, superb swimming pool and always clean and tidy. There is also a great sense of community and positivity here - everyone is so friendly!

Fantastic experience: Great club and fantastic food in the cafe.

Fantastic experience: Very positive environment. People mind their own business and will give advice as well if you are struggling. Cafe is very convenient and great tasting as well. Service is very generous across the board. Highly recommend

Fantastic experience: Lovely cafe with a great gym and pool attached! Alan the chef dished me up an amazing hot veg wrap. Much more than just a tasty snack!

Fantastic experience: It’s fun to stay at the YMCA!

Fantastic experience: Ordered “The Arabian” wrap for lunch after my swim, the cafe prepared it super fast, and it was very tasty! Thanks Alan!

Fantastic experience: I highly recommend the cafe down stairs was brilliant experience , very friendly staff(Allan) ,great healthy food , good value and warm atmosphere . I had a salad with a protein shake after my workout in the gym. The staff were helpful and always had a smile and helpful.

Fantastic experience: Great place to swim 25m laps while visiting London. Often had own lane during early afternoons. Hot sauna. The stairs from the change rooms to the pool need a spring clean but otherwise the facilities are clean. Pleasant & helpful staff.

Fantastic experience: Spacious, great facilities, spotlessly clean, friendly & helpful staff, caters for all age groups and abilities, good value for money.

Negative experience: Well, the location is good. The pool is big and the classes are good. Just that suddenly I find out that my favourite dance class was canceled randomly with no warning or any signs before hand !! Shocked .. and felt very uncared for .. I hope they start warning before they cancel classes as people might have a membership for one class that they like…

Negative experience: I am very upset by the attitude of the staff...i have been a regular for the last 6 years and i am really disappointed by the approach used by the staff towards me...it is the fourth time they have been complaining because i leave the place at 20.58 (the centre gates shut at 21.00) whereas there are people leaving later at 21.05 and are justified for who knows what. Tonight the staff has been very funny against me saying that those people are justified to leave later...in addition half of showers are always left available and open in the female changing room...this creates queues at the showers...i am very upset by the unfair treatment i have been receiving...try to respect better your regular customers who in turn respect rules and staff!!!!!!!!

Negative experience: Unfortunately since covid the gym does not have long hours at weekends which means sourcing alternatives. Sad really as staff keep promoting it but most gyms have 24/7 access why shouldn't the UKs No.1 training gym be the same?

Fantastic experience: I had a meeting 20.06.22 because I was early I went down to the café and ordered a latte which was the best I've had in a long a long time. The mug was just the right size and its contents perfect the dominant taste of the coffee over the milk is what it should be and no sourness or that standard blandness so common in outlets to this fantastic beverage to relax with.

Fantastic experience: Went to their dance class and had a great time. Will come back for sure.

Positive experience: Nice big gym with several classes, badminton court, pool, sauna etc. in the center of London. Friendly staff

Positive experience: Revised: changing from 1 star to 3 as i did get a call back straight after the review went live. Appreciate the effort but it shouldn't take an online complaint to answer 1 simple question of what kind of outfit is required ( for the class I am trying out for the first time.). Original review: "Had a question about a class I booked. The reception girl had no knowledge of this class and was beyond rude on the phone. Nothing saves a review rating like a nice service. If you don’t know something, find an answer and come back to the enquiry. And dropping the phone on a customer is never a solution to your lack of training or manners"

Fantastic experience: Best Gym in town. Wonderful Staff, very friendly & welcoming club.

Fantastic experience: Great staff, fantastic pool with steam and sauna within jumping distance

Fantastic experience: Great club, recently studied My Level 3 Personal Training course there. Had a great tutor- Trevor Clarke who is a credit to YMCA. Made the sessions fun and exciting.

Fantastic experience: Bueno experiencia

Negative experience: Unfriendly staff, badly maintained equipment. Bathroom has urine smell. Shower soaps always empty. Avoid!

Positive experience: JAM is the best! ( Jam at the reception) Always courteous, smiley, genuine and professional! YMCA: Keep close the staff who does a GREAT job and award them . Some receptionists are lazy and unapproachable, so JAM stands out as well as Michelle (manager). The general manager they had in summer 2020 (don't remember his name) was excellent too and did a great job at rectifying things and rude staff! He knows what superb CS is! YMCA: pay attention to the reviews and award the staff who puts real effort please.

Positive experience: Friendly staff Good set-up Unconventional approach to keeping it clean

Fantastic experience: Good gym with a lot of machine, swimimg pool, steam room and sauna.

Positive experience: Reception team are consummate professionals and very helpful too!

Fantastic experience: I cannot speak highly enough of this gym, not only for the facilities which are wonderful, the friendliness of the front of desk team and trainers and the extremely good value. That's why I've been a loyal guest for a while now and will continue to be long into the future! I've had some rough news lately which has meant a brief hiatus from the club and the communication I've had with the club has been phenomenal, a massive thank you to Des for all your support, you have been amazingly understanding and I can't wait to get back to training ASAP! Really I just needed to let everyone know who is considering signing up, do it. It's the best experience I've had in London, no hard sell, just people who care in a relaxed yet challenging environment and it is huge, no waiting for weeks to book classes, just brilliant in every way!

Fantastic experience: Brilliant service from all the staff who went out of their way to accommodate me during a short stay at a nearby hotel. Thank you!

Fantastic experience: Huge gym in Central London with excellent facilities. Spotlessly clean. Staff is super friendly and helpful, that really made the difference in subscribing. No frills too which is always a plus. Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: Great gym and good value for money. It's massive and has all the facilities you need (for me the swimming pool was the winner). Staff are incredibly friendly; highly recommend this place!

Positive experience: A four story establishment with an interior resembling a colosseum or arena. In addition to professional and comprehensive fitness facilities which include 25m heated indoor pool, sauna and steam, cycles, weight train equipements, treadmills, indoor badminton and basketball court, and table tennis, gym offers training curriculums permitting gym-goers to adopt a regular and personalised fitness programme. Resting corners and cafe offer a relaxed space for rejuvenation and replenishment after workout. Fitness centre requires membership fees though guests are permitted a three-day trial pass. *Drafted by Selena Hong

Positive experience: Great atmosphere. Great selection of music. Great service. Could be a tiny bit more consistent.

Positive experience: 최초의 YMCA라고 한다. 간판에도 적혀있어 기념이 될만하다.

Negative experience: For swimmers: the pool is great. Not crowded most of the time and good temperature/clean. However, you towels cost £1.5 and to use lockers you have to carry £1 or buy a fake coin from them. During my intro session the staff who showed me around did not mention neither of that and I had to go up and down twice (lockers are in -2). The lockers stink and are not super clean also.

Positive experience: An amazing place to work out due to its great vibe. Due to the prevalence of activities and classes targeting children, young people, the elderly and everyone in-between, a lot of the negative vibes you can sometimes get in gyms is pushed aside. There is a distinct inclusivity which makes it one of the first gyms I have attended where you will workout alongside all types of people from active, competing bodybuilders, to people doing rehab and/or doing what they can without it 'standing out'. The range of facilities is also very impressive, with a swimming pool and a sauna, alongside yoga rooms, dance studios, spin classes, free weights, punching bag, an impressive timetable fo classes of all varieties, and a wealth of equipment and machines. For those looking to utilise the free weights, the equipment is definitely 'aged' and they are in need of some new plates, but everything you need for a good, heavy workout is there (except maybe a decline/incline bench press and a powerlifting space). This will likely only be a problem for a very specific group and with everything available there it shouldn't form a particular problem. Great staff also, a place you can feel welcome.

Fantastic experience: here are 4 floors sport building. Gym machine and swimming pool Very nice and good price. The people who work Here they are super nice and friendly.

Fantastic experience: Very central gym near Tottenham Court station. Went with MoveGB for TRX class. It was a super tough class but it was absolutely energizing post the class. I really felt challenged to scale & push my strength to a new level!

Fantastic experience: This review is for the summer play scheme.the counselors are fantastic and incredibly friendly. My children have been having a great time. They go on field trips every day and they usually walk. The activities that they have planned in the facility in the morning makes use of everything the facility has to offer like the pool or the gym. They divide children up according to age group and play age appropriate games and do some arts and crafts. It's a great facility and I'm incredibly happy with the people.

Fantastic experience: Well equipped gym and excellent pool.

Fantastic experience: Amazing staff love you guys!!!!

Negative experience: Too many kids

Fantastic experience: This place is so big, it’s huge actually! It has pool, gym, sauna, steam room, classes, memberships to use all the facilities, my first impression is just wow and I can’t wait to go there again.

Fantastic experience: I love this place and can't for the life of me relate to all the negativity in some reviews. Saying the pool could be a bit bigger is abit like saying the beach would be nicer if only it had more sea to swim in. Enjoy this great asset smack bang in the middle of London.

Fantastic experience: Grest range of equipment,classes, and good swimming pool.

Positive experience: Great swimming pool not too busy at lunchtime on weekdays. On the downside, very rude and unprofessional swimming "instructors" who talk to you like you were a 5-year-old. Actually, I would not talk to a 5-year-old like this. Still a 4/5 for the pool itself.

Fantastic experience: Great Gym, clean environment.

Fantastic experience: Best gym in London

Fantastic experience: Great facilities and friendly staff

Positive experience: One of my favourite gyms in London. Unfortunately the pool has been rather dirty recently.

Fantastic experience: So far the best swimming pool I have visited in London. Changing rooms, showers and toilets are kept clean!! Small but efficient and well maintained sauna and steam room just next to the pool. Friendly and polite staff.

Fantastic experience: Nice club in AHMEDABAD

Fantastic experience: La palestra offre una vasta varietà di corsi per tutti i gusti e gli istruttori sono in gamba. L'ambiente informale contribuisce a creare un'atmosfera accogliente. Più che una semplice palestra è un vero luogo di aggregazione e anche se il tipo di persone che la frequentano cambia molto a seconda della fascia oraria, il clima è comunque sempre disteso e rilassato per cui è difficile sentirsi fuori posto. Merita almeno una visita.

Positive experience: One of the few gyms I have visited in London and feel relaxed, I love the 70s architecture and the staff are very friendly, always kind and helpful. The cafe is a good facility and it's useful that you can rent a towel for £1.50 as this suits my chaotic lifestyle. The recent pool refurb has done little to improve the space, I quite liked it before with its unusual dark tiles, now it's very bright and sporty and I'm a bit of a vampire. The toilets are down a three storey spiral staircase, not great if like me you drink a couple of litres of water before hitting the sauna. All in all a good gym though and I've stayed a year which is more than I can say for any other gym.

Negative experience: Poor staff, especially indian Guy who works in reception during the week, he was laughing at me because am Disabled, am not racist am indian as well.

Fantastic experience: I was a member here for 3 years. My place of work changed so the location was no longer convenient for me. The only negative thing about this place is the price, but it makes up for it with everything else. Friendly staff, a variety of classes and activities, sauna, steam room and a great place for anyone interested in swimming in Central London.

Fantastic experience: One of the best gym. I have been in to. Friendly staff, Good vive and there's alot more to than Gym.

Fantastic experience: Seems either you love or hate this gym. I've read the negative reviews and (with the possible exception of the angry beefy mousey haired receptionist) I can't see why anyone would criticise the staff or facilities. It's an excellent mid-price facility with real character and charm. Sure there's a bit of a pong on the way to the pool and, with its outreach programme, some of the members can be a bit eccentric. But the trainer's are approachable, uber-supportive and the facilities and classes are wide-ranging. The whole place is well run, humming with industry most times of day and is mercifully free of time-wasting posers leering in muscle vests

Negative experience: Does not even deserve 1 star but wouldn't let me proceed without that so had to do it. The staff today (Saturday 29th April 2017, 10.20am) was extremely unprofessional. They are not only bad at administrative handling but also customer service! My hostel and YMCA club have a liasion where I pay the club fees in my rent itself the hostel send it to the club. They send an email to the club, we submit a form and get a memebership card. That's exactly what I did and I was issued a card for a 3 months membership. Now, when I went to the club, they first say that it has expired! How? 3 months went by in a week? Then they say it has been cancelled! Then when my friend tried to calmly say 'this might be human or systemic error, let us sort it out later, we're here for a class', they say that no we can't let her in? Also, my friend who is a member since 6 months is told that she is not even on the system! Then they take out a stupid list where her name was there! So why could you not locate her on the system first ? What kind of so called 'trained staff' is that ? The manager then comes and says things like 'you came for a 'free' session earlier' 'how do I trust you will pay'! Moreover, when my friend said that this is not the way to build customer relation, he says, "Thank you, I knew it already" Really? How would I know it was a free session when my hostel pays it through my rent? And, is this a way to speak to a customer? The most ridiculous thing is which I just found out from my hostel secretary, is that his email to approve my membership was stuck in the outbox so it never was sent to anyone! So how the hell was I given a card in the first place? How can you just issue a card to someone? And if you have made that mistake, how dare you talk to me and my friend like that when none of it is our fault!

Fantastic experience: I'm not one for leaving reviews, but I struggled to find a good gym in the area after trying out a few different ones over the years, and this is by far the best. The staff are all so nice, the circuits are amazing, and the atmosphere is so unlike any gym I've ever been a member of. It's just a nice place to be; fellow gymers are friendly, and it's not an intimidating environment (which i know some gyms can be for people). There really is such a mix of people and abilities, and it feels very inclusive. I've only used the pool and the sauna/ steam once, but it was really clean, and not very busy at peak time. The gym is also clean and non-rammed, even on a Monday evening (which is normally prime time). I can't recommend it enough. My one tiny bugbear is that you have to pay for towels - but it's minor, just means my bag is a little heavier on gym days..

Fantastic experience: As a recent American traveler in London, UK I visited the Central YMCA on Russell Street. What an absolutely delightful and positive experience. The facility is immaculately clean, the personnel were very nice and helpful to a person. Personally, I am a swimmer. I was able to get the first session without charge and after that it is 15 Euro per day. The pool is an original. Clean, pure water in the pool, no hint of chlorine and clear like Lake Tahoe. Vintage blue tiles line the pool. Real lifeguards make everyone feel comfortable and that the rules are followed. Water temperature good, lane swimming, squeaky clean everywhere - the sauna and the steam room, pool deck. Locker rooms are spacious and very adequate, no one is bumping you while they get dressed! Great experience, one that I cannot wait to have again. The rest of the Y has everything one may need - even a juice bar and WIFI. Most of all - the employees are proud of this vintage jewel and attitude is genuine. Go YMCA! All others should take a cue from London.

Fantastic experience: Cheap for such a large gym and 25m pool. Also has a weights room, spinning room, basketball/badminton courts, steam room and sauna. Can get busy but i haven't found a better gym in London for the price!

Fantastic experience: Great gym !

Positive experience: Really good 25m pool in central London and plenty of free classes. Good facility

Fantastic experience: Absolutely 5 stars. The staff are friendly and warm. The place is massive; there is even a prayer room! The pool is super clean and so are the other facilities. Its located on Great Russel Street so the whole area has a good vibe.