Bitterne Leisure Centre

Negative experience: They don't answer the phone

Negative experience: GO ELSEWHERE Dirty changing rooms, tape over the floors really run down and always cancelling lessons. Doesn’t even deserve 1 star.

Fantastic experience: swim lessons are great I did them for a few years, going onto the rookies class they offer to, facilities kept clean, staff are very friendly. The pool is shut at the moment but information is provided and staff are happy to explain if asked pool and gym quality is good and much more available to do than the larger centre in town that seems to be mostly offices and empty space.

Negative experience: Waited at reception for awhile no staff around so left! Clearly don’t want new members to join up!

Negative experience: Abysmal. Swimming lessons booked for my children, the teacher changed after the first week, cancelled lessons 2 weeks later and then after returning for a week the pool was closed again. Admittedly this is due to repairs however, when I contacted them they were unable to offer refunds simply a "free" lesson at some point. I was also told that other customers would take priority over me due to them having a couple more lessons cancelled than my children. Management refused to speak to me, just left it to their poor staff to repeat a pre-written statement. Other than all of that though the reception staff blank you as you walk in, you can't even see your children from the so called viewing platform and if you are lucky the showers might work. Cracking place if you are after disappointment, money taken from your bank with no service provided and a sore beck from trying to see your children learn to swim.

Negative experience: Did not pick up the phone when trying book made me VERY ANGRY thanks a lot my god daughter and her father are now crying

Fantastic experience: My daughter had her sons birthday party there which was great.

Positive experience: Swimming pool area could do with modernisation especially the changing rooms. Has good facilities and is easy to get to with good parking

Positive experience: This place is a center for the community in the truest sense. The staff are friendly and do their best to keep it clean, which can't be easy in the dated facilities. I only use the pool and the changing areas desperately need an upgrade, but for me that only knocks off 1 star because I commend the center for keeping their prices achievable for their diverse clientele in all walks of life. I love seeing families of all backgrounds taking part in the children & infant classes, people of all shapes and sizes in the lane swimming sessions, singing a song with an elderly lady in the next shower, positive affirmation Graffiti in the changing cubicles and noone ever batted an eye over a modest swimsuit.

Negative experience: Wouldn’t even give this place a 1 star review my sister went there for her first ever swimming lesson back in June. She left crying and saying she doesn’t want to have swimming lessons anymore because of how rude the teacher was to her! We went to speak to someone they said they would refund us what we paid and it’s been 4 months already when it was meant to take 7 working days for our refund to be back into aswell as that going there about 5 times to actually ask what is going on with our refund all they said was that it’s been processed and we just have to wait but since when does refunds take 4 months place is dirty rude and unprofessional no communication either. Worst place I’ve ever visited.

Positive experience: Swimming pool very dated with only a few changing rooms and lockers but OK for a swim. Not tried the gym so can't comment on that.

Fantastic experience: First time back in a swimming pool for over 20 years, and I loved it! Only did 10 lengths, but baby steps. I've got COPD, so I'm trying this to help my breathing. So far, so good. See you again tomorrow

Fantastic experience: This Leisure Centre is a well-equipped community facility in Southampton, offering a range of fitness and recreational activities. The center features a modern gym, a large swimming pool, and a variety of exercise classes suitable for all ages and fitness levels. It’s particularly family-friendly, with swimming lessons for kids and fun sessions in the pool. While the building may feel a bit dated in places, the friendly staff and affordable membership options make it a popular choice for locals looking to stay active. Overall, it’s a convenient and welcoming spot for health and fitness.

Negative experience: Went swimming with my 10 month old. The changing rooms are very dirty and smell of urine. The whole facility needs an update. The pool itself was also very overused and overpopulated. Not a pleasant experience. Will not visit again.

Negative experience: This leisure centre really needs some investment. There is mould and grime in the changing rooms half the lockers have been vandalised and generally looks like it’s needs a good clean.

Positive experience: Gym, pool etc.. Kids learn to swim lessons here. Gym quite good and cheap. Free parking available

Negative experience: Absolutely awful pool was not clean very rude staff awful changing process only one locking door in the men’s filthy windows and promised something and not received would not recommend worst experience of my year for the over priced price

Positive experience: Good location and very friendly staff and atmosphere. Facilities need improving, though. Male changing room urinals have been out of action since April,

Positive experience: Changing room floors manky could do with scrub in corners all brown and murky yuk

Positive experience: Old and dated classes are great but it needs a bloody good clean

Positive experience: I went to the gym and swim, for atmosphere and friendliness, both staff and other customers, this is a great place, I immediately felt at home, the gym is very good, the pool is adequate and unchanged since I was there many years ago, lane swimming was well organised and there was plenty of space, lost a star for the almost derelict changing room and lockers, like so many other places they just haven't the money to put into these areas, however because of the atmosphere of the place it won't put me off going there, I will go home for my shower and shut my eyes when walking through the locker room, overall it was very good and I had a worthwhile workout !!!! ..

Fantastic experience: I did a wee in the deep end.

Negative experience: Not been to the gym/studio area lately but the swimming pool area/changing rooms need an upgrade/renovation. Really foul smell especially in family changing rooms from the drain and generally poor state of facilities.

Positive experience: The pool is too cold

Positive experience: Nice swimming pool, very warm water in child pool. There is a one slide and nothing else to do.

Fantastic experience: Booked the badminton. Staff was polite, supportive and friendly

Fantastic experience: Love the gym here, it’s quiet and people aren’t the same as at pure gym and such

Positive experience: Reasonable priced membership,helpful staff.

Negative experience: Changing rooms are dirty.There has been a tampon stuck in ceiling for 3 weeks. I complained at desk and no change it's still there .

Positive experience: It's a nice pool. Clean, safe with a water slide for the little -big kids. There is also a smaller, shallower option for smaller kiddies, and parents to soak in while they keep an eye. The dressing rooms are small, and no private cubicles unfortunately. Some of the showers don't work, some of the shower doors don't close. There are a couple of family dressing areas but your chances of getting one is tough as some teenagers use it to get dressed even when they are on their own... The lockers are small unfortunately.

Positive experience: Swimming lessons are great especially with Vicky, but the fixtures and fittings poolside are badly in need of refurbishment.

Fantastic experience: Very good sport centre nice reception staff and a lot of activities run by professionals

Negative experience: After multiple attempts they didn’t answer the phone and when they did someone hung up on me

Negative experience: Swimming lessons regularly get cancelled or changed last minute. You get no reimbursement every time they cancel and it's in the contract they can cancel as many times as they like.

Positive experience: the changing area and waiting area could be cleaner

Positive experience: Needs refurbishment as a whole, it's an old building. Just a swimming pool with an out dated gym

Positive experience: Pretty good. Lifeguards turning blind eye to kids diving in at deep end and doing backflips which I felt was dangerous - to themselves and others. You will need padlocks for lockers

Positive experience: Cheap enough but didn't like the restriction on only lanes and a swimming lesson at the same Time

Negative experience: I am very disappointed by the customer service of Bitterne Leisure Centre. I have been trying to cancell or freeze my membership for 3 weeks now and so far I did not have any response apart from that Lee Hartcourt is on break from persuading the nation to be active. I was given an email to contact the venue manager but the email came back as non existent. I used to like going for swimming there but after having twins I am not able to find the time to do so. I am finding very unfair that I have to still pay for something I am not able to use and nobody have a decency to reply to your emails and deal with your request. Its March 2024 and they still charched me despite of asking to cancell it in October 2023.That is disgusting.

Fantastic experience: Great Friday Evening doing Aquafit. Good music lots of fun. Staff realy friendly. Lifeguards friendly and polite. X

Fantastic experience: Great swimming school. No pictures allowed

Fantastic experience: Been swimming there for nearly 4 weeks on the advice of my asthma nurse. My breathing has got better and I am loosing weight, win win

Fantastic experience: Took my 5 month for her first swim! Great facilities, plenty of free parking with about 4 parent and baby parking bays. Was my first time there and the receptionist was very helpful with explaining everything. The learner pool wasn't too busy and is large enough to allow everyone to have a bit of space. Will definitely be going again.

Negative experience: A very outdated leisure centre. First visit and definitely my last. Disappointed that this was to be my local centre for weekly swimming. Now to try one further away. Southampton City Council needs to put our money into this refurb.

Negative experience: I am very disappointed with family swimming session at Bitterne. Fume has not been turned on due to short of staff... This seems to be a regular pattern lately. Still paying full price for entry, which went up recently, of course. Not coming back any time soon..

Fantastic experience: Staff are always friendly and helpful. Free parking, but must register on screen when you enter, otherwise you can get charged by the parking company. It's a lovely centre with decent equipment and facilities.

Fantastic experience: Really friendly staff and late swimming option.

Fantastic experience: Affordable, friendly place. Shame that swimming pool is not always open.

Positive experience: At the start, everything was normal but one of the lifeguards told me to wait next the first step on the slide when I was at the fourth step of the slide, what's the point of that rule its not dangerous, I didn't slip the rule is absolutely useless The lifeguard has dark-brown hair and he is a really mean lifeguard and I saw another person do the same thing and she got away with it why not me? Its so unfair. Also, When the lifeguards told me to wait next the first step on the slide when I was at the fourth step of the slide, I was confused like what was he saying? But then I noticed that he said that I had to get down and then I think that the lifeguard is a bit hungry or having a stressful day that could be why he is so mean. I want better people working here please.

Negative experience: I am very disappointed with the service, management and cleanliness. My daughter passed her level 1 and 2 in swimming but still waiting for her certificates. Every time when asked the reception, they keep saying that they are still waiting for delivery. Don't they understand that having a certificate in their hands motivates young children. Viewing area is very filthy. No one seems to walk around to monitor cleanliness.

Positive experience: Decent facility doing the best with the resources it has and staff were very friendly and helpful

Fantastic experience: Mandy does an amazing pilates class I love it! Please I would love to come to more classes like this one.

Positive experience: The bad thing is when you book a party that they don't tell the customer that your 2. hours booked is from the Time you have and about 150mintnesbefor the end ask you to get ready to leave the children at the party were still eating tea and the staff could not be so unfair as its all about the Money not a good place for Party As a entertainment we were told you have 10 minutes to break down What a joke that was

Positive experience: Nice clean gym and changing rooms, bit tired in places but ok

Fantastic experience: Such a friendly and welcoming leisure centre that’s got everything you could need. Staff couldn’t be friendlier and will go above and beyond to make sure you have everything you need

Fantastic experience: Cracking place to get in shape. Helpful team and good facilities.

Fantastic experience: The lifeguards are very nice and good.

Fantastic experience: Clean centre for what it is. Needs a refurb but the staff do their best and are extremely friendly.

Positive experience: Needs a huge renovation and upkeep on cleaning the swimming changing rooms. Pool was full of band aids and needed a clean too. Not overly impressed but the people working were so lovely. Hopefully someone does something.

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff with lots of activities and classs for all ages.

Positive experience: Good place to have fun while working out!

Positive experience: Would've given 5 stars if it wasn't for all the broken lockers, felt my belongings were unsecured whilst swimming

Fantastic experience: Very and clean equipment with nice staff

Positive experience: Great party at Bitterne Leisure Centre...bouncy castle, play equipment and a separate room for food.

Fantastic experience: I’ve been there for a yoga class with Adele. She is great. Strongly advised.

Negative experience: After best part of a year without showers working in men’s pool changing, ALL the showers are now broken. I would not recommend this centre - it’s too tired, lockers are completely buggered, staff have no idea about what maintenance and repairs are booked (although they’re friendly and polite) and generally the facilities are very poor.

Positive experience: Not expensive, but the facilities are a bit tired. There seems to be an issue with the maintenance, the showers in particular. Visiting this morning there were no showers at all near the pool, or the swimming pool changing rooms. So have to go in without a shower, which i am sure is not good practice or good for the pool. Then if you want to shower after to get rid of the chlorine, have to trapse through to the gym showers (which they don't really like you dong since it drips water around that route). Situation is not great, i hope they can sort it soon.

Fantastic experience: Great place to take kids mine go therevfor there swimming lessons

Positive experience: Lovely staff, good leisure centre

Negative experience: Far too expensive. Table tennis more than 3 times the cost at Flemming Park.

Positive experience: Nice big car park with sign in reg system. We booked an activity room for table tennis. Room was fine however its a multi purpose room and hard to get bookings for a table. I get that, the sport is not so popular these days.

Negative experience: The building is so out dated and desperately needs a renovation. The swimming pool slide has been out of use for decades! The showers are broken and out of use nearly every other week. Someone needs to sort this place out..soon!

Fantastic experience: This is where I do my kayak lessons. The staff are great the pool is great. The parking can be expensive ! BEWARE YOU MUST REGISTER YOUR CAR QUICKLY OR YOU WILL BE FINED A BIG CHARGE……camera monitored private car parking company. The car park is too small when things get busy !

Positive experience: Grotty, tired, worn out. About 15 years over due a refurb. Don't trust the website as it's nearly always wrong about whether the pool is actually open, many a wasted journey to find the pool shut when the website says it's open.

Fantastic experience: My nephew loves his swimming lessons and has come so far in a short amount of time. The only down side is the spectator area is not great but you can still see

Fantastic experience: Just been at bitterne leisure centre and looks good with gym and swimming pool. Very friendly atmosphere

Positive experience: It's good place with lot of things like gym, swimming, courts for sports and various classes. Clean facility and not very crowded.

Positive experience: Pool is good but there have been no showers in the men's changing rooms poolside for months...

Positive experience: Good for parking as there is a toddler and parent parking, excellent facilities

Positive experience: First experience of the swimming last night, the pool area is actually surprisingly good. The staff were lovely on reception and around the pool. The changing area is pretty poor, probably never been updated since it was built and nowadays is well behind expectations. What I would say is that the staff seemed to have kept it very clean but it's the facilities themselves that are lacking. Showers in the male changing all out of order currently, signs look like theyve been up a while.

Negative experience: No locks on doors some don't have doors . Staff rude staff told me to leave bag by pool side bloody joke!!

Fantastic experience: Staff are truly committed to providing an excellent experience for all

Positive experience: Staff have always been friendly. The place is a little run down, so I would class it as a cheap and cheerful place. Be careful with the parking though it is free if you remember to put your registration into the machine on the inside.

Fantastic experience: A basic and lovely local swimming pool. The staff are lovely

Negative experience: Pool quite often closed. Lane swim booked but not notified that pool closed. Several wasted journeys because of this

Negative experience: Worst GYM ever, the staff doesn’t even know what are they doing, one is saying something and another is saying completely opposite, the hygiene Is very bad. It is just wasting your time and money to come to this centre. Not suggest at all.

Fantastic experience: Brilliant sports centre with excellent facilities for all the family.

Fantastic experience: Went down here after the quays boiler broke down, it was my daughter's birthday and she was desperate to go on the flume and hadn't been well for sometime, unfortunately the flume was closed due to lane swimming. I explained to the life guards and he spoke with the manager and to our delight they opened the flume for 15 minutes. Thanks so much guys, it really meant a lot to us.

Positive experience: Good service, mote public swim times needed for afterschool hrs

Positive experience: It's okay. Could maybe benefit for some renovation, particularly on the outside.

Negative experience: Not very clean. Broken lockers. Staff to young.

Positive experience: Very nice staff and swim lessons teacher . The changing rooms are very small though. Kids pool very warm and perfect depth.

Positive experience: Need some renovation Like the car park plenty of room to park

Positive experience: It's very run down/out of date... I used to go here as a child myself 25 years ago and not much has changed or been updated. Be careful with parking - enter your reg otherwise you'll get slapped with a fine! Swimming lessons get very chaotic, they are upgrading the viewing gallery soon so hopefully that updates it a bit. The changing rooms need improving massively, they are falling apart and not many cubicles especially in the men's changing room.

Positive experience: Clean and tidy pool , good value for money

Positive experience: New member, staff really friendly and helpful, gym well equipped and clean

Positive experience: Great pool facilities and nice hot showers that take longer the most to switch off. I go to the aqua natal classes which are brilliant.

Fantastic experience: Very well run leisure centre. Really good pool and a well equipped gymnasium. The staff are all very friendly and helpful. There is free car parking. Convenient location not far from Bitterne shopping area.

Positive experience: Quite nice you have quite alot of activities to di

Fantastic experience: Brilliant leisure centre. All gymnasium facilities and a great swimming pool. The staff are all friendly and helpful. The centre is very conveniently situated not far from Bitterne shopping area.