Fitness First

Fantastic experience: Orianna is so funny & welcoming always makes me laugh on entry

Fantastic experience: I have been coming to Fitness First Highbury for as long I can remember. I want to say a massive shout out to Orianna!! She is brilliant always greeting with a huge smile and saying hello. She's a real asset to this gym. Keep it up Orianna

Fantastic experience: I really enjoy this gym the equipment is excellent and the staff are even better Orianna and Percy were so fun helping me with what to work out in the gym today always with the welcoming face

Fantastic experience: Great experience at Fitness First! The gym is clean, well-equipped, and welcoming. Huge thanks to Orianna for her amazing customer service and helpful fitness advice!

Fantastic experience: Always enjoy my time at FF, Orianna is always welcoming and polite.

Fantastic experience: I’ve been a member of this gym for a while now, and I couldn’t be more impressed with the overall experience. The facilities are top-notch—whether you're hitting the weights, doing cardio, or winding down after a workout, everything is well-maintained and designed with comfort in mind. The gym has a great vibe, and it’s always clean and spacious. I also want to give a huge shout-out to the staff—Ina, Gabriel, Junior, and Orianna. They go above and beyond to make sure everyone feels welcome and supported. Whether it’s a question about equipment, fitness advice, or just a friendly chat, they’re always approachable and genuinely care about your progress. Their knowledge and positive attitude really set this gym apart from others I’ve been to. Overall, I’m really happy with my membership here and would recommend it to anyone looking for a gym with excellent facilities and even better people!

Fantastic experience: Love the gym, its always clean and the staff is great, especially Gabriel, Ina and Orianna.

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff. Great equipments and place is clean! I needed a PT that can take me out of my comfort zone and so glad I have Ina to train me. She definitely knows her stuff and I learned so much while training with her.

Fantastic experience: I love going to Highbury fitness first. I have been using the gym ever since my gym Tottenham Court Road closed. The staff are friendly and helpful. Ori is the best, Darrell is a great PT, Lily and Ina are very helpful too. I’m happy I decided to start using Highbury fitness first more. Great facilities.

Fantastic experience: The staff are all really welcoming and proffesional, especially lilly! The equipment is great and they have a pool, sauna and steam room!

Negative experience: I’ve been to over 15 gyms across London, and this is the worst value for money I’ve seen. The gym/classes/sauna are always packed, and the facilities are falling apart. The male changing room is dirty, and most appliances are broken. The only redeeming quality is that the staff and most gym goers are nice. For the price I’m paying, it should be far better. They’re lucky there aren’t any other good gyms in the area.

Fantastic experience: Been a member of a few gyms throughout my life and this one by far is the best - very clean, really friendly staff and I never feel out of place. Amazing classes with great teachers and also really varied. 10/10 would go again and again.

Fantastic experience: I have only been a member of the gym for a week but I have been to 2 classes so far and tried most of the facilities. Before this I was a member of the gym group and was nervous to be paying twice as much to join fitness first but I think it is totally worth it. It seems clean and the staff are friendly, classes are good and equipment on the whole seems great.

Negative experience: Been here literally 13 years now. The steam room. Always problematic. Continues breakdowns

Fantastic experience: I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt thanks to Gabriel, my personal trainer at Fitness First. Having had experience with other trainers before, I can confidently say that Gabriel is truly the best. His professionalism, dedication, and expertise set him apart, and I’m certain he will be the last trainer I’ll ever need! Gabriel has been instrumental in helping me achieve real, noticeable results. His training sessions are not only effective but also incredibly motivating. He has a unique ability to push you to your limits while still ensuring every workout is enjoyable. Beyond his skills as a trainer, Gabriel is a wonderful person—kind, supportive, and deeply committed to his clients’ success. For anyone serious about making a change, I highly recommend Gabriel. With his guidance, knowledge, and encouragement, your fitness goals will become achievable. Thank you, Gabriel, for everything you’ve done to help me on this journey. Wishing you a Merry Christmas, Gabriel—hope Santa brings you some extra weights to keep you busy!

Fantastic experience: Place is cool but I go there for 1 guy only. Personal Trainer: Bernard @pt.bernard. That guy has the keys to the castle. Close friend recommended Bernard to me because I was recovering from an elbow surgery. I had all kinds of problems and pains throughout my body and a low self esteem. Bernard not only uplifted me and pushed me to break mental barriers but also got from 0 to hero in 3 months. Now, a year later from my surgery training by myself I have a structure and a way I approach training to get stronger and healthier. I'm a new man, hitting PRs in all lifts while feeling no pain. All thanks to Bernard. Let's get 'em

Fantastic experience: In London for a month from NZ. Wonderful Gym, brilliant watt bikes, weights, pool. Spotless. Friendly, helpful staff… big shoutout to Orianna and Vhirgyl for their help…. Keep up the great work you guys, see you next year maybe.

Positive experience: Completely overcrowded to the point of me cancelling my membership. Is definitely a premium price (3x more expensive than the local pure gym) but my workout experience has been considerably worse here.

Fantastic experience: I just had my first session with Junior, and it was amazing! He’s incredibly knowledgeable, and motivating. He tailored the session perfectly to my goals and made me feel supported and confident throughout. His attention to form and clear instructions stood out, ensuring I got the most out of the workout. I’m excited to continue training with him and would highly recommend him to anyone starting or looking to improve their fitness journey.

Negative experience: Outdated and overall depressing place to workout. I came here because my usual FF at Tottenham Court Road was closed - made me appreciate what I have there. The showers were a mess, one of them burst while I was there and another was broken and looked like it had been for sometime given all the rubbish dumped in the cubicle. The gym floor is fine - extra star for having three squat racks otherwise this would have been one star for me. Wont be back.

Fantastic experience: Training with Dave Smith has been a life-changing experience. Over the past years, I've gone from being overweight with severely diminished lung capacity—caused by years of heavy smoking—to a healthier, stronger version of myself. When I started, I couldn’t run, couldn’t do a single push-up, and pull-ups. But thanks to Dave's expertly tailored mix of metabolic and strength training, my progress has been incredible. Not only have I lost a significant amount of weight and gained muscle, but I’ve also regained my lung capacity—something I thought I had lost forever because of smoking. Today, I can run confidently, knock out 12 pull-ups on my own, and do up to 40 push-ups in one go. What truly amazed me about Dave is his ability and knowledge that helped me overcome what I thought were permanent demages. If you’re looking for a PT who can transform your body, I can’t recommend Dave Smith enough!

Fantastic experience: Great local gym with very friendly staff. I’m mainly a swimmer and the pool is one of the better ones I’ve been to near here. Dave Smith is my PT and over the past 12 months, he has been brilliant in introducing me (and many of my mum friends!) to strength training. I’m definitely a lot more confident, stronger and motivated thanks to his patience, in depth knowledge and motivation.

Fantastic experience: Recently had a few sessions with Gabriel and it was Brilliant, as someone who has trained on and off for the last 24 years i normally find it quite easy to get back into training but struggled this time round and felt a little lost and nervous in the gym. I found him polite knowledgeable and encouraging, he has boosted my confidence in my ability to get back into gym life and will recommend him to anyone and will be booking more sessions with him. Theodore

Fantastic experience: Staff here are all really friendly and it's a great gym for classes & Spa.

Fantastic experience: Amazing and friendly staff… especially Jamilia and Mikaela (apologies for any misspelling)

Negative experience: It's way past it's best, the classes are not bookable on a normal membership due to oversubscription levels and it's 4 times the price of the puregym down the road which is open 25/7 instead of 7pm close at weekends. Definitely not worth it

Fantastic experience: I’ve been training with Bernard (Nihra) for close to a year, and oh boy, I didn’t expect these results. I initially started working with Bernard to continue my recovery from a chronic knee condition (chondromalacia grade III) and to get serious about strength training. I thought my knee would hold me back, but since then, my progress has been incredible—I’m now deadlifting 140kg and squatting 100kg, movements I never thought I’d be able to do again! Bernard has a deep understanding of the human body; sometimes it feels like he knows mine better than I do! “Oh, your right hip is tight today” or “your left shoulder’s a bit sore”—he can spot even the smallest niggle or tightness, even when I try to hide it, and then shows me effective mobility drills that help relieve it. One aspect I really appreciate about his approach is his humanity—he puts the person first. He doesn’t just push for mindless sets and reps but checks in on how I’m feeling each session. His training knowledge has been a game-changer for me; I’ve learned incredibly effective exercises and training methods. Even as a fairly experienced lifter, I learn something new every session and keep improving my form and approach. I enjoy Bernard’s patience, his straightforward scheduling, his friendship, and the genuine care he brings into every session. For anyone serious about making real gains, Bernard’s knowledge and guidance are invaluable. I can’t recommend him enough—you’ll be in great hands!

Fantastic experience: Pool sauna and gym! The staff are lovely as well!

Fantastic experience: Went on a sunday morning, and the front desk staff were so helpful and welcoming!

Positive experience: Great staff, location and opening hours!! Facilities and cleanliness could be improved, it’s seen better days.

Fantastic experience: I recently joined First Fitness and talked with Gabriel Gilchrist and his colleague( didnt get his name :( ) both of whom are very humble and understanding of what I'm trying to achieve. Gabriel and his colleague are down to earth they both even mentioned about lessons are available which will be more beneficial for me. Speak with Gabriel and his colleague if you want advice and what would be beneficial to you

Negative experience: Signed my daughter up for swimming lessons, based on the price in comparison to other local pools expected a good experience. The lessons are fine but the facilities really need repair and update. Also parents have to stay for the lesson and are made to sit on cheap benches that hurt your back, even if no other guests are using the comfortable seats for “members”. Staff will sit on comfy seats and tell you to move though. Pool is quite small so sometimes kids end up quite squashed for the lesson. Basically lower your expectations before coming here.

Fantastic experience: I started training with Bernard in April 2024, I was exhausted, in agony constantly with my hip which made even walking difficult, I was unfit, overweight and unhappy! I’d hit rock bottom and decided to give myself one last try! I had my free session with Bernard and he listened to my issues, asked me questions I’d never asked myself and told me in no uncertain terms that the weight I wanted to lose would take me at least two years. I trusted him from the second I met him and the journey began. The first session was hard but every single week since April 1st, I’ve had an hour session with Bernard, no session is ever the same, I go in totally blind and it’s the best hour of my week. He listens to my woes, my worries, my work drama and everything in between whilst leading sessions that have got harder without me realising it. He doesn’t let me stay in my head, he pushes me and it’s hard but so enjoyable. I can now deadlift 90kg, I do kettlebell swings and leg press super heavy and I’m so proud of the strength and power that I’ve developed. I’m down 22kg and down 3 dress sizes. He isn’t easy but he is the best! I’d pay him a million pounds if I could because the person I am now was built in those one hour sessions.

Fantastic experience: This is my first week at the Gym and all that staff have been super helpful. Including the two amazing staff members that showed me around and signed me up. Massive shout out to Lilly! Today I arrived at the gym after falling off my bike. Lilly was so lovely! Lilly chatted to me, helped me get cleaned up and gave me plasters. Thank you so much Lilly your kindness really turned my day around :D

Fantastic experience: Lovely service along with a beautiful team A+

Negative experience: FF Highbury supposed to open at 8am during bank holidays. 8.18am and lock on the door. This is a recurring issue with weekend or bank holiday staff.

Positive experience: Parking can be troublesome so best to avoid when it’s match weekend. Good size gym with decent facilities. Lots of choice of machines, free weights section could be bigger

Fantastic experience: The best gym in the area. Staff amazing and friendly. Unfortunately the members are ruining it for other people at the moment. The sheer laziness of members when finished using barbells or dumbbells lately. So many people are not putting weights back. Pure lazy, think about to next person. It’s not hard . Love the staff and facility. Come on members. Sharpen up.

Fantastic experience: Fitness first Highbury is a fantastic gym. The staff are ever so welcoming and helpful. There is also a variety of equipment to use in order for you to get a efficient workout out in. The gym can be busy at times however the sauna and steam room always remains clean. The swimming pool is a good all round activity within this gym.

Fantastic experience: Good gym, clean, staff is top notch (particular shout out to Ama!)

Negative experience: Very busy gym and near impossible to get use of any equipment or classes. Prices keep going up but the only change I’ve seen is more members and more issues with facilities.

Fantastic experience: I've been a member of this gym on and off for a number of years. However, I've been consistently training with Bernard for the last 9 months. As someone who thought there was no need for a trainer, Bernard has completely transformed my understanding of fitness. It's very difficult to put in to words his training style but I'll try. Each session is tailor made specifically for your needs, whether you have an injury or, in my case, mobility issues from previous surgeries, you are in safe hands. My fitness became a journey, and I continue to be excited by what more we can achieve...I'm already stronger than I ever thought I could be! Thanks, Bernard!!

Fantastic experience: Great staff, great gym. Enough equipment that even when it’s busy, it’s fine. Doesn’t get too busy during the day at all, loads of room. Decent, well spaced out equipment, weights, benches, racks etc. Thought I’d lost my phone there but after asking, the staff had actually lifted it to make sure it was safe. They helped me look for it and made sure that all that could be done was done, until it the phone appeared and they’d actually just looked after it for me. Great service! Thanks guys. I was stressing out…

Positive experience: I have been a member of this gym for a number of years, since 2017. It is a decent size and has a good range of facilities (gym, classes, pool, sauna, steam room). The staff are very friendly and lots of them have been there for many years, which is great. In the past couple of years, Fitness First has gone through significant change of ownership and the closing of many of its clubs across the UK. Management now seems to focus on maximising subscriptions to remaining sites and as such the gym is VERY busy at peak times (it can be hard to get a machine / entry to a class). Prices have been increasing and as yet this hasn't fully filtered through to improved equipment and facilities. It could do with more modern kit, less people at peak times, improved changing facilties (the toilets smell pretty grim) and an overhaul of the sauna / steam area which is very dated and can be treacherous (watch out - the tiles are very slippery). Also simple things to fix like lights, water fountains (that are VERY OLD and SLOW) seem to take ages. If FF improved these things it will be worth the near £100 / month for membership, at the moment it has room for improvement and falls a little short of the price tag.

Positive experience: I have been a member at this gym for well over a year now and have to agree with some of the recent reviews around overcrowding and the service not matching the price point. Over recent weeks it has been extremely difficult to get a full work out in because of how busy it is! I avoid peak times and even then the free weights room is packed. On a recent occasion I attended and there were two exercise classes happening at once, one in the usual studio but then also one on the main gym floor, utilising all of the lower weighted dumbbells that are already in high demand and blocking a lot of equipment. In my experience some trainers in the gym will often use 2/3 pieces of equipment at a time with their clients which doesn’t help. The main reception staff have always been friendly and helpful. However for the price of the membership you should be able to consistently have space and access to the equipment. I suspect it’s an oversubscription issue as this isn’t just a problem during the evening and weekends.

Positive experience: Decent gym, clean, well equipped and great staff. It gets very very busy especially at the functional area at peak times. I feel like for the price I’d expect more free space at a high end -ish gym.

Fantastic experience: Friendly and dedicated team - Orianna’s classes always leave me feeling happy and energised for the week ahead.

Fantastic experience: I was a member but I had to cancel because I moved. However, I still commute for my training sessions with Bernard. Thanks to him, I believe that sky is the limit when it comes to growth and more precisely physical strength. It is hard to explain Ben’s coaching style in words, but hopefully this one may illustrate a part of his work: he detects the imperfections in the movement pattern (squat for instance) which are likely to be responsible for a pain or a plateau, he makes sure that the body makes the correct adjustments and then growth becomes the norm ! Thanks Ben

Negative experience: I advise you to steer clear of Fitness First, which engages in some shady business practices and whose customer service team is only available via email and then takes days to respond to queries or complaints. In my instance, the company breached their contractual agreement by levying a charge a day earlier than my contract stipulated. They did not deny this, but were unwilling to resolve it. Take your business elsewhere, or risk similar treatment.

Negative experience: I was hoping for the price point and facilities available to have a better experience on my trial day here. The facilities seem good and there is everything you need despite being very overcrowded and a little run down in some areas. However the clientele in the gym really let the place down and have put me off getting a full membership. The pool area, sauna and steam room were chaos to put it lightly. The men in the gym are extremely rowdy and disrespectful of the fact that it’s a space for everyone to use, it almost felt like a kids club but with grown men. They were in and out of the sauna and steam room non stop, talking extremely loudly, shouting at times, taking phone calls and just generally treating the place like their own social club. It’s really disappointing that the culture within the gym hasn’t been set up to be a place where people can come and work out and enjoy the facilities in peace. Not worth the membership price I’d sooner go back to a budget gym where people respect the space and the people around them. Unfortunately some of the staff only seemed to egg the behaviour on and multiple people left the area visibly frustrated while I was there too.

Negative experience: The pool is hired out for children's swimming classes on the weekend. I don't think that is acceptable for the price of the membership; if I wanted to fight for space in the pool with screaming children I could go to the local leisure centre for a tenth of the price.

Fantastic experience: Located inside the previous Arsenal Stadium, whether we like it or not, this is the best fitness in this region. I agree with certain members that improvements could be made in terms of basic cleaning (mostly dust), general health and safety (certain showers, toilets or water fountains look from another age) and enhancing respect among members and good manners through specific communications via small posters (e.g, reminding members to put back weights where they found them, or discharge equipment, try to keep it low when discussing in sauna or steam rooms (sometimes you'd think you were at Billingsgate Fish Market (without the fish)), that the pool is actually not a bath where to clean sweat and prefer a proper shower before that, and finally avoid scrubbing dead skin in these rooms, or anywhere in the premises). Finally I would appreciate if the sauna/steam rooms were not « out of order » for other reasons than for maintenance - com’on I know energy prices skyrocketed, but you are a Platinum Fitness First - and kept at the temperature they should be right now which is great btw (100 degrees Celsius for sauna). Appart from these points, I sincerely love to go there, staff is helpful and welcoming and there is a good sportsmanship there! Definitely recommend it! Edit 24.12.2024: to be fair since last post, the club took into consideration my comments and sauna’s temperature is now always high and the club is constantly improving infrastructures. So no negative points to raise anymore and only good ones

Fantastic experience: This is my regular gym, and I love the fact that it's so central with a towel service. The pool is quite small, and you need to complete several rounds, which is not ideal. Considering the space problem in central London, I cannot complain.

Fantastic experience: Have been a member for 18 months, all staff and trainers are very helpful and friendly. Equipment is good and everything you need to have a well rounded workout. Generally kept very clean.

Fantastic experience: Me and my sisters attended the pool using a Classpass and the service from Ama on the desk was second to none - she is really welcoming and informative. The gym was well looked after with good facilities. Me and my sisters will certainly be returning.

Negative experience: It has the bones of a good gym but equipment is out of order and selections are limited. For example, there is only one flat bench for an entire gym, and the leg extension machine was broken for many weeks on end. The pool is lovely and recently refurbished, but it hardly makes up for the inability to get on specific pieces of equipment. For £70 a month I would expect better.

Negative experience: A thugs' gym, unfortunately. The facilities are good but there were a large number of very loud men in the sauna. When I asked them to be quiet (they didn't think that another person entering the sauna was a good reason to show some respect) they refused and started being rude. They tried to intimidate me and they also tried to engage another man who had just walked in. A member of staff, Hamza, came to attend the situation but he did basically nothing. He said that "this" (being loud, disrespectful and intentionally trying to intimidate in a shared public space) was normal. Hamza was unprofessional and also seemed to lack awareness of UK social norms and etiquette. Same as the offenders. I found it impossible to carry on with my session (I had paid £30 for a day pass) and I asked for a refund, which I was told I would get. However, when I went to reception I was told that they cannot approve a refund. It became clear that there have been multiple episodes and complaints about these men in the sauna. At least another person who tried to use the sauna in the meantime went straight back out when the same men that shouted at me tried to shout at him as well. Staff have completely lost control of this gym and at least one is of the same mind as them. They have offered me another free session, which I could only decline. I left this place with worse backpain than when I walked in and I didn't feel safe. I would not recommend this gym to anyone other than thugs, who are well tolerated here. Please, only get in touch if you intend to refund me.

Fantastic experience: Great classes, first class. Beth and Percy are great instructors. Results are pretty quick especially shred and spin.

Positive experience: The overall ambiance at Fitness First is commendable, and the access to both the sauna and steam room facilities enhances the experience. However, it’s crucial to address a recurring issue with a male member over 40 who continues to use exfoliating gloves inappropriately, specifically in the sauna and steam room areas. I’ve heard other members expressing similar concerns, indicating that this problem is affecting multiple individuals. Despite previous complaints, the issue persists, creating discomfort for members and impacting the quality of the facility. I hope the management takes proactive measures to promptly resolve this matter, ensuring a pleasant and sanitary environment for all members in the sauna and steam room areas.

Fantastic experience: Did PT with Bernard, he was amazing from start to finish. Helped me figure out what goals I was working towards, held me accountable, and overall helped me get crazy strong. Highly recommend, you don't find a PT as dialed in as Bernard.

Fantastic experience: I’ve been here for one week and the staff have been so helpful and supportive. Great customer service and great personalities working here.

Fantastic experience: Huge credit to one of the trainers, Bernard, for keeping me on the straight and narrow for so long - 1 taster session, followed by more than three years of weekly training. Knows his stuff, and really makes an effort to make every session entirely personal - creative in working around injuries and restrictions, helpful with food / nutrition advice, and has worked wonders in completely changing my mindset towards how and why to work out. Game changer.

Positive experience: Went to this gym whilst I lived in the area. Was ok….a lot of equipment is rusty and old, general changing room areas were always a bit gross, smelt of sewage. Felt like the personal trainers just sat around and did nothing / super loud. The sauna was never the right temperature and steam room was always out of use. Wouldn’t recommend to friends, not worth the £69 a month fee

Negative experience: Small pool with strong urine like smell sometimes, free weights area very small, not great range of equipment so have to wait even when there's few people and they're old and worn out. Tried to use a vocational discount for the monthly membership but when cancelling it after a few months they charged me full price for all the months which was 80£/month. It does the job if you're close and you go off-peak times but certainly not worth £80, at best £30 for very limited equipment and not been refurbished in a while.

Positive experience: It’s ok not the best gym and takes very long to fix machines if something breaks down and super crowded

Negative experience: Leg extension has been broken for more than a month…surely the gym, which is very overcrowded at weekends at £80 a head can afford a quicker maintenance team…with no pendulum, one leg press 45 and one horizontal leg press being more pro active with repairs should be a priority.

Negative experience: Leg extension machine has been broken for a month, and it's the only one. The staff are super nice and kind but they don't know when it will be fixed as they're not getting replies - i guess from higher up the foodchain. It's a bit nuts that they only have one of most machines and if that one breaks it doesn't get fixed quickly.

Fantastic experience: I’ve been a member here now for 8 months and can’t speak highly enough of the staff, all super friendly and accommodating. I also have PT sessions with Kai and couldn’t recommend him more highly, incredibly passionate about what he does and has succeeded in regularly hitting my goals

Negative experience: I used class pass to use the pool. The gym is really run down to the point where the sides of the pool are coming away from the wall and there is mould growing. The pool was full of screeching children having a lesson which obviously would not normally be an issue but there is no timetable or warning on their website stating the times of lessons so they can be avoided by those sensitive to noise. Having spent 5 mins in this horrible pool I decide to leave. The floor was filthy and I fell over (I am 9 months pregnant so this was obviously quite distressing for me). Went to speak to the woman at reception to say that the pool area was slippy and she had the audacity to tell me that I should be more careful when walking by the pool rather than getting someone to just clean the area. Awful service, dated gym and certainly not worth £80pm if you were to join, I'd recommend the Better gym nearby at Clissold. Honestly astounded at how bad this was.

Fantastic experience: Had a look at the facilities was assisted by Ama & Sonia on arrival, was very pleased with the tour and how welcoming they were.

Positive experience: I have been going here for about 2 weeks now. I haven't taken full advantages of all of the gym yes but, so far so good. The staff are all very friendly and happy to help, they gym its self is maintained very well and everything is very clean. No complaints whatsoever.

Fantastic experience: Fitness First provides a comprehensive and motivating environment for those seeking to improve their health and wellbeing. With an extensive array of equipment, group classes, and dedicated personal trainers, the gym caters to the diverse needs and fitness goals of its members. The staff are welcoming and knowledgeable, fostering a supportive atmosphere that encourages progress and success. Whether you're new to the world of fitness or an experienced athlete, Fitness First offers the resources and inspiration needed to help you achieve your personal best.

Positive experience: Big gym has a lot of machines and a pool inside! The trainers are great too

Positive experience: Nice facilities, nice setting (even if the last time I watched the Dons there we lost) but no towels and no apology from the staff for said lack of towels gave the impression they don't care

Negative experience: Staff are friendly however Sauna is never remotely near sufficient temperature. Incredibly inadequate operating at 80 degrees Celsius. Should be 95+, minimum 90. Making matters worse, this is deliberate as if you complain, they turn it up (by the end of your session when you are leaving). Stop cutting corners Fitness First. Clearly, staff have likely been told to turn this into a budget gym to save costs while at the same charging customers more. Hard to find a Fitness First Gym now whose facilities aren't suffering from a decline in quality and service.

Negative experience: Extremely overcrowded. At no point have I seen more than half of the cardio equipment being used while I constantly need to queue for weights. I am considering moving flats just so I can be closer to a different gym. 2 stars instead of 1 as staff are nice

Fantastic experience: Amazing gym. Fun and expert staff. Lovely atmosphere. Community vibe.

Positive experience: 2 weeks into my subscription with fitness first, facilities are great, staff are fantastic, love the fact I can use 30+ gyms with my membership. However, towel service was suspended for the last week and the steam room is not working at Highbury or angel and I believe many more, maintenance needs to improve or I will go somewhere else .

Fantastic experience: Highbury FF is the best gym I’ve been to! The gym itself is really good value considering the location and facilities, but also there’s a real community and the staff are lovely. Highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: such a nice gym, worth the price. The receptionist on the weekends Is so lovely and welcomes me with a big warm smile, she is always there to assist me.

Fantastic experience: I joined this gym in February after transferring from harringay. The staff are lovely and the facilities are excellent. Its a friendly environment with great personal trainers always on hand to give sessions or advice if needed. I highly recommend training here.

Fantastic experience: Really good range of classes and very friendly, knowledgeable staff. Well equipped gym too. Sometimes I disagree with the classes but I'm always allowed to moan about it.

Positive experience: Great swimming instructors for kids lessons. Large changing area and always clean

Positive experience: Great facility for training and it has everything you need! Love to spend some days just swimming and relaxing in sauna :)

Negative experience: Cancellation fees are an absolute scam. The gym is definitely not worth the price. If you want to work out, pure has 100 times better facilities, if you want to swim, better go to clissold than to that puddle they call a pool.

Fantastic experience: Great gym and friendly staff that make you feel welcomed. Loving the new bits of equipment that have been added to the gym…great stuff.

Negative experience: A warning about this location: I recommend caution if you are considering working with the personal trainer named Amit Patel who works here. A few weeks into our sessions, he started acting erratically, in ways that made me feel uncomfortable to continue. This included out of the blue trying to pressure me into giving him a loan, saying that he needed it urgently (by the end of the day) and would give me physical gold to secure it. He also came to a session extremely sick, took no precautions, and got defensive and tried to play down my health and hygiene concerns when I raised them. After all this I asked for a refund on the sessions I’d paid for but not used. Management agrees that he should give it, but he has refused.

Fantastic experience: orianna, who works at the reception, welcomed us nicely, very nice gym

Fantastic experience: Good gym, good pool, sauna n steam. Loads of equipment, it’s like a playground!

Positive experience: A little disappointing... I joined when I first moved to London in August last year after trying out a couple of gyms in the area. At first, it seemed to have a good range of equipment and was definitely a step up from where I was before. I was happy for the first month or so, but over time it just doesn't seem to live up to the price point for the membership. The gym is overcrowded and you often have to wait a long time for equipment. Everything just feels a little run down, and things definitely seem to have gotten a lot worse in the last month or so. I've tried the spin classes a couple of times, but had to keep changing bikes as the foot grips are broken on many of them. The screens on lots of the bikes are also faulty meaning, when a class is full, many people aren't able to track their progress or even use the pedals properly. For a premium gym I wouldn't expect this to be the case. They've always had towels available on the door when you arrive, but have recently started running out because they've sold too many memberships. Last week, I'd come in to use the pool so had to go home when I found out they had no towels left. The staff didn't give any explanation and no apology, which was frustrating as I'd wasted my time coming in. Overall, there's nothing that bad about the place. I had just hoped for a lot more based on the price of the membership. I'm feeling disappointed to be locked in for a year of this.

Negative experience: Walked in through the open door at 6pm (on a bank holiday, unaware they were closing at 6pm) and was "greeted" by staff with the single word "CLOSED" and nothing further. After leaving, I turned around and saw the same staff member making a rude gesture towards me. Not exactly how you should treat a long time customer, is it, Fitness First?

Negative experience: Corporate headquarters does not care for their customers. A maintenance man walked into the women's bathroom unannounced and watched my friend come out of the shower. When Fitness First was made aware of the situation, they did not respond nor try to remedy the situation. Highly unprofessional and unsafe.

Fantastic experience: Great equipment, decent size pool & helpful staff.

Fantastic experience: Great gym. A lot of equipment and the stuff is really friendly. It's been my home gym for over five years.

Positive experience: This is a very good gym. It has most of the facilities you could wish for - weights area, sauna, steam room and swimming pool. The staff are all very friendly and it feels like a nice small community between staff and members. Sometimes you have to wait to use some of the equipment in the main weights area as it’s not the biggest but it’s not a massive issue and it wouldn’t stop me from recommending this gym to someone looking to join

Fantastic experience: It's worth the money. Brilliant location, quiet, huge gym with all the accessories you need, seemingly never a struggle for space to do what you need, startlingly refreshing attention to cleanliness - the hoover is always on, bathrooms always clean, and the general vibe is healthy, which is what a gym should be.

Fantastic experience: Nice gym with a pool and sauna. Friendly staff, would recommend.

Negative experience: Echoing what a lot of others have said in their reviews - swimming pool gets horrible because people just it to cool down after being in the sauna. The changing rooms and general faculties are just a bit worn out and badly need upgrading - it was a good place a few years ago, it’s aged and they’ve sold too many memberships.

Negative experience: Lovely staff and great location. Unfortunately the gym is often overly busy and there isn’t enough space to accommodate the number of guests. The gym has become a little tatty and needs upgrading, it often feels unclean even though there are often cleaners around. As others have noted in other reviews, the pool is pretty disgusting and people just go straight from sweating in the stream room / sauna into the swimming pool to cool down. It’s a shame as the gym has good potential - it just seems far too expensive for what you’re getting.

Negative experience: Awful place,lazy reception without skill. Layer they sell the sauna services and I paid for it, was broken,every week the different receptionist said next week is available,never I saw available it. I choose the the option one month no contract,I guess it not like this,they said to me you pay every month. The clean is so rude ,every time she complain in the change room, the place was dirty. They stop my membership before finish a send a complain never answered to me.