Balham Leisure Centre

Positive experience: I mean, it’s fine for what you pay. A lot of the machines can be broken for weeks and there’s not many. Also terrible signal and no WiFi, meaning you can’t use the TVs on the machines or use your phone to watch anything (would be nice to be able to during cardio).

Positive experience: Good gym for the price and the app is top notch for bookings etc. The new rule around cancelling has helped as it's stopped people just booking and not turning up. Wish they did more spin classes but overall it's great value for me, nice people seem to go there and the staff are decent. Thanks!

Fantastic experience: Love this place. Staff are friendly and facilities too notch - especially good for a community gym, sauna and pool. Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: Nice gym and lovely workers, Carmen in particular was very helpful and kind!

Negative experience: Rude receptionists, especially the guy that looks like a 13-year-old boy. The place smells disgusting and it is evident they do not hire anyone to maintain the premises. There are no disinfectant or paper roll in sight to wipe down surfaces, so very unsafe to train there, unless you want to bring home whatever virus someone else has left in the machine before you. Avoid at all costs!

Negative experience: I really disagree with the system of this property, the code to enter doesn't work and they apply a no-show penalty even if you show up for your reservation. I would add that the staff does not help you, in fact they speak in really rude and rude ways, especially Mrs. Toni Mary who is so rude and rude. I will never go back there again.

Fantastic experience: Toni at reception desk is always extremely kind, welcoming and very helpful!

Negative experience: Definitely in need of work & some of the staff were unnecessarily really rude which was so off-putting.

Fantastic experience: Loving the classes -Carmen is on point ! As a Personal Trainer,, Body Conditioning and Pilates teacher her attention to form is refreshing as it offers you an understanding (and feeling!) of what muscles you are using.The classes are fun and varied working, on different parts of the body. Carmen’s attention to detail especially in Pilates enables you to work towards strengthening, controlling your body her infectious smile and energy make the workout enjoyable

Fantastic experience: I go to this gym frequently and I quite like going there. It is sanitised, the staff are very kind and fun to chat to, machines work well, and if one is broken there will be signs, junior gym times are ok, there is a large variety of equipment and there is easy access to the gym. 4.5 stars out of 5 IMO

Fantastic experience: Carmen is a fantastic personal trainer and body conditioning instructor. Her workouts are challenging, fun, and tailored to all fitness levels. She motivates you while focusing on proper form, which has helped me improve my strength and overall fitness. I highly recommend her for anyone looking to reach their fitness goals!!

Negative experience: Unclean dirty and disgusting

Fantastic experience: Great gym, inclusive, no egos only helpful characters, and so good to have a pool, steam room and sauna to wind down in afterwards when numbers allow.

Fantastic experience: Love this gym! Memberships are really affordable and staff are always so friendly. Always feel very comfortable in the gym which is something I have always found hard, but a very chilled and inclusive environment! So sad to be leaving due to relocation but thank you for the service!

Fantastic experience: I think we had a very good service for a children’s party (4 y/o) booking. The bouncy castle package and then moving to the next room (with air con) works well. The staff do fun party games - I recommend if there’s time bringing some extra for this - like a pass the parcel etc - they also helped clear away at the end which is another bonus

Negative experience: NO Stars more likely appalling older male member staff rude surley shouted at me ; so much for " 5 our people promises" This is what I pay for in membership?? Small cramped pool ; sauna steam room poor small cramped sauna was cold could not deal with any more agro so didn't report it. Total waste of a try to relax swim sauna ; won't be back not recommended at all .

Negative experience: Overcrowded and lots of broken equipment

Negative experience: All staffs are nice and helpful but I wouldn't recommend anyone to sign up for 12 months contract for swimming. Because the pool is small and always packed and choice of days and times are limited. There are quite a few aggressive advanced swimmers, who over take with no manners. It's better pay for each sessions.

Positive experience: decent gym for the price, recommend for beginners

Negative experience: The pool is filthy!

Positive experience: Water is a bit dirty and I kept touching somebody’s hair during swimming. Btw I got skin allergy after swimming.

Negative experience: The customer service from Places is terrible. If you try to cancel your membership in their app it tells you to cancel your direct debit. They then send you a £62 bill saying you didn’t follow the correct process to cancel and try to trick you into setting up a new direct debit so they can keep charging you. They don’t respond to any feedback. BTW the gym is also tired and dirty, most of the equipment is 10-20 years old and it’s often very crowded so difficult to get the equipment you want. Would look elsewhere if you want a gym in Balham.

Negative experience: Facilities often seem dirty and at least half of the lockers are broken. I’ve emailed and left feedback previously about a faulty machine and asking if the lockers could be fixed and received no response or action

Negative experience: Zero stars. It’s more depressing, substandard and dirty than you can imagine. The showers are unusable. Classes are 3 out of 10 if you get a good one. It’s always overcrowded and for £11 a pop you can find a much better class pack deal with a private fineness provider. The pool and the classes are always far too crowded to be safe or remotely enjoyable. Council greed!

Fantastic experience: Two good squash courts including one glass back

Negative experience: Make sure you understand booking terms. I found out that I'm charged £2.5 even though I shown up for a booking. (don't even ask details how this is possible, but it is possible) hit to a new customers MAKE SURE YOU SCAN YOUR BOOKING or you will be charged (good luck to prove it's not the case) Additional feedback which may improve customer experience: Step 1: User experience category: Please change the mobile app interface, new clients will have to undergo some special training to understand where to tap, as it's designed per year 1999 (we are about to get into 2023!) Step 2: Set customers expectation category: When facility is not available - remove it form the booking system - do not allow your clients to book service that is not available. When facility became unavailable - send notification to existing bookings ASAP - this will remove frustration. Allow customers to choose how they want to be notified (sms, email, push via app) Step 3: Streamlining punishment for booking abusers category: either improve notification message and include next steps. I was getting message about outstanding charge and I had no clue that it's due to booking that I visited (but not visited per your system) OR just automate this via direct debit. Imagine me getting this message the day after I saw I paid for a membership. I re-installed the app, I ensured Direct Debit went with not issues but still was not able to book any other service, and learnt about this 'penalty charge' all until I emailed you (facepalm) Step 4: comfort category: find the place to install 2 dryers where kids unable to reach, you do have plenty of space it's about willing to get this done. In addition: I donated 1 month of membership although I wasn't able to visit or book since this 'surprise £2.5 charge', but I felt empowered to leave feedback in case you care to change/improve (imagine how kind person I am) and felt enormous amount of power to click 'Cancel membership' button while performing an evil laugh. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Fantastic experience: Great staff, wonderful time at the swimming pool, strongly recommended

Fantastic experience: A great local leisure centre.

Fantastic experience: Jimmy goes above and beyond to ensure a nice work out at the lesiure centre. From sorting WiFi to showing me around the gym, and doing thr most to ensure comfort. Proper friendly. I would rate 3 stars due to the steam room and sauna not working constant but Jimmy bumps it up to 5. Thanks for all your help Jimmy

Fantastic experience: 116a Ramsden Road, London, SW128RB, GB

Fantastic experience: Go swimming 3 times a week, staff lovely, facilities good.

Fantastic experience: Been a member here for over a year and can honestly say it’s my favourite gym that I’ve used. It has everything you need dumbbell/barbell wise (dumbbells go to 50kg) and there are two squat racks and three cable machines which is unusual for a gym of this size. There’s also a decent amount of cardio equipment and some machines upstairs. I usually visit on weekday mornings - it opens at 6:30 and tends to get quite busy around 7am, especially mid week, but you can generally use everything you need to without too much wait. The new QR code system for entry can be a bit frustrating to use but seems to be getting better. It also has a pool and class studio but haven’t used these. Incredibly they put the price down a few months ago which was a very pleasant surprise in the current inflationary climate. Highly recommend, although I am hesitant to voice too loudly as would rather it didn’t get too busy!

Fantastic experience: Lovely helpful staff..... I'm very fond of the Place.

Fantastic experience: Great place thanks to super staff - Jimmy gets a special mention here as he was so patient and clear when sorting out my membership!

Fantastic experience: Always super kind at the reception, and ready provide you will all your queries.

Fantastic experience: We went to Balham leisure centre recently for kids parties , pool party was fun and kids lived it. Also there is enough space for kids to run around in the party room..

Fantastic experience: Nice swim pool, clean and calm

Fantastic experience: This place has everything you need and more at a fraction of the cost of other pretentious gyms. Gym, Pool, squash courts, sauna and classes. It's not the most modern and some of the equipment is dated but all things considered it's a fantastic deal. Without asking, they actually reduced everyone's direct debits by £7 or so to combat the cost of living. A social enterprise that puts its money where its mouth is and wellbeing of the community over financial interest.

Negative experience: Rang to enquire about pool. The person answered the phone with 'yeah'. No hello, nothing. Asked question and sounded like he couldn't be bothered. Definitely won't be visiting this place.

Negative experience: Average weights equipment. Staff clearly don't want to be there either, so much so that they don't even turn up booked sessions. Management don't seem to care about their own staff not turning up either. They also lure you with the swimming pool (which is grubby) but there's a very limited space for member use because they rent it out to school kids. So when it is open to members, it's busy!

Positive experience: Wear a t-shirt ...it's very hot

Positive experience: Good place for multiple activities

Negative experience: Swimming pool is awful. Water cold, general temperature cold, and showers cold. Needs knocking down! Update a year later - pool is still cold

Fantastic experience: This is the first gym I've ever really been committed to and showed up to multiple times a week. The staff are amazing, so friendly, helpful, kind, it just really makes it a nice experience to go there. The equipment is great, it's never too busy, the pool is amazing, the steam room is open now as well. Can't recommend enough!

Fantastic experience: Lovely place for the children. Great swimming pool. Lovely temperature for learning and swimming

Negative experience: Love this gym, but of recent times the class timetable isn't that great. I love the teachers, but many have been lost due to new management. Swimming lessons for the children is difficult as customer service is lacking with trying to get any information/even basic respect. Clapham manor much better for children's swimming and cost is so much cheaper.

Negative experience: Call up to make a booking. Told the slot I want is free but I have to book via their god awful site. I try but it shows as fully booked. Ring them back and all slots are taken. They could have helped me but they're too lazy to do a telephone booking.

Fantastic experience: This is such a good gym with great facilities. Time spent here today was well spent. I can not give anything but a 5star.

Fantastic experience: 1st aqua class with Ola, what a credit to the team. Really motivating and fun. Thank you :)

Fantastic experience: Nice place, clean, not too busy. Very friendly staff.

Fantastic experience: Gym redesign is excellent.

Negative experience: The post covid booking measures they've introduced are completely insane. You can never get a slot in the pool if you're not a member, even if you are a member I have no confidence you would ever be able to get a swimming space as they are all permanently booked up. Complete farce ‍♀️

Fantastic experience: Amazing place, very nice staff

Negative experience: Swimming pool, only open online appointment

Fantastic experience: The processes they've put in place for reopening are excellent, it feels very safe and the staff are on hand to answer any questions you have.

Positive experience: The gym is alright and have some good equipment and I like the two floor aspect of it. But the pool is hell on earth, it's dirty, and grimey and the pool water is so far from the edge. Also to add on to it the vending machine has taken my money many times and breaststrokers go in the fast lane. Also it's overpriced. I didn't realise this until I went to Clapham Leisure centre which is very good.

Negative experience: Very run down! You get boxes to put your belongings in on the side of the pool - felt like it could do with a deep clean!

Negative experience: The pool tiles are currently about as clean as your average pub toilet at closing time. Would like to see the council run it directly & not the current operators.

Negative experience: oldcmachines,overcrowded,overpriced for what it is. used to be much better. equipment is in bad condition. look elsewhere!!!!

Positive experience: Okay for exercise and swimming

Positive experience: Signed up on a good deal for 3 months but facilities are slightly run down and gets very busy in the evenings. Good all round gym for affordable price. Staff are lovely

Negative experience: More clean than tooting leisure but the gym is pretty cavey and the service is rubbish

Positive experience: Bast

Negative experience: Not great for minor disabilities. Lift does not go to all floors! No access to the pool duemail stairs & difficulty in going to sauna due to stairs. Changing room was available however to store clothes it had to go into a box which then had to be carried to pool side. Due to back injury that was stressful in itself !

Positive experience: Good Squash courts. Friendly staff

Positive experience: Pleasant, small oasis in Balham. Squash courts good, sauna and steam room.

Positive experience: Decent squash courts, sometimes hard to get a slot and quite expensive - but worth it

Negative experience: Dirty. Overpriced. Still trying to take money off me after I’ve tried cancelling my membership 3 months ago - they did the same to my friend. The lady I charge was the rudest individual I’ve ever spoke to. I’d seriously avoid this gym and the company behind. 1 Star is generous

Fantastic experience: Lovely, little boy does swim lessons here and there very good.

Fantastic experience: Love the swimming pool

Fantastic experience: Cheap for leisure centre

Fantastic experience: Nestled amongst the quiet streets of Balham is this little gem of a kids party venue. For a relatively small contribution you can hire the facilities for an epic pool party. The stern and stoic lifeguards will stand sentinel whilst your little ones go crazy across an inflatable assault course, then get rid of any final energy as you encourage that pringles are a garnish and the main event are the carrot sticks in a roomy side room. 8+ entertainment at its best!

Positive experience: Very warn and immensely comforting ..

Fantastic experience: Lovely place to swim and get fit

Negative experience: Over priced and run by a group of nonses

Fantastic experience: Very accommodating people lovely time in pool will be going back soon

Fantastic experience: Definitely enjoy coming here. Swimming classes are great and staff are friendly.

Negative experience: I only use the gym facilities so this review is based only on that. I use this gym because it is convenient and once it is light enough to feel safe running on the commons, I will terminate my membership. The only good things, and the only reason that I'm giving two stars instead of one, are that it has the (very) basic gym necessities and it's safer than running in an unlit common in the dark. This centre is very expensive for how basic it is, mainly because Places Leisure appears to offer only a multi-centre membership instead of single-centre ones. This is not value for money if you do not access other centres. The gym is very often not manned by a member of staff and even when staff are visible, they are unapproachable, unfriendly and do not enforce good gym etiquette. The spaces are frequently a mess with weights just left all over the floor and I've never seen staff encouraging visitors to wipe down their machines after use which is bottom of the rung in regards to gym etiquette. Gyms can be unsafe places and actually it's a matter of health and safety for staff to be present. The shower facilities are mediocre at best and there's a general atmosphere of shabbiness and neglect about the place. Christ knows where my and thousands of other people's membership fee is going, because it certainly is not upgrading the centre. Lastly, I feel the "state of the art" claim on the website is almost in breach of CMA guidelines it's so untrue. I've seen better quality equipment in spare bedrooms. Bring on lighter evenings so I can cancel this membership once and for all.

Negative experience: i stopped going in this Gym one year ago, and now i notice they charged me every month for 1 year! so i losted 500 pounds with this people . Stay away from this gym

Negative experience: Quite grotty. Black dirt in the pool.

Positive experience: Good facilities - used the pool which wasn't too busy. The sauna was a bit busy. Changing facilities fine, standard leisure centre

Positive experience: Full sized swimming pool with sauna and steam room. Also a gym and timetabled classes available. Very reasonably priced, however student prices don't apply on the weekends, rather annoying. Changing rooms aren't too bad, just quite wet.

Negative experience: One machine for back

Fantastic experience: Always good for an early morning swim and steam room, keeps your old joints moving.

Negative experience: I arrived 11.59 for swim this morning. By the time the girl had stopped fiddling in her bag I had missed concession time. Girl said but it’s 12 now. The time for over 50s is 12 not11.59. Furious. And you have to put up with dirty changing rooms. What do the many staff do all day!

Fantastic experience: I have been with this gym for many years now and I always get a nice welcome from Jimi and the rest of the team. The facilities are great with gym/swimming pool and sauna. They have different classes but my definitely favourite is the pilates hosted by Marzena. Price is reasonable and it's only a few minutes away from Balham station. I definitely would recommend it.

Positive experience: My daughter is enjoying the Funky Moves street dance classes!

Negative experience: Why is the pool so grubby? There is a thick black tide mark on handrails, unidentifiable grot in corners. Steps slimy and grubby. Benches are always dirty. I see bright young things carrying buckets and mops around. What on earth are they cleaning? Not the pool, that’s for sure. I’m tempted to wear rubber gloves in the pool, the handrails are so repelling.

Negative experience: It's a confusing gym. Low number of equipament. Theres this room with weight equipment that it's just unconfortable and difficult to find

Fantastic experience: The inflatable parties are amazing fun

Positive experience: It's a bit of a run down gym

Fantastic experience: Really helpful and friendly staff.

Positive experience: Nice place

Positive experience: A lot of amenities and friendly staff. My only complaint is that they do not enforce cleaning of equipment after someone sweats on it. I see people after an hour long class return matts they used. This is not sanitary.

Fantastic experience: Great place

Fantastic experience: Just love it. Nice and clean. Old school bunting. Friendly lifeguards.

Negative experience: Something somewhere is always broken. You get what you pay for I guess.

Fantastic experience: I go to classes weekly, good instructors and classes. Staff are friendly behind the desk

Positive experience: Sauna never works, toilets are normally dirty and the showers area sometimes smelling. Gym is ok with new machines

Positive experience: Not a huge fan of the overall building layout and during peak times can be impossible to use certain workout machines. Generally tidy however and friendly service.