Clissold Leisure Centre

Positive experience: Big and various sports to do you'll never get bored

Negative experience: Unfriendly greeting at the front desk then dirty, run down changing room area, tiny cubicles. The pool, also needing a lot of upkeep was on the cool side and the showers even more so. Interesting architecture but the building has been let down over the years.

Negative experience: The culture in this place is rotten. Someone snatched my 11 y. o.’s 20p coin for the lockers in the pool changing rooms. An adult saw it happen and did nothing. The manager was too busy to deal with the behaviour…

Fantastic experience: I have to say, thanks to staff particularly Layla, Darren and Hamza(newly recruited) finally we have staff who actually know their job roles and do their jobs. Whenever, they are on shift, the gym will be at least tidy They pick the weights and put it back. Layla and Hamza always give customers gd professional advice. They listen to us and always greet us with huge respect. The Muslim girl, Mariah is such a pleasant receptionist I'm glad the management is taking very seriously and keeping only staff who are absolutely clear of their job roles. Thank God, staff Reeta left She was so hostile to many customers. She literally threw away heavy weights 20K near customers who were training. Its shocking because the way she threw the weights to the racks, could have caused accidents. As an instructor, she didn't give me a good impression at all.

Negative experience: I understand that a runny nose is common and liked here but the freezing water in the pool will give you bronchitis like it did for our child. Awful dirty place. Too bad the pool for the little ones is closed, we definitely won't be back.

Negative experience: The training pool was so cold this last Sunday. The kids were turning blue after half an hour. No warm water in the showers afterwards either. It will be a struggle to get them to want to come back again, sad.

Negative experience: I have been going to swimming pools in London for 15 Years. As I recently moved to stoke Newington, I started visiting CLC more often. In the span of 5 months I had my paddles and goggles stolen. The paddles were taken while I was swimming! On the weekend it's impossible to swim properly as it's always packed with kids courses. The fast lanes are always occupied by slow swimmers meaning that you can't have a proper swim and none of the lifeguards does anything about it. The amount of kids in that place is insane and if you want to chill clearly that's not the place to be. I had to stop going there as never once has been a pleasant experience. if you want to swim During the weekend it's better that you go there in person and check yourself that the pool has effectively some lanes left other than for courses as nowhere in their website or socials that is specified. Such a pity

Negative experience: I had been a member of Clissold Leisure Centre for nearly two years. During this period I cancelled my membership a few times (when I knew I wouldn't be able to use the gym for a full month). More than once, when I rejoined the gym, the affordable membership I had was no longer offered. In 2023 their "55+ off-peak" membership was discontinued. Last year they got rid of the regular off-peak membership and in the last few months the "Better Health Centre" (which was about £45) was also discontinued. Unless you fit the criteria to join one of their specific types of membership, the most affordable option to use the gym/classes on a regular basis is now a membership that includes "all facilities in borough" at £61.85. This (discontinuing the most affordable memberships) seems to be a trend...

Negative experience: Shabby and filthy, paint peeling off walls, tiles around jacuzzi are dirty and yellow, people exfoliating in the sauna and jacuzzi water is grey. Gross! Complained in the past with no response, this is not a health suite it’s a health hazard. Shame on you Better health group!!

Positive experience: Facilities are good but the toilets are filthy ....seem dirty all the time.

Negative experience: Health Spa / Sauna. Entry and changing: Changing facilities, which are also used by swimmers and other users of the gym, are quite cramped. There is a request not to wear street shoes, but I saw many who ignore this. A staff member mopped the floor, but in other centres all areas are cleaned, including sitting areas throughout the day. As I entered, staff failed to explain that there was a code on my band for the entrance. I learned that later by myself. SAUNA: This is a sauna/gealth facility, where swimming suits are to be worn. This provides a tiny layer of hygine only. Nobody of the around 15 people that used the sauna that day used a towel to sit, nor was there the to be expected towel management requested. There is only a sign that states you should not put towels or oils on the ovens. They have cold water showers that have however low water streams. You can not really get enough cold water over yourself and thus effect of cold / hot difference is quite diminished. There are no buckets, hoses, dare I say a cold water dipping facility (though they would have plenty of space for one). The steam room lacks a hose to clean the seat from the previous person, nor is there anything else that allows hygienic sitting. As far as I know, you can not borrow towels. There is a big jacuzzi in the middle to massage muscles. OPPORTUNITIES: This facility could be much better with some thought. Relatively simple changes could provide better cold water access, e.g a hose, or strong water stream shower, bucket shower, or a cold water dipping facility (plunge pool) would be a tiny bit more costly, but is what is expected these days. A water hose to clean the sitting areas in the steam room is standard these days, and should be fitted. EXTRAS THAT WOULD BE GREAT: There is an opportunity for a small bar facility for fresh juices and salts for the steam room (at a charge), which, if manned, would allow staff a supervisory role inside. Good towel management is requested in most public saunas these days, which means, that all parts of the body (feet, buttocks or when lying all body) should be on a towel. Two stars, but if it got some investment, it could rise in quality.

Fantastic experience: Very enjoyable, gym was clean and had a very fresh atmosphere

Fantastic experience: Played squash here, busy place but well equipped and lockers are 20p. Was clean and courts were in decent condition

Fantastic experience: I haven't been inside but from my view from outside it looks fabulous

Negative experience: They increased the price by 20£ a month but the services are even worse. Playground area for kids just by the entrance (horrendous), the instructors don’t show up for classes and no one tells you in advance, if you wanna play squash now you have to add an additional player (excuse me), on top of that the receptionists are rude. It’s overpacked. Dirty. No more free lockers. Tell me one good thing about this centre.

Fantastic experience: swimsuit dryer is a game changer - offsets the soft play area adequately.

Positive experience: Reasonable price for what the centre offers. But there are many things the centre should really improve in. I undertand this is a community leisure centre and not an adult only gym, therefore I do not mind the new softplay area as much. But since the softplay was opened the place gets overcrowded with queues at reception (with 2 receptionists max). Most of the staff is quite friendly and helpful from my experience and I do not envy them for the noise due to the crowd and kids all day. The cafe prices are good and the food is a lovely treat after a long visit. I understand junior gym access too but not without adult supervision. From my observation they do not seem to know how to use the equipment or do not use it properly and can only harm themselves and waste other gym goers time waiting around. My main issue with this centre is the hygiene. The wet changing area toilets are dirty most of the times and not working properly. Staff really needs to be strict on NO SHOE POLICY because many many people walk around with shoes on that makes the place quite grim and makes the job for staff more difficult. Unfortunately, this also happens in the health suite itself. Most of the times I have used health suite there are people who come fully clothed with shoes on too which I find absolutely crazy. Wet changing area and steam room have a foul smell a lot of the times with flies in the showers and sauna's timber is turning dark and slimy. The new dry change in the basement is lovely BUT I do not understand why the centre would opt for rough non slipping floor tiles if they require more than mopping. The floors are never actually clean as the dirt gets trapped and it has only been months since renovation... I have given 3 stars as the centre is great as it offers so much to the local community and needs to really improve mostly in its upkeeping. Especially since the strict booking system and its penalties are in place. It does not feel right to request so much from monthly paying members when the service cannot pull their weight in keeping the place as it should be. Aside from all this. It would be very beneficial if entry codes to health suite were given when booked on the app to ease the overcrowding at reception and ease access for members. Hope this is seen useful more than a rant.

Fantastic experience: Lovely helpful staff very relaxing using the gym give it a visit won't be disappointed

Positive experience: It is ok gym. I would love to come and swim with my toddler way more regular but the water in swimming pool is always freezing, that's really put me off.

Fantastic experience: I love this centre, it's very beautiful

Negative experience: wish I didn’t have to write this, but the standards have dropped so low that, in addition to dealing with very dirty toilet and changing room facilities and overcrowding, we now have to get used to finding larvae in the sauna! People were even sitting on the floor when we noticed it. The level of hygiene in this place is an utterly absurd, this is lack of care and respect to whoever relies on these facilities. A sauna needs to be properly cleaned and sanitised daily! A mop between sessions it’s not going to suffice it when there’s hundreds of people using these facilities daily. A clean place is not a luxury but a basic necessity!!!

Negative experience: I used to love coming here. But now when you walk through the main door you are met by screaming kids climbing a soft play area!! Even the staff hate the noise levels. And by the way please enforce some dress code in the men’s changing rooms . You have guys walking around away from the showers with nothing on , it’s quite disturbing!! And finally please retrain your staff!! Their customer service is terrible and they look so miserable.

Fantastic experience: My weekly visit always a great pleasure ☺️

Negative experience: Loved this gym when I first started 2 years ago but the new children's soft play area has made the place pretty hellish for adults...it's hard enough to motivate yourself to exercise, a nice atmosphere would help a lot. There's also loads of school kids working out in the gym? Weird. I feel bad for the staff, they must have such headaches

Positive experience: I’ve been coming here for a couple of years, and lately the centre has become increasingly unpleasant as a place to exercise. Money has been spent in mind boggling ways, with endless disruption (fair enough during renovation), but equipment still moves week to week. The latest addition of a 3-storey play den in the foyer is unreal. It’s loud, unsupervised kids running around, and entirely unavoidable. I really hope they reconsider this. Meanwhile the fitness areas are constantly packed, the water fountains have a mind of their own and often don’t work, and the swimming pool changing room is pretty grim. And the membership fee has increased. I will say it’s a fairly welcoming, community crowd, with less of the bravado/testosterone vibes you get in other gyms. The staff are usually friendly too. I realise they inherited an architectural calamity, but after hearing about the renovations and hoping it might make some of the issues the place faces better, things seems to be getting worse. Last note - You guys have men in their underwear in the spa instead of bathing wear. It’s pretty gross and somebody needs to enforce the dress code!

Negative experience: Booked aqua play for my son online, when I got there was told its closed. When I tried to talk to someone about this the staff would not listen to me, were very rude and would just keep telling me to take my son to the kids play area. Would never go here again.

Negative experience: They’ve spent loads of money and time (causing a lot of disruption) renovating the spaces and actually made it worse. There is not enough access to toilets or lockers so everyone just brings their belongings on to the gym floor. Bizarre.

Positive experience: people who use the changing rooms in the swimming pool area needs education about not throwing away food or not to piss on the floor before getting accepted to this place. this is happening in women’s changing rooms.

Fantastic experience: Absolutely beautiful facilities really enjoy the place for basketball

Fantastic experience: The soft play is where we went within Clissold. We loved it, especially my son.

Negative experience: Filthy dirty, the pool changing rooms are disgusting. It looks like they haven't been deep cleaned in years. There's grime on the floor, lightbulbs out on the way to the toddler pool, these gross portable baby changing units everywhere blocking access and green algae in the toddler pool. Operator should be ashamed, it's clear they are just relying on local government funding to refurbish the facilities rather than running them in a maintainable manner.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic facilities- my fav gym in the area

Fantastic experience: It's a beautiful softplay area. There are several classes for kids and adults

Negative experience: Bad decisions were made that turned this from a leisure centre into a high-strung kindergarten. There is now a FOUR story playpen in the main reception. Not to mention the already existing kiddy pool, crèche, parties in the cafe, and bouncy castle in the gymnasium. If you are looking to play squash, gym or swim without the sound of screaming children then this is NOT the place for you. It’s absolute mayhem with children screaming running scootering and throwing tantrums. Young teenagers using equipment without supervision. I understand this is a community centre but not everyone in the community has young children!

Negative experience: I don’t normally write reviews, but I’m absolutely astonished by the way I have been spoken to by the receptionist team here. On 2 separate occasions I have been spoken to harshly and rudely over my barcode not working during sign in. I tried to ignore it the first time, but I’m debating cancelling my membership due to the way that I’ve been spoken to over such a small issue. I must say that this isn’t the entire reception team, but a couple members in particular. Something to consider before joining.

Fantastic experience: I went swimming here first of all with my key worker just so I know what it was like so I could take my kids and it was brilliant the main pool was like ice water but I got in and it took me breath away but after a while it made my body feel great and stress free so a few days ago I took my kids here and took them to the training pool and it's great the kids loved it and there all different kinds of people there and guards are always on watch which is really good and there also a baby pool with a slash pad and a sauna and a steam room and Al sorts of training and gyms there it's brill and I would recommend it to everyone who can go and get a chance to get in there oh and I can't forget the big kids play area omg it great even I went down the slides with the kids we love it and would we go back ye of course we are maybe in a couple of days

Fantastic experience: Clissold Leisure centre is fantastic. I use the sports hall for badminton a great deal and the space is great, and generally very well used. Staff are very helpful and prices are reasonable.

Negative experience: It was once a great sports centre but has been converted into ugly ( ugly chip construction right as yu enter)Disneyland for screemig kids and parents with.

Fantastic experience: Facilities are great. Particularly like that the showers have body wash and shampoo in there.

Negative experience: Used to be an okay gym but with the new changes it’s unbearable. The leisure centre needs to rethink what its priorities are. Surely health and fitness for the whole community? Not a playground for children.

Negative experience: This place is appalling, pools always cold, mens changing rooms stink and the staff (especially girl on reception, dark hair loads of makeup) attitude stinks even more than the changing rooms!

Negative experience: never left a bad review before but this is the worst gym ive ever been too. Insanely over crowed, literally no matter what time you go you are unable to find any space or machine to use. Rly bad customer service and rude staff, doooo not gooo herrreee

Negative experience: Awful attitude of the Eastern European women on reception, huge chip on her shoulder. That’s not to mention the swimming pool is always absolutely freezing. Will not be returning.

Positive experience: New features are good not so sure about the kiddie climbing frame but noisy, but what can you do

Negative experience: Men’s lockers downstairs smelt of urine similar to the blonde girls attitude at reception. Her colleague smiled at me as if to acknowledge her colleagues poor customer skills. Management needs to train staff to learn how to speak correctly with the public. I will not be returning to this place. Saying that the gym and swimming pool are pretty sufficient but the hygiene of the men’s lockers and attitude of the receptionist is what lets this place down - do BETTER!

Negative experience: Worst gym I've been to. So oversubscribed there is never a time of day you can work out, whether its really early in the morning (6am) or late in the evening (half 8). Their customer service team are terrible. They've said they'd provide a refund and its 6 weeks later now and I still haven't received anything. Avoid at all costs, even if it means having to travel further for the gym. Not one to ever leave reviews for anything really but this has been shocking.

Negative experience: Ran by idiots, designed by idiots. Not a "community" gym at all. Not accessible or good value for disabled people like myself. Facility's constantly taken away without prior consent yet still charged. Sauna never available and always have to pre-book.

Negative experience: Always under repair.Women cannot take a shower after working out. Because 3rd floor women's changing room closed. Other women's changing rooms are also very small and crowded.

Positive experience: Been my local pool for a number of years and will continue to be so but it's certainly more of a challenge to enjoy it since that soft play area has gone live. I get it, I'm also a parent and there needs to be somewhere to entertain the youngsters but this is ill conceived and sized to cater for too many people. It's out of balance and no wonder the poor reception staff don't look happy, imagine having to do a shift with all that noise. Sorry GLL, not great. Also, what's happened to keeping the other facilities up to scratch ? Machines out-of-order, pool has been a bit shabby at times (pool floor has been gross on occasion recently).

Negative experience: Been going to the place for three years. You have to applaud them investing in it, some of the equipment has improved and they've laid out the gym in a much better way which suits more functional movement and proper lifting. But some of the decisions are just bewildering. The kids play area - what are you thinking? It's just completely ruined the whole experience, you enter the gym and you'll have buggies in the way, kids running into you. You do a yoga class and all you can hear is the sound of children screaming. They've moved equipment all over the place so to do a proper workout with both cardio and resistance you have to move around a million different places to find what you need. I really don't want to change gyms as it's so convenient location wise but I'm at my wits end with it. They've also MASSIVELY oversubscribed on memberships to the extent you simply cant go during peak times.

Negative experience: The decision to put a huge, ceiling-high children's play area in the entrance foyer is truly, truly bizarre. It not only looks ugly, cheap and out of place, it also blocks out most natural light from that side of the building. It looked bad enough empty when I came to use the gym today, and the idea of it full of screaming children makes me shudder. It genuinely looks like something photoshopped in as a bad joke. I was already uncomfortable with the number of unsupervised children running around the foyer (plus prams and scooters abandoned in the middle of walkways most days), but now I can see that this gym is going to be unusable. The exercise spaces feel like a rapidly shrinking afterthought. This place clearly isn't intended for adults, so I'll be finding another gym (hopefully one that actually looks and runs like a gym). I don't even mind about the constant renovation work as I know this kind of thing takes time. But this is just an insult. If you're looking for a calm, clean space to exercise, go elsewhere.

Negative experience: ITS PURE HELL now the new play soft area has been built. Kids screaming everywhere you cant think straight on entrance and exit. Buggies, parents everywhere. I counted 200 on the weekend. Imagine having to clean the toilets for all those hundred more kids and parents using them now! The air is trapped it's hot and so darn loud the noise. They should call it Clissold Kids Centre. The other day they could not let anyone out for 30 minutes or in as a kid had gone missing. It's diabolic and the gym has less equipment and often have to wait for a machine or it's broken. Hope other gym members decide to leave to to make a stand at the prices that have skyrocketed this year which is probably used to pay for the kids huge bouncy castle. And the toilets seem to be out of order constantly as the hundred of children and parents using them seem to block them and they are always full of poo and not flushed . This gym has been taken over by kids. I am miffed that that Hackney Council allows children to use equipment . It’s highly dangerous and surely against Heath and Safety. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Ok to get a response about it not been up to my liking its a bit off.. Those children in the photo should not be on the equipment ! PERIOD. ITs Dangerous and they are not paying for the gym membership. SO please stop been irresponsible and understand the situation . I am happy at the new gym on the Stoke Newington High St called PURE GYM. It's well run, clean , no children. IT costs the same as Clissold off peak.

Negative experience: Been converted to a child's play centre over the past 6-8 months. Every time I go, the non-playground space has gotten smaller. I'll unfortunately have to cancel my membership -- they used to have something great here for the area, but have chosen to only serve children/parents. What a pity!

Negative experience: Every facet of this centre is bad. There is literally nowhere to workout, there are people on top of you the whole time waiting for a machine, I purchased a membership that is off-peak too so I can't imagine what it is like at peak times. The attitude of the staff working the front desk is appalling they are incredibly grumpy and unhelpful. The gym classes are always too hard to get a spot in. Also the sauna and spa feels very unhygienic there are women shaving off there calloused feet in the shower and again is way to over populated! I cancelled my membership within a month.

Positive experience: What fresh hell is this? The noise, the loss of light in that once beautiful space. Appreciate the need to accommodate young families but the recent addition of the 4 storey soft play is challenging my love for the centre.

Negative experience: Whoever is at the head of this Better gym has been making some really odd and poor business choices lately… Aside from removing some key machines (whyyy do we now have 4 squat racks and not a single smith machine?) and replacing others with terrible alternatives (how have you managed to purchase *the* most painful and uncomfortable adductor/abductor machines and lumbar bench on the market?), we also never have Wi-Fi, but our gym memberships have increased and that money’s been used to turn it all into a gigantic nerve-wracking play room (seriously, why?). Do you hate us or something?

Positive experience: Decent leisure centre. Changing rooms are a bit dated & grotty, and there is moldy grout around the pool, but it's inexpensive and local so I'm happy to be a member

Negative experience: AVOID AT ALL COSTS (especially if you don't have children and are looking for an a gym) I understand that this is a community centre but it has become a kid's centre. There is now a goliath-sized four story soft play area at reception (yes, reception), often a blow-up castle in the main gymnasium, a kiddy pool, and kid's birthday parties happening in the restaurant backroom. This means that there are children screaming, scootering, and running around on EVERY floor--leaving hardly any space to do anything non-child-related or hear yourself think. They also allow kids of every age to enter the gym area and use the equipment, which is both dangerous and unprofessional. The gym equipment is constantly being moved or missing. Most of the time that I have been a member half the facilities are out of service, but they still raised the membership fee. The staff are mostly rude and uninformed. if you actually read the comments, the only people happy with this centre are parents with kids.

Negative experience: this leisure centre isn't for you if you want to get away from hundreds of screaming kids with the new playground that has opened in the entrance. Worse nightmare when you go to relax and destress. Imagine cleaning it will be impossible and on top of that all those kiddies colds flying around. SO glad to quit after 12 years today.

Fantastic experience: Amazing 4 story soft play - fun for all ages (I loved it too!!) staff and management are brilliant too. Sensory, climbing, slides, ball pit, hiding spots, creative areas… so much and great use of space!

Negative experience: Awful staff. Yesterday me and my friends wanted to go for a swim to practice and stay fit. Firstly we have been asked to leave the shallow pool because apparently we weren't a family so we kindly moved to the deeper pool. My friend who is autistic and isn't a great swimmer was swimming slowly (on the slow lane) with support board. We didn't think anything was wrong with that as other people were also swimming with it. This young rude lady has kicked out my autistic friend from the deep pool. So we had to leave after 10 minutes even tho we paid for the whole hour. My friend was swimming fine but slow as he's still learning. And not the mention the other people that were swimming were splashing water everywhere as if a whale was swimming but nothing was said to them and they could carry on with swimming. Overall we have been treated with such disrespect and discrimination.

Negative experience: Place run by someone who’s got zero experience or knowledge in fitness industry..8 machines for a back not a single machine for calves or abs.. not a single smith machine as well.. weights left laying in a balcony next to the edge underneath swimming pool with kids ..place is a joke

Positive experience: The gym leaves plenty to desire. Missing abb crunch and bicep curl and equipment is somewhat outdated. Available space not well unitised. No clocks on walls and lacks mirrors. Swimming pool is ok and has a nice sauna. Cafe has minimal availability. Overall this place has plenty of potential. But it sucks.

Negative experience: Ok leisure centre. Very small gym and the sports court has been partly blocked by bikes for ages. Good pool, but spa area is not the greatest. Best thing about this place is the very nice cleaner in the swim changing rooms - such a lovely person. Other staff not always the friendliest. For people not enjoying the quality of the building - it has an "interesting" architectural history behind it. Be aware of the "cancel whenever you want" policy for the monthly membership. It's not made very clear when signing up. You actually have to cancel 20 days in advance, otherwise they still charge you for the next month. Never experienced this with any other kind of membership and for £45 monthly, that is pretty poor customer service. Especially when one is a student on a tight budget. Can not fully recommend this facility.

Positive experience: Very good price and good facilities. But NEEDS new software for account and bookings. And always seems to be doing much needed work, which creates cancellations.

Negative experience: Before the refurbishment I enjoyed the gym,but went today and I am not coming back. People just sitting on the equipment, no space to do exercise, and as a woman I don't feel comfortable being there as it just feels like it for men.

Negative experience: Not accommodating for people with disabilities even when you purchase an inclusive membership which requires you to send proof of your disability. I put a complaint in and was told I would hear back within 5 working days and I still haven’t heard anything. The irony of putting up posters all around the centre claiming to be against disability discrimination.

Negative experience: I visited Clissold Park better gym last week and accidentally left something in a locker - I’ve rung and emailed many times over the past week but have not managed to get hold of anyone to see if it’s been handed in -

Negative experience: I don't know but I am thinking about re attending this branch however, something I'm finding is that the staff particularly on the front reception come across quite ..I don't know if stoic is the right word to use but certainly stiff and unfriendly, as I've now left there on up to three occasions with the feeling that customer care was the very last thing on their minds. I have not too long left there and the feeling is adequately strong enough for me to leave this poor rating/review. Wether it's a traing issue or lack of focus on customer care who knows. However, definitely not welcoming and if ever asked I would have to inform the friend colleague or other businesses of my experience as it appears to be an ongoing feature specifically attached to this branch. "Better gyms" must do better!

Negative experience: POOR BEYOND WORDS AS A FITNESS CENTRE. THE PLACE SPREADS DISEASE & IS UNSAFE MOST DAYS. I feel sorry for staff and management, taking on such a joke of a centre. Memberships keep increasing, whilst quality keeps going downhill.Members express sadness at getting sick all the time, whenever they come into the centre. People are lifting weights by glass lift and staircase as kids run past as there is no space for them to do any training in the gym. The swimming pool viewing deck is being used as a gym/mat area by desperate members are trying to find space to work out. There are builders permanently on site (years now due to structural problems) with large wheelbarrows, moving huge poles and I very nearly ended up injured in a wheel barrow yesterday (NO JOKE). This isn’t an occasional situation. This is going on for years. Even prior to the pandemic. In fact, the significant improvement since the pandemic has been the presence of sanitising spray to clean down equipment. What a revelation! 35 cases of ringworm were contacted in spin class according to an instructor. It’s a constant chase for classes. Often you can’t even add to a waiting list because they’re oversubscribed. Most practitioners and instructors are of excellent calibre, but the environment does not support them and accessibility to classes is near impossible. Members joke about setting the alarm for 3 am in order to try to get onto a class. The instructors are not supported enough and when classes are cancelled, they don’t have a BETTER system to send a text message in time, they tell you 20min in when no instructor shows up. So, if you’ve taken 3 hours out of your life to do two classes and get there, you’ve wasted the day. Trying to use the Gym as a back up is often a lost cause. There are too many people as another reviewer mentioned. NOW there are KIDS in the gym messing about occupying equipment on a regular basis. Hundreds, possibly thousands of people pass through here daily, mostly kids with/without parents. Hence a lot of germs. This doesn’t seem to be geared towards adult health and fitness at all. It’s grimy - essentially a big swimming pool and the non-existent health suite (refurbished for the umpteenth time) is laughable. There’s nothing healthy about a fungal Petri dish smelling of urine. Besides, it’s shut half the time. Often there are signs saying NO WATER in the showers / most showers are shut off for months. As you can see from the photo I have posted, there’s only been one functioning toilet on 2nd flood for at least four months now. I foolishly deleted a whole bunch of photos, months ago, expecting improvements and I’m not somebody who likes to complain. However, the current ongoing situation really takes the biscuit and your money. The lift does not work, so if you’re disabled/ injured forget it. If you’re looking for a so-called leisure centre, primarily focused on hordes of screaming children on bouncy castles, Scootering into your dance class, held in a gigantic sports hall, with a cacophony of music and screaming, fair enough. If you are Neurodivergent in anyway, it’s probably not a good idea to enter that space. The spin room has been refurbished so many times, yet is still shut, so the bikes are squashed at the back of the basketball court. You might start a class where people are playing badminton, and have to move the badminton equipment as no staff are around to do this. People pay to be a member, but clean up and move equipment. I’ve tried with this place since it opened, but nothing changes. The level of incompetence is beyond comprehension. No matter how many staff shuffled, the centre is held over barrel with bureaucratic BETTER social enterprise system, whereby the centre is partly council funded, partly private, and partly charitably funded. Who knows where the money is going? THEY NEED HEAD OFFICE support. It’s not staff fault. IT IS NOT right to take money and not STATE on a website that THE CENTRE IS A BUILDING SITE.It’s very much a case of how many people does it take to change a lightbulb at BETTER.

Positive experience: Nice swimming pool, however when I booked for girls and women swim session, I wasn't expected 2 swearing and jumping to the water boys teenagers on my line. Overall all good

Fantastic experience: Excelent three pools changing rooms for men very crampt..no shallow end is not a problem. was so what cold...but overall first class centre in nice part of london.

Positive experience: Facilities are okay and regular classes, but I ended up cancelling my membership after teachers stopped showing up and better centre staff seemed to take it very personally when I asked if it was possible to avoid showing up for a cancelled class.

Negative experience: The gym, despite its recent "refurbishment," remains massively oversubscribed and under-equipped. Save yourself the trouble and consider Britannia or another gym brand for better value. This place isn't just busy; it's impossible to get near any desired equipment. Whether it's mornings, afternoons, or evenings, the story is the same: unbelievably crowded at all times. Their strategy seems to be selling memberships endlessly without increasing equipment. Initially, the prices might seem reasonable, but the reality sets in when you realize you can't use anything due to perpetual crowding or sudden removal of favored machines. Recently, they removed all the versatile cable machines and other essential equipment, replacing them with useless arm-focused machines, exacerbating the scarcity of resources. Adding insult to injury, they allow everyone in, even those without memberships, claiming they're waiting for their kids. So, while you're paying monthly, others freely occupy the equipment, showers, and changing rooms. It's mismanagement at its finest, leaving paying members unable to utilize the facilities they're funding. To top it off, broken equipment goes unfixed for weeks. Currently, numerous treadmills have been out of order for over a week, despite high demand. It's a frustrating situation, and frankly, it's unacceptable.

Positive experience: The court was okay, flooring and clearance both fine, though balls from the children's short tennis kept coming in. The signs said there were changing facilities downstairs by the sports hall but there weren't and so I had to use the toilets by reception to get changed. Not convenient BUT the court fees are low--almost half the cost of some other places.

Negative experience: The place is not clean. The male gym changing rooms were dirty with the floor looking like it hadn't been mopped in days. The male swimming pool changing room was disgusting. The showers were lukewarm and were full of children shouting and screaming using it like a playground. The changing cubicles had chewing gum stuck on the seat and door and there was a strong smell of urine. The sauna was closed, without providing a reason. The place is not managed very well at all. No pride is taken.

Negative experience: If you swim and have kids I’m sure it’s fine. When I tell you I leave this place in a bad mood every time, this is not a gym. Equipment moves, disappears, changes with no notice and for long periods. Constantly busy, app doesn’t let you track how many people are there. Going gym is based on routine, and I can’t stick to mine if the venue is unreliable. It’s a dump it’s really dated too.

Negative experience: It's OK, not easy to get onto classes especially pilates. They need way more classes considering the amount of people using the gym and classes always fully booked. Also toilets are always filthy and I have seen pigeon poo by one of the machines at one point.

Positive experience: I have to agree with other users who have complained about the state of cleanliness in the changing areas for the pools. It has definitely got worse in the past few months and unlike, say, London Fields where it is unusual NOT to see a member of staff keeping the changing rooms clean, I seldom see anyone in the changing rooms at Clissold. In one word - YUK! This has to be down to bad management and I wish the higher-ups would take a few minutes out of their day and see for themselves how dirty the changing areas are as clearly they are not doing so at the moment.

Negative experience: I was a newer member but I’m canceling my membership! The staff was very rude to me, specifically the greeter, over an issue with scanning my member card. Nice workout equipments but not worth getting berated over.

Positive experience: It looks very impressive from outside but apart from the cardio machines it is very basic. The fountains in the gym were not working, the cafe staff didn't say thank you even after I spent £3 on the worst flat white I have ever had, and I'm not just saying that. It could be an amazing centre with a bit of thought and employing staff who want to be there.

Negative experience: I'm not one to complain, but seriously, this place needs to sort itself out! have had generally pretty good experiences with Better centres but clissold is awful. The swimming changing rooms are filthy, hair, mud, crumbs etc all over the floor, this has gotten worse since the sauna reopened. no one is removing shoes and no one is enforcing the rule. The floor in the changing room is also very slippery. The pool can get very crowded and often lanes are closed in the evening, sometimes there are only 2 lanes which is a nightmare. The rest of the centre is very tired looking, the way the gym is spread across multiple floors is quite frustrating. It gets very busy and never enough of what you need.

Negative experience: I have been in this leisure Center since the start really having lived here for 24 years - I love few things about this place , the pool for example - they just bought some new equipment in the gym etc - But I hate so much so many aspects that I am seriously considering leaving that place - the issue is there is no competition as we have very limited other choices in the area matching the price and facilities and I am on a budget like many others- What I absolutely dislike: A) the management and staff : they just simply don’t care - they are less and less staff around- when you complaint or ask for something you will get nothing - they just nod - i e-mailed the big company to ask for a space for women so we have that space available ( nothing for years) , I asked posters for men to put back the weights as I can’t carry the 20 kilos discs ( nothing, meaning I can’t use some of the machines as men will leave for example of legs press machine 5 discs of 20 kilos on one side and not remove them when finished with their work out, this is every day mostly all machines) - they put weights on and then go, no understanding that for a woman to carry all those weights is not fun!!!! There are no staff around- the other day I asked for a cleaner as I broke a bottle in the female gym , no one turned up for 20 minutes- they just don’t care B) the wifi !!!!! OMG- you have this cloud which is not working- I can’t use my HIIT apps and programmes - it is terrible- always the same answer «  we know! We are waiting for the council to do something about it » C) for me this is what makes a difference today - the kids from Stoke Newington school - they are invading that gym like an extension of their school - and they behave also like there are in school - bags and jackets in the work out area everywhere on the floor ( health and safety hazards everywhere) , they gather in wee groups, talk non stop and they are everywhere - I am a teacher so the last thing I want to be is with so many teenagers after work - today a couple of teenagers were on a bench with a long bar by my bench within centimètres of my bench and body - i had to say something which they debated with - I just want some space between people - women have a right to exercise and have space to do so - it is getting very difficult to do so as everything is packed with those teens who take all the equipment - D) yes the changing rooms could be cleaner but this is not even an issue for me

Fantastic experience: Attending my nephews birthday which my sister hired out the tennis court. Staff were very friendly and welcoming. Would highly recommend if you live in north London

Negative experience: I recently booked a badminton court for me and 3 friends. We all cancelled our weekend plans so we can get together, play some badminton and see each other after a really long time. I got an email less than 48 hours before the session to say that the booking has been cancelled due to someone booking the court for a birthday. Firstly the least they could have done is called me to apologise especially if this way an error in double booking. I could have accepted that. I tried calling them three days in a row but no one picks up. I also did not get a refund but credit instead. Very unprofessional. It’s the 3rd time I was going to go to the Center and every time I do go there’s a some kind of issue. I also emailed them and still waiting for them to get back to me.

Fantastic experience: It's a leisure centre with swimming, gym, tennis, badminton everything. Nice lounging eating area, kids friendly. Nice little coffee shop. Nice modern buildings opposite the secondary school, encourages fitness. I take my charge for her tennis lessons once a week and she loves it. The drinks vending machine broken down for over a month which isn't ok but there's a drinking fountain and nice toilet/changing facilities. Overall, I'd go there but don't have the time unfortunately.

Negative experience: Changing rooms both for the gym & swimming area are grim—hair & dirt everywhere. It seems the gym is cleaned once every odd day. I’ve been a member here for around two years & sadly this has been the case as long as I’ve been here. I’m now a member at another Better gym & realise even more now that there is no excuse for such poor levels of hygiene. Other centres I have used are spotless. Really sad to see as this is such a great complex with so many great facilities.

Fantastic experience: OK, where do we start? This place was my second home during lockdown. I love this centre, they have a great pool, nice gym and squash courts.

Negative experience: The fact the centre has such little competition in the area and is convenient to so many local residents has made the management arrogant. I have been using the gym for a number of years and will put up with the minor disruptions of the odd piece of kit not working, the odd cancelled class and dirty facilities. But the management of the recent refurbishment has been an absolute joke and an insult: There is less equipment spread over four floors in six different locations. If you manage to find what you need it will either not be working or there will be a queue for it. Heaven forbid you need to drink water - the fountain is broken too! I tried to point all this out to the management and their solution was me to cancel! No attempt at retention, no offer of fee reduction, no offer of a membership extension, no recognition at all of my previous loyalty and that I might actually have a point. Just to be clear, I have been using the place for years. I have even recommended it to numerous friends and family members. On their website they claim to be a charity and community focused. Their junior gym sessions are unsupervised and teenagers being teenagers, you can imagine the carnage. It is only a matter of time before someone is badly injured. The management at this centre need to take a long look at their operation and stop thinking they are doing a good job because people have little or no other choices.

Negative experience: The old lady on front of desk this morning so rude at about 11am I'm a better member but my gym pass is for islington I asked her if I could use gym for 1 hour said I need to pay £12.50 if I wanted to use it which is correct but as I'm already a member thought there maybe some leeway I've just paid for my new monthly membership feel it's to overpriced to pay £12.50 ,,just to use gym when I'm already a member should be cheaper alot cheaper I already pay £33 a month and can only use gym at 1pm on weekends and between 9 30. And 4 pm in the week price should be better I think £5 if your already a member

Positive experience: Good facilities, new equipment, decent pool, good bike parking out front However the swimming pool showers were pretty grim, shame as everything else is great

Positive experience: Have only used the swimming pool here and it's pretty good, does the job. The changing rooms can be quite dirty though, hair all over the showers. Some of the lockers don't work properly - you put money in and it gets stuck. Avoid the gym at kids swim lesson time though, it's too crazy.

Fantastic experience: We came here for the family swim session with my 3 year old son but he was a little too big for the baby pool which is great for kids under 2 yo. Sadly there is no intermediate pool so we'll stick to Britannia and Leyton leisure centres for the family swim!

Negative experience: Cancelled my overpriced membership. No space when you go swimming, filled with people and no enforcement of rules for lane swimming. Dirty changing room area, and lax attitude to letting men into the women's. Classes are always booked up. Classes are frequently cancelled. No decent air con and classes start min 10 minutes late. Classes shunt so many people into one small space, it's hard to do the exercises. The only pro is some of the instructors being great.

Negative experience: I'm giving the place 2 stars purely because of my class instructor, who was very engaging and motivating. However this Better centre is absolutely shocking and definitely the worst I've encountered in terms of facilities and hygiene standards. Firstly: fitness classes. I have never been to another Better gym - or gym full-stop - that doesn't host classes in a studio space. This place hosts certain classes in a massive sports hall, which is split in half. The other half of the space is used to run kids' activities. As you can imagine, it's hard to stay focused on your class when there are kids screaming in the background. It's also very uncomfortable and awkward doing classes in there as the floor above (including the cafe) overlooks the gym, which means there are always people gawping at class-goers as if it's a human zoo. Really not great for self-conscious exercisers. It's really not an appropriate space for intensive classes, and I'm shocked that a centre so huge hasn't built in proper studios. My other huge gripe is the appalling changing room facilities for the sports hall. They sit in a miserable airless and dimly lit basement space. There are NO private showers. The only option is a cluster of prison-style showers, which have a tiny dribble of water coming out of them. I don't know about you, but I'm not at all comfortable showering naked in front of a load of strangers. I can't believe this exists in this day and age! It also reeked of poo, coming from ONE solitary toilet cubicle nearby. There's also only one hairdryer in these changing rooms, which isn't great. The lockers are another let-down. There's no consistency between Better gyms and how their lockers work. I've been to one that only accepts token payments, while several others accept pound coins. But this branch only accepts 20p coins. I felt like I'd been thrust back to the early 90s.

Fantastic experience: It's not the easiest sports hall to see the shuttle when playing badminton. There are white bits near the ceilings and windows beaming the sunlight on the courts. But I like the fact that there's a café inside as well as vending machines. Also, there's a water fountain. The sports hall is on the lower ground. Changing rooms are pretty clean and there are individual changing cubicles inside.

Positive experience: Lovely building and friendly staff, the opening hours are long and there are lots of great facilities. My only frustration is that yoga and pilates classes get booked up way ahead of time or are 'unavailable' with no reason given. It seems that these classes are very popular so it would be great if the centre could schedule more of them.

Positive experience: Hazel at reception is brilliant- she is a lucky gem for this place. Calmly explains what’s required of you on arrival first time etc I registered me and mum but only using for sauna. So it’s been great but since registering been unable to use the steam room since it’s been closed for maintenance and it’s coming upto 4th week! Abit unfair to register for services needed for your own better health but only to be limited to one! From sauna conversations, there is always delays in maintenance required

Negative experience: 2 stars because the staff are nice however, really disappointed that I won't be going to this centre anymore. I have gone there twice and have twice noticed that the swimming pools have a lot and I mean a lot of hairballs floating around. A hair strand was caught in my fingers and I gagged. I have been to 2 other centres and haven't noticed it being this bad. Please rid the pools of any debris before use as this is clearly poor sanitation and a risk of disease. I won't even start mentioning the womens changing rooms. I understand people need to wear swimming caps and maintain good personel hygiene aswell.

Fantastic experience: Brilliant leisure centre. Lots of activities, basketball, badminton and more. Three swimming pools (which are free to local residents over 60!). The place is open early too. Excellent gym with cardio and weights machines.