Virgin Active

Negative experience: 1 towel = 1 star

Negative experience: The gym is very messy all the time. The staff don’t police this so it’s bedlam finding equipment. The equipment is very old and there isn’t very much considering it’s such a large space on the gym floor. For example there is only 1 squat rack so I have had to queue for up to 50 minutes to use it. There are a lot of children using the gym also especially at weekend. Family changing is there but sadly it’s rarely used so can feel a little uncomfortable. It’s like an old council gym but with premium prices.

Positive experience: Two complaints: 1. The music on the gym floor is usually too loud. And this evening (18/2/25) the additional music coming from the circuit-training was just obnoxiously, OTT loud, like a nightclub. That was just rude to everyone else trying to use the floor. And generally, what is the point of the piped music? Everyone has bluetooth headphones now. I often struggle to hear my own music or podcast over the din. If there's some legal reason that you absolutely must play naff music on the gym floor, then at least please turn it down a notch. 2. It seems that half the lockers are permanently locked and out-of-action, even when the gym is virtually empty. ie, people seem to be using it as storage. And then when it's busy you're left searching for a locker. Can the management please do something about this? A weekly sweep with bolt cutters and a binbag, maybe? People will soon stop doing it then. Or change the rules, in which case I'll follow suite and just bagsie my own favourite locker in perpetuity. This ongoing issue feels a bit disrespectful to everyone else who uses the gym and follows the rules. Apart from that, I find it a decent gym. People complain about the hygiene but I don't think it's that bad.

Negative experience: So fed up with Virgin Active also like other reviewers.. it’s such a huge expense for our family but I’m not sure where else we can go with yoga / sauna / swimming for me and swimming classes for kids etc… I’d love to hear of any recommendations as I’m tired of being taken advantage of by this huge corporate that has no idea or interest in serving its community

Fantastic experience: Very clean and friendly staff.

Negative experience: Reception staff are welcoming. Changing rooms are spacious and sometimes clean. Some users leave their used towels lying around, a notice reminding members to place in the towel bin on exit. Emptying this bin often would also help. Since replacing previous cleaners the level of cleaning has declined. Would like to see the reintroduction of dance classes (Zumba) more spinning classes in the day. Like the rewards system it’s a positive motivational initiative A lot of times it’s difficult to find a large locker are they all rented? Not all lockers have hangers, please ensure there are 2 hangers in all lockers please. I have been a member of this gym from day one, seen many changes some positive as well as negative. There used to be to be a community feeling prior to the removal of the classes that use to be in the studio. I understand the fitness industry has to move with the times and new classes are introduced. However, talking to and acting on members feedback needs improving and not just a tick box exercise. A number of loyal members have left, I was also forced to join another local gym making me a member of two gyms just so I get a good balance of strength, cardio and Holistic classes. My other gym has excellent reception staff and that community feeling that Virgin has lost. Virgin is no longer value for money and fails to live up to its name sake and expectations.

Negative experience: Very busy all the time due to significant amount of new members- waiting times for machines are long, not enough space, not enough equipment, huge build up of dirty towels, very busy in changing rooms, not enough room!! Plus, coincidentally haven’t been able to submit feedback on the app via any of the feedback options and this has been an issue for weeks -an error always pops up.

Negative experience: Really bad, try and ring them no chance you get through or any other enquiry.... disappointed and not worth the money

Negative experience: I love the option to have pilates classes with great equipment along with rewards system. But overall gym has old equipment, lack of elements for machines, gym is overpacked, and consistently has lack of body soap and tissues. App works with bags - you get banned from classes bi-weekly although you always attend classes. You can never get to the reception over the phone, although there’s at least 3 people on shift. Took me 30 minutes on line and no one replied. 2/5 just because I love pilates. Overall I don’t recommend this gym - you will consistently be pissed over their lack of professionalism and customer service. I wish they worked on their misses as every business has a potential to grow and make customers happy.

Negative experience: My main reason for joining this gym was the pool. Turns out it’s closed 6hrs a day for kids lessons, family swim & aqua classes. And ALL DAY at the weekends. Very upsetting to be paying over £100 a month for a pool I can barely use as this was not made clear on joining. (There are plenty of municipal pools around why are people taking their kids to a private gym?).

Negative experience: WORST EXPERINECE EVER!!! After they lost details of my friend's bank account - they overcharged me and dined access to the gym multiple times and still want me to pay for whole month. No single Sorry, No compensation. I think this picture saying everything. AVOID AT ALL COAST !!!!

Negative experience: Used to be a nice place but it seems to have got worse and worse, and prices have gone up. Changing rooms are filthy, discarded towels all over the place, no soap in the dispenses, people seem to be trimming their pubes in the showers and it’s all just left on the floor (seen this multiple times now). The sauna now seems full all the time, with people sat on their phones, sometimes listening to music everyone can hear…feels more like the underground. I appreciate this is hard for the gym to control, but the whole place especially the changing rooms has got a dystopian feel about it, perhaps if they were cleaned and maintained a bit more regular, people would be a bit more respectful.

Negative experience: Do not join this gym. Lots of good instructors have left, classes are reduced and often cancelled at the last minute. The amenities have been stripped back, there are low quality cleaning material (when available, often missing) and no qtips or pads in the changing rooms. Instructor mics are nearly always not working, and the equipment is old and dirty. At the same time, the subscription has been raised to ~£100 a month steadily increasing year on year (see above, why???), and you can't cancel your contract early. Avoid. I was a member of this gym for a long time and am so disappointed in the reduction in quality alongside increasing cost. If you want a high end gym, pay the extra and join the nicer ones. Otherwise there are many cheaper, better gyms around.

Negative experience: A £130 gym with only one squat rack that everyone fights over. Very poor gym floor with old equipment. It’s ok if you like the pool but wouldn’t recommend if you like to strenght train.

Negative experience: Very small gym with loads of children 4-6 pm and the prices doesn’t match what they offer

Positive experience: Always an issue to get a free trial! Elitist attitude without being an elite health club I’d rather go to a mid range health club with cool people.

Positive experience: The gym is overall very good. I only use the main floor so I cannot review the classes or the swimming pool which is what seems that most people are complaining about. The staff is friendly, I never had any issues. The changing rooms are usually clean. If you go during peak times, they're messier, but this happens in most gyms. The showers are decent but they could use some TLC. Shower gel and shampoo always seems to have run out. The actual gym floor is great - very spacious and has everything you need to work out. However is definitely needs an update; the machines are quite old and they need to be replaced. When it's busy, you sometimes have to wait for a machine or a bench. Only downside is that it becomes very messy very quickly, as most people don't put the equipment they use back where it should be so there are weights, mats etc. lying everywhere. Overall very good but a refresh is needed, especially in light of relatively high membership fees.

Negative experience: Unhygienic gym especially the changing rooms and showers. Mould and mildew a regular sight. Poor and unsympathetic customer service. Will not cancel my membership despite providing evidence from a surgeon confirming an upcoming knee surgery.

Negative experience: Was a good gym. It’s become super busy, you end up always waiting for equipment. Equipment is often broken and isn’t fixed for months.

Fantastic experience: Fab gym. Great professionals. Koco is a great professional as a personal trainer. Isabela is fantastic swimming instructor.

Fantastic experience: Loving Crouch End Virgin Active. Friendly staff and members.classes are great Loving the gym and the pool and of course the sauna and the steam room

Positive experience: I was previously a member of Virgin Active and recently re-joined. Overall, the club is well-maintained, clean, and the staff are incredibly friendly, which I appreciate. However, I was quite surprised to see that the gym floor hasn't been upgraded in over 10 years! It's a bit disappointing. There’s still only one squat rack, no hack machine, no stair masters, and no seated calf raise machine. I can’t help but wonder when the club will invest in upgrading the equipment to better reflect the premium membership fees. It would really enhance the experience and justify the monthly cost.

Fantastic experience: I am thrilled to recommend virgin active crouch end. They are professional, reliable and the teachers of classes and training are of great quality. I would recommend them.

Positive experience: The club is nice, but at the prices they have you'd think they'd sort out making their app available to non British residents.

Positive experience: EDIT: Robin is back! And doing the key aqua classes consistently and excellently - so my rating for the club improves from 2* to 4*. It's still very expensive and there's an awful lot of family swim sessions/ classes, so I would say only worth it if you want the pool and water classes and can flex your hours a bit. The gym is very good too but more competition around for that. ORIGINAL: 2* - Very disappointed - they've cancelled all the aqua classes except Wednesdays, they keep cancelling classes last minute, and the pools are always taken up by swimming lessons. They hired a great aqua expert called Robin but we've only seen him once. Now they've increased fees substantially - more than 10%. not impressed...

Fantastic experience: I recently visited Virgin Active Crouch End as a guest and had an excellent experience! The facilities are top-notch, especially the swimming pool and sauna, which provided a perfect way to unwind after a workout. Everything was clean, well-maintained, and exceeded my expectations. I’d also like to give a special shout-out to Anton from the staff, who was incredibly helpful and friendly throughout my visit. His professionalism and positive attitude really made a difference. Overall, I highly recommend Virgin Active Crouch End for anyone looking for a quality gym experience!

Negative experience: would be a good gym but nowhere to store a bicycle safely..

Fantastic experience: I had a great experience visiting this gym! The staff, especially Anna, were incredibly welcoming and made me feel right at home. The facilities are clean and well-maintained. The positive atmosphere here really sets it apart from other gyms I’ve been to. Highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Very happy with membership. There are some fantastic class teachers here, esp for me: yoga, pilates, boxing. Easy booking system. Friendly. Great atmosphere. Changing rooms are fresh and clean. Easy 5/5.

Fantastic experience: It is very open and has lots of things to do. The place was incredibly clean and well organised. The staff are very informative and helpful. A tad on the expensive side, but the location and what you get for it, worth it.

Negative experience: Dirty and run down. Classes a poor imitation of the Les Mills one they used to offer. Don’t understand how they continue to offer a worsening service whilst hiking up the prices.

Negative experience: I joined Virgin Active a while ago and have my vitality membership in May and we are now in July however Virgin Active have been stringing me along for months in not setting not my account with the Vitally membership. I even paid £50 on top of my monthly bill to set up the account but yet they didn’t activate it. Two months later they then ask me for my ID and telling me that my account has not still not been set and the picture they themselves took of my membership account was not visible when you could literally see the number. I went to the Virgin Active in Crouch and they’ve promised to refund me the money they’ve just taken from my account however this morning I heard from another member of their staff saying they will not refund my money but will give me some of it from when my ID was requested. Bear in mind when I gave them my membership account, they did not ask me to give them my ID but I was only to pay £50. The worst service I have received from them and rude.

Negative experience: This a 2 star facility charging 5 star membership fees. The equipment is ancient: treadmills are pre-COVID and still have connector for an iPod...that tells you enough right there. Paper towel dispensers on the gym floor are often empty, same with soap dispensers in the showers. Used towels pile up - see photo attached from yesterday. Steam room used to be a plus, but lately it is unreliable and often not hot enough. The only reason I keep going is because there's no local alternative. Disappointing and frustrating

Fantastic experience: Was invited as a guest. Enjoyed the water aroubucs class and then the sauna and steam room sessions afterwards. Lovely to relax on one of those sun beds by the pool afterwards, too. Enjoyed afew lengths of swimming ‍♀️ in the pool, too.

Fantastic experience: The lunch was superb! Everything tasted incredibly fresh, and the presentation was absolutely marvellous. The service was impeccable and perfectly timed. Carla and Charmaine

Negative experience: MISLEADING PRACTICES & POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE I had an extremely disappointing experience with Virgin Active, particularly due to the unprofessional practices of Myles from the team. He misled me into joining the gym while I was unemployed, assuring me the first two months would be free and that I could cancel my membership upon relocating within two months. However, he never disclosed that it was a 12-month contract or the process required for cancellation. Despite repeated requests, I never received a contract, and Myles even claimed he was not obligated to provide one. This raises serious legal and ethical concerns. Since relocating, I have not used the membership, yet I am being forced to pay a significant amount. Myles has been extremely difficult to deal with throughout this process, causing unnecessary stress and financial strain. Virgin Active's lack of transparency and poor customer service are unacceptable. I strongly advise others to be cautious and fully informed before joining.

Negative experience: Not clean, old equipment, not enough classes

Negative experience: Virgin Gym in Crouch is one of the worst gyms out there, with no customer service to speak of. I forgot some items, and the next day they didn’t have them; it’s likely they were stolen from the staff. Additionally, the majority of the time, the staff don’t seem to care about your belongings. It’s mostly unprofessional. Overall, it’s the worst gym in the entire country!

Negative experience: Have been a member for a couple of years. Recently renewed my contract and seriously regretting that decision. Love the location, staff are lovely but the club has noticeably deteriorated over the last year and a half and urgently needs maintenance. A few things to mention: - Baffling decision to now only use licence free music means several classes are now cancelled and some great instructors have quit as a result. Spin at weekends is gone with no update on when that will return. All this with membership prices increasing recently. Total joke of a decision from management. - Wall next to leg press is badly damaged and has been a mess for nearly a month. No sign of repair. - Hairdryers not working at one side of the male changing area. - Sauna and shower area regularly pretty manky (see photos). Staff do their best but it’s rundown and gross. Go barefoot at your own risk! - Gym equipment is ancient and worn. The ridiculous thing is prices have INCREASED by nearly £45 for members not in contract. How on earth they can justify this when the club is in such a state is beyond me. Other clubs in same tier are far superior. Why is this club not at the same level? You’ll see from the vague, generic replies from Virgin to these reviews that they’re looking into these issues “urgently”. Well, that’s simply not true. Some of these issues have been reported MONTHS ago and nothing has changed, infact it’s gotten worse. I emailed a list of complaints about the smell of urine and poor hygiene in the male changing area months ago. Didn’t even get an acknowledgement of my email. Judge for yourself from the pics taken below and the numerous recent reviews all saying the same thing. Senior management need to step in and sort this out urgently and a plan to rectify the various issues should be communicated to all members. I feel for the staff because they are getting so many complaints and nothing they can do about it.

Negative experience: I joined so that I could do classes to some decent music. Not only have they reduced the number and length of classes they have decided only to use royalty free music now in order to save costs. It's difficult to motivate oneself to do a spin or dance class to elevator music. Will cancel membership shortly.

Negative experience: Rejoined recently for a year. Huge deterioration in club experience: - massive increase in members - busy classes which are hard to get on to. - very few high intensity classes with weight training. - poorer quality instructor led training in classes. - frequently cancelled classes last minute. - no improvement in run down facilities and too busy. - not cleaned as often, smelly, towels everywhere etc. - pool too busy with children too use to swim lengths. Feels like a club which is on the brink of closure which I would be happy about so that I can take my membership elsewhere. Wish I had not rejoined.

Negative experience: I visited the place a few weeks back for a tour and was impressed it seemed nice, and the staff member who showed me around was pleasant and informative. I left my name and contact details with the member of staff who said that he would email me prices and other relevant information that I had asked for....... 3 weeks on still no email. I was disappointed and decided to come and check out the reviews on here and was appalled to see pictures of black worm like creatures in the sauna, piles of towels in changing rooms, complaints about cleanliness and classes with such high membership costs. Therefore, I feel I have seen enough and will not be pursuing trying to get membership here. So sad as my initial impression was positive on the tour!

Negative experience: Started this gym loving the classes - now they are losing instructors rapidly due to a rubbish policy on music - I used to like spin classes and now nearly lost all of them - like Pilates a lot but I don’t want to do this all the time - virgin really needs to get a grip - I will leave when my contract finishes if they don’t change this policy and don’t get their wonderful instructors back

Negative experience: Been going to the crouch end club for a few years, but clearly the company is implementing a cost cutting policy that doesn’t match a premium brand. The aerobic classes disappeared to make space for Pilates machines, you see reception staff having to clean up and now there is a policy of dull library music instead of commercial music that gets you motivated, which means good instructors are leaving. Starting to feel like it’s only the price that matches the Virgin brand.

Negative experience: Have been a member of this gym for over two years now, but increasingly disappointed with the experience, particularly given the impending changes that will force instructors to play low quality royalty free music during classes. This is forcing the best instructors to leave, and I'll be joining them unless this move is reversed. The classes work well because instructors can pick music that suits their style - forcing them to play generic fitness music will make the classes far less enjoyable and it's hard to see how it can be justified given the current membership rates. If the best classes start disappearing, a major reason for remaining a customer of this gym also goes.

Negative experience: Joined because they had a boxing class on saturdays that I enjoyed but they cancelled that a few months ago and no other boxing classes at all scheduled in on any other days of the week. Neighboring gyms all have boxing classes available. Changing rooms always filthy, no staff ever cleaning equipment in the gym either and generally really old machines here. Tried giving feedback but staff highly disinterested in hearing any of it. Will try to cancel my membership soon and find a better gym.

Fantastic experience: Beautiful place best customer service

Positive experience: Hygiene in the male showers is disappointing. They smell. Surfaces aren’t cleaned regularly. They’re run down but mainly just need a really good clean. I have emailed them about this and they eventually cleaned the green slime out off the walls. The bad smell was gone for a while. It’s back now though. Sadly I think this is a calculated neglect. They know it’s not good enough and there isn’t the will to make it better, so I can’t see it changing. I guess when selling it to potential members they never take them into the showers so it’s not high on the priority list. Since this review the shows have been cleaned which is a result!

Negative experience: Not worth the money. Gym equipment is old and poorly maintained. Only one rack which is always occupied and is ridiculous for a modern gym. Classes are limited and always fully booked. I joined to use the crèche during my maternity leave and its difficult to book (you can only book over the phone during the crèche opening times) and they rarely have slots. Pool is tiny and usually occupied by classes. The lay out is actually very inconvenient - having to take a different staircase every time you want to go somewhere. No other reputable gym has a discounted 12 month contract with no possibility of terminating early. They recently raised prices but in my opinion with no justification given the quality of service (with all due respect to the staff who seem kind and courteous from my limited interaction with them).

Negative experience: Virgin!!! Get a grip of the problems going on here. This is what it could be a lovely gym club in a beautiful leafy crouch end neighbourhood. However, the place is being run down as time goes by. I must say the cleaning aspect has got better in passed weeks but there's still room for improvement. As a member that loves going to different classes, this has become more difficult, as a lot of them have been completely disappeared and the ones that are left are constantly being cancelled no replacing the instructors. As membership going up recently I really do not think is value for money. They are not providing us with the services that I'm paying for.

Negative experience: Forcing class instructors to play low quality “royalty free” music as a result of a short-sighted deal done with the Epidemic sound app at head office is forcing them to leave despite the fact that no-one wants this and instructors have offered to pay their share of music licensing fees to keep the current arrangement in place. This is despicable. What was once a great neighbourhood club is now a club with no identity, no loyalty to staff/instructors, poor service, bloated membership costs, zero transparency and a blatant lack of care. People are leaving in droves and will continue to do so until this changes. What a shame.

Negative experience: Timetable much reduced since December so classes have long waiting lists so difficult to get on them. Written several emails to central management HQ about changes without response. The club also send message asking how my experience was. I repeatedly say about long waiting lists but no response. Classes are also being cancelled at the last minute and instructors constantly changing due to low staff morale.

Negative experience: I came there today from different area thinking I am gonna have a beautiful "Crouch End " membership experience. Insead of that I had lockers with padlocks and no possibility to buy padlock ( we have bracelets in my club to lock the lockers) dirty swomingpool ( several hair ) and on the end I got a bunch of screaming children ( I have asked in reception how to get to the swimming pool area and nobody told me there will be children) after me swimming maybe for 10 min and disrespectful staff ( he spoke to me with his back to me) who didn't even bother to tell us where we can swim and how long will the class take . ( I had to ask everything) On the end one little girl was taken against her will by the staff member into the water and tossed into it. She screamed so badly I couldn't take it!. I literally felt sorry for her. It felt very disressing and I have sensory issues. I left the swimming pool after maybe 15vmin with one mother attacking me verbally to which none of the staff reacted. May I say that I come to gym to relax and distress and I pay good money to be treated with respect and have a nice relaxing swim. I should not be treated with any way worst then the matters with children. I am paying the same money. I was absolutly horrified.

Fantastic experience: The place is nice. Nice equipments and very neat ambience. Contrary to some reviews I read here, the bathrooms and toilets are constantly kept clean by dedicated cleaning personnel. The staff are super friendly and supportive. I will strongly recommend this gym to everyone.

Negative experience: I'm so fed up with the men's showers STINKING of urine. I mean you often need to hold your breath whilst walking through and choosing a shower. The shower gel dispensers are always empty too (and tbh they should provide shampoo too for the price of the gym, not just some cheap all in one unscented soap). I've complained about the stench before and been told that the cleaner phoned in sick.. but at £100pm membership price they have a temp agency on standby with a substitute cleaner. There's no excuse for this, esepcially for an alleged higher-end gym chain.

Fantastic experience: All the team were amazing and supper help full a massive thank you to Ryan. The club looks amazing

Positive experience: I scheduled a personal training session, but didn't receive any communication to reschedule. Later on the same day, I was informed that someone else would reach out to me, but that hasn't happened either. It's disappointing because I was excited about using my first free session. The classes and instructors are excellent, but there appears to be a delay on the internal management side of things.

Positive experience: Good, if not among the best Virgin Active gyms. It’s a shame Reformer Pilates has taken over the main studio as tbh it doesn’t offer the same benefits as the higher impact classes it’s replaced. However, it’s obviously popular and, with a gym this size, it’s an either/or. Like most of Crouch End, it feels like a bit of a crèche at the weekends

Fantastic experience: Excellent GYM, All the Gym's around the 3 miles ratio area are poor quality, with no pool, no spa, small changing room, smaller Gym floor... Virgin Active Crouch End is the best. Also they have great customer cares kills. I am happy to have a local Gym like Virgin around.

Negative experience: So disappointing - arranged to visit with my two small children and they were denied to use the play area as were not members yet (as a result two very upset little ones although the whole point was to join as a family to use the kids facilities, which we discussed in detail with the sales manager).

Negative experience: I love the classes and using the gym, but have contacted the front desk and head office multiple times concerning the cleanlieness of the sauna and shower area. I don't like to leave negative reviews publically, but have reported small worms/leeches in the women's sauna and shower multiple times and I don't feel like it's being taken seriously. I don't think I can be the only one who has noticed this so wanted to share here. I'm also conscious that young kids crawl around in the shower area and could be at risk from these bugs. This is a pricey gym and I feel unhappy to be paying so much per month when I don't wish to use half the facilities. The cleanliness has to be improved.

Negative experience: Filthy facilities. Always dirty towels spread over floor and benches in the changing rooms. Often texts to say bring your own. People used to disinfect equipment, but rubbish bins have disappeared and spray bottles become harder to find. Toilets without toilet paper. A bit of a pit, compared to other branches.

Negative experience: Sadly will be cancelling my membership. Staff are friendly and helpful but it's really not worth the money. As others have said, it is not cleaned as well as it could be, the air vents on most of the gym equipment are clogged with dirt and seem really unhygienic. Toilets often out of toilet paper and tissues, shortage of towels. Classes are frequently cancelled at short notice, pool often closed (pool was the main reason I joined) now the main options for classes is reformer pilates and all other classes previously held in that studio like zumba, body pump, barre and others have been cancelled. Can join a decent local gym with more variety and cleaner equipment for much less than half the cost here so can't justify paying this amount anymore. If there are improvements to the running of the gym, I may go back but they have to reflect the prices they are charging.

Fantastic experience: I WENT BACK TO VIRGIN ACTIVE AFTER FINDING OUT THAT THEY INCORPORATED PILATES CLASSES , A LOT OF MEMBERS ARE SO HAPPY , YES I AM THE CHANGING ROOMS VERY CLEAN AND SHOWERS THEY LOOKS VERY CLEANED AND DISINTERESTED , I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS GYM ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fantastic experience: Great gym great new cafe with new Pilates reformers and I am happy and nice family club with great staff and management.

Negative experience: Used to be a member and left, they’ve destroyed the gym community by removing all the good classes. THEY DO NOT CARE! We are all leaving and they don’t deserve our money

Negative experience: Absolutely filthy changing rooms and showers. Used towels piling up everywhere and left in shower cubicles. Shower gel dispensers usually empty and mould building up on the ceilings. Muddy stairs leading leading to the pool and steam room. Absurd given the monthly membership costs.

Negative experience: Really poor. Showers dirty (walls and doors a lot of dirt), soap dispensers are all poor and hardly work, often empty and if not can’t get soup out properly. The steam room has not been working properly all week (not working every morning. Pool is often closed in the morning due to no staff (twice this week and most weekends). Been no tower’s recently. No one gets back you when you raise feedback or want to make a compliant. Gym space is ok, but only one squat rack and floor near boxing bag is often leaking. Staff are trying their best but under resourced. Poor service for a high priced membership. Please refund the last two month of my membership fees please as you are not providing the service as promised when I signed up. Would advise people to go to the Lab Spa instead if thinking about joining at the moment as things here are terrible.

Negative experience: Update: we are cancelling the membership. The mess got worse, now virgin claims that they run out of towels probably as a substitute of hiring a cleaning service. The state of the changing rooms is horrid. Not worth it. Mixed Experience at Virgin Active Gym ( First 2 Weeks ) 2.5 Stars if I could. For a price of 120 something per month, it is at the border of not worth it due to cleanliness. My partner and I are regular visitors to Virgin Active Gym, and our experiences have been a mix of positives and negatives. We usually attend during off-peak hours, mainly between 12 to 2 pm, and occasionally on late Sunday evenings. Here's a closer look at our observations: My partner just mentioned that the main reason she wanted to join is now gone. All the clases have been cancelled and just a small number of clases are being mantained, no variety exists anymore. Read the other reviews for more of this. Avoid if you are looking for clases. Odd, but kind of okay. The sauna is divided between male and female changing rooms, which is odd compared to other gyms like David Lloyds, but it works out; it is less friendly when you go with your partner. The steam room is near the pool on the floor below and in a dark corner of the building, which is odd to walk towards when you do both sauna and steam. Not a relaxing walk. Positives: Stable Occupation: One notable positive aspect is that the gym maintains a steady occupancy rate, usually between 20% and 29%. This means that even during mild busy hours, most of the workout machines are accessible, which is quite convenient. Spacious Sauna: The male changing room includes a goodsized sauna ( Divided between males and females ), providing a relaxing post-workout experience. Clean Towels: A consistent supply of sanitary towels is available at the reception, a small but appreciated detail. Variety of Equipment: Whether you're into weightlifting or cardio workouts, the gym offers a wide range of equipment catering to various fitness preferences, only a little for TRX. Diverse Clientele: The gym attracts a diverse mix of fitness enthusiasts, from callisthenics and boxing to stretching and weightlifting. Even during off-peak hours, this diversity creates an active and motivating atmosphere. Negatives: Sanitation Concerns: One significant downside is the gym's cleanliness. The male showers have noticeable dark mould on the ceiling panels, and the soap dispensers show signs of rusty mould, which is unhygienic and off-putting. Inconsistent Cleaning: Cleaning, particularly during evening hours (especially on Sundays), leaves much to be desired. This neglect results in a more-than-sanitary environment for members.( On Sunday 26th of Nov was especially disgusting ) Unclean Equipment: The running machines have a concerning issue; the "ventilation system" inside them appears to have never been cleaned, with visible dust and debris accumulation. This not only affects the quality of the workout but also raises hygiene concerns. Stretch Area Maintenance: The carpet in the stretch area is often dirty and filled with debris, making it uncomfortable to use without a mat. This indicates a need for consistent cleaning and maintenance. Hygiene Issues: My partner has reported hygiene issues in the ladies' area, such as finding diapers in the showers and signs of unsanitary conditions. Steam Room Area: The steam room area experiences excessive moisture. The entrance, where towels are hung, accumulates so much humidity that the ceiling is covered in droplets that fall over you, which can be uncomfortable ( Remember the ceiling of the showers... ). The ventilation outlet itself suffers from a significant calcium crust buildup. In conclusion, while Virgin Active Gym offers positive aspects like equipment availability and a diverse clientele, significant concerns regarding hygiene and maintenance require immediate attention. Implementing a more thorough and consistent cleaning schedule, particularly during off-peak hours, would significantly enhance the overall experience for members.

Negative experience: Terrible decision to close the main studio without any consultation with members. Has created a lot of discontent amongst members. The most popular classes have been culled. Cleanliness has seriously deteriorated over the last few months. Equipment badly maintained. Would not recommend joining at the moment. Head office do not care about members.

Negative experience: Obnoxious staff, dirty facilities and getting worse by the day. Such a terrible stain on Virgin Active's brand.

Negative experience: Really sad that so many classes have been dropped to make space for reformer pilates with no obvious member consultation or attempt to relocate them. They have gotten rid of a really popular Dance class, HIIT, Boxing and Barre as well a Body Pump overnight. The dance class brought a lot of joy to members and was particularly attractive to older members or those new to fitness. There is now hardly any choices for classes. The gym was just lovely as it was and I was really happy to have joined. , How disappointing. I really feel for the instructors too.

Negative experience: Not very clean...hygiene is a bit of an issue at this gym. Always short of cleaning staff Dirty doors, mirrors, showers and toilets. Standards have dropped.

Negative experience: Two stars for the upper management. Still a member of local club though as staff are lovely, but head office doesn’t care about any complaints made.

Negative experience: Taken off the most popular Zumba which had over 50 regular attendees for an in-house hybrid dance class. Ignores members request to keep popular classes.

Fantastic experience: Please please have later weekday yoga classes I can't make any weekday classes due to work and have really enjoyed the weekend sessions!!!!

Negative experience: don't give them your phone number, they will call you relentlessly.

Negative experience: Have been a client for over a year. Initially, the service was good, but lately they have been, cancelling 50% of the classes I attend whilst deciding to increase the monthly payment and providing no apology. Very disappointing service.

Positive experience: If you’re not confident with some of the gym equipment, book a free session with one of the PT’s to show you around properly. They are knowledgeable and there is no pressure to pay for sessions.

Positive experience: Facilities and classes are great, no complaints. Staff are mostly lovely. It would be 5/5 if not for : - lack of safe indoor cycle storage which is just not right this day in age. You can leave a child in daycare but not a bicycle. I think it is poor and backwards. Re design some of the extensive space you have and create an indoor safe bicycle storage. - more modern entry and locker system. Carrying a card and a padlock is so 2001.

Fantastic experience: I have been going to this gym for a little while now and absolutely love Judith's energy in the morning. Waking up so early is bad as it is, so seeing such great energy at the door makes a huge difference! Thanks for your great energy Judith :)

Positive experience: Very bright workout area, the only issue is the lacking of mirrors on the gym floor as it helps to correct postures when you are working out.

Fantastic experience: I’ve been going to this gym for about a year. My PT Amy is excellent - I was worried about going back to the gym after years out from injury, but she’s tailored things perfectly and made me feel welcome. The changing rooms and facilities are great. The staff are so busy and yet they are efficient and professional. Of note: - You have to be organised to book classes a week beforehand, because it’s a popular gym. - If you’re not confident with some of the gym equipment, book a free session with one of the PT’s to show you around properly. They are knowledgable and there is no pressure to pay for sessions. - People are respectful and there is good gym etiquette here.

Fantastic experience: Joined this gym February 2023 and couldn't be happier ❤️ I've tried a lot of different classes and the instructors have all been great and helped me make progress. The gym area always has space (when I visit) and I can see in the app how full it is before I go. I'm now also taking my son for swimming classes + family swim sessions in the pool and he is enjoying it. The changing rooms are great, spacious, clean and even a separate family area for when I bring my son in for swimming. The sauna facility in the changing rooms is a major plus for me. Some classes are more popular than others and so I need to book them few days in advance, but there is usually a good alternative if I don't get what I want each week. Friendly staff on the front desk and my queries have always been dealt with quickly.

Negative experience: On Saturday 18th March 2023 in the afternoon two members were reporting a theft they had experienced. The report was being made at the front desk to the on duty manger, a white woman. The couple who were black reported that it was not so much that they thought they would retrieve the items, but more that they wanted to help prevent future thefts. The response of the manger was shocking, violent and deeply upsetting. She proceeded to ignore the report, shutting down what the couple had to say at every turn. She was attempting to poke holes in the report, investigating the couple as if they were the criminals and not the victims. When the couple explained that they thought they saw someone that might be involved the manger angrily replied that she could not go around accusing members -at no point did the couple suggest this. Finally, when the couple calmly explained that they did not find the attitude of the manger helpful, she said they can just leave. “There is the door”. From the beginning the manger was unempathic and talking to the victims as if they criminals. Following this, the manger - as if she suddenly realised that others were witnessing the disgusting way she was behaving - approached another witness who was also black, to say if he had seen what happened. Naturally the witness was deeply upset by what he had seen and he told the manger so. Astonishingly, the manger then began to cry as if she was the victim, eliciting feelings of sympathy from other members of her team. This was a racist and violent attack on club members by a club manager. It needs to be investigated and satisfactorily dealt with, which in my view can only mean the removal of this person from her position with the club.

Fantastic experience: Nice gym

Negative experience: Too busy. I came on a Monday evening to the gym and there was a class happening in the main gym area meaning anyone paying for a membership wasn’t able to use the gym fully. The gym is small enough with limited facilities and the fact the class instructor told me rudely to move twice while plugged into a microphone was humiliating and rude. There should be a specific room for that class to take place in it should not take place on the main gym floor as that doesn’t allow people to use the gym facilities and space which we’re paying a lot of money for! This must change. Horrible experience pure gym wouldn’t do this save your money guys.

Fantastic experience: I really like this gym. The classes are brilliant and the site mostly is very clean and well looked after. It is on the smaller side, but there’s a real personal feel to club which makes such a difference. Have really enjoyed my time at the club so far.

Fantastic experience: Certainly one of the better VA gyms.

Fantastic experience: Our daughter attends the swimming class here with Stella who is the swimming instructor, she is absolutely amazing and has a lovely and fun way of teaching the kids to swim. Thank you Stella and we hope you have a lovely new year and can't wait for the new session to begin.

Negative experience: This place has gone downhill a lot this year, gym and changing rooms in desperate need of a revamp, we were promised it was happening this year- never happened. The cafe has been closed most of the year. The pool and creche are constantly closed due to lack of staff and meanwhile the membership was increased this year. really bad, unsurprisingly many members have left and joined pure gym. I'm probably not far behind.

Fantastic experience: pool play time should be longer. But gym is elite always forget my card but staff let it slide. Sound people.

Fantastic experience: I really like this place, lovely staff, clean premises, gentle and smiling members all over, nice and tidy equipment, swimming and steam are amazing. Excellent! Highly recommended!

Negative experience: Something has gone terribly wrong at Virgin Active Crouch End. It used to be a club that was relatively efficient and staffed with friendly employees. Now the swimming pool is seemingly closed all the time while the club is plagued by poor staffing levels, and many of those that do work there have an increasingly bad attitude. I primarily used the club for the pool, so given it was always closed when I wanted to use it, I requested not to pay my month's membership notice. I was told to come into the Club to discuss with the manager. I did exactly that, but was told that no manager was available. I was informed I would get a call the next day. Surprise, surprise. No call came. I phoned the club a couple of days later and explained the situation and how irritated I was, and asked again for a refund. The person answering the call seemed to think the whole thing was funny. Avoid this club.

Positive experience: Gym is nice and has the standard machinery with lots of options for cardio. I like the sled here and the gym itself was clean. Was annoying that the pool closed at 6.30pm but other than that it did the job

Fantastic experience: Thank you for keeping this place nice and clean. Staff members are incredibly helpful especially Fabi. She's always going above and beyond to make sure we have great visits and pleasant time.

Fantastic experience: I joined the club in January and since then I've been very happy with the facilities. The pool is a good enough size, the steam room is also good as the heat is at the right temperature and the gym equipment has a decent variety. The staff are helpful and knowledgable such as Ben and Mussa.

Negative experience: What absolute nonsense not allowing parents to sit by the swimming pool. Besides , you cannot see what they are doing from the window anymore because you have separated the lane into two to fit in more groups. I would like to see what my child is doing and it doesn’t distract children at all , allegedly according to Virgin active policy it does. Quite the opposite l, it encourages them to do better!

Negative experience: I have been a member of Virgin Active, Crouch End for over 2 years now since moving into the area and I recently moved across to PureGym because I couldn't believe that a gym that charges it's clients £80 p/m could offer such inadequate facilities. The gym hasn't had a refurb in such a long time, which means the changing facilities provide stools which are in need of a lot of TLC as mentioned by another review, which the GM decided to deny. The equipment is something from the 1990s not 2022 and they refuse to ever put on the a/c even in the hottest of UK days probably because they want to save money. I stayed at Virgin Active for so long because there wasn't a gym in the area so as soon as PureGym opened I moved across within 1 month. It is refreshing to be working out in the gym that does offer state of the art equipment, air conditions their gyms, has amazing changing facilities and you're not being harassed by PTs every 2 seconds who want to hit their quota for the month. The equipment is so old in this gym that it seems to be 'out of use' all the time and being repaired, as well as being the creakiest equipment which at times is embarrassing, especially on the leg press and people look at you because it's so creaky! Advice to management - upgrade your facilities, incentivise your PT staff in a different way so they don't have to harass customers and create a better working environment for your staff because it's clear to see how many of them have moved over to PureGym because it wasn't a great working environment for them. This Virgin Active out of all the facilities I have seen is the worst within their portfolio, sort it out or all your members will leave eventually.

Negative experience: Music in the stretch room is mind numbing and played ridiculously loud. I have written to management twice, responded going forward the volume will be reduced but to no avail. Other members in stretch room has expressed annoyance of the berating music being played. Can't we just have the stretch room a silent room.