Virgin Active

Negative experience: Have just left this gym after a 7 year membership. The standards have gone down so much since I joined it simply isn't worth the money anymore. New "planet saving" towel limits introduced to tier 1 members were the final straw for me, meaning you now get one towel for swim, sauna, steam and to dry with after a shower. The facilities are not maintained as well as they used to be. We had cold showers the other week, drains always overflowing and stinking and the jacuzzi is nearly always cold. Locker area has many permanently unavailable, broken or dirty lockers. The spa area is busy and noisy and none of the club rules or spa etiquette is enforced. The pool programme has so many various swimming lessons, family swim time etc that lane swimming even during popular hours can be problematic. You'll often find you're either not allowed in the pool at all or the fast and slow lanes are merged into one lane which (as you can imagine) is just chaos. Members have complained about so many issues but complaints are either met with deaf ears or empty words. Seriously - don't bother.

Negative experience: AVOID IF YOU DO NOT WANT HEADACHE! Was a member for a year here, in December notified the branch manager that I would be relocating in Feb 2025 for work and provided two pieces of evidence on the original email. Did not hear back from anyone until late Feb 2025 letting me know that my account was overdue and that I needed to pay. I notified them I had sent a cancellation email to Jordan the branch manager in December 2024, they told me to write into head office and that would be fine. I forwarded the original email to Mohima Ali at head office to whom took weeks to respond back with this is not adequate evidence for one of the pieces of evidence which was my new car insurance policy from Churchill showing my new address name etc, I thought that's strange but I have attached two pieces of evidence. I mentioned this to them and they said the second was not adequate either, being a bank statement with new address. They keep on taking weeks to get back and it seems they are trying to find a way to void my original request of cancellation back in December 2024 which was well within the one month notice period they require. I will tell you for free today you are not getting a penny out of me. I notified you and it seems your incompetant staff are trying to keep my contract ongoing until they get adequate evidence. I was thinking to potentially join again when I move back to London, not a chance now. Club is not worth the money and no one knows what they are doing! Mid March now I am writing this and I am still having to go back and forth with Mohima Ali at their head office to whom is clueless. Get this cancellation confirmed- having read other reviews about Virigin Clubs clearly I am not the first nor last. Get it sorted out!

Negative experience: Please bring back the music license, the instructors are now forced to play odd playlists because Virgin did not renew music license. It gives a weird vibe to classes and this drove out a lot of great instructors who didn't want to put up with this. Also, please either expand the gym or stop letting so many people join - it's constantly overflowing with people, leaving no space to work out or use equipment - I have left the gym many times as soon as I arrived for this reason. Additionally, you have to join most classes as soon as they come out to have a chance to attend. For the money Virgin charges, the standards should be higher especially considering these matters. On a positive note - the staff have always been very friendly and seem to be hardworking - the issues I've experienced seem to come from management. If these issues were resolved, my rating would move to a 4-4.5.

Negative experience: No hot water for multiple days. Not acceptable for a gym that costs £100+ a month. The showers also always smelly (like sewage) and dirty, with grime and mould everywhere. I went to shower (in the cold) and forgot to bring my own shower gel and thought there would be some available - shower gel container provided was completely empty. What’s the point in paying such a premium price for a below average gym? Unfortunately I’ve been auto renewed for another year but if I could, I’d go back to Clapham pure gym. Better facilities and cheaper price.

Negative experience: What a shit show! No hot water in the men showers today, cancelling classes last minute, and cutting back on towels leading to unhygienic conditions. But, charging a premium fee and even increasing it year after year. Response at reception non existing. I am out of here.

Negative experience: Always ridiculously busy, even from 3/4pm in the afternoon. Too small a gym for the number of members and despite this they are constantly showing around new people. The evenings are absolutely packed, centimeters between each other on the gym floor. Now they’ve introduced a policy meaning you are only allowed one small shower towel and one tiny sweat towel (flannel size). Not allowed another towel even if using the sauna/jacuzzi/pool or washing your hair. This means some people are using the sauna sweating onto the same towel they are then showering with. I have complained and Virgin have completely failed to engage with the content of my complaint particularly my concerns about the hygiene of this policy. They claim this has been brought in for “sustainability” reasons.

Positive experience: Only they allowed us to use one towel. My towel was so socked after I use it for sauna

Fantastic experience: love it use my membership to go to others gym area, if am not happy goes somewhere and mix it up weekly, all gyms are not the same worth moving around check it out. Best thing I have ever done keep me happy and positive.

Positive experience: Poor value for money, would not recommend. I've had a year's membership and am not renewing. The selection of classes is good and the instructors have been great, but unless you book in as soon as the booking opens you can't get onto them. The gym is very small and constantly busy, even at non-peak times it can be hard to find a floor space or get onto machines. The pool is nice, but the family swim and swimming lessons always seem to be scheduled at times that clash with the best times for working people so there's often limited space and the changing rooms have lots of children running around. The spa facilities are nice, but the jacuzzi and sauna are always packed so there's no space to relax. Even though there's always a cleaner doing things the place never feels particularly clean. They've recently started limiting the number of towels you can have to one normal one and one small sweat, which is no good if you have long hair and need to dry it. Today the hot water wasn't working in the showers and even though I heard someone reporting it to a member of staff, no one bothered to put any signage up or let people know it wasn't working as they were entering the place. Overall I would describe the place as a glorified leisure centre with a very hefty price tag. It has potential to be nice but the company is clearly trying to cut corners and oversell the membership and it makes it not worth the money.

Negative experience: So packed every time you enter it’s not even worth going

Negative experience: Impossible to get through to the Clapham gym reception on the phone

Fantastic experience: Great atmosphere lovely staff top notch

Positive experience: Had a membership here for about 4 months until I moved away. Pros would be it’s got a good location if you’re in the common area and the locker rooms and equipment are nice. On the down side the gym floor is TINY for what you pay for. For anyone who works a 9-5. Before or after work it’s rammed and you have to wait for equipment and it’s not a good experience. The pool, hot tub, and steam/sauna are a great plus but again always found them all crammed or full. Overall the gym is nice but I would say not worth the money. You’re better off at the Puregym on the high street.

Negative experience: All of the 1 star reviews here are true. This truest is a terrible gym. One of the smallest gym spaces I have seen. Changing rooms are always clean. There is never hot water in the taps and the steam room almost never works. Really don’t see the value for money here. There are a lot better gyms in Clapham with far better facilities. Do not waste your money on this “gym”

Negative experience: It's about £160 pcm and just not worth it, wifi is terrible, gym equipment can be broken for too long. Steam room is noisy and lets out no steam. bad value for money, staff are great ill admit but that just doesnt do it, need better equipment wifi and steam room to justify price!

Negative experience: Was a member via my work for a year and it's very poor value for money. The swimming pool is its main attraction (as there are not many in the area) but it's either closed for maintenance or being used for swim lessons - it's tiny so unless you're there during super off peak times it's hard to use. The entire gym is dirty and very overcrowded - as is standard with the Virgin brand it's quantity over quality. I also just got very bad vibes/energy in there - very overpriced and a terrible gym overall.

Negative experience: Insane how much they charge here for what you get. Sure the pool is good but for people who don’t use it (which is 80% of the regular goers) you are just given a tiny room that is ALWAYS packed, with very few weights and smoke!! There is a restaurant downstairs so the gym always fills up with smoke and I come home smelling like I was at a BBQ. Terrible terrible terrible. I hope a competing gym opens up soon.

Fantastic experience: Virgin Clapham is the best

Negative experience: completely unaffordable for a lackluster gym with little space and is extremely busy. Prices have increased drastically even in the last year with no improvement on the equipment. I'm going elsewhere.

Negative experience: Below average gym for the price. Equipment is good but the positives end there. Constantly busy, unclean, full of screaming children at times and gymfloor is too small. They keep adding members and overcrowding is getting worst. For the hefty membership fees, not worth it.

Fantastic experience: Great place. Great team Luke fantastic PT

Fantastic experience: Lovely staff and receptionist. A very welcoming place!

Fantastic experience: Was a very good experience. I'll definitely recommend.

Fantastic experience: Love my gym so much - lovely staff

Negative experience: Never seen worse promotion....your staff tried to promote your gym on the street in Clapham Common...black young guy with braided hair.... Ask me and my boss if we want to sign up for free, when we kindly said no thanks, he looked at me and bullied me front of my boss and her two children saying: I think you should do and started lough.... Never ever ever would recomend your gym to anyone.... I hope someone gonna take you to court, because your staff bullying people on the street because of their look....

Negative experience: Not good value for money at Clapham. 1. Can never get on any of the good classes and some of the classes are oversubscribed so have to turn up 15 minutes early to get a space 2. Women's showers have been mouldy for over a year and they haven't treated it. 3. The most unclean women's changing room of all the virgin actives I've been to. Same for sauna and steam room. 4. Can only a get a squat rack at at 11am or 3pm - so not really usable if you don't have Flexi hours. They need a new cleaning team to charge what they're charging.

Fantastic experience: Excellent gym! The sauna and spa area is brilliant and a big reason why I enjoy going often. Special mention to all the staff who I think are friendly, especially Emre who is excellent. He has been helping give exercise recommendations recently on the gym floor.

Fantastic experience: Great, friendly gym. Love the aqua classes

Fantastic experience: really friendly staff great facility swimming pool I love

Negative experience: I signed up to a membership that allows flexibility - turns out it doesn’t and they refused my request to pause because I was “too late” - I explained my situation (I’m unable to use the gym because I’ve had to move out of London to help care for a terminally ill parent) and they sent unhelpful and stock reply. The gym is ok, bit tired, the staff are all nice enough although one PT sent me multiple personal text messages trying to get me to sign up despite me saying I wasn’t ready. Essentially it’s convenient but that’s about all you can say for it, the attitude of Virgin Gym as a whole though is awful, unfeeling and money grabbing. Not what you’d expect from Virgin.

Fantastic experience: Quite new to the gym but felt welcomed by all staff members, particularly Jason who is super knowledgeable with all things fitness. He listened to everything I said I wanted to work on and created the best plan - Very patient and kind, book your PT session with him! As well as Stephane, who is a fantastic yoga teacher and made all new comers feels very comfortable.

Fantastic experience: Lovely stuff.

Negative experience: Spoke with member of staff Amin who was completely unhelpful and very blunt. Didn’t really listen to what I was trying to explain. Booked into a boxing class at Wandsworth on waiting list and also booked in to the waiting list for Pilates align at Clapham shortly after just in case I didn’t get into boxing. I had completely forgot to cancel the Pilates waiting list at Clapham as I had gotten into the Boxing. Whilst I was in the boxing class I got off the waitlist and into the pilates class, because I was ALREADY in a class I obviously couldn’t cancel. By the time I had gotten out of Boxing it was too late to cancel Pilates due to just being under 30 mins. I spoke with a lovely receptionist at Wandsworth when leaving the boxing session (this was before Pilates class even started) whom advised me I can call into Clapham to get the ban removed as I go to classes multiple times a week. I’ve just called and spoken with Amin who was blunt and not really listening to what I had to say. I was apologetic for missing the Clapham class and he kept cutting me off when trying to talk and said his decision is final and that’s all he kept saying. I’ve never had an issue with any of the staff and Clapham and everyone is so lovely so I’m quite shocked he was so rude about it. I’ve had the ban removed before with no issue. Really gutted that I’ve had to put in a bad review as the staff are generally so helpful and kind.

Negative experience: Won't be back here again

Fantastic experience: Kyron at Virgin was really helpful and informative when I enquired about joining this gym

Fantastic experience: Great and easy onboarding from Kyron!

Fantastic experience: A great team - efficient, welcoming, knowledgeable about all the sessions - on the front desk help make the whole experience worth the effort!

Negative experience: I had requested a temporary freeze on my PT sessions as I would be away on holiday. Unfortunately, I was denied. This decision is particularly disappointing as it seems unfair to be charged for services that I cannot utilize, especially when the circumstances are beyond my control. I had hoped for a more understanding and flexible approach. .

Negative experience: There is always one thing not working... the sauna, equipment, a hair dryer...

Negative experience: Recently the amount of kids in the pool and running around screaming in the men's locker rooms has become unbearable. Nothing against kids but Virgin needs to control it, this isn't a public lido. This gym charges a lot for its monthly membership and it's not cool. Do it as a weekend thing or middle of the afternoon, not daily evenings at 5 or 6pm when you're trying to relax in the steam room. Put a control in numbers like you do with the classes! If this continues I'm sure a lot of us will be happy signing up to the Third Space Battersea next year.

Fantastic experience: Just refurbished with new gym equipment (eleiko). Not competition barbells or plates, but good nonetheless. Has a steam, sauna and hottub as well as swimming pool.

Fantastic experience: An absolute delight of a place - I would give it 6/5 if I could. Love the staff, trainers, facilities and the vibe of this gym! Super highly recommend to anyone looking to start and continue their fitness journey! Great job team! <3

Fantastic experience: Great place

Negative experience: Space is always packed here. The new set up made for people holding racks and pulleys for an entire session. Every time I get a spot I’m bombarded by “how many more do you have?” “Can I work in?” However this happens at any gym. Most frustrating part is the re-model and the failure to buy commercial grade equipment. Pulley machines already broken with signs “we’re taking a break” no virgin, give us a break .. the amount of people paying your outrageous prices for this small h-hole. Buy good equipment, do better

Fantastic experience: Great staff. Great classes. Quality experience.

Negative experience: Pool refurb is dreadful. What used to be a beautiful, joyful mosaic-walled spa has now been turned into a clinical white and grey space that feels less clean, soulless, dingy and overall just depressing. It’s a shame as it has a great skylight and other than the hot-tub breaking down every five minutes I didn’t see why anything else needed to be changed. A huge waste of money for an overall tacky looking job. Also the new dumbbells are pretty dreadful. We used to have them go up in 2kg increments, but now 2.5kg. Nothing wrong with the old ones so why change. To combine the cable machines into the squat racks has also made it more unpleasant for people who don’t want to step into the free weights area due to it being overcrowded at peak times. Showers seem to be far more often empty of shower gel aswell. The only cable machine in the machine weight area has one side broken and as everything in this club I expect it’ll be about 6 months til it’s fixed. Most of the staff are friendly but for the facilities you get it’s not worth the money.

Positive experience: I think it's slightly overpriced for its size, comparing to other centres and their prices. But I think it's great and still worth the money. I love the variety and quality of classes as well as all other installations which have all been renovated recently.

Fantastic experience: Virgin Active Canary Wharf may not be the go-to spot for those seeking an intense workout or a place to train like an athlete. However, it excels in creating an atmosphere of relaxation and tranquility. It's the kind of place where you can escape the demands of daily life, take a dip in the pool, enjoy the Jacuzzi, and embrace the soothing heat of the sauna and steam room. In a bustling urban center like Canary Wharf, the value of such a peaceful oasis cannot be overstated. So, if you're looking for a spot to chill, unwind, and let the stresses of the day melt away, Virgin Active Canary Wharf has your heart – just don't expect it to be your typical gym experience.

Negative experience: They closed the entire gym for a whole day without ever sending any type of communication to members. Extremely frustrating

Negative experience: Bad smells of food in gym floor, tiny space mainly cardio pool closed, worst gym I’ve been into in my life

Negative experience: I think that there are multiple issues with the club and I think that people shouldn’t be made to pay premium rates for a substandard service. In the last two weeks due to ongoing maintenance various parts of the gym floor have been closed and unavailable (no squat racks on 11/08). The pool area is closed in the middle of summer and so the pool, sauna and jacuzzi are all closed. The bathroom often smells worse than it should. And last week the spin instructor that was mentioned on the app for a session was away without any prior notification. This is just in the last two weeks. This is unacceptable. Management need to do better.

Negative experience: I do agree with most of the reviews here, however, my real issue with this gym is they have this group of 3 boys that go daily and seem to be friends with some of the staff members. They are SO loud in the locker room (which they hang out in for ages) and on the gym floor. It's giving year-9 locker room vibes after PE, not what you expect for £125 a month. Sometimes I want to use the steam room after working out and if they are in the locker room I just get changed as quick as possible and go home because I don't want to listen to their super loud, cringey and childish conversation. I'm really surprised that staff permit this kind of rowdy behaviour and almost encourage it. Also, one of them in particular doesn't wear deodorant and smells awful and they spread out so much it reeks the whole gym floor out.

Negative experience: I originally joined another Virgin Active club and then I moved so this one is my closest club. It is very small, I always have to queue to use any equipment and I never go at peak times. Also, there must be a restaurant nearby so often when the windows are open to let air in there is a strong smell of asian food in the gym. The jacuzzi (when it works) is super small and there is a glass so everyone walking down the corridor can stare at whoever is relaxing in the jacuzzi. In summary, not worth at all the £100+ monthly fees. When asked to cancel my membership I was told I couldn’t as I am locked in a 12 months contract (even though I signed the contract with a bigger and much better club). I am looking to switch to a more affordable gym once the contract runs out, not worth the money

Fantastic experience: Great facilities. Most important thing is that staff are very helpful and happy. Always treat staff with respect.

Negative experience: Specifically asked if I can pause my membership during the times when I am living abroad they told me yes and when it comes down to it they won't. I then asked if I can cancel since I was within the 14 days where they themselves said you can cancel, and they also said no I can't. Avoid this club better to travel a little and go to the gyms in central London with good customer service and who abide by the contract.

Negative experience: At over £125 a month to be a member you might think this business would treat you to some air-conditioning while you work out. Not so. The windows are open and the AC is off. There's no airflow and the gym is basically smelly. I decided to go elsewhere.

Negative experience: I was about to join the Clapham Virgin Active club but after reading all these negative reviews, I changed my mind. What really put me off is the condescending way the staff reply to the negative reviews, they really lack customer service skills, what a shame...

Negative experience: This place needs a massive revamp. The air conditioning is never on in the gym. The gym is always packed and there is not enough space.

Fantastic experience: Great location, amazing equipment and fantastic staff thank you

Positive experience: Good club but it's a workout and go kinda place... its SsOo busy. staff are fabulous by the way... always ready to helpful and supportive

Negative experience: Crowded everywhere all the time . When machines broken you will not get a full workout.

Negative experience: Its not a friendly gym. there was dust on floor personal trainer don't even say Hi to you. in the gym. equipment broken no boxing bags no pull sleds only 2 Swiss balls only 2 place to dead lift for gym is disappointing for £100 per month. but showers good but with no soap and steam is great if some one not spitting in there just its unfriendly gym with with very poor equipment in gym for advanced exercise and for £100 per month not value for money.quite disappointing for virgin not to be update with what is new in fitness gyms I don't need help in gym I'm been workout for 32 years and am pt with 25 years experience did not read my google profile so bad I been training for some weeks no it got even worse was in steam some was spitting in there gym stretching not clean broken mirrors to it so bad I ask close my £100 months membership I would not recommend a gym like this that just don't care about paying members and the toilets stink were have a wee I think may training save money this why it so bad

Fantastic experience:

Negative experience: Literally the worst gym I have ever been to!!!!! It is £75 a month which is just extortionate for what it is.. a tiny room with barely any equipment. I used to go to the wandsworth virgin active which was across 2 floors and had so many different rooms with different equipment. This is always completely full, barely any classes, doesnt have boxing and is so much more expensive. Avoid

Positive experience: OK gym, limited space in the gym and limited range of equipment.

Positive experience: A good gym (if a little small). Nice to have a pool that is long enough for lengths. Could do with having a larger gym floor with less cardio.

Fantastic experience: Lovely staff, good variety in classes and nice spa area

Negative experience: I tried to come and try the facilities of the gym as I've heard so much about Virgin Active But unfortunately I was not allowed unless I became a member and signed up to 12 months contract. Which I thought was ridiculous because how is someone meant to feel comfortable with the gym and facilities if you never used. Virgin active has made me changed my opinion of them and they're just money grabbers trying to lock you in. I wouldn't mind paying for a contract but for facilities I've not used or seen and wouldn't even give me a tour. Absolutely appalled this is the first gym in my history that I've been too and have been refused.

Negative experience: An update on my previous review. I called up today to ask if the pool, jacuzzi & showers were working. I now always call ahead because there is no guarantee customers will receive a text or the app will have a notification if one of these facilities is broken. Unfortunately today I should have also asked is the jacuzzi warm. No it was freezing, the pool was warmer. It was lovely to get into a warm pool. It was disappointing to see customers dipping their toes into the jacuzzi only for the smiles to fall off their faces. I may need to use the gym again tomorrow and I will now be armed with a longer list of questions to call ahead with to find out if the journey is worth the bother. ——— I only joined the gym to make use of a child free (most of the time) pool and jacuzzi. However I’m seriously thinking of leaving. The service does not justify the fee I pay. Whilst the staff are nice people they lack customer service training. Virgin could seriously do with training their staff on how to deal with frustrated customers. The issues which affect me include 1. The pool frequently closed due to chlorine levels/heating 2. Jacuzzi often malfunctioning and therefore closed 3. Windows open on the gym floor which mean the air conditioning is rendered ineffective. I have asked staff to close the windows as at 5 foot 4 I am not tall enough to reach them. I also do not want to risk an argument with one of the 6 foot male customers who had opened them. I find it really hard to do cardio on the gym floor as I overheat easily. Staff either do not care or are powerless to intervene (probably the later causing the former) 4. Final straw earlier this week when I went to use the gym showers to get ready for a meeting as my hot water at home was malfunctioning. I arrived to the locker I had rented for several years to find it completely cleared out. My first thought was everything had been stolen and I’m going to miss my meeting. When approaching staff rather than immediately given an apology/concern I was bluntly told gym members cannot leave items in the lockers overnight. When I explained it was a rented locker it took them some time to locate all my belongings tied up in a bin bag (damp as no air could circulate) like they were carrying out the trash or handing stored clothing to a newly released prisoner - would you like your belongings treated this way? I keep many items in my locker and the volume/weight of the items should have made it clear it was a rented locker not just someone leaving a few items overnight. After my shower I finally received a sheepish apology. Staff are simply not trained to handle customers. Their reaction is always to blame the customer for the issue first. Today the pool and jacuzzi are once more out of action. No I will not travel to another gym as that will cost me over £20 when I can walk to Clapham on foot. I try to always call the gym in advance to see what is broken as when I forget I inevitably have a wasted journey.

Negative experience: EDIT: feb 2025 and now all virgin active clubs are making a new rule of ONE TOWEL ONLY?! So if I wash my hair I have to use one towel? This has brought my rating down and will stay until I find another conveniently located club. Oh and I will be using two towels whenever I wash my hair. I will update here what the consequences will be The gym is ok. This Clapham branch is classified as a top tier branch and it’s my home club as it’s close to where I live however the equipment on the gym floor is very out-dated, limited and basic. Way too often, the gym sends a text notifying members the hot water doesn’t work, the jacuzzi is always luke warm and apart from being in a premium location in Clapham, the premium prices really isn’t justified. I keep my membership for the Yoga/Pilates only and I use other branches for better gym equipment and spa facilities. (UPDATE: NOBODY HAS CALLED ME AND ITS BEEN A YEAR)

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff, amazing selection of classes and the whole centre feels well looked after.

Negative experience: Do not join this gym, I have been a member here for 3 months and I can’t even begin to tell you how bad it is. Will quit when membership is up.

Positive experience: Smaller than other sites and sometimes too busy but otherwise good

Negative experience: Horrible, every year or so at winter boilers fail, this year it’s been out for 3 weeks, with no resolution in sight. Let me put this in perspective 3 weeks they are trying to get a contract or replace missing parts for a boiler. Total miss management of the gym. The jacquizi some days work sone days doesn’t. One time they had a missing dumbles for 2 months, they lied and said it was a problem with lead time from supplier, but when I showed them evidence that it can be delivered in 4 working days, the dumble magically appeared next day. I got stuck in the toilets 4 times because there was no toilet paper. There a lot of complaints to be honest about here, but the only reason why am still a member one of the only gyms in Clapham that has a pool and a decent sauna, the people that come here are of diverse age and makes the gym feel more family and the staff that works locally are amazing. It’s just a complete mess when it comes to the management

Negative experience: Pool is small and quite cold

Positive experience: Facilities are great and staff is really welcoming. The only I’d change is the booking policy on the app. Even if you can’t or don’t book classes you should be able to attend last minute if there are spaces

Fantastic experience: My experience at this club was really good. All facilities were working, and all staffs were very helpful. The operations manager was everywhere helping out. I will definitely visit this club again.

Fantastic experience:

Negative experience: Avoid at all costs! the gym is falling apart. Extremely poorly managed. The changing room stink and are full of mould. The timetable is never correct, impossible to plan a workout or swim. Incredible to believe the monthly this is at £110...I wouldn't pay half of it if it wasn't the by far the closest gym. Also, the gym floor is very small.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic/Amazing Friendly Staff! Very Pool and Jacuzzi! Great Swimming Classes and affordable. Roger/Copy George, he really had a great experience!‍♂️

Positive experience: This is a very nice gym and the experience is generally excellent. However, to management: A gym of this caliber (and cost) should have decent, protected bike storage. Having CCTV on an outdoor, publically accessible area effectively does nothing. CCTV does not stop bikes or bike components being stolen, and there is little that you can or the police will do with the footage of a bike being stolen. Anyone with even minimal knowledge of city cycling could tell you that.

Negative experience: Just been holding for over 20 minutes for someone to answer my phone call enquiring about a possible membership. Ridiculous! and by reading previous reviews I don’t think I’ll take that chance parting with hard earned money.

Negative experience: Old outdated gym not worth the money pure-gym is better than this.

Positive experience: It's ok. Full of Slapham people!

Negative experience: Tried to organise a guest visit. My husband has been a member for many years and I wanted to try and find out about membership options. Called in advance, got confirmation that it was ok to come. On arrival, it turned out that reception was unaware and didn't have wristbands (could one have been set aside after my call?). So I was offered the option of carrying my bag around including the sauna and pool. The gym itself is packed, equipment is quite tired. No interest in paying for it and a complete lack of customer service £115 a month.

Negative experience: Mould on the walls in the main areas and changing room. No working front door for months so you have to go through one single back door - not what you would expect from £100 +/month gym. Tiny training areas upstairs - always overcrowded no matter what.

Negative experience: "They won't let me cancel!!!" I was a member at virgin active clapham for years and on the 13th or 14th of October they sent me out a email saying they're going to increase my monthly fee but if I sign up to another contract they'll keep my membership at the same price. So I tried to cancel my membership via the app and it came up with a message saying, ophs we couldn't fetch your eligibility status to cancel you membership. So on the 14th of October I called up the branch cancel my membership seeming as the app didn't work. They pick up and was perfectly polite. They said sure we'll cancel your membership but seeming as you next bill is due we'll have to charge you for this month and there's a 30 day period to cancel like most companies. So I would have to pay for a few days or something for the second month. The second month comes round and I get charged the full rate. They said they had no record of me cancelling and I asked them to check their call log, they said they don't keep a record of their calls. I asked them don't you have a record of me handing my wrist band and keys back and said no they don't keep a record of that either. They assured me that they would contact me but I've heard nothing and it's been 2 weeks. I've had no sign that I will get refunded for it. I've been chasing them up and still no progress. What makes all those worse is they still haven't cancelled my membership. I haven't received any cancellation email but they're assuring me that they're in the process of cancelling my membership.

Fantastic experience: Easy to navigate !

Positive experience: Nice

Positive experience: Very suave and relaxing. Classy clientelle makes it a bit different for me. Enjoy the yoga and classes as they are well taught.

Negative experience: Shame shame on virgin Active and the whole corporation. Went this morning to inquire about swimming lessons for adult. The lady at the reception who claimed to be the Duty Manager deserves to be sacked. She claimed to have no information about the fees, went to the back and twice and came back without any information as she claimed I said I do not want to join/sign membership. She went back the third claiming to go and get some one who has the information. The young Man brought only picked a folder by the desk (Which this clueless manager has been) and gave the the ridiculous price you are charging for bad services (From the review of your current users). What I concluded is that your discriminatory manager has just judged that I cannot afford the membership fee due to biased (race/class). All i can say is that your manager was very snobby.

Negative experience: £100 per month is the most I have ever spent on a gym. The only way I can justify it is the fact that I live a 2 minute walk away. Unfortunately, the gym is not in good condition. The main door has been broken for over a year (you have to enter what looks like a staff door at the side) The hot water frequently breaks and I often have cold showers. There are spots of mould in the showers and the overall gym feels as if it needs a refurbishment. I barely use the gym floor because it is very small and gets very busy. However, I am keeping my membership for the time being for the classes. The instructors are excellent and so are the rest of the staff. But the Pure gym on Wandsworth Road at £24 a month is very enticing considering that it has more space and better facilities.

Fantastic experience: Armin was the best! Truly professional and attentive service

Positive experience: A poorly maintained gym for a high price. I joined this gym about a year ago and I've been using mostly the weightlifting area and the swimming pool. In this year I've experienced so many things to go wrong. - Main door broke months ago, it took ages to get an estimation for a replacement. It's still not working. I was clumsy and smashed my finger with the side door the other day because it was way to easy to open it. - Hot water supply has been on and off in the past month or so. Now at least they are changing the engine. Oh, and they sent out a text message that the hot water is back on, even though it wasn't. - Equipments usually break and most of the time they don't even put up a sign about an estimated fix. - Mondays and Tuesdays are insanely packed, the gym is hardly usable at peak times. And I know, this phenomenon is in other gyms too, however, this one has one of the worst peak times I've seen. - Sometimes they run out of towels. - Last time they ran out of paper towels, used for wiping down equipment, so they put out some white easily tearable rolls what I think was actually toilet paper. It made a mess. Overall I feel negligence. These problems might be okay in a cheaper gym but not here. Cherry on the top I cannot cancel my membership for 30 days. Even though they don't deliver what I expect. Two star for the value you get for your money, the swimming pool is nice, and plus one star because the staff is friendly.

Negative experience: Pros: - as far as I'm aware its the only gym in the clapham area with pool & sauna and in fairness, when everything is working it is a nice area, clean and generally a relaxing environment Cons: - the gym area is absolutely tiny and at busy times you are always queuing for machines/feeling cramped. In general it seems like they aren't using the space efficiently but anyway there seems to be too many members for the space they have - I've been a member for 2 months now and its not an exaggeration to say that almost every time I have been there has been an issue of sorts: air con broken, hot tub broken, swimming pool out of action, most recently no hot water in the showers for about a week. Paying £110 a month, the bare minimum you expect is for things to work and space to workout, so this is very frustrating. The staff are friendly, just a shame they are always apologising - there's only so many complimentary guest passes you can get before you run out of patience...

Negative experience: If you want good facilities, don’t come here. For the last 6 months the front doors have been broken. The new aircon has stopped working 3 or 4 times each time for about a week. The hot water regularly is out, right now it’s been out for 8 days and counting. If you’re thinking of joining this club, don’t. Go elsewhere.

Positive experience: It's ok for a gym. Needs updating, free weights looks new - clean. But for the price and brand I expect better.

Negative experience: Members over pay; the classes are never prepared with the basic equipment could be for body pump, members have to clean the equipment rather than staff, instructors reject members for 1 min late. Low level!!!

Negative experience: This is my fourth Virgin Active (in London) and I must admit that it is definitely the lowest standard I have ever seen. For the price it does not justify itself going to this gym. The gym needs a lot of work. 1. We’ve had issues with the air conditioning for ages now and I am not sure when this will be fixed, overall it seems like things are taking ages to fix which seems to be the theme here but it has been uncomfortable to work out there for some time now. 2. The gym itself is tiny and definitely seems like it has more members than it can handle. 3. There is a complete disregard for any sort of order in the free weights section, Everything is all over the place, I am used to seeing things organised every day by the staff but there seems to be no attempt to correct and to be honest it’s the little things that can make a difference. The staff has always been friendly with me and I can’t fault them, but having used PureGym during lockdown this really seems like a step down to me in terms of hygiene and equipment. As someone who always used to enjoy Virgin Active, it is disappointing.

Negative experience: This gym's motto is 'everything is broken, all the time, guaranteed" Staff are nice but don't seem empowered to do anything to fix the myriad of problems. Virgin Active don't seem to give a cr-p about their paying customers.