David Lloyd membership

I was a member for 6 years and the off peak membership offer got worse and worse to the point that there was one single class I could book on my non work day! And I had to set an alarm for precisely 8pm 8 days ahead to get to book that!

It was a lovely environment with good coaches and nice cafe staff, but since Covid it became really clogged up with people working there and (as a teacher and a parent who doesn't enjoy taking her tween DC to gyms) the other parents were appalling and just let their kids run wild. I had to tell off other people's kids once or twice for really dangerous behaviour. I also got told off twice by other patrons in the pool, once for swimming too slowly in the slow lane 😂.

They had a massive refurbishment and made the exercise studios dark grey and brown with barely working lights and dodgy amateurish Budda-seque paintings and random vases (like a dodgy hotel lobby 😂). We were using phone torches to find exercise equipment in the unlit cupboards.

After serving my 3 months' notice, I have now decamped to the scruffy local Nuffield which was less than half the price for a full time membership and actually has natural light in the studios and sufficient parking!

I am going to miss the fantastic car wash though.

TL;DR: nice buildings; some good classes if you can get into them; dodgy decor; entitled patrons; great car wash.

It's not good value for money. It's only priced like that to keep the riffraff out. Try puregym. £25 a month.

Good luck everyone getting rid of them if you don't sign up. Like being recruited by a cult.

How often are you exercising at the moment OP? You say you want to lose three stone - why don’t you try one of the cheaper gyms that are less expensive and can be cancelled easily to build your gym habit. Then once you have it established, look again at the David Lloyd. Don’t sign up to a year contract thinking that’s the way you will lose weight.

I love my club - yes there are niggles, mainly due to the other members rather than the club itself (entitlement is off the scale).
I have been a member for well over a decade and I think I joined during an offer with no joining fee (but my monthly fee has doubled over that time....).
I think I go more regularly because of the cost - I feel I have to get my money's worth.

I used to pay upfront for the year and got 10% off but they have stopped doing that at my club - I think others still do it.

I would also suggest joining one or two of the Facebook groups and search for your club - David Lloyd Community and David Lloyd complaints are the two I would recommend.

That cost is shocking - It would defo be out of my price range for my £31.99 a month I get Gym, Swim, Courts, and Classess.

My only downside is I wish mine was open longer hours as they do 0630am to 10pm in the week and 0800am to 4pm on Sat and Sun which is pretty rubbish tbf

We were members for 12 months. Joined mainly for the indoor tennis courts - which it turns out, were constantly booked out & we barely got to use. We're not big swim/spa ppl so when you take that out of the deal it really is just a very expensive gym. It has all the usual gym gripes too - ppl don't re rack weights, gym floor staff not overly helpful, grotty change rooms etc. For £20 a month I can deal with that - but not £120!!

Forgot to add, DL do offer a 3 month membership, so you can try it.

I'm a DL member, and whilst I can appreciate some things (platinum club) likes towels, long opening times, big variety of classes, gym machines and the pools are lovely, overall it still has the same frustrations as lower priced gyms.
E.g the safety clips for bench bars, and carabiners on the cable machines go missing very regularly. People are lazy and don't rerack weights, or wipe equipment down. Kids are allowed in the gym, which I don't agree with. As its a family friendly gym, if you wanted quieter times, it's super early or past 8pm at night. Yes as above to rubbish hairdryer and no diffuser. Only the top tier have more spa facilities, we have a tiny sauna, jacuzzi and steam room. You get more at Virgin.
If it's just a case of wanting to lose weight, I'd go for the cheaper option.

It depends what you're going for. We were members of DL, and the actual gym equipment was no better than any other gym. We didn't want a pool, sauna etc, or a cafe or seating area. Pure Gym was so much cheaper, and as the name implies, just a gym. DL classes were probably better but ot sure.
So havee a think about what things you actually need, and have a trial session at each gym.
We had a trial session at a very smart gym, and when on the treadmills, the sun was directly in our eyes making it hot and unpleasant, things you don't think about until you try it out.

I would look elsewhere democracythree.org/help-emma-sue-david-lloyd?fbclid=IwY2xjawFzcfZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHRTqzXRuhpMmFkhcqY9PDIvYFepK81zy97_ZHQ9-pFXii38SV4PoX6ltbg_aem_Veys2AlAwrWQSz6RZodYeg

I’m with DL and it’s a massive jump
in fees from the council run leisure centres membership I had previously. However although our councils gyms on the whole were pretty decent, the times were not. Swimming was very restricted and worked round school lessons, and the classes were mainly lunchtime and evenings. It’s worth the fee to go swimming whenever it suits me, and to have classes all day long.

Live the spa, outdoor pool and having towels provided too.

Oh and no diffuser for the hairdryers, not dyson hair dryers like in other (cheaper) gyms. Niggles like that matter when you work out that you're paying £15 a go. I love a spa and find a few hotels that will let you use theirs for £20. You could go 10 times a month and it would still be cheaper than the David lloyd.

Our local one is a tier 1. We joined but cancelled at the end of the 2 week cooling off period. It's one of 2 gyms in my entire city that have a crèche, it's really close to my house, all other pools are more than double the distance, i like to go to a few yoga classes and one of my old yoga teachers does a class there, i prefer an outdoor pool. But the reality was the classes book up within 1 minute of opening up. So 40 losers are booking at 1 minute past midnight!!! I attempted to book 7 yoga classes in the 2 weeks but only managed to book a place in 1 class. The car park was often full, even at off peak times. My partner never managed to book a single tennis court despite trying for every single evening during the 2 weeks. The gym was so overcrowded at all hours, constantly people queing to use the machines. Best in mind I was on mat leave so was able to go whenever I wanted. The "home working hub" was within the fairly noisy cafe area with pretty uncomfortable seats and no privacy. I just don't understand the hype. It's such a shame that the council leisure centres all closed their crèches (and their saunas...). For the money for the 3 of us for a year we could build a sauna in our garden!

They waived ours if we joined there and then.

We didn't and were very glad as it's been in the paper lots due to overcrowding and day pass/freebie issues.

Seconding this. I had a membership a while ago and got good use out of it (nearly daily classes and working remotely from the cafe), but leaving was as hard as getting out of a bad relationship. The end of the 12 months and moving miles away wasn't enough, they tried to charge me for at least an extra 3 months, at an increased price, which I wouldn't be able to use. And if you just cancel the direct debit they take you to court. I would never join again just because that experience seems to be so common.

I completely agree re niggles. We use ours multiple times a week so it does work out as reasonable value, but the class offering has got much worse since Covid, as have the standards of maintenance and cleanliness. Tables in the club lounge don’t get wiped and chairs are covered in crumbs, shower ceilings have mould on, etc. Changing rooms recently got refurbished but with a stupid design that means you can’t see in the mirror when you dry your hair, and they took most of the benches out so there isn’t enough room to sit down to get changed. As with a PP, they opened a fancy new spa club in the same county and put all the effort into that one, leaving ours to decay a bit. Because it is so pricy, it bothers me.

On the other hand, I can swim without having to book sessions, and it is nice to have a spa, and I appreciate being able to sit in the lounge without pressure to buy stuff.

Had to pay joining fee. Having been a member of gyms since 18 now 40 have to say I love it. It's very expensive but I justified my joining by cutting others bills / cancelling subscriptions to thought of it as redirecting money and in the interest of health. I love the classes on a good and not busy week I can get to 4/5, I'll do 1/2 spa sessions too and the pool. I often work there remotely and the lounge area is nice for taking a friend along for lunch. Mine has a lovely outdoor patio and new Padel courts. They often do social nights and quizzes there is also a book club.

If you think joining a gym is a magic ticket to weight loss you are wrong.

Changing your diet would be far cheaper and more effective.

I think the high price is important to keep it exclusive, from a marketing perspective.

I could never afford it but I aspire to join because I imagine everyone behaves better in there than at my local council gym and pool. And I imagine their tiles aren’t caked in yellow scum. Sounds like a dream.

They sometimes do a push in December but I don't think you're going to get £0 membership fee.
It is expensive. It is nice. But factor in the cost of coffees you'll find yourself ordering!

I'd be careful. It's a lot to commit to and I'd definitely try somewhere cheaper for a whole to make sure you're going to stick to the regime.

I was a member until about two years ago and paid about £170 a month for full spa membership. I used it loads and definitely thought it was worth the money for me. I checked with another branch this year and the cost had jumped to well above £220 - which I just don't think is justifiable for what you get.

Even if you go twice a week it works out at almost £30 a visit.

I am meh about my membership
i like some aspects but its not a great product and there are a lot of niggles.

if you go at any peak times the parking is a nightmare.

the staff are often useless and can’t answer basic questions help with anything. So many blank stares and “have you looked in on the app?” <arghhhh yes of fucking course I have>

some of the instructors are fantastic a few are shockingly bad I think they have had recruitment issues post Covid

yours is “cheap” comparatively my membership is £220pm but I’m at a tier 1 club.

ill prob quit when I get off mat leave and can go to decent gym in town

They only go to half price joining fee-I've never known them to reduce to less than that. I get a small discount through my employer scheme -they didn't mention it until I did though!
It IS expensive but for me it's worth it -I take my 12 year old with me and other local gyms don't allow this.

Oh that's actually less than I thought. I went a few times on a guest pass and if I lived closer (it's an hour away), I'd join. I'm paying £36 + £85 for gym/classes/pool & reformer anyway.

It's the little differences that make the whole thing more pleasant. And the option of outdoor swimming and tennis!