Men at David Lloyd, moaning and whining because the spa is female only for 2 measly hours a week

It's a tiny club. We don't have tennis or squash courts or an outside pool or an ice bath or a creche.....

Part of the reason I stopped my DL membership was because I was sick and tired of men barging me out the way in the pool (that was always half closed off for some swimming lessons or water aerobics class or something else) and scratching their crotches next to me in the jacuzzi. And then spreading themselves out across the benches in the sauna so you can barely sit in there without touching their sweaty naked leg. No one was ever inappropriate in there around me but sitting in a closed dark room in a bikini with a couple of men just always felt insanely unsafe.
I understand why men are annoyed, but what a privilege to be annoyed that you can’t use it for two hours a week, and never had to consider the alternative could be that you’re uncomfortable using it the rest of the time.

I am a female member and I don’t agree with it. Fortunately imposed at our DL.

That’s not the case at mine but that’s absolutely awful. Maybe that’s why they’re only rolling it out at certain facilities and not nationwide? To be honest the staff should be doing more to stamp out that behaviour as 2hrs of women only a week is not enough.

what a privilege to be annoyed that you can’t use it for two hours a week, and never had to consider the alternative could be that you’re uncomfortable using it the rest of the time.

This

Yes, I have no doubt that phones are being used in that way. Up until about 2 years ago the afternoon demographic was mostly middle aged or retired people. Then they had an influx of corporate memberships, mostly men, and it all changed for the worse, and Fridays are the worst of all days

Sounds like mine, plus watching TikTok videos without headphones (including in the sauna, spa bath and “relaxation” area)

We’ve recently had a spa added to our DL. When I’ve used it I’ve been quite surprised by the difference in etiquette between the men and the women. The women sit quietly in the steam rooms while the blokes have loud conversations. DL could just offer a 2 hour men only session as well.

Ah right, I’m at one of the largest ones I think. What do Platinum members get then if everyone can use the whole spa and there are no courts? Surely no one’s paying all that extra just for the Blaze classes?

I had a membership at David Lloyd for a bit. Was very excited about the spa in particular.

However, the sauna, steam room and plunge pool were always full of groups of manspreading stinky men braying about work and money and Wim bloody Hof. I’d have loved 2 guaranteed hours without them.

Thursday 18:00-20:00 is female only, then Tuesday 18:00-20:00 is male only. Therefore equally exclusive sessions for both sexes. A simple solution.

I used to go to a gym where there was repeatedly bad behaviour in the saunas and steam rooms, ranging from men who'd stretch out and take up all the bench space (and refuse to budge up if it got busier) to men (it was ALWAYS men) who'd insist on pouring aromatherapy oil into the filters which promptly bunged them up and took the whole facility out of service. One did it in front of me once - despite a sign on the door prohibiting it - and when I asked him not to he told me to fuck off. And that's before the leering and comments, and the shit behaviour in the pool itself - thankfully it was few and far between but it did happen, particularly when there were big groups of men in who were guests. The staff were generally rubbish at dealing with it, they didn't want to confront a paying customer. They also tended to be quite young so just didn't have the confidence and/or skills to deal with situations.

I now go to a gym where bad behaviour simply is not tolerated and memberships are terminated for breaching codes of conduct. So it can be done.

DL need to be addressing the bad behaviour not taking facilities out of use instead. If I was paying DL prices I'd be as pissed off as hell to find them out of bounds in peak hours.

I understand members being pissed off, but how many female members are already pissed off because men make using some of the facilities uncomfortable. Sure DL should address the behaviour, but in the meantime this offers a solution.

Women are always expected to change behaviour, make their worlds smaller or budge up to accommodate male behaviour. Maybe if men suffer and are inconvenienced they will start addressing this behaviour themselves.

I can completely understand why DL has done this and, men as a class only have themselves to blame.

Conversely, DL are not cheap and they aren't a public service. If I'm paying £200 a month for something, I would expect access when I want it.

At the end of the day, if enough men vote with their feet and cancel memberships this won't last, unless more women join and say that this is why.

It wouldn't surprise me if after this a lot of men suddenly start identifying as women to use the spa during the exclusive time. And probably all the posters that support this current action will then be moaning about that.

Give both sexes an exclusive time-slot, then both sexes are treated equally, otherwise this will probably escalate.

Yes - I’d have no issues with a 2 hr men’s
slot either

Yes, sounds fair to me.

Men-only sessions to be fair have been tried at many pools and spas. They are never successful. Often no men turn up. Men do not actually want men-only spa or pool sessions. Anecdotally (ie from speaking with male friends) many hetero men think men-only sessions are aimed at gay men, so they won’t go to them.

I can believe that. But if one is offered, they will have no right to complain. So they should offer one.

But (and I hate to draw the parallel) isn't this a bit like third spaces. It's not up to women to be everyone's mum. Presumably DL have responded to requests from women. Women have lobbied and achieved an aim. If men want a men-only session then they need to ask for one. If they just don't want women to have that session then get their collective male acts together so women don't feel like they need them. (yes, yes I have had enough of men's shit)

Well yes, I agree. Men will complain rather than ask for their own. But if I were them I'd head that off at the pass.

Years ago on Gransnet there was a regular male poster who I found a pain in the arse but some others were charmed by him. He took great delight in reporting that he'd managed to get his local council leisure centre to withdraw their one exercise class that was for females only - on the grounds that there wasn't a male only class. Presumably there was no call for the latter

This poster was eventually banned from GN for being a general nuisance!

‘No right to complain’? Most people believe that complaining is a right.

Anyway, reality is irrelevant to men who complain whenever women get anything. Think of all the men who complain that there isn’t a Fathers’ Day, or that there isn’t an International Men’s Day. They neither know nor care that they are wrong.

Then they need to deal individually with the ones causing the problem rather than taking the lazy blanket approach

yes it’s only 2 hours but if that’s the only time that works for you and you can’t go I’d be pissed off