Is David Lloyd’s membership actually worth it?

[CarbieDoll]

Had a 2 week pass and fallen in love with ours- fantastic clubs for dc, pool, gym and the lifestyle etc.
We only live 5 mins away and I think we’d use it most if not every sat and sun plus couple of times in the week.
It will be a chunk of our money every month but I’d be willing not go on holiday next year to pay for it.
But really is it worth it or am I being fooled by it all and how much we’d get out of it as a family it’s not cheap at all.

ShotsFired you do have to pay for all your food and drink on top (though water machines are obviously available in/near the gym)

If you have the platinum membership you get 10% off any food or drink orders in the club lounge, plus a free guest pass each month and a free towel on each visit (granted the last bonus isn’t very exciting!)

they really are raking it in off their members then!

Would you normally be eating out as frequently if you hadn't gone to the gym and it was right there?

And have you ever added up how much your total DL bill is each month?
(I am genuinely interested)

@Xenia, it’s not about cost, it’s about value. Surely someone like yourself, who is happy to buy the Tesco £1.99 chicken, can see the point I’m making. So if like Ta1kinpeace you go most days and outdoor swimming is your thing then DL probably is good value but if like me you just want a good, well equipped gym and a pool and swimming lessons for my youngest then I can probably get that elsewhere.

shots
The cafe / restaurant / bar area is just that
people use it to socialise, to work, for business meetings
so of course we pay for what we buy
(but those of us who have been members for ages get 10% off everything)

The membership gives access to the club, the facilities and all timetabled activities.
Tennis lessons and swimming lessons - with appropriate teachers are extra - but cheaper than stand alone

Its a luxury, but I consider it money well spent

I spend £6.75 on lunch/brunch every sat and sun. Coffee and scrambled eggs on toast. Though recently I’ve started having fried eggs as they’ve been using weird powdered eggs for the scrambled eggs. I’ve complained!

Oh and they are having a crack down on under utilised gym classes and have cancelled lots at ours without replacing them with other stuff. They now have someone at head office apparantly who will insist any classes which are frequently 50% or less full are removed. But then at our gym there’s now no classes on a Friday night. I do keep ranting that we’re paying so much and they’re quibbling over paying an instructor £20 a week for an hours class. And the council gym in town has double the classes for a third of the price. Sadly it’s the wrong side of town for me, the council one.

For me £83 a month is good value when I use it so much but £25 for a gym membership at a gym I know I wouldn’t use as much wouldn’t be good value.

Our couples membership is £110 per month and I’d guess we spend about £30 a month on bought food in the club lounge, DP more then me in all honesty.

Price wise the food and drinks are fairly reasonable, certainly no more then a cheap pub meal.
DP is self employed so when he’s been at work events late on he’ll often order a take away which probably costs more then a meal at the gym

but the changing facilities are kept very clean, the showers work, good lockers and free hair dryers, and generally we can get a lane to swim in just for us.

Though, tbf, all of that is the same at my local council run Leisure Centre.

You don’t get the same social side at most other gyms though. I know I can go in the lounge for a coffee/beer and there will be people I know there who I can get chatting to. I’ve made really good friends at the gym.

Or if I do want to be on my own I can find a quiet corner, sit on the sofa and read a free newspaper, or use one of the computers dotted about to go on the internet (ok, never actually used a computer but they’re there). In the summer I will be sat on the patio enjoying the sunshine.

If I wasn’t bothered about the social side of things and lived near a cheaper gym I might consider it. But it’s my closest gym and my life does revolve round it a bit!

DLL is more of a "country club" than just a gym
it is VERY sociable

I use one for swimming. For me, it works out at about £7 per swim which is twice the cost of the local leisure centre but a lot nicer which I think is important. If you don't enjoy the experience as much you will probably exercise less. Plus unlike the local leisure centre, the swimming at DLL is open late in the evening even at the weekend. I don't think I ever eat anything in the cafe and have never socialised with anybody but perhaps it is different if you use the Gym.

DLL is more of a "country club" than just a gym
it is VERY sociable

Yes, I see the same people at School (grammar) and in John Lewis and Waitrose.

I was a member for a few years when I used their outdoor pool every day. That made it worth it.

I reckon I spend £900 a year on sports in total, which is much better value than DL, as I can't find everything I need in one gym or leisure club, although I've tried many over the years. So now I pick and choose.

No shadow of a doubt, gym companies are shysters, and if you're not careful they lock you into deals you can't easily get out of. I've posted a url below which summarises lots to look out for re DL, Virgin, Ballentyne etc

I pick and choose and only pay for what I use which saves £300-£400 a year.

yoga classes x 2, my local community hall which I walk to

swimming x 2 at new-ish 25m council run pool (better than a private club "leisure" pool which are 10-15m) 5 mins drive from work

spin classes x 2 - at work, v lucky to have free sessions

road cycling - free, I factor in bike maintenance twice a year to my above total.

Here's the write-up for y'all - stay healthy!
www.theguardian.com/money/2017/jan/07/gym-membership-guide-to-cutting-costs

backforgood I agree, the council run pool is beautiful, credit to the ladies and gents in there, theynscrub the floors daily. I go to another pool near my DMs which is a beautiful 50m pool and that too is very well cared for.

I found the DL branch in Heston was awful. I got one of those freeby week sample passes and never returned afterwards. It was full of screaming boisterous kids left to their own devices, toilets were filthy and peak times were too crazy, changing rooms packed. I took my business elsewhere.

My virgin gym is the one priced up in that article. I pay just over that price for me and 2 children tho as I have been there for so long (12 years).
We have an outdoor pool which is lovely too.

Norma I used to be a member of Virgin Active for quite a few years. It was very beneficial to me because the annual membership was heavily subsidised by my employer at the time. The pool was excellent and not too crowded first thing. I even used to nip over for daytime yoga.

Unfortunately, over the year the prices increased substantially so I was paying £770 per year even with my subsidy.

Daisy I am lucky as I joined on a membership where my price would not increase, so for me I pay £44 a month. It means I will never leave tho as I will not get that price again! The children’s are £15 and £20 I think. I might cancel older daughter’s after summer hols tho as she doesn’t go often now.

I’ve looked at other options and if it was a gym membership for me I could get one for £25 a month in our council one but it’s mainly for the kids clubs and pools which they don’t have a the council ones.
Only thing is concerned about is if we did want to cancel in future looks hard to get out of.

We had membership when the kids were younger and used it a lot. On an average week the kids would do a couple of classes each (one early evening class, one weekend class), DH would use the gym twice, I'd do two classes and we'd all go for a swim.

We really enjoyed being members, the club was lovely and I could use the lounge area for working. As the kids grew though and started doing other things outside of school it became harder - and once they hit 11 they were too old for the DL kids activities and too young to use the gym. So all they could do was swimming, so we gradually started using it less and eventually cancelled.

Our council run pool is a 'fun pool'. They have sessions when you can do lengths, but only at set times which aren't all that convenient. And, as a 'fun pool' the water is warmer and less good for proper swimming. The changing areas are hot and cramped, with the lockers being nowhere near the cubicles.

When I go there I leave feeling more stressed than when I arrived!

DLL is a luxury, but a luxury we can afford, and appreciate.

I love ours. DD (3) has her swimming lessons there every week, then she and DS (9m) play with other kids in the soft play for an hour or so too. Sometimes I take DS in the pool at the same time. Then I do body pump and a Long Swim (2-2.5km) & we all go swimming on a Saturday. DD does the mini active and craft sessions too and loves them. I used to go a lot more pre kids, like all these things. Wish there was one near work, for a lunchtime spin/swim but none in that town.

Only thing is concerned about is if we did want to cancel in future looks hard to get out of.
You just have to give notice.
Either one month or three months.
Its very simple, but you have to remember that there is a contract with a notice period.
Stopping paying does not end the contract.

At our DLL the indoor pool is 25 metres, six full lanes
outdoor is 20 metres, 5 lanes
and then there is a baby pool indoors and a kids pool outdoors as well as the three hot tubs and the sauna and the steam room

after school and in the afternoon in holidays it is very "kids" but in the morning its peaceful and grownups

Our council run pool is a 'fun pool'. They have sessions when you can do lengths, but only at set times which aren't all that convenient. And, as a 'fun pool' the water is warmer and less good for proper swimming. The changing areas are hot and cramped, with the lockers being nowhere near the cubicles.

That is similar to our council run leisure centre by us and while some other places e.g. Bannatynes do have swimming pools they are quite small and the water is warm. I don't really have any choice but to pay DLL if I want to stay fit so don't really see it as a luxury.

DLL is more of a "country club" than just a gym it is VERY sociable

Yup!

Also DLL opens lovely and late - mine was open until 11pm so I often used to go for a late evening swim at 10pm which fitted in with my schedule.

Best thing about DL is the adult only lounge.