David Lloyd membership

[Gymornogym]

Had a look round the local David Lloyd yesterday - very nice and I knew it would be expensive but it’s even more than I thought and there’s a joining fee too! Has anyone ever managed to have the joining fee waived? I’d be tied in for 12m too so really need to be sure. I am thinking of it as investing in myself to get healthy - I don’t have any other hobbies, trying to justify the price! I need to lose about 3 stone, I’m sure it would help. Any experiences, good/bad? Thanks

No, never managed it despite trying tactics of delaying and delaying and talking to the sales team on multiple occasions. The most I ever managed was to negotiate on guest passes. I think that must be something the sales team have up their sleeve.

They are lovely gyms though and definite country club feel. If you use it enough the cost is worth it.

We had no joining fee 3 years ago & that's part of the reason why I haven't left, as I don't want to be paying it if we rejoin! Joining fees are a bloody con imo. I mean, what exactly are you paying for? They can pretty much charge what they like though as they're not short of members. I go 3/4 times a week as it's just up the road from me & lots of classes available, gym, pool & spa

Have a look at all the numerous complaints about how hard it is to cancel (even after the 12 months) before you commit OP. David Lloyd seem like complete scammers tbh!

I had a membership a fair while ago, it actually turned out to be cheaper to get vitality health insurance with the membership because they subsidised it and the cost for membership and health insurance ended up being lower than what I would have paid just for gym membership on another contract. Not sure if they still do this, may be worth looking into.

We got a reduced joining fee and 3 personal training sessions each when we joined over the summer - I think this is an offer they had on over a quieter period though. I have Vitality through work and it only has discounts on PureGym, Virgin Active and Nuffield (this may vary between policies).

I joined last year and didn't pay a joining fee. I've never enjoyed exercise, but I really enjoy going to DL. It's the only gym I've joined that I have gone to consistently. I do eight classes a week and swim/spa, so I definitely get my money's worth. I feel so much better too.

I keep receiving emails from them offering 3 months at reduced fee and/or waived joining fee. Just ask them if you could do 3months without lock-in and then decide. They usually find a way.

I've seen quite a lot of ads from them (more so over the summer) with a few weeks set period. As others have said check you don't have any offers through your work. I had a free week at my local David Lloyd's via cssc a few years ago.
Or January is when most gyms tend to do deals to entice people in!

How much is it out of interest op? They seem to very a lot and they are very secretive about their pricing!

I think mine was about £110 for a single person but that was pre covid so probably gone up a lot since

Thanks for the replies. I also asked about the 3m option, that was even more :(
For 12m it’s £65 joining fee (apparently this is half price, ending in Nov) and monthly cost is £114. Single person membership.
For 3m it’s £140 joining fee and then £144 a month.
I’m going to ask if there’s any employer scheme as I work for a large organisation- they didn’t mention it at the time, worth asking though.

There are other gyms nearby that are a lot cheaper but nowhere near as nice - I suppose you get what you pay for.

I recently joined the local DL, just for the pool. Expensive, but I thought sod it - it’s very convenient, just a short bus ride away, and the council pool is closed for ‘rebuilding’ so v likely not ready for at least 5 years.

I go at relatively quiet times, and often there are only 3 or 4 other people in the pool. Steam room, sauna and jacuzzi are evidently popular.

I do like not having to take a towel, or bring a soggy one home!

I think they do deals fairly regularly but it also varies by area.

Personally, I have very mixed feelings on David Lloyd. I think they really are lovely gyms, but they are priced too high for what they are. If you can afford it though, go for it but dont be surprised if you're constantly mildly irritated about small things. Our local one hasn't gone through the big investment and refurb that a lot of them have. Where this really shows is actually in the training and service - they have lovely staff who are all, without fail, sweet and trying hard, but also often incompetent. when you order food, you get something different every time even if you order the same thing. They look at you completely blankly ifyou ask for something as simple as a place to charge your phone etc. I had an issue to do with privacy a while ago and what completely floored me was how blase they were - when the issue was flagged, they just didn't see it as that big a deal. When it was, without a doubt, a very big deal. Again, I put this down to poor training more than anything else.

The newer ones have this sort of stuff baked in and appear to put a lot more focus on training for all staff from instructors to cleaners.

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!

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.