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

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.

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

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'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.

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

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!!

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.