AIBU to wonder why David Lloyd gyms are so expensive?

[UndertheCedartree]

I go to a DL gym and interested as to the reasons for it being just so expensive? My thoughts are certainly round here there is no competition. We have lots of the basic gyms and a semi-council run leisure centre. The basic gyms are fine but not all the equipment DL has and I do also like the wide range of classes at DL at multiple times. Also there is no pool and my favourite thing is swimming. And of course they are not family friendly. Then the leisure centre I used for a while but myself and my DC couldn't get along with it. The pool was so crowded and noisy, the changing rooms wet and cold with grotty showers. We are all autistic so sensory issues really affect us. The gym is ok, a few classes. Then the spa was ok - basic sauna, steam and jacuzzi but separate to the pool so if I wanted to do swim and spa had to get changed then undressed again in between. It was also small and full of men talking loudly and I never felt comfortable. So with this all in mind David Lloyd became the only option.

Also interested if you think the high price is worth it. I pay over £200 a month for myself and my daughter. Overall I think it is worth it for me as it massively helps my mental health as well as physical of course. I make good use of it using the weights and cardio in the gym a couple of times a week. I do a class and swim 3 times a week. I play netball. Also swim with my daughter, play badminton and pickle ball, sometimes do a family class. We both have friends there. I also go to seminars such as the Female health series they are doing right now. We also enjoy the seasonal parties and activities and my daughter does some kids club activities. I like being able to use the spa and adult lounge when without my daughter but equally enjoy the family friendly spaces with DD. It is a huge stretch financially, though.

I’ve been a member for 3 months now and I absolutely love it. Today after work I got to sit in an ice cave for 20 minutes…. Bliss 😂

I only do classes and they have the same instructors as at my “Better” gym. So I will pay £30 per month instead of £200. BUT if I wanted more than classes, like a soft play, pool, tennis, bar and just a nicer place to be in, oh and if I could justify the money… I would be there😂

When I joined a few years ago there was an option to join on the website if you went on that you could see the prices. I checked all that out and made sure I was happy with it and could afford it before going for a tour. They definitely give you a sales pitch!

Oh, that's sounds a bit rubbish!

So nice in the hot weather!

The pricing is definitely opaque …. They have people who’ve been there for years who are paying a lot less than new members. Some members paid 10 years up front for a few thousand when it opened. ( and saved themselves a fortune ). I use it primarily for tennis but I’ve made quite a few friends .. having never in my life made a friend at any other gym. Today I went and sat by the outdoor pool and felt like I was on holiday.

My membership ended with DL a month ago after being a member for over ten years. It was one of their basic clubs and the only attraction for me that gave it the edge over other local gyms was that it had a pool. But their fees kept rising for me, DC, and swim lessons while the gym had a never-ending list of issues with things needing maintenance including the pool.

So I gave the 3 months’ notice to leave and they have harassed me constantly ever since - multiple phone calls and emails every week, sometimes 1-3 times a day. My membership ended nearly a month ago and they are continuing to email me asking if I have changed my mind. I have now replied to say please don’t contact me again, but I have found their constant contact attempts to be intrusive and bordering on harassment.

Ours is currently being refurbished and from what I can see so far it’s going to be absolutely lovely with a spa etc. I’ve been to loads of ‘community classes’ over the years, yoga in a church hall and the like and the quality of the instructors at DL is far better. On the other hand, on hot days and weekends/holidays it can be a bit of a circus in there with loads of kids absolutely everywhere, it can also attract some very irritating/entitled types!

Definitely that feel at the pool today!

Yes, that's definitely a bit much! When I cancelled my eldest's membership when he went off to Uni I had one phone call asking if everything was ok as I'd cancelled and I explained and that was that. I wouldn't have liked any further calls/emails!

this is clearly an extended advert for David Lloyd gyms

DL operates as a sanctuary & refuge for the middle classes which allows them to escape from many of the horrors of chav infested modern Britain in their precious leisure time. And that is something that many thousands of people are prepared to pay good money for. The fact that it’s priced to keep the riff-raff out is part of the marketing strategy & business plan. And it’s a very successful one.

I'm a member of Total Fitness, it's around £60pm, but there are cheaper options if you go during off-peak hours. 2 pools, a hydrotherapy and the steam rooms are next to the pools. It's clean, well kept, well equipped, most of the class instructors are great, and the class times suit me well. There's a good cafe, and many people have their social life on-site (not me though) , plenty of free parking, easy to get to....

It doesn't sound like it has as many services as your DL gym though, so the cost is lower. However, the list of services you mentioned doesn't necessarily justify 3 times the cost!

It also depends on what else you have in your area - we have 2 other big gyms groups with pools, plenty of the basic gyms with no pools - First Gym, Pure Gym etc, plus loads of small independents. And the local council leisure centre with a decent gym, pools and low price. This amount of competition keeps the prices low.

If you use your local DL and there isn't anything else in the area that gives you the gym experience you want and can afford, then why not?

I never understand why the young, very fit, gym bros park in disabled spaces with their sports cars. When i was young it would have been embarrassing to be parking there. How did it become cool?!

And no they don't all have hidden disabilities that they don't have blue badges for.

DL just attracts some arses.

Free soft play is currently a positive draw for me.

Email them asking them to remove your data and confirm they have done this under gdpr right to erasure.

Then ask them their ico number so you can report them if they don't comply .

They won't give you the number but You'll not hear a peep from them again

I thibk DL is ridiculously expensive but looking at your list, I feel its more clearly articulated why it might be worth it. Do you work for them?! 🤣🤣🤣

But ultimately, people pay for the pools, the pleasant surroundings , the extensive gym equipment and the variety of classes. Which, usually, they can't get at the budget gyms.

They are apparently very choosy about instructors. I do tai chi at DL and our instructor says they won't accept the person he put forward as substitute when he went on holiday as he doesn't have the right qualifications- other health clubs were fine with him.

We were members at DL for three years before Covid and then let our Membership lapse but I’ve just rejoined. For all the reasons you set out in your OP

This evening it was so hot after school that we went to DL did a blaze class me and the kids in lovely air-conditioned room with a lovely instructor

Then me and number two Child went for a swim in the outdoor pool whilst number one Child did his homework in an air-conditioned room
We had dinner there again in a beautifully air-conditioned space
Came home just in time to cool the house down and go to bed

Yes, it is expensive, but we really enjoy it

I just go to my council pool for
swimming now but thinking when I retire I will get a DL membership. I will have time to make the most of it then.

In my town, the instructors who work at DL are mostly the same people who work at what used to be the council gym which is £40 a month. Tai Chi is probably harder to find cover for as it’s quite niche.

I belong to DL, and honestly, I would leave if I could find somewhere else with a good pool. The council run ones are filthy with regular closures because of faeces incidents.

The behaviour in the club is shocking. Weak staff who don't enforce rules (like adult only swimming), gym full of teens just sitting on the equipment on their phones. We're undergoing a refurb, we've lost facilities like the steam/sauna, and will be charged an extortionate amount to regain those facilities when they reopen.

I cancelled my membership as they won’t enforce the law and allow males in the female changing rooms. I did find a hotel nearish with a gym and pool which is lovely and half the price.

I'll be honest if this is a sticking point.

The spa is full of men talking loudly

Think twice.
At DL it was one of the things that fucked me off the most and why I ultimately binned it off.
So much so I travelled up to 40 minutes and tried 4 different DLs to no avail.

I binned off my membership it was just not worth £250 pm for an individual membership to me.

They have too many members you shpuldnt have to stress and scrabble.formparming on a Saturday when ultimately we were paying about £500pm as a family.

The cafe menu and chefs abilities also leave a lot to be desired.

I find it way more crowded than my local better gym.

Edit: poster above me reminded me there was also a performative gay man who was self prescribed "trans" who used our locker rooms which I didnt care for tbh.

You've literally listed the reasons it is dearer OP. A swimming pool, family friendly, more classes, better quality equipment and people (mugs 😁) who will pay extortionate prices. Xxx

I agree that they're poor at managing customer behaviour (I also experienced the loud men in the spa and people "policing" the swimming lanes as the teenage lifeguards don't do it). My bugbear was small children running everywhere including where adults were serving/moving hot drinks and food and in dangerous locations (running up and down the glassed off sides of the pool). I am a teacher and used to find myself regularly doing teacher look on other people's children. I get enough of that at work!

The match of classes to demand was also poor. A lot of the members in my area are elderly and there was nothing suitable for those with limited mobility - I know a reasonably fit for their 80s woman isn't exactly what their advertising shows but they have money and time and have paid their memberships too!

I've moved to a Nuffield which is less fancy but more realistic about the human race. And has sufficient parking.