Visiting gyms whilst travelling? (esp Central London)

[MuttonDressedAsGoose]

I have a Pure Gym membership and can work out anywhere. This has worked great on trips to Liverpool, Bristol and Glasgow.

Sometimes I stay in hotels with good health clubs. I love the opportunity to swim!

But sometimes I can't stay in a hotel with a fitness centre. In London I have to stay at the Ibis next to Aldgate East or Euston station, for example.

How hard is it to visit a gym for a few days? I understand that I may pay a fair bit, but I want to avoid the paperwork, or mandatory meeting with the trainer/salesperson. I just want to go in, paypay, and work out.

I don't have time to travel to the Pure Gyms in London (not so central).

I'm not sure about gyms, but there's a lovely heated outdoor pool at the Oasis Sports Centre, near Holborn.

Obviously it would depend on the sales person at the particular gyms, some can be really overly pushy, but for the most part once I purchase the day pass and say I'm only here for the day because I'm from out of town, they generally leave me alone. Just need to sign the "If I hurt myself it's my fault" form.

I know there's a gym near to Aldgate station that does day passes and I intend to try that when I'm next there.

I'm next in Chelsea for a week. I'll search ahead to see what's there. I need something within a ten minute walk.

Is there a nearby rival hotel with a gym/pool?

A friend of mine is currently away on a business trip. Her hotel doesn't have a gym and pool but the one across the road does so she just went and blagged a weekly pass for the gym there at a reasonable price.

She said that she just explained her predicament and they were happy to oblige.

There are three gyms close by where I'm staying. One is a posh spa that doesn't do anything less than a month. One charges £150 for a block of ten (I need maybe five and I don't know if I'll be back to that area.) The third is LA Fitness. No idea if they do day passes but they have terrible reviews online (crowded and dirty).

Well, I think I can get to the pure gym by Hammersmith station in under twenty minutes.

Call your hotel and see if they have an arrangement with a local gym so that you can buy a guest pass.
Do you run? Chelsea is a nice part of the world to go out and have a run in the evening.

www.better.org.uk/areas/hammersmith-and-fulham
This might be close to where you are staying. They have gyms near Aldgate too. Public so will be basic but usually clean and you can get pay as you go membership

Council run gyms and swimming pools will let you pay on entry, but they won't be as nice or shiny as the private gyms and health clubs. The Oasis in Holborn, as mentioned above, is quite nice - big pool and loads of classes but I haven't used the gym there. That's not too far from Euston. Also ironmonger row is convenient for Aldgate / the city (it's near old street), although it was a bit rough last time I went.

I'm now OK for the South Kensington area and I know that the gym near Aldgate does day passes. I suppose I'll find something by Euston should I go there again.

I stayed across the street from Kensington Gardens a few months ago. Great place to run! And running down by the Tower of London is doable, as well.

I have to stay in the hotel all day, phone close at hand. So being able to nip out early and be back within an hour is best.

Class pass might be worth a look but I think it's a monthly fee

Barry's Bootcamp is near Euston and you can pay per class there

Council run gyms are your best bet - you will need to do a mandatory show around the gym floor/how to use weights session - but if you show the trainer you know what you're doing then it'll be over in 15 minutes and you can get on with your work out.

There's a scheme called pay as you gym where you can use gyms all over the UK. 2000 of them. I may look into that.

"I have to stay in the hotel all day, phone close at hand"

Sounds lovely. They could at least book you into the Grange Tower Hill [own gym and pool] if they are going to request that you are available 24x7.

I often stay at the Premier Inn across the street from there. There's a budget chain gym around the corner, next to the Tesco that does day passes.

I just need to nip out quickly, ideally very early although sometimes I get away mid afternoon.

La fitness often do books of ten passes for £29 (or so) on groupon (and simar sites). You can buy day passes and I think they are about a tenner. Council run (gll) gyms are quote good these days and you can just pay and play (about £8 a session).

I think that's LA Fitness [or it used to be] at America Square? There's a branch of Virgin Active just off Minories as well. They're a small branch so might be a bit cheaper for a day pass than one of the deluxe branches.

Tedious if you have to do the whole new starter thing every time you visit though.

Loads of people run in that part of London though - Over tower bridge and along by the river, over the wobby bridge at St Pauls [or further if you are nice and fit - you can go all the way to Westminster and beyond on the river side] and back on the river path on the other side. Even pretty early there would be a lot of folk out and about from a security perspective.