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AIBU to keep my David Lloyd membership but leave my husband’s cancelled?

18 replies

freechickennuggets · 23/08/2026 18:32

AIBU to keep my David Lloyd membership but leave my husband’s cancelled?
My husband and I recently joined David Lloyd together. The joint membership costs £398 a month—mine is £239 and adding him costs another £159.
I genuinely enjoy going. I use the gym or pool and then the spa, and it’s an important outlet for me. I like being around other people without necessarily socialising, and I can feel quite low if I’m stuck at home too much. The club is also only about two minutes away.
My husband, however, has repeatedly said the gym is rubbish, the spa is rubbish and the only part he likes is swimming. He says he doesn’t get a proper workout when we go together because I’m in the spa and he feels he has to join me, although I’ve never asked him to. He has also admitted he originally joined because I was going and feels uncomfortable about me being in gym clothes/swimwear around other men.
He became resentful because we were splitting childcare—he would go after work and I would go when he returned—so we felt like passing ships which interfered with dinner time. I suggested that I attend David Lloyd three times a week for around two hours and he use PureGym, which he prefers and is much cheaper. He was perfectly happy with me spending the same amount of time at a women-only gym, but I tried it and found the train journey inconvenient and the gym boring with no atmosphere.
I initially cancelled our memberships during the cooling-off period. I then decided to keep mine but leave his cancelled, because he clearly dislikes the place and seemed noticeably happier once he believed it was cancelled.
When I tried explaining that I wanted to keep mine, he suddenly said he would keep his too and that we could attend separately—even though we mostly did that anyway and he still complained. He then suggested joining Third Space in Canary Wharf, which would cost £260 a month just for him and involve around an hour’s travel. When I pointed out that this made no sense, he said he would remain at David Lloyd despite not believing it was worth the money.
I’ve now cancelled his membership, and I feel embarrassed about contacting the club yet again because we’ve already changed our minds several times. I’ve told him that if he genuinely wants to remain a member, he can contact the club himself—but I think he’s reacting because I’m keeping mine rather than because he actually enjoys it.
AIBU to keep my individual membership and leave him responsible for sorting out his own gym, rather than paying an extra £159 a month for somewhere he constantly says he dislikes? Or let him think I’ve cancelled and go the the girls gym to save arguments? But then don’t want to lie either.

OP posts:
Victorius19 · 23/08/2026 18:34

You sound far too enmeshed in his opinions.

If you like it, join again.

Notmycircusnotmyotter · 23/08/2026 18:34

YANBU he's weird and controlling

poolshoes · 23/08/2026 18:36

I think you have bigger issues that what gym you use

buthgs · 23/08/2026 18:37

Baffled as to why you can’t just use a gym of your choice?

JellyMouldJnr · 23/08/2026 18:39

poolshoes · 23/08/2026 18:36

I think you have bigger issues that what gym you use

This. He sounds jealous and controlling.

category12 · 23/08/2026 18:40

He sounds pretty controlling and jealous.

Can't stand a possessive man, they tend to be abusive and domineering.

Let him sort out his own gym membership and you sort yours.

Don't pander to his jealousy.

Holgen · 23/08/2026 18:40

Ha! He’s fine with you using a women only gym cos he is concerned about you in gym clothes? Think you might need to reconsider not just your membership, but your marriage!

pimplebum · 23/08/2026 18:40

leave him ! He's a controlling nutter

Whats all that shit about you in gym gear ?

i hope this is a wind up

ring up and get the membership you want

he can cook and eat separately thsts not an issue

Shinyhappyapple · 23/08/2026 18:41

poolshoes · 23/08/2026 18:36

I think you have bigger issues that what gym you use

This. If I could afford it and there was one closer, I would go to David Lloyd for the pool and spa . I can’t imagine spending that kind of money on a gym membership though .

freechickennuggets · 23/08/2026 19:04

Update regarding the schedule
To clarify, he says he is too tired to go to the gym after I get back, so he wants to attend first after work. However, he also doesn’t want me going after him because that would mean I’m there later in the afternoon/evening, when he says there are more creeps around.
This leaves no workable arrangement. He doesn’t want to go after me because he’ll be too tired, but he doesn’t want me going after him because of other men being there. He dislikes the gym and spa anyway and says the membership isn’t worth the money, yet still wants us to pay the additional £159 a month so he can remain a member.
I’ve suggested that I attend David Lloyd three fixed times a week for around two hours, while he uses PureGym for his workouts at times that suit him. He was happy for me to spend exactly the same amount of time at a women-only gym, so the childcare and time away clearly aren’t the main problem. It seems the real issue is that he doesn’t want me at David Lloyd without him because it is mixed-sex.
I’m not asking him to join me, cut his workout short or use the spa. I’m happy for us to exercise separately and to protect specific days for family/couple time. I just don’t think paying an extra £159 every month for a club he openly dislikes is a sensible solution to his discomfort about other men being present.

OP posts:
category12 · 23/08/2026 19:08

No, it isn't.

Does he try to control other aspects of your life in case other men look at you?

Growingaseed · 23/08/2026 19:09

OP he definitely has serious jealousy issues. It's not normal to not want your spouse to work out around men. Or to try and control what gym they go to or call other unspecified gym people creeps etc.

It would make me even more determined to join. You've been flexible, I wouldn't entertain the conversation any further tbh.

RoniaCheetah · 23/08/2026 19:11

Is he like his at other times? If you go out with friends - either all female or mixed groups? Or police your clothing?

He's being ridiculous. Go to the gym you want, when you want. He can sort himself out or piss off.

NameChangeScot · 23/08/2026 19:12

Use whatever gym you want to, your husband doesn't get to make this choice for you. Unless financially you can't afford it? Or he doesn't get equal child-free leisure time? You enjoy the gym, you can afford it, its convenient for you, so you should go.

He sounds weirdly controlling, about wanting you to go to a female only gym. I bet this isn't the only part of your life he controls in this way.

Pedant61 · 23/08/2026 19:16

If he is complaining about you using a mixed sex gym, I think you have a problem with his attitude, tbh.

rookiemere · 23/08/2026 19:16

You seem to be missing the core issue here - it’s creepy and controlling that he expects you to join a women only gym, everything else is an irrelevance.

CurlyCabbage · 23/08/2026 19:19

Yeah, this is not about the gym at all.
He sounds awful. Bin him off!

Happymchappyface · 23/08/2026 19:24

You have a huge DH problem and I can bet you any money that he will suddenly not be ok to look after the kids (or will do something so stupid while he is looking after them, that you don’t feel comfortable leaving them) just to scupper your plans to go.

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