City Health Club

Being located in the basement of the Grange City Hotel, the only thing letting this health club down is the lack of natural light, but it is so wonderful that you can forgive them.
The pool is phenomenal. It’s half-​Olympic length and decorated with beautiful tiles. The lighting is subdued and it’s cut into three lanes so you can pick and choose how vigorous a swim you want.
In addition to the sauna and steam rooms, there is an aromatherapy room where you can unwind and forget about the stresses of your day.
The equipment is first-​rate and best of all you never have to wait while other people finish their workouts before you can jump on the bike/​treadmill/​etc. This is great if you’re nipping in for a workout during your lunch break.
They have some new equipment, Hypoxi systems, one of which looks like an instrument of torture and one which makes you look like you’ve just completed a moon landing but they are supposed to be guaranteed to show great results. The instrument of torture is a bike within a box and you need to wear a special suit while working out. This one targets your bum and thighs, while the other system involves a treadmill workout while wearing the special suit with pipes running off somewhere else, concentrating on your tummy area. I don’t really understand the science but the vacuum created by the suit/​equipment is supposed to speed up weight loss and toning. I would love to see if it works for the baby fat I haven’t managed to lose from my tummy, but at £595 for 10 sessions it’s a bit out of my price range.
It’s not cheap — individual membership is £72 a month, but it’s so far above and beyond the likes of LA Fitness or Fitness First that you can justify the additional £15 or so a month for a central London health club.