Virgin Active

Seriously. Something very bad happened in the steam room… Freaked me out!

Looking for a workout without ever touching any gym equipment? Head to this gym. You’ll get exhausted navigating through the maze of steps and hallways to find your locker room and the gym floor. I think there are at least 4 flights of stairs to climb in order to find the women’s labyrinth-​like locker room.
Woo’ed by the fact that they advertise having a crèche? Don’t be. Having recently had a baby, I looked forward to utilizing their crèche to burn off my baby weight. I’ve called three times in the last week in hopes of securing a one hour spot for a caretaker to look after my lil one and have been told each time that there are not any spots available for my baby. Frustrated, I finally asked yesterday what time I need to call in order to secure a spot for the following day’s crèche. The response: 6:30 AM. Seriously, if my lil non-​sleeper is actually sleeping at 6:30 AM, please don’t make me set my alarm clock to secure a spot for her at crèche. I called the gym at 8:30 AM today (yes, I know, 2 hours later than the suggested time) in hopes of securing a spot and was told that they had one spot available. HOORAY… momma gets to work out… or not. After giving the front desk rep my daughter’s name and age, their was a pause and a «errrm, um, sorry, we only have one crèche worker here this week so we can only accept one child per hour under the age of 9 months and we already have a baby during the hour available.» Argh, my postpartum chunky monkey tummy and I hate you Virgin Active.
Considering the cost of Virgin gyms, this place is in desperate need of a renovation and another crèche worker or two if they want to shamelessly promote their crèche perk.
Membership canceled. As of the end of this month, I’ll be looking for a new gym!

I just don’t understand why a ‘homey converted townhouse feel’ is something Katie B would like about a gym?
Do they have low ceilings? Bad air circulation? No natural light? Victorian plumbing which contributes to the changing rooms smelling of shit? YES YES YES AND YES!
This gym seriously sucks. The weight room is tiny with a very low ceiling, old shitty equipment, and exposed pipes (and not in a cool I’m a loft kind of way, more like, if we cover these pipes the ceiling would literally be too low to walk in). There is a trainer on site in the weird weight room who just stands in a corner like a creep.
Oh and the mens jacuzzi is smack in the middle of the changing room. It’s disgusting to see people come out of toilets and then pop into a communal tub without showering. Obviously all hot tubs are bacteria riddled and disgusting but christ, i don’t need it rubbed in my face.

This might be my favorite Virgin Active thus far. Too bad I live on the opposite side of town. But anyhow, the reasons I like it:
–Homey, converted townhouse feel. You can tell this place is full of regulars because the guys at the front desk know several people by name (and no, most just from looking at the names as they check in). It feels less corporate and also is a touch nicer than the other non-​Classic gyms. A touch of Chelsea at regular prices!
–Dry and wet saunas, and jacuzzi spa IN the women’s locker room. No need to bring a swimsuit!
–Ladies only gym with cardio machines and weights AND the machines are the new ones with individual TVs.
–Free towels (not all Virgin Actives have this).
–Small, but really pretty pool.
The only downsides are:
–Studio 2 is REALLY hard to find. It is easy to get lost in here with all the corridors and stair cases.
–Studio 2 is really awkward… the mirrors tilt forward so you can’t see yourself if you’re not in the very front. Plus, it is a bit small. It also doubles as the cycling studio, so the equipment takes up additional space.
–Jacuzzi only lukewarm (but this is a thing I’ve found standard across the VA branches. Makes me think it is either them being cheap or some weird, lame health law)
–Not near any tube transport, really.
I’d certainly come back here anytime it is convenient.

This was the original Holmes Place, opened as a gym in 1980 in the premises of a former plumber’s merchants off the Fulham Road. The building was originally constructed in 1902 and it has a rather nice feel to it — in many ways more like a house than a gym in its layout.
It has now been subsumed within the Virgin Active empire, but retains much of what made it a good club before. There’s a small, intimate feel. This is a largely residential area, so people live — rather than work — nearby. The staff are friendly and competent and there is relatively low turnover among the fitness instructors.
It’s got all the usual machines and heavy things to lift. Small pool. Sauna, steam room, jacuzzi. Some excellent classes, and a neat little café.
If you want a super-​swish, high-​tech gym, look elsewhere. If you want a well-​equipped local gym, this is the place for you.

Virgin Active Chelsea is beautifully located, opposite the Goat in Boots on Fulham Road. The staff are helpful and it is by and large clean, but does seem to suffer from some sort of chronic under-​maintenance. While I have few complaints about the gym slace upstairs, this is because i never use it. The pool, while decent, is a little dirty and, at only 17 meters long, is more akin to a bathtub than Olympic swimming pool! Beyond this half the showers are constantly off-​thermostat (in the mens’ anyway — I cannot comment on the womens’ :-)) and the swimsuit dryer spends a substantial time broken. Add to this the fact the pool is regularly given away to aqua classes” who get territorial and kick swimmers out, I am not sure it is worth spending the high Virgin Active membership fees on this club when there are much cheaper alternative around.

At first I was really excited to join this gym as it seemed they had a lot of classes I was interested in. I do love the separate gym for women and never have trouble getting a machine when I go.
However I am a bit disappointed that there are no real beginners yoga or Pilates classes at good times for those that work.
I love the pool as unlike most indoor pools it is not over chlorinated and is not too hot and does not smell like chemical. I can often find a free lane and it is not super overcrowded. Every time I go though there is at least one band-​aid floating in it. I have been when there are as many as 4 just in my lane!