September 2025 by Richard
I visited from another VA gym and they insisted that I buy a band to lock my things.
Why am I paying for access to multiple gyms if each visit is ++?
Given the 1-off visit you figured they could loan a band vs a deposit or suggested some other solution. Process trumps client experience here.
September 2025 by Elisabeth
Let me put it simply ? I?d rather pay double the fees at Third Space than deal with Virgin Active again. I moved 6,000 miles away, outside the UK, and 3 months later they?re still charging me as if I haven?t missed a single class. On top of that, they only accept very specific types of ?evidence? for relocation and take about a month to reply ... In a few words, the facilites are ecent, service is terrible ! And because I value my time and my headspace, this is a big no from me...
August 2025 by Y
I have had a shocking experience with Virgin Active.
After I left a review about a staff member (Rob at Virgin Active Strand) being rude, he went out of his way to call another branch and the head office to have my brand new membership cancelled behind my back. I was never contacted or informed. I only discovered this when I tried to enter the gym and was blocked.
I had already paid a £125 joining fee for Chiswick Riverside, yet Virgin Active cancelled my membership without explanation, left me unable to use the club for a week, and kept my money.
As a disabled person, I find this particularly unacceptable. Virgin Active staff chose to act in a retaliatory and discriminatory way rather than resolve the situation professionally. This behaviour has caused me unnecessary stress and exclusion, when I should have been supported and treated fairly under the Equality Act 2010.
If you are thinking of joining Virgin Active, beware: if you complain about staff behaviour, they may retaliate by cancelling your membership instead of addressing the problem. For a company charging nearly £300/month, this kind of treatment is disgraceful.
August 2025 by Anna Horváth
The worst gym I have ever signed up to. Classes get booked up in a second, I have not been able to book the Pilates classes for 6 months now. The strength and condition training often got cancelled, and the instructors were just simply poor. Poor quality towels, overcrowded facilities in the morning. Unhelpful staff and management and when I complained, no one listened. Do not sign up for a yearly membership as it is impossible to get out of the contract! Will never be using Virgin Active again and heavily warning all my friends not to sign up either
August 2025 by Graham Contor
I love my home club, at The Strand in London. I have been a member of Virgin Active, ever since it took over from Holmes Place in Crouch End; about 21 years ago! Now that is a lasting love. ??
I like the ?boutique? look of the club and the friendly staff?.always smiling and helpful. ???
August 2025 by Marc Coleman
Nice experience
July 2025 by Antonis Anagnostou
I've been a member for years but these last few months have been really bad. There is no customer support or whatsoever. I go to the club on average 3-5 times per week and have been going for years and I forgot to bring my fob once to check in and secure my belongings. I gave them my card and asked if I can borrow one. In the past they have facilitated this gladly just by leaving my card or driving licence. This time they asked me to pay for a new one and the approach was that they do not care if I cannot lock my collectibles away and have to pay unnecessarily for a simple fob whose only purpose is to lock a locker. I explained to them that I have been a member for years and I have even once purchased a fob as I had forgotten it but they insisted I should purchase a third one. It's a simple thing to be able to accept a driving licence or a card for a temporary fob or to even charge temporarily and revert if a member does not return it. Very disappointed with the level of customer service from a high end gym especially after reducing the towel service this year. I tried calling the customer service line but gave up after 20 minutes.
July 2025 by Ben Feldman
Not a great experience - but the airline is cool !
July 2025 by Maya
Have started recently going to Virgin Active on the Strand. And have been really joying Gills Reformer Pilates classes! 10/10 recommend! Gym is abit small but still has access to great facilities.
June 2025 by dilvivi
Agree with the general sentiment on other reviews - good gym and comparatively cleaner that other places but feel standards have slipped compared to a couple years ago. One towel policy for swimmers is ridiculous - surely there should be some flex here with a few towels poolside like there used to be!
June 2025 by David
No issue at all with this Club which is actually one of the better ones and the staff are great.
But I do have an issue with the decision makers at VA and their one-towel policy, yet another erosion of the member experience.
Some people will be fine with one towel.
But it?s short sighted to refuse a second towel when a member politely requests one. What?s the point in frustrating your customers over something so petty. This policy does not work for swimmers.
If you are going to impose it as non-negotiable, then upgrade the towels, not hand out the same old threadbare stale-sweat smelling rags.
Less can be more if you try.
Went home with wet feet - eww!
June 2025 by T S
Save your money don?t join. I have been coming to this club on and off for over 15 years. Recently it has been terrible. There is a new manager who is rude and prioritises handing individual towels out rather than keeping the gym clean, user friendly and in order. Women?s showers smell of urine, I feel so sorry for the poor cleaning lady she tries and she is alone cleaning. Toilet locks are old and broken and a woman was locked in recently. The sauna smells so bad. The machines are really old same ones for years and years. Worst of all I dread walking through the door and battling for a towel. In spite of fees going up we are only allowed one towel- so this same one towel is used to sit on in the sauna, then dry long hair and your body with. I barely go and each time it?s the same battle on the rare occasion I may need more than the one thin old towel. Having not been for over a week theoretically I could have had 7 towels. But No - a tug of war - with the gym manager in fact - over a thin greying towel that I needed !! Shocking customer service!. Horrible place. Disgusting. Save your money and join the local gym it?s cleaner and nicer with more modern facilities. And probably kinder more customer aware managers. This company is profiting and cutting back everywhere. It?s clearly a sinking ship.
May 2025 by I G
Pricing zooming up sky high for stuff noone wants nor asks for.
Now they have official Towel Police to restrict towel usage, even though rates are as high as real premium gyms.
Showers are rusty.
RESPONSE IS INSINCERE: Sustainability is important and energy use will be your largest carbon impact, and can be offset by more efficient heat pumps for pools and shower heating, lighting and not petty focus on towels (which are recycled obviously!) clearly it is designed to maximise profit.
May 2025 by James Morley
This 9pm closing does my head in.
I?m thinking about joining a bloody PureGym just so I can get in the gym after dinner.
Open until 10pm at least! You surely have enough money to do so with what you charge.
May 2025 by Angelo Tantillo
All the staff members I?ve met so far in the club are so nice and helpful!
My sessions with my PT, Curt, helped me a lot with my confidence and strength and taught me how to push my limits!
I have Parkinson?s and Curt is always very attentive and supportive. Couldn?t recommend this sessions enough!
