Expensive Gym Membership - Do you have one? Is it worth it?

It is a lot of money and I know a few people who use it but they do a lot of the classes, take their kids to tennis and swimming there. If I was just going to use the treadmill and then pop in the sauna/jacuzzi I think there's a lot of cheaper alternatives. Our local better gym had a sauna (no jacuzzi), classes and all the usual gym kit and was £30 a month......

That is silly money! I pay £38 a month (unlimited access at all times) for a large gym with some modern app-based resistance equipment, traditional resistance equipment, loads of free weights plus lots of other bits n bobs. The cost also includes unlimited classes – everything from pilates to 'warrior fit' circuits. They used to have a swimming pool and sauna, but they got rid of that during Covid and just extended the gym. I miss it, but not £112 a month more per month miss it!

It entirely depends how you use it.

There are people at local DL who seem to live there. They work there, they swim, go to classes, use the gym, have PT sessions, use the sauna and jacuzzi, etc. So to them, yes it is.

If you're just going to use the treadmill, maybe push a few weights and use the pool occasionally then I'd find a less expensive option.

Most towns have a selection ranging from DL to "meat heads and metal" in a warehouse. I'd suggest visiting a few to get a feel for them all, and what they can offer you. I pay £30 per month for a smaller place that lacks a few of the DL bells and whistles but has a shower, a steam room and well maintained kit.

My partner and I go to David Lloyd - she always wanted to be in a position to join, so when we were able to, we did.
It's expensive, but the equipment is nice, and there are tons of classes - we used to do their Cyclone Stages Bike classes but TBH we don't any more.
I go to the gym a few times per week, and I go to the spa/sauna a couple times a week, too. I'd like to work from there a little more than I do TBH.
For us, it's worth it, and we enjoy going along.. We'd rather there were fewer kids, to be totally honest - it's not quite as relaxing as we'd like, especially when they're in the gym but that probably says more about us than anything else haha
What I would say is that not all DL clubs are built equal - we didn't rate the one in York, but like the one we go to in Bristol..

Some folk definitely appreciate the atmosphere of being around other folk in a gym. Locally there a CrossFit that's very popular and our council gym does Hyrox. I'm more of a loner so invested in some kit for my house. The missus and I both use it so it not only works out cheaper but is also more convenient, meaning we're more likely to use it. It'll also depend on what exercises you want to do and therefore how much equipment you need. We're both into muscle maintenance mode rather than building more and that doesn't need vast amounts of specialized equipment. 

Used to be a member of DL, primarily for the outdoor pool. Wife & kids still are members-I just get their guest passes so still go once or twice a month. The novelty of spa facilities wears off pretty quickly. Found myself never going in to the spa after a couple of months membership. Pool is excellent though, and in general DL clubs are the cleanest out of any gym/pool set ups that I’ve been to. All/mostly new gym equipment upstairs is a nice touch too. 
I always aim to go at off peak times anyway to miss the post work rush of the gym bro’s and parents who don’t give 2 shits what their kids are up to and always found it amusing the Range Rover brigade park as close to the front door as feasibly possible….despite it being a place of exercise. If you were to go after work I honestly would question the fee.

Thats not a lot of money! I went to a small private gym the other week to talk to them about joining up. I'll caveat it that it was very personal - you could rock up and train etc but you had access to 1-2-1 sessions etc. Came in at just under a grand for 3 months. Absolute piss take - I was out of there so fast. I do fancy joining a gym though but don't want to do some chav roid head rammed dump. £150 seems quite reasonable if I could find time to go a couple of times a week and it wasn't a shithole.

Depending on who you work for there may be discounts - my partner is NHS and I have AXA Private Health - we both get a chunk of the list prices at Nuffield. I pay £62 per month for a pretty decent place with pool, classes, cafe, sauna etc.

Yes, DL club in south Glasgow, it’s going up from £154 to £161 next month… 

I use the outdoor pool a couple of times a week, it’s a 25m, slightly heated one, always quiet. I’ll usually then use the sauna and outdoor spa.  I also do a couple of yoga classes every week and use the gym maybe 3 times a week.  Cafe is decent, whether for a cuppa or lunch, and they have a good quiet space with workstation desks and various other seating options, which I have used a few times. 

Having retired/sort of a few months ago I am using it more than I used to, but at the same time aware that £40 a week is a heap, probably £10 to £15 a visit, with my usual visit between 1 and 3 hours in the place.

I go to a council gym , £30 a month. I like the classes but it doesn't have a sauna or a steam room 

A mate has a David Lloyd membership, not sure how much, and despite being a bike guide he seems to use it enough to justify it. 

I've got a £30 council gym membership. Only go once a week on average, which just about breaks even but doesn't do enough for my fitness. Does mean I get some form of exercise when the weather is properly shit

Check if your health scheme/work might subsidise it. I had a Virgin one in the past and got 30% off through the health provider.

How often are you using it? And all year?

I'd love to re-join our local DL - I LOVED it for the winter months and went 5 times a week for 7 different sessions. Summer? Never went near the place - who wants to be inside when it nice out?

I've been meaning to go back and ask if they would do an October to April full membership. I'd even pay the full monthly charge for those months, as long as I don't for Summer.

I count sports as an investment in physical and mental health. It's as valuable as putting money in a pension or ISA to me.

If you have the budget and going to DL makes you feel good, then good on you and go for it.

If you think it's too expensive and you'd be better off at a cheaper gym, maybe spending the change on PT sessions, lights or a turbo trainer that's also valid. 

yes was off peak via work for a while.  mostly used to swim or do rehab stuff in the gym weekday lunchtimes.  even that was bloody expensive 75 a month I think.  

jacuzzi was nice but often rammed with older folk as was the pool with two lanes filled with walkers....

it would make lots of sense if you were retired and basically lived there / did that instead of golf etc....

our localish council complex was refurbished and the kit was just as good

Crikey I pay £26 a month for our local council gym, that includes swimming pool and some classes but you have to pay extra for badminton and stuff.

It's actually a really nice gym with good equipment as well.

Double post....

My wife and daughter have the local council health site memberships - lots cheaper - possibly £45 a month at normal rates - daughter student, wife get's lifetime staff/family membership from her sister. Swim, classes etc.

I don't have time to go and would rather ride my bike as a I cycle to work. I'm someone who needs visual and physical input when exercising (i.e. scenery/moving/crashing).

I pay c 1k pa to join 2 places.  1 is a spa I go to most mornings, the other a gym and pool I go in the evenings.  Best thing I can suspend membership while away so 12 months up front payment actually lasts 16 months.

It's a fab investment in wellbeing, I keep my gym stuff in the car so often just call in for a sauna.

Actual costs are gym 480pa and spa 350, so 830pa.

I've seen 'working' from the gym mentioned twice.

I'm not au fait with what a David Lloyd environment is like, but what now?

I'm not averse to spending money, but sod £150/month for a gym - but then I have no interest in classes or 1 to 1 anything.

That said, I spend enough - £25 for nearest council gym, £25 for the Gym Group - bit further away, but much better and more equipment. But then I'll also pay £6/session or whatever it is for Puregym in the nearest town when I'm away with work. Not been much lately though *rubs belly

I pay £24.50 a month to Your Space which gives me full access to all their centres. 9 in total of which 6 are local. Do on average 7 classes a week so think I'm getting good value for my money. 

I might change my mind when I'm not working and out of the house 11 hours a day...

No bloody way.....

Never been to a gym in my life other that one time my aunt asked if I wanted to do a spin class with her...it was riding so thought I'd give it a try. Never again! 

Always had physical jobs and moved enough in my day to day that I never needed to go and bang gym*.  Sauna places in Germany are common enough that I used to go once every week or two during the colder months. Seeing as I'm back in Germany I thought go again to a sauna but the prices have roughly tripled in the last three years I've been away. 

*

https://youtube.com/shorts/XWjddzGgtC8?si=FIo0opGqD_yMXiQ6

Sounds a lot, but the actual value will be how much you use it and whether you enjoy being there.  Just one thought…..part of the gym subscription model is to get you in and then you don’t use it as much as you should.  That’s why they have a big push in January - if you’re looking for some validation here and really make use of it, then hold off for a New Year offer.

Gyms are weird/necessary/fun [delete as applicable]. Joined one (the Gym Group) after seeing a chiropractor to sort out a lower back problem and quickly realised I had a shoulder issue, sorted by a physiotherapist at the local council gym, so now I'm just going along for my own fun/enjoyment/benefit but contrast that with the 'country club' (DL as was?) back in the day that my mate's newly divorced mum took us to, and our younger sisters, for swimming lessons while she, actually I don't know what, but we had fun, scrambling under the bleachers behind the squash courts, watching original Star Trek in the tv lounge, dive bombing the outdoor pool when it was open. Still got my swimming badges. 

thanks for all the replies.

I have looked at other gyms, but i am finding that if its not a 'health club' the cardio equipment is an afterthought, as its more about weights. And whilst i will use them, as initially mentioned, its the treadmills etc that are the initial draw.

There are some of the large gym's on the otherside of town, but I am not sure i will have the motivation to drive through rush hour traffic to get to them. the DL is a 4 minute drive from home, so that is part of the appeal. Plus the sauna etc. Which isnt something i have ever been bothered about, but as i get older, i am trying to appreciate the 'slowing down and relaxing' side of life!

I appreciate the feedback. I am booked in on the 13th for a guest pass, so will check it out and see if its for me. Although as mentioned above, will i use it in the summer... i somewhat doubt it. Many thoughts to be had!

"Meat heads and metal" made me smile.  I pay £31.50 pm at @davesgymcardiff which has free weights, recently updated weight machines, some cardio machines and a martial arts area that is also useful for stretching etc.  Dave and his wife Zoe are available for advice.  Fine for what I need, which fortunately doesn't include a shower, sauna etc.

Happy place for me.

Posted by: v7fmp

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the DL is a 4 minute drive from home,

This is much more important than many people realise. My gym is a 5 minute walk away, if it was much further I'm not sure I'd go as much.

The local GymGroup (about 200m from my house) is £15.99 p/m for off peak, for basic gym only use.

The local authority place is £20 p/m for as much gym, swim and sauna as I can squeeze in, An extra £3 will add all the fitness classes. TBF, I'd get a carers concession, otherwise it would be £28.50/£32, which includes a parking permit.

I'm a member of PureGym and have been for a few years now. It provides everything I need, machines, cardio equipment, free weights, etc. A a pool and sauna / steam room would be a nice to have but not a deal breaker. It costs me just under £30 per month but that gives me 4 guest passes per month too which is handy when my son's home. It also gets me access to most other Puregyms in the country should I need it and it's 24/7/363*.

Having visited a David  Lloyd I wouldn't say that £150 per month is excessive. Expensive yes, excessive no. I think a gym membership is vital for mental and physical well-being, certainly to me so go for the best you can afford and the one that suits your needs.

*Advertised as 365 but they've recently started closing early on Christmas Eve and re-opening on Boxing Day. 

Mrs Kilo was paying way more than £150 pcm but that was for a small gym where you only worked one two one with a trainer.. She also had the same 35 quid membership at a big 24/7 gym. She felt it was vfm for her and she went to the small gym 3 times a week. A friend is at 3rd Space and I think they charge 250 pcm up. Apparently it is very nice, nice facilities, pool, fluffy towels etc, fewer feral kids and she goes there a lot and is a proper gym head.

Go when you intend to visit so you get an idea of how busy it will actually be, though keep in mind it's going to be busy as hell in about 4 weeks...but only for about 3 weeks.

The other option is I just buy a treadmill for home, which is a touch less than 12 months DL membership. But it doesnt have the same thrill in my garage as it would with all the other facilities. And I would need to move my turbo trainer out of the way.

Not used a gym for many years, but do you get women posing in front of mirrors, taking selfies at all different angles? Getting their lycra legging clad butt stuck out for a good shot? I used to see loads of this on the dating apps and wondered what people thought, seeing these weirdos admiring themselves! I guess the fellas must do it too.

Not used a gym for many years, but do you get women posing in front of mirrors, taking selfies at all different angles

At the 24/7 place we use I've seen this. The lady was a bodybuilder of sorts, this was part of her training and the gym had good lights and mirrors. She also changed into high heels to do this. It was a little odd but there's a lot of odd people in gyms

We had a banatynes membership years ago. I used it on my way home. Then we moved and it became a trek to use it. 

At that point we installed a gym at home. Just weights all cardio was outside. 

Then we had kids, we sold the rack / pulley, but kept the plates and bars. My wife has started using it again, mainly to rehab after kids. I need to get back on it but I keep kidding myself my job is physical enough. 

The bouldering venue I use has a gym in it too

I had a DL membership for 2 years.

For me, it was all about the outdoor pool for early morning swims (3x/week), the yoga/Pilates classes (2x/week) and the free weights (1x/week). I'd go to the classes with my wife and normally follow it with 30mins-hour in the spa.

Winter was fantastic, especially swimming in the outdoor pool, the indoor pool was too warm for me, but during the summer you had to visit at odd hours if you wanted to use the pool without it being a children's playground.

I got value for money, but she didn't and as it was meant to be a joint thing, we decided not to renew the membership, and to find some other activity for both of us to enjoy.

It cost around £200/month for the joint membership (a few years ago!), now we have membership to a lake for swimming in all year round which costs us £400/yr, and that's our joint activity.

I'd echo what others have said about proximity, the more convenient it is to get there, the more you'll use it.

DL was on my way to or from work, so that's when I'd use it, I've also had membership at the gym group next door to my work and I used to use that almost every week day, I have a home gym now and my wife and I use that (me almost every day and her not so much!).

The DL gym felt like it was full of entitled people that kept to themselves (me included), so there was never really any kind of fun or supportive atmosphere, it was just a cold gym to get stuff done in, whilst the gym next door to my work was a 24hr chain gym in a not so great area on the edge of town and the atmosphere was very inclusive, I always felt at home and folk would chat to strangers regularly.

Bar, squat rack, weights in my garage suits me these days. I however, am not and will never be training for a marathon! 

I think gym membership depends on the value you derive from it, paying £150pm and going for an hour on Saturday to sit there while your kid plays tennis (my SIL did this for a few years) is bonkers. If you want to run in a straight line for a long time in the warm then why not. 

I bike commute in all seasons and when I do run in winter I'm always surprised by how much I enjoy it, it's never as grim as your expectation builds it up to be. But then I'm also quite a fan of a rainy run, hot and dry, forget about it! 

No, but I think I will change to membership at the local bouldering wall instead of payg as I think I can fit 2 sessions in midweek (threshold for membership being cheaper). There's a small free-weights gym there that looks fine and covers all the basic strength work I would need. I wouldn't pay a lot of money for fancy machines though.

Posted by: v7fmp

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I just buy a treadmill for home, which is a touch less than 12 months DL membership

So £1600 for a treadmill?? Get on Facebook Marketplace. I just picked up a York brand proper treadmill with adjustable incline and 16kph top speed the other week for £50. It doesn't have any fancy smart bluetooth features or the like but the belt goes round at whatever speed I choose and incline changes when I press the buttons. I can probably sell it for similar or more when I realise once again that I hate running.

Posted by: desperatebicycle

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I guess the fellas must do it too.

At the lower cost gyms small groups of lads are more likely to hang around with their hands down their trackies.  Not sure why, at least they only had them down their own and not one another’s.

Now I use a CrossFit ‘box’ and the blokes are more into whipping their shirts off and throwing the weights at the floor (the women like throwing weights at the floor too but keep their tops on)

Not tempting me to the gym...  Partner has just today picked up a weight bench so we can use her conservatory as a gym. I'll get bored very quickly I suspect. Unless she starts throwing weights at the floor and whips her top off 😆 

David Lloyd facilities at a new club near me were amazing. It is a resort or country club, not just a gym. They had a hotdesk space for remote work. If you go every day, it costs peanuts. If you just go once a week it's very expensive. Unfortunately I thought it was too far from me and I wouldn't make it along often enough...

The only membership I have had was to a Crossfit place that was 400m from my old house. I was there four times a week and, for the last year of my membership was coaching classes there as well. I didn't think it was too expensive for the number of classes I did, but then I got a discount on it. 

That said, no machines, no pool, no sauna, just hard work and pain.

IO can see why people join something like DL, but I don't have anything similar near me now and would not use a similar place a lot because of travel times to town. If I had a Crossfit place near me, I'd likely join that, despite the modern, post-COVID prices

On another note, there's nothing like a shower at someone else's expense 😆, And whilst I mean that in jest it's true - I hardly showered at home over the winter for years. Not sure what a shower costs, but I like mine hot and long 😊  

This may sound like a daft suggestion, but have you investigated the facilities at your local sports centre?

I have a remarkably good council gym that is 5 mins away from me, big and spacious, 4 squat racks, an ass load of treadmills, clean and orderly, and costs £30 a month. This affront to capitalism presumably cannot last, but these places exist.

My other local council gyms are nowhere near this standard, tbf, so you need to be lucky to find one that is convenient. But I'd definitely take a gander at what is available from the LA.

Am I right in remembering you also had a knee op at the start of the year? I think we were contributing to the same thread.

I joined a gym at my physios instruction and am actually quite enjoying having the facility. I have a turbo at home and a cheap weights bench as well as some dumbbells and a barbell. My suggestion would be to join the closest gym. I looked at a David Loyd and a Nuffield but they were both 10-15 min drive away but a cheaper place is only 5 mins from home and that convenience is really handy and i am sure i go more than I otherwise would.

Never loved swimming but it’s quite nice to get in to the pool once a week now to do some exercise that doesn't put any impact through knee. Also, I am still awaiting final clearance to fully load through the knee and having proper machines can help with this. Leg machines can be set to only work through a certain range, meaning I don’t worry about going past 90 degrees doing quad extensions or leg presses and the smith machines are good for doing squats but can control how far down I go. The equipment is much nicer to use than the cheap stuff I have or could have bought for home.

Also, when in the garage trying to do a session I always have one of the kids or the wife walk in to ask me something or ask how long I am going to be, being out the house takes away the distractions!

Yep me too - local leisure Centre that is new - they knocked down the old one and built a new one on the same location - £33 per month or £26 per month off peak. No sauna but the gym, classes and the pool are good. I go three times a week to swim - £150 per month seems alot....

Until recently I was a member at a Nuffield Gym about half the price of a David Lloyd.  Nice enough - good modern gym, nice pool, steam room lots of classes.

I was mainly getting value from classes - yoga and spin when the weather was bad.  My favourite yoga teachers moved away though and I get all my strength work through my 2 climbing gym memberships one of which is really well equipped.  So I've cancelled the membership and can pick up yoga classes at the newly refurbished leisure centre.

If I wasn't so into climbing I would stiff have the Nuffield membership though so not anti-nice gym.  

Do you have a Nuffield locally? May be worth a look

Just to add another twopenneth, I found recently that not all DLs are the same. Part of the attraction is that a membership gets you in to every DL gym in the country…which is ideal if you’re travelling for work. But it doesn’t! Apparently there’s tiers of clubs, so my wife’s friend who is a member in Glasgow west end can not use her membership in our Glasgow south side so would have to use a guest pass. Pretty sure, despite my wife having a platinum membership that guests shouldn’t use the spa. Tier 1 memberships get you into any DL, but I’m assuming it costs £££ more. 

…waves at paino 👋. Never met but have probably shared the pool 😎

Posted by: v7fmp

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I am considering joining the local David Llyod Health Club (or possibly another premium gym).

It has some great appeal, local, good facilities, a place to workout and then relax with the Spa facilities. I am training for a marathon so the use of treadmills in the winter misery would be welcome. I can pop in on the way home from work, do some exercise, then be home an hour later.

But.... its a ruddy lot of money. Approx. £150 a month. Which l

Just get your trainers on. You need to run not **** about at the gym. Mara training is just more is more. Travelling to the gym is time you could be running.

I worked in a DL (a couple of decades ago!) and have a £34 a month gym membership now at a local powerlifting/ bodybuilding gym (I'm neither), IMO DL best suits those who are retired / don't work and have the time to spend most of the day there socialising, working out, dining, attending events etc..
For marathon training you'll be needing lots of time running, I can't think of anything worse than an hour + on a treadmill, even in the cold damp of winter. For some warm intervals maybe, but not time. But that's me.

I think DL suited those with a disposable income, if your already ? the cost, maybe it's not for you.

i am finding that if its not a 'health club' the cardio equipment is an afterthought

Arsey response: You can buy a good turbo trainer for £500 and running shoes are cheap (join a local running club)

Everything above that is just what you need as motivation ie whether that’s a £30 gym membership or a £150 membership 

Just re read OP’s last post. 

OK you already have a turbo ? Sounds like the gym is just a good excuse to avoid the fact you need to just get out and run!

I don’t know any serious runners who enjoy treadmill running 

You will get much more benefit joining a running club (which costs peanuts) than joining an expensive gym. You will get fitter quicker too. You could then just join a cheap gym to do basic weight training 

My experience of marathon training is that you need to do a lot of running outdoors. I know people who work miracles indoors, but they're the exception and I could never run f. eks 2 hours indoors.  If you want to do runs indoors, get the incline up a couple of degrees or it's a different muscle/movement pattern.

I know people will tell you do some strength work for it , and that's true, if it's a choice between that and running, go running.

In general tho' I have nothing against DL or other expensive gyms if you're going to use them. Sure it's super cheap to do it at home, but that's not the point. Especially if you go bonkers, get super bored at home

I appreciate the replies. As I put more thought into this, it does seem the price of DL isnt something I would be comfortable with. It does sound like you need to spend a lot of time there to get VFM, which I probably cant justify as yet.

I am still going to use the guest pass I have and spend a few hours in there, so never say never. But it currently feels like an extravagence.

And whilst the convenient location is a big draw, as others have said, if i can use a Gym thats a quarter of the price, but maybe 10-15 minutes drive away, it makes sense.

And whilst I have mentioned I want to use it for my Marathon training, I would also use the other equipment, so its not like thats the only draw.

But ultimately, I do just need to lace up my shoes and get out there, come rain or shine. There just isnt a hot sauna waiting for me at the end of it!

If you can afford it and got plenty of use out of it there's worse ways of spending your money

20 quid a month spit and sawdust place for me though

•••••••
Off the back of this thread, I’ll be using the 2 week £35 trial offer to maximise their facilities during this cold spell 

•••••••
Outdoor whirlpool

Outdoor swimming pool (adults only)

Steam room

Sauna

Hydro massage beds (?)

Cryo massage beds (?)

Pickleball sessions (equipment provided)

Badminton

Spirit sound bath

and if there’s time, the gym

•••••••

I’ll then return to my £30 gym which is a 5 minute walk away and has a climbing wall and swimming pool, but alas no sauna, outdoor pool, pickleball…

Posted by: alansd1980

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Am I right in remembering you also had a knee op at the start of the year? I think we were contributing to the same thread.

Indeed, tibia plateau fracture in May. Thankfully, its healed really well. I did 10 days of riding in the alps about 12 weeks post break and also achieved a 10km PB a few weeks back at the Brighton 10k (48:08). So overall, no issues thus far. Hence the marathon.. i am not getting any younger, so thought its now or never (i say now, i mean 3rd May in Southampton!)

Posted by: SYZYGY

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•••••••
Off the back of this thread, I’ll be using the 2 week £35 trial offer to maximise their facilities during this cold spell 

 

 

 

My local DL (Worthing) is doing the same 'offer'.... but for £75!!!

https://www.davidlloyd.co.uk/clubs/worthing/membership-trial/

Indeed, tibia plateau fracture in May.

so that money you save not going to DL will probably get eaten up with physio sessions 😂

I started going to the gym at a local council owned sports centre along with a bunch of friends, and we’d then spend some time afterwards chatting in the attached cafe, but gradually people stopped coming due to other commitments getting in the way, until I was the only one, so I stopped as well.

I was doing quite a lot of riding and walking, so it wasn’t like I was sitting on my ass in an office all day, but now I’m retired, and I’ve some physical issues, I’m thinking of looking around to see if there’s any local gyms that have training for people with lower back issues, knee arthritis, and such like, and staff who actually know how to guide people like me, so I can build up supporting muscle without aggravating the existing injury.