South Kensington Club Reviews

Avoid by all means - after the management has changed it became a horrible place with the worst customer service ever. Used to love the club before though...

Great place to be to have a bite, coffee while doing business. I am not a member myself, but I felt as welcomed as one.

My husband and I visited this club once as guests, and absolutely loved it! The facilities are spacious, clean, well appointed and the staff are so sweet!

We are hoping to become members soon!

Since reopening in 2020 under new leadership, SKC has been renovated inside and out and has returned its focus to health and wellbeing. The skylit gallery gym is back and a proper weights room and boxing studio have been added alongside the beautiful yoga and Reformer Pilates studios.

The club lounge and Voyager room are much improved as is the healthy new menu and most importantly the service! Good to have SKC back.

Housekeeping is very nice and half of the people from the restaurant too.

Beautiful food, lovely spot and found the service excellent. Met a business friend here for lunch, good meeting and looking forward to coming back to explore the menu.

So lovely to visit after months of being closed due to Covid, lots of renovations and improvements! I have been loving the classes, especially Reformer Pilates in the beautiful mews studio, very safe and socially distanced. Delicious protein shakes and healthy breakfast/brunch options too.

Unfortunately very disappointing experience at SKC. Classes have to be booked beforehand, however some people don't book in advance to avoid being charged in case they do not attend. This means that classes are often overcrowded and there is not enough space to practice moves.

When I asked to cancel my membership, I was reassured that had been done. However, I was still charged the following three months. Only after numerous phone calls and in-person talks, the membership coordinator managed to cancel the direct debit.

Considering the membership fee, I find this service unacceptable.

Absolute joke. The new gym is in a small basement, quality of service has declined materially, mold and water damage in spa facilities. Banya was closed for months over the summer and no compensation provided. Plunge pool is closed frequently due to plumbing issues. Facilities are run down and in poor condition

A private club in the modern style. The surroundings are lovely and the facilities excellent. Note that you cannot just walk in use the facilities! It really is a private club. If there were no smokers the first floor balcony would be heavenly. Rather too dippy hippy in ethos for me. However that seems just to be a commercial decision get female members. Ironically the 'body is a temple' line seems to be more honoured by the breech than the observance.

It's a really pompous and boastful place to go. MASSIVELY overpriced, in fact it's really ridiculous what they are asking for. I can't see the appeal overall and there's nothing particularly special going on, but several friends seem to go here regularly and occasionally I have gone with them.

They have random gym rooms across two floors, including some with weights and some for various other things, most of the gym is located at the top - it's really tiny and if it's busy you'll be queuing to use machines (of which there are few).

The downstairs spa is ridiculously overpriced and you have to pay extra as the guest of a member to use the sauna and steam room. The sauna looks like it's about to fall apart and the only remotely "cool" thing down there is the plunge pool (literally), and possibly the fancy-looking cool water jacuzzi in the middle.

With respect to the upstairs seating area, I'd say this is quite nice, very unique-looking and pleasant. Great atmosphere and the reason I'd give it 2 stars instead of 1. If the whole place was as nice as that I'd give it maybe 3 or 4 stars. The staff are generally friendly and there is a balcony for smoking too.

I wouldn't pay for a membership myself and I was shocked when they did a publicity stunt to fill their tiny "pool" with water from a Sicilian beach. What an utter waste of money and how profoundly pompous. There is absolutely nothing special about that water and in fact more people have peed in the Mediterranean Sea throughout history than in all the chlorine-filled pools in the whole of London, possibly even the UK or the world. - Have fun swimming in that whilst you enjoy the view of the "luxury" surroundings, of which some are rotting and others are just filthy. Have a look at the walls next time you use the pool and tell me I'm wrong.

Excellent service, classy decor and smooth atmosphere

have been member for four years - but quality has gone downhill all the way.
At start service was excellent, good body care products available - now only a few and cheap quality, showers or steam bath constantly closed due to refurb, classes overbooked or studios often unheated, food in restaurant only mediocre to poor,..members changing in rapid numbers , very bad and chaotic communication with members , Club would need proper management . Will stop my membership , considering its also the most expensive in comparison...

Went on Saturday with two friends for one of their 30th birthdays and we were hoping a luxurious and relaxing spa day, somewhere we could chill out after a busy week. Instead, the SKC had allowed a booking for large Hen party of around 15 loud and obnoxious women who completely ruined the atmosphere.

Very disappointing in SKC for allowing this to happen - it is the sort of establishment that shouldn't let hen parties attend.

This is a beautiful place for a workout. They have a hot room too where you can practise yoga. Yoga teacher was great.

Staff are very professional and courteous.

My only complaint is the sauna. It is not very hot at all. The pricing is pretty steep and slightly questionable.

The club and level of service is in a downward spiral. Facilities are in a run down state, with clear lack of maintenance work.
The sky-lit state of the art gym doesn't exist anymore and have been replaced with a small underground gym with no windows and infiltration on walls.
Worst part is that the club kept on advertising the sky-lit gym for a few months after its dismantling.
Email communication with staff takes 1week + on average.
Considering the member fee this is a scam..

The club seems to be imploding. "Skylit gym" now replaced with a small underground fitness room - including damaged equipment!. An exodus of members over the coming weeks, based on the raw anger at management's contempt for them. focus now seems to be generating revenue from external sources and renting club spaces out to external parties - despite the outrageous membership fees. Club used to be a great place, which is why the disintegration is such a pity

JULY UPDATE

The SERVICE is APPALLING in this place!!! I come 2/3 times a week to the club and over the past 6 months or so I noticed the quality of the service has got worse and worse, unfortunately the South Kensington club is not what it used to be. The staff in the bar, gym and SPA are inattentive and demotivated and often do not action in a timely manner even after reporting issues and chasing multiple times. Below is a list of the issues you may face as member in this club:

1. Some of the machines in the gym are broken or have some functionality not working. Need to chase and beg the staff for months before getting this type of things sorted out.
2. In the locker room and in the SPA there are not enough bathrobes at peak times - this problem has not been solved yet even though myself and other members have been complaining for several months.
3. Some of the newly hired staff cannot even speak english! Ask for something and they will reply back sorry I cannot help you , I cannot speak English
4. The SPA has been out of order for almost 3 months despite we were initially told the work would last for 10 days only. An alternative facility has been made available but it s a totally different type of facility and in some occasions I could not access it at all because surprisingly the club allows members to hire it even while the SPA is closed.
5. Sometimes the washing rooms are dirty.
6. The lift was out of order for days and so the staff put a warning sign please don t use the lift on the lift door at each floor of the building but forgot to put it at the changing room floor. I reported days ago and I can confirm that as expected nobody hasn t followed up on this . This raises even security concerns at the club.
7. The tea library next to the SPA where we used to relax after the sauna does not serve anymore tea and any other type of drink. How can you still call it a tea library?
8. In the past few months there has been a major staff cut in the SPA and in the gym. This has made the service poorer and slower.

In short a great location but horrible service and poor management. Lots of members have recently left the club.

The food was excellent, the atmosphere very cozy and relaxed and the service, especially from Letizia, amazing. Definitely one of the best restaurants in London. I strongly recommend it:)!
In addition the club area was glamorous and equipped with everything that a sophisticated and classy club should have!

I consider this place an extension of my house. I've been a member ever since they've opened the Russian Sauna (banya) and I don't regret any day of my membership. This place helps me get through cold gloomy days in London with a smile. I honestly just signed up for the banya and it's been worth it for me. I enjoy other facilities as well like the terrace and the lounge on occasion. But it's all about the bath house in this place. Star of this club. I recommend getting a parenia treatment by Eugene, you will feel like you were born again. Just remember to let go, relax, and surrender to the experience.

Even though it's a bit on the small side, it's the peace and quiet I come here for. The gym may be small but it is very well equipped and the kit is modern which makes it an enjoyable experience. I love coming out here to escape busy central life.

The club is cute and I used to attend regularly years ago - however the food in the club is uninspiring and dull
The club price over priced for What you receive

A fantastic club all round. Thank you for everything you do!

Terrible management. SKC is a great example of a good idea that was very poorly executed with a building that was left to get run down.
Edit: added a star as they've finally finished the banya renovation which might have been the reason I was especially annoyed before.

The best spa in London, the staff is just so friendly and helpful. Love it

Cosy private members health club. Best "coffee" I've ever had - Espresso Leche - with almond milk and dates

Nice place but very small for a club or as a gym. The classes are always full or the receptionist forgets to book you in. Also the private trainers are often not available or your appointments are cancel 5 minutes before without notification. The food in the restaurant is average. All in all a nice concept but nothing special and definitely not worth the money spend on the membership.

Really disappointing service. Bathhouse has been in refurbishment for 6 weeks now and no real clear indicator when it will be re-opened. Membership team have not been helpful as they continually advise that the temporary spa is available, only to arrive on Sunday and to find that they have privately booked this out and therefore not in use. Poorly handled. Not of a 'private member club' standard.

Recently went to the restaurant for the first time. Food was good, but the service was horrendous. The waiter made a mistake on orders and brought wrong dishes for my friend and myself. When we pointed out, he started and kept on arguing back at us saying he did not do it wrong. After waiting another 30 mins for the food to arrive, I was already late for the next meeting, so we asked for a bill, but he was just standing there doing nothing. Unacceptable behaviour as a waiter.

Exquisite private members club. Great facilities nice place to hang out with friends

Went for the private Banya as a teambuilding exercise - It was great! You sweat out in the banya (a sort of humid sauna) for a bit then you go to an even hotter one where you are massaged with oak leaves. After that you plunge in a cold pool. In the meantime you can hang out with your friends in the dry room and drink tea. Great experience!

Lovely food and atmosphere. Staff is extremely helpful. Enjoyable and tasty lunch.

Smart well designed members club with good Italian restaurant and service in the heart of south ken.

Excellent service and really friendly staff. Although im a bit younger than the usual clients that come inside, they did not change the level of service. Would highly recommend you pay a visit here.

This is a great spot for business meeting if you like a cocktail or a small bite to eat it got you covered

Treatment of staff abysmal and a horrible place. It's made out to be some state of the Art place but it's a dump

Lovely private members club in the heart of Kensington. The food is OK and the gym is small but well equipped. However, the really lovely thing about this spot is how quiet it is.

Best Private members club in London
Best Spa and gym

You wouldn't know it if you were to walk past it but once you go inside you feel like you're in someone's home and not at an event. Food was simple but tasty.