Virgin Active Hampshire Tennis and Health Club Review

Turned up for a tour that I booked a week in advance and got served by an individual that had no idea i was booked.

Got sent off to wait and after waiting for 25 minutes without being seen to I had enough and walked out.



A pity as well as the vibe seemed really nice.

Perfectly nice place, but a bit big and corporate for my liking.

I have been a member here now for a few months and feel like I can now offer a review.

I will section my review out for ease of reading.

The Gym.
A reasonable size with some good quality equipment. It is well laid out with the only exception (in my view) is the layout of the cardio equipment. You will be running face to face on the running machines which for me I find a little uncomfortable.

In the whole the gym is clean with sanitizing spray and cleaning roll available to wipe down the machines etc after use.

The Pool. (Indoor)
Generally a clean and always warm. Sometimes a little too warm if you are doing a hard swim set, but on the whole a nice experience. The life guards are a little lacking in authority when it chimes to keeping order and could maybe do with a little more training on how to speak to customers to get them to follow the rules.

Some of the pool lights don't work, so try to avoid tinted goggles.

The Pool. (Outdoors)
Slightly colder than the indoor pool. But a lovely experience even in winter. A life guard will come out to supervise your swim which is always welcome. For an outdoor pool in the uk it is very clean and generally on good order.

Changing Rooms (Male)
A little on the retro side, but kept clean and tidy with regular visits from the cleaning staff. Good sized lockers with a padlock hole for you to secure your kit.

Generally open plan, but with three changing cubicles you could use if you so wish.

Showers. (Male)
Large enough area to shower comfortably, some are lacking pressure and could do with looking at leaving the flow more evenly between them.

There always seems to be a smell from the drains in the mens shower area, which I am guessing gets worse with high usage.

Staff.
All the staff are friendly and welcoming, always happy to help and always have a smile on their face. The bar staff are always happy to see you and seem to remember their customers.

All in all not a bad place to work out the stresses of the day.

Just a few bad points, but these are down to the success of the place more than anything. .

It is near impossible to book an evening class as they book up almost instantly, but as no registers are taken, there is no penalty for not turning up, resulting in half empty classes and disappointed members.

Only other point is to avoid the busy times, as the indoor pool is often booked at peak Times for classes (slightly annoying) & the gym is packed until around 8.30pm

Good friendly staff and a wide range of equipment and classes available

Doing well with social distance procedures as far as I've seen for the two visits made since lockdown restrictions changed. The team are doing well

Absolutely love being a member here - classes are fantastic especially Aqua. Staff are always friendly and very accommodating for children.

Fantastic start David Loyd Southampton !

Took over from Virgin active 3 weeks ago, and the 3 times I've turned up to use outside pool , when weather has been scorching they've closed it due to maintenance problems !!

Looking forward to the price rises in January

For the price of membership it's a little run down. Grips on bars could be replaced. Sauna not that hot, steam has an odour. 2/3 buttons on the jaccuzi don't work. Towel rack has been broken for at least a week. Other then that it's all good. Decent range of classes. Pools In and out are great. Could be so much better though.

Tennis coaches/management are unprofessional, insecure and immature, the club likes to discriminate against adult players who like to play good Tennis, if you're a serious player looking for evening Tennis runs at a similar standard it can be difficult to get involved. I Certainly wouldn't recommend to players wanting the best out of their Tennis/leIsure time as the Tennis management is dreadful.

I am a paying customer and this is honest feedback.

Good range of facilities, often quite busy - over subscribed. The gym and the indoor swimming pool can fill up very quickly.

The best thing about this place is the members and the tennis coaches. Unfortuntley members are just a number for David Lloyd and the customer service and club management is below par especially as a 'premium' product. Lots of broken promises and mistakes from a club managment is pretty shocking especially when the manager agrees to something on the phone then does not do as proomised. The reception team are really great and always friendly and helpful and they do thier best in difficult situations but unfortunatley the same cant be said for membership team or club management.

Overpriced for the quality of the equipment, many of the staff are not interested. The management doesn't seem that interested in improving things to justify the huge price (and annual increase)

Fantastic gym, has everything I need need to work out and great facilities. Staff are always helpful and friendly

Very clean swimming pool and sauna. Massive jacuzzi. Gym is great but could do with an incline barbell bench and a close grip cable pulley.

I joined this club at the beginning of the year and have been extremely disappointed with the service so far. After a week of joining I asked to be moved to the Port Solent club because I find it a lot easier to get to and would also allow my partner to join me. I ve highlighted that I would be upgrading my membership to an annual membership (I m currently on a 3 month membership) and also adding my partner as an extra member. After waiting for over 1.5 weeks I ve got a reply (after prompting them several times) saying that I will not be allowed to move because I m still within my initial 3 months period. I ve replied highlighting that I know that there is a level of discretion on this rule and that David Lloyds would be getting a much better deal given that they would gain 2 members for a minimum period of 1 year instead of just one member for 3 months.
I ve also requested the GM to contact me to discuss the issue further (which is the escalation procedure described on their site). This was two weeks ago and I m still waiting for a reply!

Quiet, which was unexpected, but everything seems well organised.

I wanted to take the time to post a review - as there aren't many recent reviews and a lot of the older ones are fairly negative. So myself and my partner joined in December, and we are 100% getting our moneys worth! We are probably at the club most days, doing anything from swimming to a variety of classes. Our favorites are Battlebox (even in the rain!) and Synergy 360. The staff have all been incredibly professional and friendly, the facilities are excellent. And yes - it's a family club, so bound to be children heavy especially on the weekend. But go at the right time to the right classes and this won't impact on you. We both enjoy a breakfast at the club, and will now and again have dinner there during the week. So if you are looking for a good sized club, with a variety of activities for all of the family (regardless if you have kids or are a big kid yourself!) then I'd highly recommend David Lloyd West End.

So i have only just joined David LLoyds West end. And I have been welcomed by very polite and friendly staff.

The gym is kept very clean and each person is cleaning after use.

So far so good from my point.

Thank you

I have been a member of David Lloyd Hedge End for 8 years and met with a membership team member a year ago.

An upgrade to platinum membership was agreed about a year ago. A new platinum card was issued by David Lloyd. I the have enjoyed benefits of platinum membership e.g. bar discounts and towels for some time.

2 weeks ago a club manager stopped me as I entered through the turnstyle and challenged me that I was not a platinum member. I showed my platinum card and explained that it had been agreed with David Lloyd but was told me that I was not a platinum member.

The manager said she would let me and would provide a towel on this ocassion but threatened to remove platinum membership. The manager agreed to look into the issue but to my shock when I tried to enter the club a week later, my membership account was blocked and I was refused entry.

This is 100% a David Lloyd issue and it's their system that has been at fault. The way this been matter handled has been deeply unsatisfactory. I waiting for satisfactory resolution.

Updated... since being taken over by David Lloyd the club is undergoing quite a few changes. The difference in club cleanliness is marked, the cafe, kids club and family changing room are currently being revamped and there are plans to continue with the upgrades.

The classes are great here, but get booked up quickly so you do have to book. Staff, as always, are friendly and helpful.

The air con is still rubbish and no immediate plans to replace it, so early morning workouts are best. There's always the outdoor pool to cool down.

Very helpful friendly front desk. Amazing space for coffee and food. Two pools one indoor one outdoor, however looking tired. No towels on entry.

Great place to unwind, relax and get fit. Newly refurbished gym. Inviting swimming and spa area, including an outdoor pool - particularly great in the Summer. I love the Aqua classes. Relaxing cafe with tasty food and drinks. Tennis courts are good quality. Staff are welcoming and friendly.

My dear daughter and son had a joint bday party there , the kids club team promised me to do games for each group separately as there is difference in age, they ignored my little son( 3 years) and his friends and they playing by in their More

They have a rule where parents have to be actually in the swimming pool if their kids are swimming. So you can't even be sitting by the side of the pool watching them - you have to be in too. Even if the children are fully proficient swimmers and even though they have a lifeguard present. Add this to a general poor quality of staff and you get a club not in my opinion worth joining.

For what they charge the place is very run down, the shower area stinks,, half the equipment is faulty or out of order, generally the place is desperate for a complete refit!
On the plus side the staff are very friendly but not sure that is worth the monthly charge!!

Worst gym we have ever joined. Over priced, not user friendly for the price you pay and if you don't have kids then you have no chance of enjoying a relaxing time as it's very geared to families and too many kids swim clubs. I have expressed difficulties in using the gym due to a medical condition, no help or options given but happy to take our money. I sent a cancellations email to explain why and they replied wishing us well ( very kind) and hoped we would get the chance to use the facilities before we leave. Well, they clearly didn't read my email because I can barely walk short distances let alone use the gym or the pool. David Lloyds West end is only interested in taking your money not about the customer ! Save some money and go elsewhere!

Actual gym and swimming area good but a very poor service on multiple occasions led to me cancelling my contract. I would never recommend it.

Been a member for 5 years, well worth it. Good use of 12 indoor courts, gym with plenty of equipment and very helpful staff

Wet areas in need of a good lick of paint and refurbishment. Other than that a nice club and friendly staff.

Busy, vibrant, fun, friendly - nothing really terrible wrong with it.

Positives

Cafe area is nice and spacious and serves great food options.

Vitality membership is more healthy on the purse strings, i wouldn't pay for a full membership in truth.

Negatives

- focus on tennis is great, but squash and badminton would make me very happy
- machines in gym aren't the best quality in my opinion, had better ones in my previous gym
- running machines have a daft lever to increase speed and incline, i would rather set this on the console itself.
- gym gets very busy in peak times

I am a key worker, front line Ambulance, threatened with court action after DL had inputed my e-mail wrong, so I had no idea they had restarted my m'ship after L'down, had to pay arrears under threat of debt collection and resume usage for 3 month notice period, potentially risking infection in a high risk area. I was told DL were being very lenient! Thanks! I clap for you DL

6/10/20 Social distancing not being supervised in spa area today, didn't really fancy a conflict with the aggressive male entering the capacity full steamroom prior to my 11 hour front line shift, not so relaxing! Hope I didn't get infected from that? Or from the multiple doors being pushed open to the various areas? Or from the people wondering around corridors with no masks?

10/10/20 - Wasn't so bad today, the staff are doing their best, very friendly today, training was good & spa area was relaxing

Very disappointed with this club, changing rooms are freezing and infrequently cleaned, indoor pool heating frequently breaks down, outdoor pool not even heated, constantly broken gym floor equipment that takes months to fix , very poorly equipped gym unless you like cardio, way too many tennis courts half of which are never in use,, not enough car parking spaces, swimming lessons are so over subscribed that lane swimmers are left with a 1/4 wedge to do lanes in! 3/4 of the pool is closed for private lessons between 1600 and 1900 every day!!!!
The whole place needs levelling and rebuilt.

Showers are filthy, outdated and never have shampoo or cleansing liquid in the containers provided. It also smells disgusting. Steam room stinks.

On a plus,the classes provided are good, but the studios air conditioning does work in the large studio. Very poor service considering the price to be a member!