IDEALLY SUITED TO MEN AGED 20 TO 30…read more I have been a member of this gym for around 20 very happy years going four times a week so feel well qualified to write a review on Nuffield St Albans. But sadly it has recently declined in so many ways that I am now leaving. I do yoga (not at Nuffield) a lot of running (some at Nuffield) plus other aerobics - but my main reason for going to Nuffield St Albans is to do weight lifting- and as I work full time I usually go in the evenings. If you are a man aged 20s to early 30s who loves weight lifting and likes to flex your muscles in the gym and intimidate others then Nuffield St Albans is the place for you. In the evenings you will meet other like minded men who like to reserve equipment so others can't use it by placing a towel over a machine (while they go on another machine.) If they know you are waiting to use a piece of equipment Nuffield male personal trainers, who like to show off in front of their clients that they are boss and own the gym, will purposely spend longer with a client on it, thus ensuring you wait even longer. This is their pay back to you if you ask politely how long they will be. While there are three main weight lifting areas one of them is pretty much out of bounds in the evening for women (choc full of the types described as above and if you do wander into the 'mens' area, you will be glared at until you leave.) At first glance the other areas look as if they have lots of equipment in them but the reality is they do not have enough of the machines that everyone wants to use - thus there is always a scramble between gym users as the most popular become free. Which brings me to another issue - the state of the gym equipment at Nuffield. Suffice to say much of it is old, out dated and clunky (certainly much has not been replaced since my time there.) Many aerobic machines are also out of order a lot of the time, although quite often you will get on a piece of equipment you believe to be fine only to find it not working (and no one has bothered to even put a notice on saying it is out of order.) Audio equipment may or may not work (always take your own music) and there is no wifi for customers. Money spent on upkeep has been minimal over the past few years. At night the car park is in my view particularly dangerous as no one has bothered to repaint the lines - I recently had a nasty fall walking over a speed bump where the fluorescent warning lines have been eroded and never replaced. There are few pavements making it hazardous for pedestrians. I don't think Nuffield would be responsible though for any car park incidents as they have lots of signs up saying it is all at your own risk. Meanwhile, the carpet and floors at the club are dirty and worn. Due to the ridiculous idea of having a swimming pool open to the gym, it is also so stifling hot in the summer that doing anything more than a leisurely walk on a treadmill could put you at risk of heatstroke. However, if you try to raise an issue or ask for help at Nuffield St Albans you will find yourself talking to reception which is staffed by young women who are often huddled together chatting. When disturbed they will respond with one of five comments: 'well there's not much I can do', 'we are getting a refurb', 'I will speak with the person concerned' , 'what do you want me to do about it' or 'it is only temporary equipment'. It is all pointless as nothing is ever done. A tip - don't make an issue of too many things, especially if you are a woman, as you risk being taken aside by one of the men in his twenties outlined above who bowls over to you, big shoulders squared for combat, to tell you it's your attitude as a customer which is the problem. The threat is if you don't like it, tough and they could ask you to leave. If you have a problem it is much better to get a man (preferably in his 20s or early 30s) to make the complaint as then they might listen. For this treatment Nuffield, a 'health and wellbeing centre' - and a 'charity' to boot - charges around £1000 a year. You have been warned!

This is a review of the pool as I haven't yet used the gym. Firstly, I've been here a few times and…read morenever struggled to find a parking space which is great. I think that it's a little strange walking through the gym to get to the pool and changing rooms, but it's a big open space and it really isn't that bad. The changing rooms are huge, and have always been clean when I've visited. The showers are inside the changing rooms. The pool itself seems large and whilst I'm sure it can get busy it hasn't been on the occasions I've been. The children's pool is also really big and has been quite busy but I've been at the peak time (after school) and they have lessons going on too. I did think that the sides of the pool needed a clean last time I was there, and whilst I appreciate that there are enough chemicals in the water to stop me from becoming unwell, it was a bit scummy and doesn't look very nice. The sauna and steam rooms are in the same area as the children's pool so the layout is a bit higgledy piggledy. All in all I'd happily go back.