Solid 4 stars. I really enjoy coming here for a swim as they have 2 pools: one indoor and one…read moreoutdoor pool (both are 25m long). They're part of Better Health and so I use their pay-as-you-go membership. The biggest bonus is that this leisure centre is smack in Soho/Covent Garden and thus I can combine a visit here with lunch in Chinatown or I can meet up with a friend for coffee in Seven Dials.

Let's be honest here, i have not tried the sporting facilities here. I wish i could but instead i'm…read morevisiting the osteopath. I was in pain and one of my colleagues who comes here regularly told me they are great here. The osteopath who is taking care of me (Andrew) is really nice and does listen to you and try to distract you from the pain when manipulating your body. He has also been able to give me thorough advice and even email me further suggestions. Anyway, every time i go there, i am drawn to the big glass wall and stare at the outdoor swimming pool. I realised last week that there is also an indoor swimming pool! Generally speaking, the place looks clean and well maintained and all the members of staff i have spoken to are friendly. Hopefully i'll be able to check the facilities further soon and will update this review

I work on the Strand right in the middle of London and it often surprises me that there are these…read morehuge cavernous gyms hidden right in plain sight! The Covent Garden branch of Nuffield Health is just one of those places and it's a truly special gym. The gym is on three levels. The first level has what appears to be offices and a dedicated spin studio, the next has the smaller studio, free weights area and changing rooms and right on the bottom is where the main gym floor lies along with another (slightly larger) studio and the pool/spa area. Yes this gym has its own spa - more on this soon! There is a lot of equipment for you to choose from so it's unlikely that you'll ever have to wait for a bike or a running machine if that takes your fancy. Personally I prefer trying out different classes and was able to squeeze in a pilates one during one of my two visits. There's no need to book and all classes are included in the cost of your membership so there's no extra cost for these either which is great. But the real pull for me is the pool and spa area. I don't know of any other gym in the area with such great facilities. Sure the pool is a little on the small side but it's never over crowded and you won't find it full of children like the LA Fitness one. The sauna and steam room are also a great size and perfect for unwinding after a hard session as is the jacuzzi pool where I spent far too much time floating around in.

Covent Garden Fitness and Wellbeing Centre is a truly stunning club made all the more impressive by…read moreits central location. It boasts one of London's largest state of the art gyms coupled with an expert personal training team, health MOTs and exercise classes ranging from body pump and spinning to yoga and aquaerobics. The swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms are complemented by a relaxation zone where you can indulge in an Elemis facial, deep tissue massage or other holistic body treatment. this club is so much better since Cannons was bought by Nuffield.

Nice studio and facility. This was my first Barry's experience outside of the US and I actually…read morethink the workout itself was better than in other studios I've been to. However, I wasn't impressed with the instructor: he didn't give any introductions to new people and he only paid attention to a select couple girls in the class. I also went in the morning so the shower line was crazy long, so just plan accordingly. The bathroom itself is quite large though so it doesn't get uncomfortably crowded. I would definitely go back, but I'd probably try a different instructor.

If I could give this place more stars out of more stars I would!!…read more I am writing form on Ex-Fatty point of view, and I mean this in no disrespect to myself but it is a different mentality. I see exercise differently, I feel, to other people. This place gives me no option but to push my fitness boundaries and achieve personal goals. It may look intimidating, from their Instagram account. Handfuls of 10 packed HE-man esque men and woman,,, BUT this inspires me. The way I view the red-lit dungeon that you are kept prisoner in for 60 minutes is that you will always leave feeling incredible. There are moments you feel like your legs are going to fall off and your head will burst BUT when they say those magical words for the last time ... "ANNNND RECOVER.." you feel like SUPERMAN! At a 'normal' Gym I am so intimidated by the beefcakes at the weight stands that I don't go near it, where at Barry's I am running along side Pro-athletes feeling like we are in this together. I've read previous reviews and YES the trainers can be a little intense but this is HIGH INTENSITY training. There is a part in the class that you really want to give UP. Like really want to GIVE UP! Thats when they start shouting at the that lazy demon inside to .. GO AWAY! Just see it as the trainers are there for you to get the most out of your money.. without them you wouldn't work as hard.. and just to finish off with a little pearl of wisdom I have learnt whilst taking these classes.. Just remember..... IT ALWAYS ENDS!!!!

A trauma masquerading as a fitness gymnasium. Just an awful, awful experience. The only thing i…read moreregret spending money on in London. And when I tried to leave my contract, it only got worse. DO BE WARY - they want as much of your money as they can squeeze from you.

Gymbox's focus may seem to be boxing due to the huge ring they have.Their boxing workouts are…read moreeffective and help relieve stress. Truth is most of the members are women and the range of classes beyond boxing make this gym an enjoyable place to workout. The free weights area is huge and there are two separate exercise rooms. With a huge movie screen and nightclub appeal, Gymbox is a great gym and fantastic value at £50 per month.

This review is just for the squash courts at Finsbury Leisure Centre - judging by the number of…read morepeople constantly playing 5 and 6-a-side football, that's popular as well, but I've just played squash here. Finsbury has four well-maintained squash courts. There is a terrific online booking site that allows you to make reservations up to 7 days in advance. Hours are extensive during the week, and weekends aren't bad though the first court times on Sat and Sun are 10 am (wish it was earlier.) Pricing is a little different from normal gym, though pretty reasonable - I think it was £50 for year-long membership, and then it's £7 per each 40 minute court time. I'm not sure about the rest of the gym, but if you're looking for a place to play squash this is a terrific option.

Just like the reviewer below, I don't use all the facilities at Finsbury - I am reviewing the…read morecentre for my experience with the swimming membership. First of all - if you are only a regular yet not every day swimmer, don't get discouraged by the messy website trying to offer you the cca 20gbp/month swimming monthly contract. It's a bit tucked away and harder to find, but there is a better way to do this. One swimming pass for a non-member is £4.90, but there is an option to purchase only a swimming membership (it cost me £20 or £25, I can't recall now, and for the love of god can't find it on the website), and from there on, I can pay as I go for swimming for only £2.50 each time (for an entire year). The pool is nice and clean, and reasonably warm. It operated on the standard way of one larger lane for slower swimming, and two smaller lanes for medium and fast swimming. I like that the pool never seems to get too busy, even during the office lunch hours. The changing areas are always kept clean as well. There are decent sized lockers (you will need a £1 coin, or you can purchase a locker token at the front desk). There are about four showers in the common showering area, and two showers closed booths for those who need privacy. Hair dryers are also provided. The staff are helpful and lovely, but if you are looking for some product that is not that frequent (e.g. my pay and play swimming membership), it might take them a while to figure out. It took me more than half an hour to sign up, as nobody knew my membership still existed. So that's where one of the stars comes off for me. The other star comes off because the facilities are quite basic - but I still think that for the price, they offer great value. If you fancy a swim in the City, try this centre out.

What a laugh! Was a bit nervous about getting into a rubber ring in front of strangers but we were…read moreall in the same boat and before the game even started we were splashing around having fun! I really enjoyed the unihoc as used to play it in school. I felt like I'd had a good workout the next again day and met some great people - looking forward to playing again.

I'm not really one for paying to make myself push myself and sweat. However luck was on my side and…read moreI won week of personal training in a charity raffle donated by the trainer himself. You can imagine my face as I accepted my prize (I was hoping for the Kindle!) I've always loved playing sports, tennis, squash, lacrosse etc but to me that's not hard work, it's the keeping in shape and staying fit I've always hated! Personally I don't see the point in running unless I'm being chased or for the bus! So with this prize I thought I'd turn a new leaf and embrace the training that waited for me. Enough about me back to the review. The trainer Conor is a really lovely chap, he does tailor made fitness classes for individuals and small groups. But he also invited me to do a boxing class he runs at the Nuffield gym in Bloomsbury. It was AWESOME! The class was really hard work but fun way to do a work out. Major sweat and lots of burning but really worth it. Unfortunately I was only a guest as you have to be a member of the gym to do the classes. Seriously considering joining the gym for the class. As for the gym it's the nicest one I've ever been into. Bright and clean like you would hope and only a faint smell of chlorine from the pool. No mouldy smell and the changing rooms were lush with all the essentials provided, including complementary towels and good hairdryers! I haven't done a complete u-turn but I'm not so anti gyms and fitness now!

As gyms go, Cannons in Bloomsbury is fairly decent. There is a good selection of machines, which…read morerarely fill up. The staff are friendly, and seemingly quite determined to encourage you to have all sorts of fitness assessments and reviews. The swimming pool is well designed and relaxing, with a parents and kids session on a Sunday morning. There is also a beauty treatment centre on site, offering small discounts to fitness club members. My one complaint about Cannons would be that, because it is underground, you can't watch the world go by as you work out. This feels fairly oppressive during the summer, but in the winter is hardly noticeable. The best times to use the gym are, between 10 and 12 in the morning and 2 to 5 in the afternoons.

Which gym in the City features an indoor-running track, a quite decent-size pool and four locker…read morerooms (2 men and 2 women)? - Well, the Virgin Active at the Barbican does and I am quite happy to have been their member for the past few months. In fact, I've not had a bad experience here yet: the staff is always very friendly and forthcoming (especially the cleaning team deserves some kudos here!) and the classes they offer are great, including the instructors. In fact, I've mostly come to the gym to attend the Ashtanga Yoga during the lunch hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Rachel, the instructor, is great: she's not one of these airy-fairy yoga instructors, who only babbles about spirituality etc. In fact, her approach is two-fold: she wants to teach us the right poses, but at the same time she wants us to understand the meaning behind of it! (It's all about the breathing technique!!!) Anyway, I would highly recommend joining this gym if you either live and/or work around the Barbican area...it's always good to come here and get a little break from the daily grind...

Time to give credit where credit is due. I've been a member of Virgin Active gyms since I moved to…read moreLondon, but there's something about the quality of instructors that come to this location as well as the Islington location that are really worth mentioning. If you have the chance, here are some instructors that are worth following: Rachel's Ashtanga Yoga Class: Rachel does not mess about, so this isn't your 'come and relax for an hour' situation - this is a sweating, pushing, breathing, challenging workout that I never would have expected from a yoga class. If you're not doing anything else correctly, you'll be breathing. Tony's Box Fit, Circuit, Boot Camp and Power Station Classes: If feeling the burn is anywhere on your agenda, attend one of Tony's classes. Come focused and come prepared (sweat towel close at hand) because he is relentless. And awesome. Peter's Spin Class: The perfect soundtrack, the most amazing intervals and even a 5-minute section in the middle where you're able to do your own thing. (Hills? Sprint? Intervals? Riders choice!) I love it. If you do attend a class from one of the instructors above, make sure you get to the gym early. They will all fill up quickly.

This is a relatively new health club which is probably one of the best in the area. It is run by…read morefriendly and knowledgeable staff who are very conscientious about the importance of an induction and how to use the machinery. The range of classes are great - a good mixture of cardio workouts and toning (the hip hop dance classes are recommended if you're into your dancing!) and they also have Power Plates and boxing. The current membership of £49 per month is very good for a gym of this quality and they also have a beauty salon offering a diverse range of treatments. It is definitely excellent value.

This is one of the better gyms in an around the city that I have been member of (Fitness first and…read moreLA fitness). I hit it at least 5 times a week (early mornings). It's a very well looked after gym with friendly staff. They continuously maintain the machines (I've seen the maintenance guys every 2nd to 3rd week). I attend the morning spinning classes with Gilly and they are in high demand and always busy (Mon, Wed and Fri at 7:30am), I'm confident that the other classes are as good. The cardio machines have their individual tv screen so you don't need to choose machine after what you want to watch, just jump on, plug your headset in, choose your channel (to stimulate your brain while your legs do all the physical work) and away you go! The only downside is that there is no jacuzzi or pool, but then again, that would then been reflected in the member fee. Lastly, the membership also gives you access to two other gyms in the city, Slim Jims and Market Sports (the later have a pool).