Bannatyne Health Club Cookridge Hall

Buildings and facilities are tired and not well maintained, however they are always clean. Unfortunately a star is also lost as the cafe/bar is very regularly closed during peak times. The staff, however, are always friendly and helpful. I would highlight the swimming instructors, especially Leah who is always so positive.

I’ve been a member here for nearly 4 years, so this comes from long term experience. To start with the positives, the staff are genuinely great. From reception to the gym and external class instructors, they’re friendly, professional and do their best in what increasingly feels like a poorly maintained environment. The gym itself is well equipped with modern equipment. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end. Membership fees seem to keep going up, yet the overall condition of the place is going in the opposite direction. The whole club feels unloved and unkept. From the broken steps outside to a revolving door that hasn’t worked for years, it doesn’t exactly create a great first impression. The changing rooms and showers were refurbished last year, but it’s been a complete disaster. The work looks like it was done on the cheap and is already falling apart…. loose or broken shower trays, showers out of action for months, flooring that’s been relaid twice and now needs relaying a third time, and a constant unpleasant drain smell. This has also impacted the class studio below due to leaks, with around 20% of the space cordoned off for months. It’s affecting classes and means on demand sessions can’t be used. To make matters worse, the sound system in the studio has been broken for months, meaning instructors have had to rely on a standalone portable speaker, which isn’t exactly the experience you expect from a gym charging premium prices. There have been repeated updates saying it will be sorted, but nothing ever seems to actually happen. The sauna is no better, the floor is always flooded, so you’re left sitting with your feet in puddles, which is pretty unacceptable. I didn’t want to have to leave a public review, but the lack of action has left me with little choice. At the start of the year, I was actually hopeful — a notice board went up from the General Manager and Regional Manager acknowledging the issues, stating they were unacceptable and that a plan was in place to resolve them ASAP. Initially there were weekly updates, which then became monthly… and now seem to have stopped altogether. Overall, this could be a great gym because the staff are excellent, but the lack of basic maintenance and investment is really letting it down. At the moment, it’s hard to justify the rising membership cost for what you actually get.

Gym floor is great and staff often polite on reception. It does have a feeling that any maintenance is done on the cheap however and often leads to more problems later. The steps for example are constantly getting redone at the entrance. Prices go up each year but you never feel the place is looking in better condition

Absolutely fantastic place, all the better for being in such beautiful surroundings. The staff are just excellent, myself and my husband joined recently and there was no 'hard sell' for our membership (thanks Ben!). The staff are friendly and approachable greeting everyone with a smile (even at 6am!) They even offer Blue Light discount which is a somewhat rarity nowadays.

Getting quite frustrated with the lack of maintenance and cleanliness in this gym. Half of the men's showers are broken most of the time with no sign of a repair to be done anytime soon, The main gym floor has never seen a mop in its life. I joined in July and there are sweat/water stains on the floor from when I first joined. Half of the locks on the lockers don't work. Half of them don't have a coat hanger in them. The wooden panels in the sauna are sinking. The shower next to the spa area is always cold. The main entrance as you're driving in is riddled with potholes. The list goes on, all this for £70 a month is abit ridiculous! Edit: since this review the entrance has been resurfaced and the pot holes have been fixed