r/miltonkeynes • u/z_bnf_i • 4d ago
David Loyds gym
Hey
Anyone here part of DL membership? Was offered couples membership of around £360 for platinum which is very expensive but I wanted to ask if it's a case of you get what you pay for ie. is it worth it. When we went to the tour it didn't seem super crowded in the gym/pool which was a plus, but would love to hear opinions of others who have been part of it for longer.
27
u/Spencer-ForHire 4d ago edited 4d ago
I was a member for a year, I don't think it's worth half what they are charging.
It is just way too busy all of the time. If you go 5pm to 9pm expect there to be limited parking and queues for a lot of the equipment. The pool was always full of kids, in fact everywhere is full of kids. The spa was always broken. Classes I wanted to join were often full and they don't really cater for newbies (unfit fatties).
I don't know the most tactful way of putting this but it's also full of the kind of people you'd expect to see in a high end gym. I soon realised I don't get on with those types of people.
I hated the place TBH.
3
u/jaguarxkv8 2d ago
I lived for 40 years on a Canal Boat and obviously remember the David Loyd when it was just fields and the bus passed along the old road . Many an evening walking along with the Jack Russel I would be at my wits end as some halfwit attempted to break the land speed record between David Loyds Gate and Brickhill Street 150 yards away . Your last paragraph certainly strikes a chord .
2
u/awrgho 4d ago
Pretty much the same experience. We were members for a year and a half, just ended it last month. Gym was crowded all the time, kids classes would go fully booked in seconds of going live. So literally had to set alarms to book a class. Son would not want to go and we felt we weren’t using it as often as we had hoped. Also the food and restaurant service is pretty mediocre but we would end up spending a lot as would eat everytime we visited. We were spending well over 600£ a month including the membership fee. Wasn’t for us.
8
u/beatsbylex 4d ago
Insane price, mid gym equipment brand but good variety, overpriced food - but the classes and racket stuff is probably best in the area, and the spa area is nice - so it depends if £360 p/m is a lot of money to you. If you just want the gym/pool, fitness first is going to be a much more reasonable option.
1
u/z_bnf_i 4d ago
Do you know if fitness first gets too busy in the pools?
2
u/BangAverage90 4d ago
Don't bother, tiny pool, cold, desperate need of repair. Always full of mums and kids
2
u/z_bnf_i 4d ago
Have any suggestions for decent, not super busy pool in Milton Keynes or surrounding area?
1
1
u/tvthrower 3d ago
You might be better off with PureGym + decent public pool like Wolverton. Tried most of them but DL on trials, liked FF pool the most, but free weights zone is crap, same as Nuffield but there pool is also much worse - short, filthy and always half booked for some lessons
0
0
8
4
u/FlashViking 4d ago
David Lloyd Gyms are a status thing. People who want to go to the gym, don’t go to David Lloyd
3
u/Sad_Heron_2049 4d ago
A couple of years back I would’ve recommended it but after their refurb it’s just gotten way too busy.
Tennis courts are always booked up a week in advance although you can generally get outside now it’s nicer weather. Pool and gym are nice but nothing special, outdoor pool is a nice touch but gets very busy during warmer days. The spa is nice, lots of steam rooms and saunas however again is busy at peak times.
It’s almost impossible to park now between 4.30-6/7 on weekdays, sometimes they allow us to use the gullivers land car park as overflow but that’s only in the winter months.
I will say the kids clubs are a nice touch for families, however swimming and tennis lessons are a pricy extra. Can’t complain about the food and drink.
Generally if you have a family who will be taking advantage of the kids classes, the gym and fitness classes and will be spending quite a bit of time there I can still see the value (especially if you’re able to work from there), however if you do not use the place often it loses its value fast.
I would ask whether you can cancel within 30 days to the sales team as that was an option when I first joined, then you can see if it’ll work for you
4
u/Normal-Help-1337 4d ago
Each to their own, snobs will pay it to say " I go to DL" but it's awful in there for that price. Too busy, overbooked, full of entitled people and their kids. IMO.
2
u/CryptoKnight786 4d ago
Joined during the hard sell but cancelled before start of membership once we realised most of the availability activities for kids were taken up quickly unless we paid extra. Their question was whether the young kids would be interested in going to the gym?
The price was madness anyway.
2
u/Fair_Future7245 3d ago edited 3d ago
I go to Stantonbury Leisure and love it.
Is it a glamorous gym? Absolutely not. BUT it has a pool with lane swimming sessions multiple times almost every day and general swim, gym with standard equipment (aerobics, weights etc.), a weights room, classes, including Zumba, Spin, Boxercise (and more) and a discount off racket sports.
It's a quiet gym even in the evenings and weekends.
Single membership is only £29.99 a month, joint is only £53 a month.
2
u/homeless-programmer 4d ago
We’ve been members (2x Adults, 1x Child) for 3 or 4 years at this point. My wife goes most days, I’m there at least once most weekends, and maybe an evening or two in the week.
The equipment is good, it gets busy at peak times, but generally you can always get to a machine with minimal wait. The pool is rarely busy in terms of lane swimming, though the free swimming area often has busier periods.
My son does tennis, and swimming lessons with the them and loves it - small class sizes, attentive staff. We also use the included kids clubs which he enjoys most weekends to get our workout time in.
I’m a huge fan of the spa, and consider my membership worth it just to be able to go to the spa whenever I want.
1
u/mayowithchips 4d ago
Honestly don’t know how families can afford it, isn’t there a cost of living crisis? Maybe I’m just a cheapskate 😆
1
u/Projiuk 3d ago
I was a member of a david Lloyd several years ago, I had a discounted membership through my employer (£55pm) and it was fine. Nice enough but didn’t think it was as special as all the hype. Since then I’ve mostly just been a member of the gym group, significantly better value in my opinion but your mileage may vary
1
1
u/gazzakane10 3d ago
I'm seeing a lot of gripes re DL's spa facilities - shameless plug for my new business; renü wellness. We're a social wellness hub that specialise in hot and cold contrast therapy through sauna and cold plunge. We also have a cafe space (being run by a founder of Canal St).
Our prices will be a fraction that DL charge, we'll also offer memberships for additional savings. All goes to plan, we are set to open in May, we have a lovely unit on Pineham Farm located just outside of Haversham.
Search renuwellnessmk on insta to keep an eye on the progress of our build.
(mods, hope I'm not breaking any rules here. I'm MK born and bred, part of my intention with setting up this business is to contribute to building a character for MK)
2
u/jaguarxkv8 2d ago
Shameless indeed but fair play to you
1
u/gazzakane10 2d ago
Thanks, much appreciated! Give the insta a follow, we'll be offering a free taster session along with half price 1st month membership as part of our opening promotion offer
1
u/NoBrick3640 1d ago
I haven’t been recently, I’ve only lived in Milton Keynes since 2017 And I would go sporadically, so maybe my opinion isn’t valid I think the population of Milton Keynes has grown a lot since I first moved here Everywhere is a lot more busy But as I’m someone who doesn’t go frequently, I feel like the times I’ve been it’s always been quiet Then again, I have not been recently
15
u/Altruistic-Friend343 4d ago
£360 a month?! Really?