Review: David Lloyd Club (Poole) – Health Club
Quick Review: David Lloyd clubs are expensive if you use them just as a gym. Use all their facilities and they are actually pretty good value for money. Generally well maintained, with quality equipment and facilities. Staff are mostly friendly & helpful
I’ve been a David Lloyds member for a few years, and overall, I have been pretty pleased with what they offer. Compared to other gyms I’ve been a member of over the years, David Lloyds is definitely the best, which should be expected because they are considerably more expensive than the other gyms.
How Much is David Lloyd’s Membership
David Lloyd’s membership is not a simple fixed rate, so you can’t easily get a membership price by just looking at their website. They have different types of memberships, some clubs are more expensive (usually London clubs) than others and there are various promotions and discounts that can be applied.
To give you a rough idea of prices, In 2024 my David Lloyd membership is costing £139 per month for the individual Platinum membership on a 3-month rolling contract.
UPDATE (September 2024): I’ve recently changed my membership from a rolling 3-month Platinum membership to an annual Platinum membership.
I changed to the annual membership because my son (aged 13) wanted to join David Lloyds. Had I stayed on the 3-month rolling contract, his membership would have been £60 per month; on the annual membership, his membership is £39 per month.
The David Lloyds ‘Older Child Membership’ is for kids aged between 3 – 18 years.
Moving to annual membership has meant my membership has gone down by £14, to £124 per month
Compared to many other gym chains in the UK like Pure Gym, Anytime Fitness etc, David Lloyd membership is at least three times more expensive. However, you do get a lot more for your money.
David Lloyds Is More Than Just A Gym
I’ve been to six different David Lloyd clubs and they all have good gym facilities, easily on par with the other gym chains in the UK that I’ve been a member.
You can use most other clubs without any additional charge when you’re a member of one David Lloyd club. Some exceptions exist, such as London clubs and David Lloyd Spa Retreats.
The big difference with David Lloyds compared to other gyms is that it has a lot of additional facilities, like Indoor and outdoor pools, a sauna, a hot tub \ Jacuzzi, a steam room, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, padel tennis, squash courts, badminton courts, table tennis, a restaurant, a bar, work areas etc.
If you regularly use all these these facilities, I think a David Lloyd club membership is a reasonable value for money.
David Lloyds Poole Review
My home David Lloyd’s club is in Poole, and I visit the club between 3 to 4 times a week. Here’s what I think of David Lloyds Poole
David Lloyd Poole Positives
- Great staff – The Poole club currently (2023) has really helpful and friendly staff. Other members have told me that in the past (pre-covid), there were staff working at David Lloyd’s in Poole who were really rude and unhelpful. The management has obviously listened to member feedback and now has a really good team.
- Clean – The club is generally kept clean. Occasionally, the shower area, toilets, and changing room and the lockers can get a bit grubby. Compared to other gyms I’ve been a member of, David Lloyds is the cleanest.
- Facilities – The facilities at David Lloyd Poole are great. The gym is well kitted out. There are courts for just about every racket sport, two swimming pools and all the spa stuff. The club also has a decent restaurant (a bit on the expensive side) and bar with an outside area.
- Classes – There are loads of different classes (included in the membership) and for me, the timetable works really well.
- Sociable – Because the club is much more than a gym, there are many more opportunities to meet and chat with other people. Although sometimes I do find it a bit irritating when people strike up a conversation when I’m not in the mood, like trying to relax in the Jacuzzi or steam room
- Guest Pass – As a David Lloyd member, you get 1 guest pass a month. The guest pass allows a family member or a friend to visit the club for free. The guest pass is only valid for 1 month. Buying a guest pass costs nearly £30!
David Lloyd Poole Negatives
- Repairs Can Take A Long Time – Things break and go wrong, which is to be expected. However, it can sometimes take ages for things to get fixed. For example, the sauna element at the Poole Club broke, and the sauna was out of action for nearly two weeks. The hot tub seems to break on a fairly regular basis. It can take a week or more until it’s repaired. I’d have thought a large chain like David Lloyd would have spares in stock and engineers on hand to immediately fix things.
- They Don’t Listen To Feedback — The David Lloyd app regularly asks for feedback about your visit. I’ve left plenty of feedback about things that aren’t working correctly or areas that could be improved. Some things that I’ve reported remained broken for months. None of my amazing (in my opinion) suggestions for improvement have been implemented, and I’ve never had a response, even though I’ve asked for one.
- Promotions – Every now and then, the club has promotions to encourage new members. This causes chaos for a few weeks, where the car park is full, classes are fully booked etc. I’m sure there are ways that these promotions could be better managed so that the club isn’t swamped.
- Some Areas Look Tired – Some parts of the club could do with a lick of paint to freshen the place up. Especially some areas of the gym which has very dated yellow walls and speckled floor.
- Poor Customer Service – This isn’t at the local club level, where I’ve always found customer service to be very good. However, there are some things that can’t be done at the local club level, like membership. This means having to contact the central David Lloyds customer service team, which, in my experience, is slow and they makes things much more difficult than they need to be.
- Towel Theft – With some David Lloyd memberships, you get a towel each time you visit. The David Lloyd towels all look the same, white with a couple of stripes. If it is a busy day in the pool area, nearly all the towels hanging up are the same white towels and it is very easy to take the wrong towel.
One of my many suggestions to the club has been to put a number above the pegs in the pool area to make it easy for people to know which towel is theirs.
Tip: Keep a backup towel in your bag. But don’t keep a David Lloyds towel as a backup towel, as they trigger an alarm when you leave.
Another Tip: Tie a knot in your towel when you hang it up, to distinguish it from the other towels.
David Lloyds Top Tip – 2 Months Free Membership
I’ve cancelled my David Lloyds membership twice, and each time, I’ve received an email offering two months of free membership if I rejoin.
Conclusion: David Lloyd Review
If you’re looking to join a gym, David Lloyd’s should definitely be on your shortlist. Although they are considerably more expensive than most other gyms, you get a lot more for your money.
Since joining David Lloyd, I’ve been going to the gym on a regular basis. This is because I enjoy going there. It’s not a chore I found at other gyms in the past.
