Highbury Leisure Centre

Reviewing from a gym perspective. Their pool is easily a 4/5, but the gym is outdated and not worth the cost, especially with cheaper gyms around.

Plus side is that the gym has decent technogym equipment and spray bottles, alongside breathing space.

However, letdown by things like:
- broken rowing machines (1 out of 3 works correctly)
- plates with torn seals that don’t slide onto the barbell
- most benches with tears
- rusty barbells
- limited plates, and no bumper plates for the lifting platform. If one person decides to go heavy on the leg press, they’re taking most the plates available
- one tiny lifting platform
- TVs wasting electricity and budget that could’ve been used on equipment
- when the boxing bag is hit, the entire rig shakes which is a silly when you’re using the dip bars.
- smith machine rusty and the safety clips/pins can’t even be pulled due to age/friction.

This is just a few of the many things which has led me to cancel my membership. As mentioned, pool really is great but the gym is lacking attention.

Renovations are taking place over the next 8 weeks, but I wonder if the above will be looked at before then.

Staff are cool, kind and always on hand if you need them. Big up to Alfred and Rachel who are always walking around with a smile.

Very good.. the disabled changing room was available. I like this changing room but there is no shelf to put my shampoo. Also inside there is the Locker, to put my cloths in but what would I do if while I'm swimming someone else uses the room?

It's been a while since I've stepped foot in here, it's been refurbished and looks amazing!
So much cleaner than before.
The pools are sectioned off for Lane swimming, for different abilities which is helpful.

Great gym area with spacious clean bright pool even though I don’t use it. The Sauna is controlled well, overall all the staff are very welcoming, friendly, helpful and approachable.
I have seen a lot of improvement recently , and Thank you guys for making the centre enjoyable.
🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

Reviewing from gym perspective. The recent renovation was pointless, it decreased attractiveness of the free weight area. Olympic weightlifting platform removed (why??), the callisthenics bars removed (they were super useful). All that to just leave a massive empty space in the middle.

Has anyone thought that through??

Great facility!
I like this center, the staff is very kind and always try to help us when we need it.
The pool is clean and doesn't freeze like some others I've tried. The changing rooms are clean and the hair dryers work!
The swimming instructors are very good and enter the water with the children to demonstrate the correct swimming gestures and to keep them entertained.
The only thing I don't like (in the women's locker room): there are few showers compared to the influx of children and the first one on the left is always cold, be careful! They should also build a series of open showers where the kids can take the shower all together and don't freeze waiting for their turn.

A nice gym and pool with a relaxed atmosphere and not too crowded. Gym could do with another bench/rack and a few more benches. Not much space for mat work or stretching since they added the cycle suite but even peak times are still fairly manageable.

Only downside is that the changing rooms are badly in need of a solution for the muddy slurry on the floor – even just to get some mats so the water can drain under like many other pools and gyms do. Especially after the schools have been in, or when it's busy the changing rooms are very filthy due to their small size and water from the showers mixing with the dirt.

Great service. The staff helped us immediately. We are travelling so finding a gym to accommodate us for swimming might not be that easy. The staff helped us and we went for a 1.5km swim. Really enjoyed the experience.