Sparkhill Pool & Fitness Centre

“I take adult swimming lessons here and my teacher Abida is great. She's very patient and calm. She's very friendly and understanding especially as I was a very nervous beginner. The lessons are very structured and Abida calmly helps me with my technique. She explains everything really well. All the lifeguards here are very friendly.”

“The staff are always friendly and helpful. The Jim has recently been refurbished as have the sauna and steam room. The yoga classes are wonderful. The price of membership is very reasonable and she would be hard-pressed to find better value for your money an excellent way to look after yourself and improve your health.”

“The ladies only exercise classes have fantastic teachers, especially Jennifer and Maria. Their energy and positivity are infectious and they make working out fun. There are not enough risers for everyone during some classes, or enough small mats, which is not fair for people who have booked and aren’t able to do the exercise in the same way as everyone else. I had to use the last mat which was broken in half, while some went without. Some of the regulars will push past you to grab extra things for themselves without any consideration for others. Instructors are not strict enough to people hogging extra items of equipment or for people sneaking into classes who have not booked. Please invest in some more equipment so there is enough for a full class. The hygiene could also also be improved. I’m not sure the mats and weights are ever cleaned in the studio. The spray for people to clean them themselves has been empty for weeks.”

“Womens gym good, not that big but equipment is good, nothing fancy. Lots of ladies classes available although some turn on the music way too loudly. Sauna is nice. Ladies swimming (main reason I joined): it's not lane swimmers friendly, the only time where you can swim nicely is at 9pm which I think is too late. All other sessions are learning and kids hang out sides. They leave a tiny lane for the ladies who actually want to lane swim and its not very pleasant as its too narrow and difficult to overtake. Most sessions are also always completely full and it's difficult to get a slot, you have to wait for cancellations on the day. Also, they pack us like sardines which makes it worse, I remember one time 9am it was lane swimmers and there were like 5 lanes or so and was super crowded. I think more ladies sessions should be added as they're clearly very popular but the managers responses to the raised issued fell on deaf ears. Moved to another venue now with purley lane swimmers hamdulillah. Since swimming was the main reason for joining I give 2 stars, the other gym stuff is Good and if u don't care about swimming ull be fine.”