Bannatyne Reviews 

I've only been signed up for a couple of weeks. Was a bit disappointed when I arrived for my first visit. Was told I would be shown around- I assumed this would include being shown how to use the machines in the gymnasium however, I was taken through the turnstiles to the bottom of the stairs and the member of staff vaguely pointed in different directions to tell me where things were and left me to it. As it stands I can only use a few of the machines because some of them - rowing machine for example I don't know to get the screen to come on.

Very welcoming from entering through to signing up, being shown around the complex. Clear informative information regarding joining fees and sign up obligations. Helpful staff. A nice feeling in the building overall.

Good water temperature, clean environment & good facilities. The only disappointment was the spa pool. It was cold!

Swimming pool is great. Changing rooms need a refresh as they are tired and many lockers do not work.

I have only been a member for a month but this is what I have experienced so far. I have not used the gym but have been to classes and swimming.
All staff and instructors and very friendly and helpful, so are other members, which makes a welcoming atmosphere. There are people of all ages and abilities enjoying the classes I have attended, obviously all feel welcome. Everywhere is clean and looks well kept. I like having a wristband to enter and use the lockers, no cards or padlocks necessary!
The downside; unfortunately booking is not the easiest, you have to use the app and can only book four days ahead. When I first downloaded it two other ‘health’ apps popped up too which was confusing.
Popular classes are booked up immediately so I was a member for two weeks before I managed to get in a Pilates class. I’ve been to three Pilates now and each has a different instructor, but none walk around checking everyone has the correct posture and position which I thought was important to get the benefit from the exercises in Pilates. The aqua class instructor is an older lady who is clearly well liked, but unfortunately she seems unable to demonstrate or describe the moves very well. I guess when you are used to her you can work it out and it isn’t a class where posture or technique matters so much.
The big negative is that ever since I joined there has been no hot water, only cold showers and no indication of when the problem will be fixed!
This does not sound good but really, overall I do like this club. If you know what to do and have been to classes before it helps, but the friendliness and welcoming atmosphere goes a long way.

Bannatyne health club at Darlington is really amazing, and a great space to relax and enjoy yourself, i totally recommend it over and over again😊.

Reception staff were very friendly and so we're a few of the customers... clean, tidy and very well kitted out... you get what you pay for.

Bannatyne is absolutely great facilities, people and has all I need to stay fit.

A great gym with plenty of machines and a pool, what’s not to like!

Brilliant gym and staff, can’t fault either of them. My main issue is, for at least the last 3 weeks there’s been no hot water in the showers and there’s been constant issues with the swimming pool. The changing rooms look like they need a major refurb.

Classes on gym floor at peak time take up a lot of the equipment/space at peak time, cold showers, cold pool, water fountain doesn't work and hasn't for weeks, and no matter how much you try to opt out of marketing emails they just keep spamming the hell out of you. Very much regret joining

Convent location - not been a member for sometime-main gym is well equipped but some of the basics are a bit tired

I've had 4 great swims in my first week being a member. I'm always greeted by reception when I arrive, there's always lots of locker space, everywhere is spotlessly clean and it makes me want to keep coming back.

Avoid at all cost this chop shop. If you book 30 min massage with them you'll get physically just 15 min. And if you are not happy they would say that's write in policy.
If you want an refund you don't get any at all.
Just an chop shop type scamm scheme but they pretend like they do some sort of service.
Stuff attitude is awful. They lough on you if you say you will write any reviews.
If you try to leave your opinion through them feedback service then for unsatisfactory review they get your page logged as error.

I cant believe im paying £58 a month for a gym that you cant use UK wide , im a driver so joined to use all over country to now be told at Bristol first week that they have a tier system so as my gym is tier 7 and this is tier 3 I would need to pay £20 for a day pass , im discussed at this and will definitely not recommend this club anymore.

It's difficult to know where to begin with my experience of Bannatyne Health Club & Spa. For a company that prides itself on health, fitness and wellbeing, I have never felt less valued as a customer. My overall impression is that customer welfare comes a distant second to membership revenue.

The first issue is the membership model itself. Like many gyms, Bannatyne attracts new members with discounted offers and promotional rates, only to lock them into lengthy contracts that are remarkably difficult to exit. At times, it felt as though leaving my membership required more effort than joining it ever did.

When I joined, one of the factors that appealed to me was access to female personal trainers. Despite Bannatyne's size and reputation, the club did not have a female personal trainer available for at least the first four months of my membership due to long-term sickness absence. When a replacement was eventually recruited, she remained in post for only a couple of months before leaving. For a premium gym chain, this was disappointing.

I could also mention the frequent closures of facilities such as the sauna, steam room and jacuzzi, but to be honest, those issues almost became expected. It was often a surprise when everything was actually working at the same time.

Another frustration was the childcare provision. Initially, members could access crèche services through a monthly add-on. Whilst the service itself was useful, the booking process relied on emailing administration staff and waiting for confirmation — hardly the streamlined experience one might expect in an era of apps and online booking systems. More recently, Bannatyne introduced additional hourly charges for childcare on top of the monthly membership fee, yet the booking process remained just as cumbersome and inefficient. The irony of paying extra whilst receiving no improvement in service was not lost on me.

My most frustrating experience, however, related to freezing my membership. Following medical advice, I was unable to exercise for an extended period and was directed to freeze my account through Bannatyne's new app. The app allowed me to freeze my own membership but not my three-year-old daughter's. I therefore attended the club in person and spoke with a member of staff, who assured me that my daughter's membership would also be frozen and that any overpayments would be credited back to my account.

Over the following months, the payments taken from my account were inconsistent and difficult to understand. By the third month, I was charged the full amount again. When I queried this and asked for the issue to be rectified, I was eventually informed that because the original changes had been made through the app, there was nothing they could do unless I could provide evidence of my face-to-face conversation with their staff member.

Apparently, customers are expected to keep detailed records of every verbal interaction they have with gym employees in anticipation of future disputes. This was a genuinely astonishing response and demonstrated a complete lack of accountability.

More recently, due to a high-risk pregnancy following IVF treatment and previous miscarriages, I was advised by healthcare professionals to avoid gym-based exercise and limit my activity to light walking. Bannatyne requested medical evidence to support an early cancellation of my membership. I obtained a letter from my GP — at my own expense — only for the request to be rejected because the letter was allegedly not specific enough regarding the exact activities I could undertake and the duration of the restrictions.

At that point, I found the process unnecessarily bureaucratic, lacking in compassion, and entirely disproportionate to the circumstances. It seemed that every hurdle cleared simply resulted in another one being placed in front of me.

Overall, I found Bannatyne's customer service to be dismissive, inflexible and lacking empathy. Throughout multiple issues, I felt that my concerns were treated as inconveniences rather than legitimate customer complaints. For a business built around health and wellbeing, there appeared to be very little understanding of either.

Needless to say, I will not be renewing my membership, I would not recommend Bannatyne to others, and I have no intention of returning once my contract ends.

I went for the spa afternoon for 2 with lunch.. deals online are miss leading although trying to get hold of anyone over the phone in the spa is never going to happen, when we did get there there is a lot of staff around so don’t know why it’s so hard to get through. The lunch included different meals you had to pay extra for if your meal went past £12, no drink included. Caesar salad was very average half a boiled egg on the side and mixed up in mayonnaise rather than Caesar sauce. Other people having different package lunches looked more of a bigger portion and quality than the spa deal with lunch. Staff were helpful and friendly although the spa looked slightly run down in areas.

I’m not sure they value their customers.Wrote to the local branch and customer services head office and 2 weeks later still no reply from either.

Hi, Jacinta from Bannatyne MK. I want to flag up the outstanding Body Pump, Body Attack and Body Balance classes with Sam, that I have been attending for about 3 months. Sam is an exceptional instructor: professional, knowledgeable and dedicated. She also links the benefits of the classes to promoting and protecting longevity and health.
I also want to flag up the excellent Pilates classes offered by Esther at MK Bannatynes. Esther is warm, friendly and very knowledgeable. Her classes are well prepared and well executed.
I enjoy the classes with Sam and Esther. They are an effective tool for my health and well being.

I’ve been going to the Leicester Bannatyne for nearly a year, and the facilities are sub par it’s not worth what you’re paying. Always busy and as a women there will be men gawking at you making you feel uncomfortable at all times. I would have left the month I joined but I’m stuck in a contract for a year. The pool side facilities is so unhygienic I’ve seen men multiple times spitting on the floor in the jacuzzi and steam room. And putting water in the sauna making it too hot, I’ve even had my goggles stolen and staff did nothing about this.If I could give zero stars I would.