Great staff but the equipment in gym let you down. Constantly breaking down. One leg machine been out of order for three months, Techno guy came with part after two months, can't fix it as a... See more
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Switch locationHornsey Rd, N7 7NY London, GB
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I have always wanted a peak time membership, it took some time but I got the deal I needed and I am currently enjoying the newly fitted gym, less hassles and this sets me up for the day fit and well.
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We attended today for the multi zone activity. From entering, Tee at the reception desk was super friendly and kind. Aminata at the desk for the activity area was very helpful and friendly. As well as... See more
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I took my grandson and some friends to Sobell centre and I had got the wrong tickets, they couldn’t give me my money back at the desk and told me to get in touch with customer services, so I had to b... See more
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Company details
Written by the company
Welcome to Better! We’re a charitable social enterprise, committed to the health and wellbeing of everyone in our community. From gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools to lessons and courses for both adults and juniors - plus libraries and children's centres - we've got it all. So whether you’d like to try something new, keep the kids entertained or have a dip in the pool, discover our inclusive range of activities, suitable for all ages and abilities at your local Better centre today.
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Hornsey Rd, N7 7NY, London, United Kingdom
3.7
Average
66 reviews
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Julie Harris in Sobell center conducted…
Julie Harris in Sobell center conducted my assessment in a professional, compassionate and friendly manner. The gym doesn't have personel or instructors on the floor most of the time. Investing in the building renovation has been good and it is expected to invest in more professional personel on the reception who is always busy dealing with people and on the gym floor.
Mora of the variety of exresice classes during daytime would be appreciated.
April 17, 2025
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi Naz,
Thank you for your thoughtful feedback! We're glad to hear that Julie Harris provided a professional, compassionate, and friendly experience during your assessment – we'll be sure to pass along your kind words.
We also appreciate your suggestion about having more personnel available on the gym floor and at the reception. We understand that these are important areas to improve, and we’ll take your feedback into consideration as we continue to enhance the overall experience.
Regarding the variety of exercise classes, we'll definitely look into expanding options during the daytime to accommodate different preferences. Your input is invaluable, and we thank you again for sharing it with us!
Kind regards,
Charmaine
Signed up to a course
Signed up to a course, was given a start date which fell on a bank holiday.
Was pleasantly surprised at that.
Arrived on the day to be told due to bank holiday it was not on
April 21, 2025
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi Gemma,
Thank you for sharing your feedback.
We sincerely apologise for the confusion regarding your course start date. While we aim to provide clear communication, we understand how disappointing it can be to arrive and find out the session isn’t happening due to the bank holiday. We'll work on improving our scheduling and notifications to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Please also reach out to our Customer Service Team so we can assist you with a credit for the lessons you paid for but were unable to attend due to this issue.
We truly appreciate your understanding and hope to see you at your next session soon. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us!
Once again, please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused during this time.
Kind regards,
Charmaine
Enjoyed the facilities
Enjoyed the facilities, the trainers are also super friendly and would walk you around the equipment and teach you how to do the moves with an equipment. The place is quite spacious and vibey too.
March 27, 2025
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi CB,
Thank you so much for your kind words!
We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the facilities and had a great experience with our friendly fitness team. We believe in creating a welcoming and spacious environment, so it's awesome to know that you felt the vibe. We look forward to seeing you again soon and continuing to support you on your fitness journey! 😊
Kind regards,
Charmaine
Because it's exactly what I required.
Because it's exactly what I required.A clean very friendly gym with a superb Instructor called Julie 👍🏾A very friendly environment and loads of nice people and great gym stuff to use.I am extremely happy with it .thank you 🏋🏾👍🏾
February 10, 2025
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi David,
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you’re enjoying the gym at the Sobell Leisure Centre and that Julie has made such a positive impact. It's fantastic to know that the environment and equipment are meeting your needs. We truly appreciate your feedback and are so happy to have you as part of our gym community! Keep up the great work, and thanks again for sharing your experience! 💪🏾😊
Kind regards,
Charmaine
My FIRST experience
A massive softplay with lots to offer however certain checks need to be done my two year old daughter was slapped in the face by an 8 years old boy in the ball it… again 8 year olds are too big for the ball pit I understand this was a SEN child however parents were no where to be seen and my child was hurt in the process I’m not sure if you offer SEN group sessions and if you do this should be verbally spoken about at entry and parents should be assisting their child non stop if this isn’t happening this is putting other children at risk due to negligence on their behalf I totally understand that SEN children are not always aware of their actions and that’s why a responsible adult should be present at all times if this is an issue staff should remove them and give them a free entry to a sen session however staff was notified and nothing seemed to be done about it just…ahh it’s a SEN child that shouldn’t be the case children with out autism and other conditions should be entitled to the same level of care especially when my daughter is TWO and the child is a 8year old boy she is more than entitled to play in the ball pit at 2years old it would’ve been different if the parent was there when this happened and apologised but the fact no one was there is a health and safety issue in itself. This isn’t great for my first experience as first experiences are usually important.
March 23, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi Katelan,
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're really sorry to hear about your experience during your visit, and we completely understand how concerning and upsetting this situation must have been for you and your daughter. Safety is our top priority, and we deeply regret that you felt this wasn’t the case during your time in the play area.
We do strive to ensure that all children, regardless of ability, have a positive and safe experience, and we apologise that this wasn’t your experience. Your point about the need for supervision, especially with older or SEN children in specific play areas, is well taken, and we will review our procedures to make sure they are clear for all families.
We will also reinforce the importance of staff vigilance, particularly when concerns are raised, to ensure the safety of every child in our care. Additionally, we will look into offering clearer communication about SEN sessions and supervision expectations upon entry.
We truly appreciate your feedback as it helps us improve. We’d love the opportunity to make this right for you, so please do reach out to us directly if you'd like to discuss this further or if there's anything we can do to ensure your next visit is a better experience.
Thank you again for bringing this to our attention.
Kind regards,
Charmaine
Slow Entry and Poor Weights Area Etiquette
The new entry scanners lag, or sometimes cease to work at all. The app. which is required for entry requires internet connectivity to open, but there is no wifi available and data signal is often patchy in the gym - non-existent on Arsenal match days. Staff are slow at assisting gym-goers entry into the gym by alternative means. More annoying however, is this gym’s open tolerance to gym-goers leaving weights around the gym - there is no enforcement of etiquette i.e. putting weights back or de-racking. Not even one measly poster. This is the only gym where I haven’t seen such basic reminders of manners in place. I raised this three times to three different staff members in my first three months here, but it went nowhere. Regular gym price is fair but the 6-week notice period for cancellation is crazy, as is the need for a re-activation fee if you do suspend your membership but then rejoin - not very community-spirited. I played Squash here a couple of times but the on-peak rate is too expensive and covers too broad a range of hours but the off-peak rate is reasonable. Sauna is ok but smells a bit.
March 16, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi,
Thank you for your feedback. We genuinely appreciate your detailed review, as it helps us improve our services. We're sorry to hear about the challenges you've experienced with the entry scanners and the app. We're actively working on solutions to improve both the technology and connectivity, particularly on busy match days, and will look into better ways to assist members in accessing the gym when needed.
Regarding the weight etiquette, we understand your frustration and agree that gym manners are important. We’ll take your feedback seriously and will be introducing more visible reminders and work with our team to ensure that all gym-goers are encouraged to maintain a tidy and respectful environment.
We also recognise your concerns about the cancellation and reactivation policies. While we aim to balance flexibility with the needs of our community, we will review these processes to ensure they align more closely with member expectations.
We appreciate you bringing these points to our attention and hope to provide a better experience moving forward. If you'd like to discuss any of these issues further, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our management team.
Warm regards,
Charmaine
North London institution
Home of Sobell Judo club, therefore the best leisure centre in London. Great facilities, kind helpful staff.
March 16, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi JP
Thank you for review.
It is great to see you are enjoying Judo and the facilities at the Sobell Leisure Centre.
We hope you reach the skill level you wish and thank you for choosing Better!
Kind Regards
Amir
Awesome active play
I recently visited the new active play section of Sobell with my 6 year old son and what an amazing experience it was!!! The staff were friendly and helpful when we arrived they even engaged and made my son feel welcome.
When I had had a question regarding the facilities there was a senior member of staff who had all all the answers and was very polite, i noticed she stayed around the play area to ensure a high quality standard was set.
The play area itself was clean and wasnt to busy like other active play areas we have visited. (🤡🌆)
The onsite cafe had a good range of light refreshments for a good price also.
On a whole we will be back and would highly recommend to other users.
March 1, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi Jake,
Thank you so much for your kind words!
We’re thrilled to hear that you and your son had such a positive experience at the new active play section at the Sobell Leisure Centre. It's great to know that our staff made both of you feel welcome and that the senior member of staff was able to assist you with all your questions. We take pride in maintaining a clean and safe environment, so we're happy to hear that the play area met your expectations. We’ll also pass along your compliments to our cafe team.
We can’t wait to welcome you back, and we appreciate your recommendation!
Warm regards,
Charmaine
Love the new Sobell centre
We are massive fans of the reno they have done. The new active play area is the best softplay in North London. My kids absolutely love going and I personally cannot believe how cheap it is to go! It is great that a child ticket includes one adult within the price. I cant wait for the rest of the reno to be finished
March 15, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi Jasmine
Thank you for your review.
We are very pleased to see you and your children are enjoying the Active Play Area at the Sobell Leisure Centre and the renovations have made your experience with us!
We do our best to make all of our activities inclusive for families to enjoy!
Thank you for choosing Better.
Kind Regards
Amir
Terrible experience
The experience at this gym could not be worst. Unfriendly front desk staff, you have to beg them for a good morning and if you have a problem with the barriers they ignore you and continue looking at their mobile phone. If you ask them something, they will look at you unpleasantly.
Gym is always dirty and they 'clean it' at 10 am while you are working out.
There isn't a person to guide people with their workout or just supervising, this is very dangerous since you can see young and old people training in a very unsafe manner and nobody is there to guide them.
No shower or changing room for years!
At the sauna, people shave or clean themselves inside and it is very unhygienic.
Calendar of classes is very very limited and squash courts not included in the price. Around £15 for 40 minutes squash court after paying my monthly pass is disgusting!
They advertise themselves as a community center.... When there is no community feeling at all and they just run a business.
March 14, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi Hipatio,
Thank you for sharing your feedback, and I’m really sorry to hear about your negative experience. We genuinely value all feedback as it helps us identify areas for improvement.
First and foremost, I want to apologise for the behaviour you encountered at the front desk. Our goal is always to provide a warm and welcoming environment, and it seems we’ve fallen short of that here. I’ll be sure to bring this to the attention of our team to ensure better interactions with our members moving forward.
Regarding cleanliness, we completely understand how frustrating it can be to see the gym not up to the expected standard. We’re committed to providing a clean and safe space, and your comment about the timing of cleaning is noted—perhaps we can look into adjusting the schedule to better accommodate members.
We also understand the importance of guidance and supervision, especially when it comes to ensuring members’ safety. We’ll review our current staffing situation and see if we can improve on this front.
The lack of showers and changing rooms is definitely a point we take seriously, and I apologise for the inconvenience this has caused. It’s something we’re actively working to address, and I’ll be sure to escalate this concern.
As for the sauna and the issues around hygiene, we appreciate your feedback, and we’ll review our policies to ensure everyone follows proper etiquette.
Finally, I’m sorry to hear that our class calendar and the squash court pricing didn’t meet your expectations. We’ll take a closer look at both to determine if we can make improvements to better serve our members.
Again, thank you for sharing your concerns. We are dedicated to making the necessary changes and hope to create a more positive experience moving forward.
Kind regards,
Charmaine
Poor Maintenance, Hygiene, and Supervision
I have been going to Better Finsbury Park gym for a while, and unfortunately, it does not meet the standards of other Better gyms I’ve been to.
First, cleanliness is a major issue. Despite raising concerns previously, the gym is not properly cleaned, and hygiene standards remain low. The lockers are particularly neglected—many are broken, missing doors, or difficult to open, yet they are never repaired. On top of that, the inside of the lockers is never cleaned, which makes using them quite unpleasant. This lack of upkeep is disappointing compared to other Better locations.
Second, maintenance is inconsistent. Some machines have issues that require adjustment or repairs, yet they are left in poor condition for extended periods without proper attention. Again, this is not the case at other Better gyms, where maintenance is handled much more efficiently.
Third, supervision is lacking. I frequently see young members using machines incorrectly, which could lead to injury, yet staff members do not intervene or provide guidance. Additionally, there is no enforcement of basic gym etiquette—people spend excessive time on machines with no consideration for others, making workouts frustrating. Other Better gyms tend to manage this better, but at Finsbury Park, it’s completely ignored.
Overall, Better Finsbury Park fails to meet the standards I’ve experienced at other gyms in the same chain. Proper cleaning, regular maintenance, and better supervision are essential, but these areas are consistently neglected. I hope they take serious steps to improve their services.
March 2, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for sharing your feedback, and we truly apologise for the experience you've had at Better Finsbury Park. We take cleanliness, maintenance, and customer service seriously, and we’re disappointed to hear that we haven’t met your expectations.
We will immediately address your concerns with our team to ensure the lockers and other facilities are properly maintained and cleaned. We are also committed to improving our maintenance response times to ensure that equipment is up and running efficiently.
Your feedback about supervision and gym etiquette is also very important, and we’ll work to provide more support to members and better guidance on proper gym use. We're sorry that these issues have negatively impacted your workouts, and we appreciate you bringing them to our attention.
We value your membership, and we’ll do everything we can to improve the experience at this location. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any further concerns or suggestions.
Kind regards,
Charmaine
What an amazing time
What an amazing time! thank you so much the kids absolutely loved it
January 20, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Good Evening Adam,
Thank you so much for your kind words!
We're thrilled to hear the kids had such a great time at Sobell Leisure Centre. It was our pleasure to host you, and we hope to welcome you all back again soon for more fun and memories!
Kind regards,
Charmaine
Filthy dirty
When the new soft play first opened it was lovely, clean and so much fun for little ones. But they sell far too many tickets for sessions every 15 minutes and don't ensure people are leaving when their time is over. Extremely dangerous and not safe.
Took my 1 year old today and I couldn't believe how filthy dirty it was. Thick clumps of built up dust everywhere, clumps off hair stuck to multiple balls in the ball pit, smeared food marks on the lights and other touch screens. Sticky residue on surfaces. It clearly isn't being maintained. Was warned by someone that used to work there, that the previous soft play was never cleaned and he worked there for 8 years.
It's a breeding ground for sickness and so many germs.
So dissappointed with them. No concern with hygiene.
I took photos as i was so shocked.
January 30, 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi Dominic,
Thanks for your review.
We are disappointed to hear you are unhappy with the cleanliness at Sobell and have forwarded your feedback to the centres management team so they can ensure their standards are kept high!
Warm Regards
Hazal
I have been misled and miss-sold! Unethical way!
I'm referring to the Sobell Leisure Branch. Upon registering, I was told that the spa is accessible @ £5 with my membership all around Better Centres in Islington, and that their Roman Bath Centre had one of the best Spas in London. When I tried booking a Spa session, it worked out to be £42 for a single session.
I am aware that the spa membership does not come along with the standard membership I went for, but I was told that across all 12 Islington Centres, spa access would be available for £5/session which is not the case, the roman baths charge £42 per session for it.
I was also told that I get access to Swimming Pool but I wasn't informed that the Home Center that I am signing up to (Sobell Leisure Center) had no swimming pool.
When I emailed the customer service team, all they had to say is that I can go to the second closest branch (25-30 mins walk away) or cancel my Direct Debit if not happy with the services.
Quite disappointed with Better. You definitely need "Better" people to avoid miss-selling your services, and need even "better" customer retention officers.
January 17, 2025
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Good Afternoon Saif,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback regarding your experience with our membership offerings.
I sincerely apologise for any confusion regarding the access to our Spa facilities at our Better-operated centres. To clarify, the Spa area is exclusively available to members who hold a specific Spa membership. Unfortunately, our standard rate memberships do not grant access to this area, nor do they include entry to our Health Suites, which feature steam and sauna facilities.
Upon reviewing your account, I see that the membership you purchased online does not encompass access to the Spa or Health Suites. We strongly recommend that all customers thoroughly review the details associated with each membership type prior to making a purchase. This ensures that you select a membership that aligns with your interests and needs.
Should you wish to enjoy the Spa facilities, we are more than happy to assist you in upgrading your current membership to one that includes access to these services. However, please note that your existing membership will not permit entry to the Spa.
If you have any further questions or if you would like to explore your membership upgrade options, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Thank you for your understanding.
Best regards,
Charmaine
Hi Saif,
Thank you for your update.
Your membership does not allow access to the Healthsuite at any better-operated centre so you would need to upgrade to be able to access this activity.
Kind regards,
Charmaine
The people who work this great but they…
The people who work this great but they don’t have shower or changing your room and the water fountain doesn’t work which is really hard
July 31, 2024
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi Bethleham
Thank you for your review,
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused by the renovations of the showers at our Sobell Leisure Centre, I have spoken to the centre and showers are available by the sauna and steam room, please book the sauna and steam session to access the showers.
There is also two working water fountains in the gym, one in the main gym and another in the studio.
I hope this helps improve your experience with Better.
Kind Regards
Amir
Water accumulates in the steam room and…
Water accumulates in the steam room and your workers are very serious, so they should be a little kinder , And this is my last month and I will cancel
April 8, 2024
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Dear Ali,
I hope this message finds you well. Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback regarding your experience at the Sobell Leisure Centre. Your feedback is crucial to ensure that we provide the best possible experience for our members.
I am sorry to hear that you encountered issues with the steam room during your visit. I understand how frustrating this can be and I can assure you that we take your concerns seriously. I have passed on your comments to the centre manager to investigate the matter and take appropriate action to resolve the issues raised. Our aim is to ensure that all of our facilities are maintained to the highest standards and that our members can enjoy them without any hindrance.
Please rest assured that we value your membership and we would be disappointed to hear that you are thinking of cancelling it due to the issues mentioned. We are committed to providing the best possible customer service and we will do our utmost to ensure that your future visits are enjoyable and hassle-free.
Thank you once again for bringing these issues to our attention. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further concerns or suggestions.
Best regards,
Charmaine
A persistent problem in reserving Yoga…
A persistent problem in reserving Yoga classes in advance has become an annoyance in having to regularly trouble either local Sobell staff or the Customer Service assistants in Belfast to deal with. I suspect that there was a software patch or upgrade effected back in November which has ocassion Ed this regular booking problem wherein classes appear fully booked a week in advance and one is advised to enter a “Waiting List”. This never happened over the years that I’ve been using Sobell’s generous panoply of exercise facilities but since November/December ´23 a situation has become apparent affecting many of the regular clientele in Yoga especially booking for Thursday sessions ( more so than Monday sessions). Perhaps Better Islington could consider increasing the number of yoga sessions as were available before the 2021 Covid pandemic and the catastrophic inundation caused by Thames Water’s negligence in not clearing nor maintaining the storm water gulleys which severely impacted on the Sobell Centre. The remaining staff have been resilient doing their utmost to facilitate as much as they can to help local citizens to look after the health and well-being. Now that reinstatement and re-purposing of the Centre’s facilities seem to be almost completed and monetary compensation provided by the loss-adjusters May one hope for a return to more yoga classes in the near future? Well done to all and thanks Zen for your efficient, expeditious handling of my problem.🙏👍
March 22, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for your review.
We are happy to hear that our staff have been so helpful in assisting you.
We are unaware of any issues with the booking system, what you seem to describing is a very popular class that everyone tries to book as soon as the class is released. All members get the same access and can only book 7 days in advance.
If you would like to request more classes, you would need to email the centre directly so they can look into this.
Their email address is: sobellleisurecentre@gll.org
Warm Regards
Hazal
Sobell-Worst soft play ever
Booked a so called toddlers world session for my 2 year old at Sobell
Got to venue there was 1 slide a small ball pit and gymnastics apparatus which they had the cheek to call soft play.
So disappointed
Spoke to a manager who was rude when I said I was going to request a refund was not sympathetic but said " well pack up your stuff make your way down stairs and I will issue you one"total d#@£ head.
Will never bless this place with my presence again!!
February 14, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Hi
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
We apologise for the experience and language used and thank you for your feedback regarding your experience at our center.
Your review has been escalated to the general manager for further review.
Kind Regards
Amir
Extremely efficient and charmingly…
Extremely efficient and charmingly obliging staff considering the immense impact of the recent catastrophic inundation which caused so much upheaval and curtailing of the manifold activities.
The regular, long-term staff remain courteous, positively upbeat and always obliging: zGLL should find the resource to give them all a financial reward over and above their pay-grade; this especially for your Yoga and Pilates instructors who do so much for the general health of participants, and if Public Health audit allowed, would demonstrate exceptional cost benefits to the NHS. The benefits to Communities served by Sobell and other GLL sites needs official recognition especially in the wake of the recent pandemic.
January 11, 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Good Afternoon
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review
We are very happy to see a member speak so highly of Better and the service we provide. At the GLL we aim to provide the best service to the customers and communities.
We are also very pleased to see our staff members and instructors recieving such positive feedback. We hope you continue to enjoy your journey with Better.
Kind Regards
Amir
Amazing costumer service and very…
Amazing costumer service and very clean! Stephen is an amazing instructor and I managed to learn how to use the equipment.
November 15, 2023
Reply from Better - Sobell Leisure Centre
Good Afternoon Nathalia,
Thank you for your review.
We are delighted to hear that you are enjoying your membership at the Sobell leisure centre. We are also delighted to hear that the facilities ae well maintained and you enjoyed your induction with Stephen. I will ensure to pass on your lovely feedback for their attention.
Hope this helps.
Kind regards,
Charmaine
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