There are two LA Fitness gyms in Birmingham - the one in the City Centre which has been written about so far, and the Longbridge branch from which I have recently cancelled my membership.
To be honest the cancellation of membership was mainly an effort to save some money rather than due to any problems with the gym.
My partner and I joined on a buy one get one reduced price deal which worked out at around £45 a month.
As the main account holder my membership was "Wide" - this meant that I could use any LA Fitness gym in the country. As there are no branches in Wales when I spend a lot of my spare time I never actually used this. My partners membership was more basic just allowing her to go to our home gym.
As you enter the gym you have a reception desk which sells a limited number of warm drinks and snacks. For access to the gym facilities you have to get your card swiped by a receptionist which whilst okay would take far less time if you could do this for yourself.
Also on the ground floor were tanning rooms and the changing rooms. I'm not much of a sun queen so I never used the sun beds however, the changing rooms were spacious, with benches. A television provided entertainment when you were getting dressed. There were ample lockers in the gym although you had to provide your own locks. There were approximately 10 showers (all working usually) which were typically equipped with plenty of shower gel. As a Wide member you are intitled to use of the gyms towels (I never made use of this facility and don't know of anyone who did).
The main draw to this gym was that unlike the Fitness First's within the area it offered a swimming pool. This pool was small but sufficient to do a few laps after a hard day at work. The main drawback to it was that if you had more than 6 people in there at a time you were constantly bumping into each other. Along with the swimming pool was a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi which were excellent for a spot of relaxation.
On the first floor there was a small hairdressers and beauticians which offered a variety of wax treatments.
The gym itself had a wide variety of equipment. I am aware of weights, however, I typically stuck to the treadmill, rowing machine, step machine, cross trainer, exercise bikes. Each of these hjad headphone jacks so you could listen to a choice of local radio stations or the TV's of which there were four set to the far end of the gym. There was an ample supply of equipment with typically 10-15 of the most popular machines.
A range of pilates/yoga/aerobics/kickboxing classes operated on a daily basis - there were typically two or three to choose from per evening. There was a dedicated room of exercises bikes which were used just for classes as well. I tried pilates and the instructor was friendly/helpful and easy to follow.
There was a lot of a car parking space outside the gym and although this could get busy on occasion there were typically spaces available.
All in all I liked the gym and had I not been so lazy I think I would have continued with my membership!
More details
Price
from £20 a month
Size
Average
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