Well well well, Miss Caprice has just re-joined Virgin Active after a stint of laziness and general skintness :hihi:

I know theres a million and one threads about Virgin, but I don't have forever and a day to read them all... So if you're a forummer that uses this club, let me know here! :thumbsup:

What classes do people reccommend? I never really went to any other than the aerobics one last time I went... I'm more than acquainted with the spa and pool area however :hihi:

I'm vaguely thinking of rejoining for the summer. Is there a waiting list, do you know, or could I walk in on the day I wanted to start?

Well I just walked in this morning and joined straight away... Doesnt appear to be a waiting list...

how much is it per month? and whats the joining fee?

Well I've got student membership which is £35 a month, unrestricted access... I think its £47 a month normally... Joining fee is £50, but I fluttered my eyelashes and it was waived... :D

Well I've got student membership which is £35 a month, unrestricted access... I think its £47 a month normally... Joining fee is £50, but I fluttered my eyelashes and it was waived... :D
I was charged a fiver joining fee. You must have sexier eyelashes :)
Just joined. Mainly do a bit of gym work and swimming in the mornings on me way into work.
Haven't tried the classses but might be persuaded by a good recommendation.

don't you feel bad that by joining Virgin Active you are just making Virgin shareholders richer and richer? Very little money is reinvested back in the facilities.

Why don't you join the gym at a local sports club. That way all money they make is reinvested back in the club, supporting kids sports etc. Fair enough most sports club don't have spas, but the network of kids facilities and coaching opportunities beats any private gym hands down.

Support your local clubs. Everyone moans that we don't do well at sport, we need to start supporting our grass roots.

don't you feel bad that by joining Virgin Active you are just making Virgin shareholders richer and richer? Very little money is reinvested back in the facilities.

Why don't you join the gym at a local sports club. That way all money they make is reinvested back in the club, supporting kids sports etc. Fair enough most sports club don't have spas, but the network of kids facilities and coaching opportunities beats any private gym hands down.

Support your local clubs. Everyone moans that we don't do well at sport, we need to start supporting our grass roots.


Thats the thing though, I don't even know where my local sports club is and whether or not it has all the facilities that I require... I use Virgin gym's beauty therapy rooms when I've got the money for facials/massage/nails etc so Virgin seemed like the obvious choice.

don't you feel bad that by joining Virgin Active you are just making Virgin shareholders richer and richer? Very little money is reinvested back in the facilities.

Why don't you join the gym at a local sports club. That way all money they make is reinvested back in the club, supporting kids sports etc. Fair enough most sports club don't have spas, but the network of kids facilities and coaching opportunities beats any private gym hands down.

Support your local clubs. Everyone moans that we don't do well at sport, we need to start supporting our grass roots.
To be honest, No, I don't feel bad. Virgin is a successful company. The facilities, IMO, are the best I've seen in Sheffield so I don't know how you can say they don't invest cos they clearly do. If they didn't put capital into the facilities they wouldn't make money for their shareholders, which, is the role of a private company. Not sure how it's Virgin's fault that there's no inverstment in sport.
I used to go to Hillsborough Leisure Centre and it's woeful compared to Virgin.

I go to Virgin... very handy as its just down the road from me :)

Its great and I wouldn't want to go anywhere else, but I think its scandalous that they now charge extra for the new "Gravity" section of the gym.. I pay £40 a month so I want everything thrown in for nothing, whether its the latest fad in fitness or not!

I go to Virgin... very handy as its just down the road from me :)

Its great and I wouldn't want to go anywhere else, but I think its scandalous that they now charge extra for the new "Gravity" section of the gym.. I pay £40 a month so I want everything thrown in for nothing, whether its the latest fad in fitness or not!

What does the 'Gravity' section have to offer? Seems bizarre to pay extra for something that is free (as Mr Newton discovered)!

many years ago, private health clubs sprung up as an alternative to leisure centres, a posh private retreat people with some spare cash could go to. Clubs like Virgin Active though are just glorified leisure centres, and are sucking the life out of council run and local sports centres. Kids growing up these days have the impression that to keep fit they have to pay £50 a month to be a member of a club.

What does the 'Gravity' section have to offer? Seems bizarre to pay extra for something that is free (as Mr Newton discovered)!

Virgin Active have targets, and once you are in the gym they will try and get as much money out of you as possible. Your fitness is the least of their concerns, the only thing they care about is the cash flow.

many years ago, private health clubs sprung up as an alternative to leisure centres, a posh private retreat people with some spare cash could go to. Clubs like Virgin Active though are just glorified leisure centres, and are sucking the life out of council run and local sports centres. Kids growing up these days have the impression that to keep fit they have to pay £50 a month to be a member of a club.

with respect i disagree

the problem with kids/young people these days is they grow up inactive and spend far to much time indoors playing games watching tv and being genrally inactive.

many of these gyms do family membership and when you consider the cost of ps2 games pcs ect the cost is not so bad.

there is no reason why council and private gyms cant opperate side by side i for one would far rather spend a bit extra and never have to que to use the machines like you often have to in the council run gyms but that is my choice other people would prefer to spend there money on other things there choice.

with obesity getting so much worse in this country anything that encourages people to get fit has to be a good thing.

I'm a member of Virgin and think it is a great place, if you use it enough to get your moneys worth! Not ventured into any of the classes yet as don't feel fit enough, but do use the gym, pool and of course the spa. If you're going to use the swimming pool I'd reccommend that you go after 7pm as that's when the kids are thrown out (unless of course you're your taking any kids with you!). me and a friend went to today about 4pm and it was packed with load of screaming darlings.

What does the 'Gravity' section have to offer? Seems bizarre to pay extra for something that is free (as Mr Newton discovered)!

Gravity is obviously the newest fad in the fitness market read the blurb about it here (http://www.efisportsmedicine.com/commercial.home.html)

Virgin cleared away a huge corner of the gym and installed some of these gravity machines and then said you had to pay £50ish to have an induction then you could use the machines for free.. the personal training side of it is pushed massively.. the area seems to be mainly used for personal training, tho I rarely see anyone using the machines.. more often the personal trainers are training people on the mats next to it.

I was really angry when they introduced them.. no way am I paying extra to use certain gym facilities.. the whole place should be free once you pay the monthly fee. It was bad enough paying a fiver to have a climbing wall induction - tho they seem to be rather selective in charging for that.

If they bring anything else into the gym that we have to pay extra for I'm starting a petition.. I don't want to go anywhere else but theres no way I'm forking out £50 here and there for new stuff.

It was quite interesting that Gravity appeared just after most people had signed up for the contract memberships (cos the price was going up to £47 if you didn't sign up). Once we were all locked in they announced gravity.

[QUOTE=Anne23]Gravity is obviously the newest fad in the fitness market
Virgin cleared away a huge corner of the gym and installed some of these gravity machines and then said you had to pay £50ish to have an induction then you could use the machines for free.. the personal training side of it is pushed massively.. the area seems to be mainly used for personal training, tho I rarely see anyone using the machines.. more often the personal trainers are training people on the mats next to it.

QUOTE]

personal training is pushed massively because of the money. If you hire a personal trainer at Virgin Active you pay £35 ish for an hour, the PT only gets about £15 of that, Virgin Active take the rest. Ever seen a sunbed offer in the reception desk as you walk in, that's because they have sunbed targets each month, in order to get you guys to part with more cash. So you pay a joining fee, monthly subscription, and then still have to pay more for certain stuff. Why do people stand for it? You pump all this money in, will the facilities improve? Will cash get invested in something of benefit to the community?

With regards to obesity, in order to get kids fit you need to give them access to facilities. By having a joining fee and high monthly cost, you are creating a massive barrier.

I stand for it cos I wouldn't exercise half as much without the reward of a chat with my friends in the sauna afterwards. :hihi:

I do think their focus has changed.. I'm sure when they opened, one of the selling points was the "no contract" thing.. now its too expensive to not be on a contract.

I've been a member since the beginning and I have mainly positive things to say about the club but things like paying extra for Gravity and their increasingly money grabbing attitude are more than a little worrying.

Gravity is obviously the newest fad in the fitness market read the blurb about it here (http://www.efisportsmedicine.com/commercial.home.html)



Ah, thank you. Reading the blurb, it looks like it's just several of the other machines combined into one. Great when space is tight, maybe, but Virgin probably had machines that would do the trick before. I didn't really mind walking from machine to machine. Can't see that one needs to pay £50 for the pleasure of staying in one place, not when one's taken the trouble to go to a gym for exercise, for goodness sake!

I joined Virgin when it first opened and was a member for probably eighteen months. It was great at certain times, vile at others when it was busy and the pool was full. But then, maybe I just don't like people :). I did find that no-one speaks tho' - and striking up conversation, I felt a bit like the loony on the bus after a while, cos I was the only one who seemed to do it.

Apart from that tho', it was good. Nice clean (and new, of course) facilities and friendly staff. Like I said earlier, I'm considering rejoining.

Ah, thank you. Reading the blurb, it looks like it's just several of the other machines combined into one. Great when space is tight, maybe, but Virgin probably had machines that would do the trick before. I didn't really mind walking from machine to machine. Can't see that one needs to pay £50 for the pleasure of staying in one place, not when one's taken the trouble to go to a gym for exercise, for goodness sake!

I joined Virgin when it first opened and was a member for probably eighteen months. It was great at certain times, vile at others when it was busy and the pool was full. But then, maybe I just don't like people :). I did find that no-one speaks tho' - and striking up conversation, I felt a bit like the loony on the bus after a while, cos I was the only one who seemed to do it.

Apart from that tho', it was good. Nice clean (and new, of course) facilities and friendly staff. Like I said earlier, I'm considering rejoining.

I'd love a go on the gravity machines but will resist until they change the charging policy for it :suspect:

I prefer it when its quiet too.. I started going in the mornings (I only live 5 mins walk away) and its lovely and quiet then!

I've got chatting to a few people.. but normally I'm there with friends so I'm OK for people to chat to in the sauna.

I don't think I could go to another gym now.. they'd all seem small and uncool in comparison.. Virgin Active is clean and bright and everythings done with fun and humour which appeals to me.

I am still unfortunately a member of Virgin Active. I cancelled my membershp 2 months ago and they are still taking money out of my account. They say I never cancelled and that my membership has continued over for another year. They want me to pay £180 to get out of the contract.

So moral of the story make sure you get it sorted in person as they seem to "forget" about your phone call and email.

I won't be wanting to go to this gym again.

Does anyone do the aerobics class? I'd like to go but not on my own :hihi:

I am still unfortunately a member of Virgin Active. I cancelled my membershp 2 months ago and they are still taking money out of my account. They say I never cancelled and that my membership has continued over for another year. They want me to pay £180 to get out of the contract.

So moral of the story make sure you get it sorted in person as they seem to "forget" about your phone call and email.

I won't be wanting to go to this gym again.

Hope you get this sorted. Unfortunately if you complain to anyone they will ask you for proof that you said 'cancel' on whatever date you first told them to cancel it. You are obviously unhappy with what has happened, so I would put in a letter of complaint to the Sales team. Failing that, write to Virgin Active Head Office in Milton Keynes, putting the letter for the attention of 'Frank Reed' - he's the big guy and is good mates with Branson.

I knew someone else with the same problem (Virgin Active taking money from their accounts without their consent). They informed their bank that the money was being taking unlawfully.

My missus and I are Personal Trainers at Virgin Active.

I'm thinking about re-joining, i was a member at the start and cancelled it about 3 months ago
does anybody know how much it is to re-join? is there a joining fee?

i really must get back to the gym, i love it when im there...its just motivating myself to GO.

i fancy the v cycle more than aerobics...but its looks SOOO hard :(

Does anyone do the aerobics class? I'd like to go but not on my own :hihi:
:thumbsup: have you tried the climbing wall yet? i`m totally hooked on it and it gives you a fantastic workout. i joined last year and usually go training or climbing there 3/4 times a week!

i really must get back to the gym, i love it when im there...its just motivating myself to GO.

i fancy the v cycle more than aerobics...but its looks SOOO hard :(


whats v cycle?

v-cycle cycling using stationary bikes and they have an instructor shouting and ...well 'instructing' so you have to put everything in to it - lasts about 45mins i think and they seem to do different resistence and different speed.

i train best when ive got someone over me or im doing it as part of a team/class...wouldn't want to be the only one to give in and stop... they look so done in when they come off. looks fun....il do it...one day :gag:

v-cycle cycling using stationary bikes and they have an instructor shouting and ...well 'instructing' so you have to put everything in to it - lasts about 45mins i think and they seem to do different resistence and different speed.

i train best when ive got someone over me or im doing it as part of a team/class...wouldn't want to be the only one to give in and stop... they look so done in when they come off. looks fun....il do it...one day :gag:
its a real killer mate!

its a real killer mate!


lol!
talk about encouragement....
think il go and do some cycling on my own for a week or two and get back into it then go for the class....COME ON! lol

I'm thinking about re-joining, i was a member at the start and cancelled it about 3 months ago
does anybody know how much it is to re-join? is there a joining fee?

if you rejoin, do not let them charge you a joining fee. No doubt you have paid this once already. Your details are on the system already, all they need to do is access it and click the button for live membership and you are a member again. The sales team there will try everything possible to get more money out of you, do not give in! They will try and charge you a fee as their outlook is 'well if we let him rejoin for free s/he is going to keep cancelling and rejoining, instead of being a continuous member, that way we lose member numbers and will suffer in member sales and not get the bottle of bubbly from Frank Reed at the end of the year, oh noooooo!'. At the end of the day, it is your fitness and personal circumstances that are priority, you should be allowed to join when you want, quit when you want and rejoin when you want. You have not joined a private members exclusive health club, you are a member of a glorified leisure centre which boasts that your health and fitness are it's number 1 priority. Any problems let me know!

is it like spinning then ? i done that at esporta great fun

not sure what spinning is :confused: sorry

is it like spinning then ? i done that at esporta great fun
yes! only its difficult to walk afterwards:hihi:

yes! only its difficult to walk afterwards:hihi:

Sounds like my sort of activity :)

Well I was thinking of re-joinng Virgin again but quite frankly all these horror stories about joining fees, extra charges to use certain equipment once a member and daylight robbery plundering your bank account after cancelling and ripping off the PTs and flogging you lots of extras for just the money has put me right off .. anyone know a decent public council gym I can pay as I go at ?

and ripping off the PTs

You mean "Getting ripped off by the P.T's??"

Go4it, not meaning to be rude, but.... why do you have such a big problem with Virgin active? Or just Virgin?

Go4it, not meaning to be rude, but.... why do you have such a big problem with Virgin active? Or just Virgin?

I am just providing a balanced opinion.

Not allowed to tell you, big man made me promise.

Thats nice for you. xx

I have got 2 virgin guest passes if anyone is interested in trying it out, pm me for more info.

WHats the cost for membership each month?

do they still have the upright tanning booths in the changing rooms? how much do the tokens cost? are they still the little silver coins with a little flower on the back says le in them?

About the gravity thing... I've just joined and I asked about these gravity machines. They run gravity classes on the timetable, just like other classes such as aerobics or yoga. I asked if these were included in my monthly fee and he said they were. He also said that once you've been to a class and learned how to use them, you can go on them whenever you want.

Well I was thinking of re-joinng Virgin again but quite frankly all these horror stories about joining fees, extra charges to use certain equipment once a member and daylight robbery plundering your bank account after cancelling and ripping off the PTs and flogging you lots of extras for just the money has put me right off .. anyone know a decent public council gym I can pay as I go at ?

ponds forge is where you want to be. you get access to other leisure centres with the monthly membership, or you can pay as you go, if you go often then membership would save you money. the olympic pool is probably the best place to swim in sheffield.

the most important thing i think about a gym is it's cleanliness, you want to be sure the cleaners are both efficient and happy because the amount of bodyfat which accrues in such a place is unbelievable. the body fat will begin red-pink and set yellow-brown. look at the shower heads and you can guess the height of the cleaners, look under the seats of the steam room and you can tell the efficiency.

The salesperson called Barry at Virgin Gym has tonight told me that the joining fee is £100. He said that there's a special 60% offer on at the moment where you can get it for £40. I did a trial whilst I was down there and decided to ask around in the spa what fees other people had paid. Of the three people that I asked, one had paid nothing, someone else had paid £25, and the other person £30. I can safely say that I will now not be signing up.

The salesperson called Barry at Virgin Gym has tonight told me that the joining fee is £100. He said that there's a special 60% offer on at the moment where you can get it for £40. I did a trial whilst I was down there and decided to ask around in the spa what fees other people had paid. Of the three people that I asked, one had paid nothing, someone else had paid £25, and the other person £30. I can safely say that I will now not be signing up as I have effectively been lied to, and would not want to go somewhere where the staff are completely dishonest.

£100????!!!???!!! They are having a laugh. The joining fee has never been £100 and never will be. All part of the 'ploy' to make you believe you are getting a good deal. Basically, the joining fee you pay goes to the sales consultant (or a large %) as commmision. They will get whatever they can out of you.

I am the resident anti virgin (in)active poster but trust me I know what I'm talking about.

Well Well, just come across this forum as I've only just move to sheffield not too long ago, thought I'll join in the fun!! Being a regular gym goer, I couldn't wait to get back to my fitness and have just joined Virgin Active as I've excellent experience from their clubs in London and also good recommendation by my new colleagues. :D
Since I used to work in Sales for another fitness operator previously:hihi: , I'm familiar with the various joining fee offers that you all mentioned and did brought this up to the Sales consultant that joined me up at VA who did charged me £40 joining fee (which included 2 weeks free by the way) as well plus lots of summer goodies to make up the £40 I've paid which I'm quite happy with and think it is fairly reasonable. She also explained that joining offer do tend to be very similar as it really is £20 to join without the 2 weeks free...I guess it is just the way its been presented. IMO, an offer is an offer which can change at anytime and does have a expiry date which applys to many other products/ service, sometimes you missed out, sometimes not. It is the end product (the facilities) that matters really.

My main thing of the gym is to do classes and although I see some of you mentioned that VA never updates facilities..I just found out that new spin bikes are coming in...can't wait for my next cycling class!!:cool:

missy

is it just me or has the internet connection on the computers there just got a lot faster. About time though as before it was unusabley slow. Also what are those bikes doing in the foyer never botherd to look?

About the gravity thing... I've just joined and I asked about these gravity machines. They run gravity classes on the timetable, just like other classes such as aerobics or yoga. I asked if these were included in my monthly fee and he said they were. He also said that once you've been to a class and learned how to use them, you can go on them whenever you want.

We had a chat to the manager about gravity and he told us the fee's had been dropped. The manager is very approachable and helpful, its definitely worth having a word with him if you have any complaints. :D

Has anyone been to spinning classes then? Im thinking of joining a starters spinning class at my gym this week?

Hi definitely go to spinning. Can recommend Tracey's class on a Monday at 6.30pm or Butch has a class I believe on a Friday at 5.30pm. Butch's class is very good.

My only gripe is it is too busy at around 5.30/6.00pm. I have great fun with my PT. Costly but I have seen results over the last year.

Went from running to Tescos on Abbeydale and back to gym feeling a bit the worse for wear to running 3 10ks, 1 5k and 4 half marathons all in less than a year.

GO FOR IT!

Hi

I'm thinking of joining - as is my girlfriend - she used to be a member but quit cos the queues for machines and stuff.

How busy is it nowadays? The salesperson obviously told me that they never have people waiting around and that there are free machines - but what is the recent experience?