Nuffield Health St Albans Fitness & Wellbeing Gym

Negative experience: A very gloomy and rundown gym. I’m member of the Derby gym and use a lot of gyms across the country. This one by far is the worst Nuffield health I have come across. And to top it all, it’s Tier 1 gym, lol. Where gyms like Edinburgh are free access for a tier 2 member, and so are the likes of Taunton, Derby and Nottingham - paying to get into a shoddy gym like this is ridiculous. If it’s Tier 1 then keep it Tier 1. Also no spa pool and I couldn’t see a steam. A small home sauna like thing in the changing room just like cheaper gyms like JD and everlast. Also the staff at the entrance were the rudest I’ve come across at the Nuffield health chains. Never entering this club again, glad it’s not my home gym and my visit here was one off but to those who want to pay and get a membership, this isn’t he way ahead.

Negative experience: Many machines are old or broken. AC is poor.

Negative experience: The club need a total make over, very outdated, sad looking. It should a premium club with the high membership fees, but a club like pure gym with a membership 1/3 of Nuffield price. Easy to get a free pass for a friend from the King than from Nuffield.

Negative experience: It's a good ppace for gym and swim but the men's sauna has been closed for more than 2 weeks without a reopening date.

Negative experience: No aircon!

Negative experience: The staff who work here do their best, but the building and its services are beyond repair. A couple of weeks ago the club had to close on multiple occasions due to water supply problems. This is not new, plus machines break regularly (please see video) and take forever to be fixed. Old showers, soap dispensers that don’t work, hot water problems very common - the list goes on. Members of this club are clearly not Nuffield’s priority or they would have - long time ago - allowed for proper funding for this club to prosper, empowering their staff to do a better job. We’re not talking about a new lick of paint or new windows, the building needs to be repaired, holistically. Hopefully issues from a couple of weeks back are the tipping point as discussed with other members and staff. We go to other Nuffield centres which are much much better than ours. Many of us just carry on paying the premium monthly fee as we live locally but I know it’s not good value for money, nowhere near.

Fantastic experience: Deen from sales provided excellent customer service. Top marks!

Negative experience: This place is in desperate need of refurbishment. The equipment is old, tired and often broken. The steam room needs regular cleaning (I think it gets cleared once a day at the end of the night (10PM) the room smells like old wet dog. For £90+ per month it is so run down, it isn't worth the money.

Positive experience: Nice gym professional staff

Fantastic experience: Always have a great experience while using the gym and facilities, I generally just go in and just get the session done, but credit where credit is due, one thing that always stands out and that’s the team, they are professional, polite and really enthusiastic, this is obviously lead from the top so well done Natasha, your team are a credit to you..

Negative experience: In theory this is a good gym, with two pools. But it’s really run down, loads of broken equipment (see spin bikes which are all out of action). I’ve been a member on and off for nearly ten years and it’s definitely in decline. Temperature in spin room gets ridiculous with only one fan and very weak to non-existent air con. Lights broken in the spin room for weeks now. Appalling for NOW £93 a month!!!!

Fantastic experience: Had a full corporate health assessment here and Dr Ronke was really great, super professional, as was the other staff members Charlotte and Andrew.

Negative experience: The place is falling apart, many machines out of order, water leaking in the weight room, shower water low, aircon in summer not powerful enough for such a big space. Staff say running cost are really high because of the pool so no other investments are made in up keep or equipment in order to reach margin targets.

Fantastic experience: If you are looking for a gym that will challenge you in every possible way, look no further than Nuffield St Albans. You will be amazed by the variety of broken lockers, partially working and old equipment, some users say is allegedly dating from the Victorian era. I can't verify, take it with a pinch of salt. You will never get bored of trying to find a working treadmill. And if you forget to bring a towel, they no longer offer them. You will enjoy the real sauna they have, but even more so the natural sauna that is the exercise area, where the temperature is usually subtropical. And if you need to cool down, just jump into the pool, where the water is a refreshingly cold (provided it is open). Trust me, this gym is the best thing that ever happened to your fitness goals: if you remain a member for longer than 6 months you are a true fitness fanatic. On the serious note, I am soon starting a fund raiser, to help them with renovations, watch this space. Feb2025: it turns out they don't provide towels as showers don't work anyway; unless cold showers are your forte.

Fantastic experience: Very good gym. Always friendly, clean and tidy. Good availability of equipment and pool space. Variety of classes with good availability, Wendy is an amazing trainer! Worth the price if you use the facilities often

Fantastic experience: Staff are fantastic, especially the general manager Katie. The upstairs area is great for functional fitness and there is a wide variety of machines, free weights, squash courts, saunas etc and other services!

Fantastic experience: Came for a workout between christmas and new years and had a great experience. We used the functional area upstairs and were impressed with the track and curved treadmills! Finished with a short visit to the Sauna which was spacious and relaxing.

Fantastic experience: Katie is an amazing manager! She's always so friendly and helpful, and she creates such a positive and welcoming atmosphere. Brilliant gym:)

Negative experience: My family joined this gym after the local YMCA closed, and the initial process was a nightmare. After five attempts, the accounts team finally got us signed up as promised. With all the discounts applied, it’s still a premium price, but the wide range of facilities initially made me think it was worth it. Fast forward five months, and it's become clear it's poor value for money. For starters, it’s like a scavenger hunt to find the right pin for the weight machines, and if you're lucky enough to locate a rowing machine, it’s probably buried in the middle of an obnoxious fitness class. Surrounded by screaming instructors and sweaty gym-goers, it’s hardly the workout environment anyone wants. Then there’s my 15-year-old son, who’s stronger than most adults but is only allowed to use stretch bands. While I get the insurance concerns, not letting him touch a resistance machine—even with supervision—seems absurd. He’s given up and used his birthday money to buy dumbbells and a bench instead. Oh, and shout out to the prankster staff who think it’s funny to stash rowing machines upstairs in the middle of the studio class queue. A simple queue barrier would go a long way in giving the poor rowers some space. There have been a few good days, though—just last week, I actually got on the machine I wanted… right next to a bucket catching leaks from the roof. Real professional.

Positive experience: Big facility, lots of unrestricted free parking. No trouble getting on the machines or benches or lane in the lap pool even when pretty busy. Good variety of equipment. The actual fabric of the building and lockers feels somewhat rundown but the equipment is reasonably well maintained. No towels available, you bring your own, which I think for the price is poor but is now standard at gyms in this tier. The showers have body wash but not conditioner unlike the top tier London branches. I actually drive further to get here due to the plentiful parking and bigger machine variety compared to the nearer Hertford branch.

Negative experience: Been a NH St Albans gym user since the simple but brilliant YMCA gym closed down. We pay a huge premium for the family and it’s not even worth a quarter of that. As many users have stated, machines break and take forever to fix. Two rowing machines inexplicably disappeared two weeks ago ago (apparently to be fixed but who actually knows?). For many months I’ve been playing hunt the rowing machines. Nicely enough if I happen to find one upstairs it’s outside the studios so normally classes coming and going make for a miserable gym user experience as they have no regard for other gym users (and of course why would a teacher mention respect for others). It now seems there will only be two rowing machines for the foreseeable so if I am to use I will need to wait for the numerous circuit classes to finish. I did check with a teacher if I could jump on, given it was the last section of her class and the rowers weren’t being used, only to be told she was teaching a class. No Shiz Sherlock - I haven’t been waiting 30 minutes for no reason. Thanks for the helpfulness and flexibility - brilliantly poor customer service.

Positive experience: Uncomfortably hot in the main hall. Quite expensive.

Negative experience: This place is trash. Majority of the treadmills don't work, lots of equipment is out of order. The price these guys are charging for what you are getting is a complete joke. In terms of quality of gym equipment, I genuinely think puregym is on par if not even better. The changing rooms are outdated and all the lockers look like something you'd find in a grotty leisure centre. I get messages every other day to say the hot water is off or the pools are closed. At one point the ceiling was coming down and wasn't fixed for about a month or 2. I suffered some injuries which required me to end my membership, when I spoke to them they told me I would need a doctors note and it would be cancelled with immediate effect. When I emailed across my doctors note I received multiple responses from different people, the quality of their emails was very poor... seems like communication is quite a challenge for their staff. Told me they would cancel at the end of the month and I was welcome to use the facilities until then even though the doctors note informed of my unable state due to my disabilities. I am registered disabled and I found this process extremely insensitive. I've been to several gyms around st albans including puregym, fitness first, body limits, westminister lodge but Nuffield is the most expensive and definitely the worst. It's a complete disgrace that they can charge the prices they do.

Negative experience: I lane swimming and turned up to swim on Friday 2.15pm, 4th October 2024. Main pool was open on arrival but closed 10 minutes later when I had changed into swim gear and arrived at pool. This has happened before. My wife and I pay nearly £1700 pa but can't access the pool we pay to swim in as above. Not good enough

Positive experience: It is not a bad gym, but at the non subsidised cost you would expect a few basic improvements to have taken place over the last few years. The cleaners seem to work exceptionally hard, in rather dated changing rooms and very dated showers. Gym equipment is generally good I find and there are not massive queues like I have found in some London gyms previously. Two things that need improving on for me are the variety of classes, again the instructors seem good but the Strength & Conditioning class on Monday is really the only one to get the blood pumping. The Yoga classes (whilst pretty plentiful) need to push the boundaries a little more, whilst I appreciate there is more of an older crowd here, they are quite timid and samey in routine - I want to be better and get better with my balance, breathing and general zen, but they feel quite repetitive now. Last but not least - PLEASE CLEAN THE STEAM ROOM DAILY!!! It regularly stinks quite heavily of BO, and as there is no wash down hose in the room, it's grim knowing you are 99.9% lying / sitting in someone elses sweat. You need to install a hose, clean the steam room and add some smelling salts if daily cleaning isn't possible.

Positive experience: I’m a member of the Sunbury branch and really enjoy having reciprocal access. Used St Albans today for the first time, the facilities were great - some of the equipment a touch dated but fine. However, the lady on reception was quite rude as I didn’t know how to use the turnstiles as they had a different “scanning method” then what I was used to, then on the way out she didn’t say goodbye to me at all. I know some people don’t really mind this sort of thing, but to me it’s very important and this was disappointing

Fantastic experience: Very popular

Negative experience: Canteen no good and no towel service. I would happily pay more for my membership for a better canteen and towel service. Seems these were probably cut during Covid and never reinstated which is a real pain point given the gym itself is great.

Negative experience: Cost too much

Negative experience: Getting in was a nightmare as they were installing a barrier, causing queues down the street. Total inconvenience for members.

Negative experience: I have been a member for >2 years and am posting this review now because I am seriously considering leaving the club and no one at the club seems to be interested in my feedback. I think when you come to a health club you should be made to feel like a valued member and I feel that I (and some of my fellow members) haven’t received this treatment. Cons: - expensive at £88/month - some rude reception staff: made a pregnant woman carrying a toddler and swimming gear walk through the turnstiles instead of using the accessibility gate (then called her rude behind her back!) - facilities in need of an update. The cleaning staff try their best but the showers can be manky and the lockers are quite dated. - the gym equipment is ok but in need of an upgrade/ clean. Pros: (this 2/5 stars) - wide range of classes of mediocre standard but a wide range none the less. -2 swimming pools (however they do not publish when the lessons are so you may be swimming with 30 children) - a sauna in the women’s changing room - a tier 2 club (so can use clubs elsewhere in the country). Overall I am thinking of moving to a club elsewhere as it isn’t worth the money and I would like to come to a health club to feel healthy/ better not to deal with rude staff and exercise in an unsafe or unsanitary environment. I hope this review is accepted because it is honestly what I have seen at this club and do hope the club reads it and responds to some of the concerns.

Negative experience: The place is disgracefully run down! More than 50% of gym equipment is broken and unusable, the paint is peeling off the walls all over the place, and there is limescale and rust in the showers! And to add to all if that, if you go in the evening, you can smell dirting chip fat from the closed canteen definitely not worth the money they charge!

Negative experience: Broken equipment everywhere and disgusting facilities

Negative experience: I visited yesterday for the first time in a while, to my horror I found out that all the lockers have been changed, and you are now required to bring your own padlock. I have no problem with that it just would be nice to either get an email or text. We get an email about every little advertising nonsense but something as important as this, nothing. Great, I had to leave my stuff in an unlocked locker, which made me feel very uncomfortable. These days shouldn't be a problem to send an email out with advance warning, it's not like they don't keep our contact details on record!!! In addition, the whole facility is quite outdated, showers have a problem with hot water, the sauna in ladies' lockers quite often won't work or hasn't been preheated, pools are closing way too early or aren't open at all because of the lack of staff, and so on. I pay nearly £80 a month subscription and I wonder for what. I'll be looking for something more worth the money.

Negative experience: For £80 a month, this has to be one of the worst gym I've ever been a member of. Machines are CONSTANTLY out of use and take an absolute age to fix. There's always a promise of 'improvements' and 'updates', yet I haven't seen any in 6 months apart from a lick of paint in the weights area. The amount of cardio equipment is laughable - a grand total of 2 rowers, 2 assault bikes and 3 ski ergs in the entire gym - and they're kept in the classes section which is out of bounds for 2-3 hours at the weekend in the morning. If you're thinking about joining and want to take your health and fitness seriously, look elsewhere.

Negative experience: Having moved to St Albans last July, I have been a member since then. I have been a member of a variety of gyms previously. To date, my experience has unfortunately been a very disappointing one. The gym feels old and tired, with a decent amount of investment needed to bring it up to a better standard. Equipment is old with recurring breakages and repairs are slow. Frequent closures also recently of the pools. Air conditioning in the weights area was broken for around 2 months from August last year. Feedback doesn’t feel like it’s actioned very well. There are better options in the area for a much more reasonable price also. It will be very unlikely I’ll renew my membership and would recommend consider signing up if things do not improve to others.

Positive experience: Gym ok, but many if the treadmills broken for some reason

Fantastic experience: Tess is a credit to your Gym I must say!we had a few issues with our passes on the day and she was very understanding and helpful got it sorted!made us feel welcome which made our experience even better!Thankyou 28th January 2024 Moss

Negative experience: I have been trying to cancel my membership of this facility for the last three days. I have phoned them twice, emailed them numerous times and popped in in person. They still won’t respond in writing to confirm that my membership is cancelled from 1 March, as they have told me verbally. I really don’t think it’s too much to ask. It’s literally a one-sentence email. And now that I’m at it, treadmills are the most popular bit of gym equipment - and half of their treadmills are currently broken. Plus it’s always baking hot and they take ages to fix any of their gym equipment that breaks. I give this facility two stars, because their Clean Team is amazing. I can’t praise them enough, and they did a particularly amazing job during the pandemic. I didn’t want to leave this negative review, and I do not usually leave negative reviews. It’s disappointing that I have now had to.

Negative experience: Very disappointed with this gym! Majority of the cardio equipment is broken and has been for many months. Nothing gets repaired and no money has been spent on maintaining the gym. I came in one morning to find a plaster in the shower, three days later that same plaster was still there!! The changing room is tired and has been due an update for a few years. I go due to convenience, but I certainly would not recommend Nuffield St Albans. Apparently other centres have their equipment repaired, so I wonder why at Albans don’t get any money to keep it going? It’s certainly busy enough (often too busy). So they can definitely afford looking after their customers. They got rid of the towels as a cost save which is very frustrating.

Negative experience: Was a member pre covid the decline is clear 8 machines out of service has they are now old and need replacing Towel service has been withdrawn along with health checks pot holes in car park For £90 a month I'd expect a lot better

Negative experience: Needs some TLC.. The lots of the treadmills are out of use, the changing rooms are dated, I could go on. If things were updated it would be a great place to work out, at the moment it's a little worn out.

Positive experience: Easy parking and helpful staff who were happy to show me as I am new to the gym circuit

Fantastic experience: OK , this is the best Nuffield leisure centre I have been to ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Great sauna and steam and loved jumping into the cold pool after. Friendly staff, thank you for looking after me!

Negative experience: This gym is a disaster. Not only do they not bother answering the phones, but they are unhelpful and tell you to call head office. They keep putting up their prices and the club manager Michael/Natasha did not listen to my concerns nor did they offer a resolution. £88 a month and they don't care about you whether you're a member or interested in joining and ban you to avoid any problems. Look at all the reviews in the past few years and you'll see the same negative things mentioned over and over. Avoid!

Negative experience: For the amount of monies charged, the gym is in poor state of repair. Many of the equipment do not work downstairs and in the mezzanine where they had the prowler has been removed however the pictures for the gym still advertise that they have it. Management needs to be improved, or at least tell the truth.

Positive experience: It's OK here. Quite a few of the machines were out of order and the air con was broken yesterday. At least once a month the kids pool is closed....

Negative experience: Nice centre but some serious repair work needed to the squash courts. Courts 5 & 6 have water running down the front wall making it dangerous for those players. An issue known about since December apparently but nothing done about it. Shame when travelling circa 100 miles to compete in a squash tournament there. Spoiled the whole experience. Needs sorting ASAP!

Fantastic experience: Nice, clean gym with plenty of equipment and well managed by staff. Receptionist are very helpful and provide help promptly, I’ve gone during busy hours and even then most equipments are available for use and areas are not crowded. There’s lots of parking and locker spaces

Negative experience: For the price you expect complimentary towels which have been removed to save costs

Fantastic experience: Good centre if you wish to keep fit n healthy weather its cardio weight lifting swimming or other workouts this place does what you want

Fantastic experience: Great service from Callum today when I went in to enquire about joining. Friendly, professional and efficient

Negative experience: Been coming here for last 5 years and one of the perk of coming here was I could bring plus one to play squash. was told this is not the policy so I either go and play against myself or nothing! No wonder the numbers are dropping.

Positive experience: I go to quite a few different Nuffield clubs and this is most definitely up there as one of the better ones. Spacious gym floor with lots of equipment...not quite as up to date as other clubs but not a deal breaker for me personally. Two swimming pools (one for kids), family changing room as well as the usual male and female. Two cons for me. 1. Why have they stopped providing towels when other Nuffield clubs still do??? 2. Showers definitely need a refurb

Negative experience: Staff are generally nice but as others have said maintenance is terrible. CV machines break regularly and take forever to be repaired. I raised this issue with manager, via email, and was essentially told that things break and to stop moaning. However, I been to a few gyms over the years and the standards of maintenance at Nuffield Health are abnormal- even compared to budget gym operators

Negative experience: I've been a member for over 20 years - the club has gone downhill dramatically in the last 3 years. Many items of equipment are broken / damaged, some of the running machines have been out of operation since last October 2021. I have tried to complain on numerous occasions, no one is interested, particularly one of the assistant managers i tried to speak with. I have never been contacted by any member of the club about my concerns. There seems to be a constant flow of presumed non-paying members infiltrating the entrance barriers on a daily basis, not fair on those paying members spending around £90 per month. There is clear and obvious need for refurbishment with a review on entrance barrier security (including steam room which is regularly breaking down) - something needs to be done at Nuffield St Albans to change the situation - all of the staff expect for one AM, are very nice indeed ! :)

Fantastic experience: This must be the best gym I have ever been to. I love the atmosphere. Feels like a second home. The people I meet are amazing. Everyone is very friendly. In the classes the instructors really care about your well-being. The only thing lacking is a good leg press. They have a couple around the gym but I find them very awkward to use.

Fantastic experience: Been a satisfied member here for 10 years, never had any problems, always friendly staff to assist and a great array of machinery and classes. Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: Excellent family friendly club with great swimming facilities. The gym is well equipped and I always receive a friendly welcome from staff. I highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: Recently became a member of the club and have felt at home ever since. Induction and Programme which was provided when first starting have helped me massively as a beginner at the gym!

Fantastic experience: Always greeted with a smile at reception and club cleanliness at a high level! Been a member for several years and don’t intend on leaving any time soon

Fantastic experience: Great gym. Does need an update in some areas

Negative experience: Unfortunately things have radically changed from when I joined 6 yrs ago for the worse staff abruptly interrupting when trying to share constructive feedback so complaining is to no avail Gym is fantastic that's where it ends but swimmers beware high chlorine levels irritate skin to the point of borderline psoriasis and eszema but complaints are ignored or not received well and fall on deaf ears Spinning class was good until recently when the regular guy happy and cheery retired replaced by a girl dictator if you arrive late or leave early even though cycling is a no brainer, screeches abuse angrily that you're interrupting her class. Even if you're ill or tired! All the best staff left after Covid and the place needs decorating but they resist that at all cost

Fantastic experience: Lovely open plan place with friendly and helpful staff. Lots of equipment. Well thought layout - really happy with the membership.

Negative experience: This is the worst swimming pool I have ever used. The water is absolutely freezing and there is no deep or shallow end. The member of staff that was on the pool side when I went was both rude and unhelpful. The reception staff also didn't have a clue what they were doing and some of them were also rude and unhelpful. Also got charged full membership price when I should have only been charged half price as they had a promotion on when I joined.

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff, high quality equipment (eg Wattbike). Having visited since reopening following lockdown, it feels very safe. Lots of space, swim sessions and classes booked in advance and temperature checks on arrival - they’ve set it up really well

Fantastic experience: I've been going to this gym, since the days it were known as Pinnacle Gym. The facilities and equipment they have are brilliant! The staff a very helpful and friendly. I'd highly recommend joining this place.

Fantastic experience: I have had the pleasure of working out at the gym a few times now while visiting the area. The staff are super helpful, the gym and facilities are always clean and tidy and a great range of classes that you can choose from.

Fantastic experience: Extremely spacious club with a lot of facilities and staff are very friendly!

Fantastic experience: I’ve been going to this gym for a while now and it’s amazing! staff are super friendly and the facilities are fantastic! i really recommend this place.

Negative experience: Not wheelchair accessible, Tom was very nice and helpful, his peachy bum was the only good thing about our visit, unfortunately the wheelchair hoist into the pool was broken, they didn’t have one of the arms so was not safe for my friend to use. Also the disabled shower was broken, and then the changing rooms were too small, so could not fit the electric chair in. We were also made to wear smelly hats, not pleasant, but quite amusing. All the staff were pleasant but sadly the disability aspects urgently need updating.

Fantastic experience: Spectacular gym and social club

Positive experience: Lovely place and great location. Spacious parking area.

Positive experience: Great place. friendly staff and all the gym equipments are kept to great standard. Too crowded most of the time

Negative experience: Review is of the leisure pool. One star as it is closed on more than 50% of our visits. This is over a period of 4 months, so it is not a one-off. Every time there is a different excuse. Feel sorry for staff as they have to put up with constant complaints from angry parents and kids who have been turned away.

Positive experience: The gym has a great selection of equipment and facilities. The main problem is that it’s too busy most of the time, there doesn’t seem to be a limit on the number of memberships they bring on board. It seems that whatever day and whatever time you go it’s always packed.

Positive experience: Good gym and friendly staff. Equipment is good quality (if it is working). Facilities are clean plus you get towels. Another delight is the kids drop off and the little kitchen that makes great coffee and paninis! Pool for little people is fab, the only problem is you wont get your little one out anymore.

Positive experience: Mediocre gym. Has plenty of cardio machines during peak times. Have to say staff weren't particularly enthusiastic was standing at reception for a good few minutes whilst 2 staff were chatting. Pool looks bigger than actually is in the pictures. During my visit the men's gym was out of use and awaiting repair. Be aware of you are there on a day pass you will have to leave a card as a deposit however it was free.

Fantastic experience: Best gym in St Albans by far. Great staff, state of the art equipment, nice cafe and always spotlessly clean. Can not recommend this place more.

Negative experience: Great trainers and the machines/weights are pretty new. However, the management is poor. Cafe is awful, changing rooms are tired and often no towels, and there is never any urgency for things to improve. I will probably move membership if things don't get better.

Positive experience: Very good for a 'globo' gym, decent selection of equipment including small lifting platforms and a sled. Sometimes classes and or PTs take up too much space in the gym making it hard to workout if you don't want to sit on machines. Also please maintain the Olympic bars, the ends are supposed to easily spin, not have signs of rust.. overall recommend apart from those minor caveats.

Negative experience: Long suffering local residents ignored by the manager that never returns a call to discuss the constant noise from members car horns and car alarms going off day & night. And now we get to listen to every car wash in the car park until late at night, 7 days a week, such a delight for shift workers, babies sleeping, & folk who are ill.

Positive experience: I've been a member here for 25yrs and I'm in my mid 40's & have to say everyone is always really friendly. There's a lot of fit looking male and females but I have to say I've never felt intimidated by them and as a regular at the gym they all say hello to me and even offer to help me And have a little chat with me. And some friendly banter

Fantastic experience: Love the new equipment : ) great buz in there now

Fantastic experience: Great gym, been there for 18 years. Staff and people are friendly. Equipment is old but there is a refurb currently in progress which is overdue. Not too sure what Alison is on about to be honest...Im 35 so miss the 20-30 bracket, women use the free weights area all the time so I'm sorry to hear if Alison feels intimidated. If your reading this you're more than welcome to train with myself and meet some of the wonderful people who like to 'flex'.

Negative experience: IDEALLY SUITED TO MEN AGED 20 TO 30 I have been a member of this gym for around 20 very happy years going four times a week so feel well qualified to write a review on Nuffield St Albans. But sadly it has recently declined in so many ways that I am now leaving. I do yoga (not at Nuffield) a lot of running (some at Nuffield) plus other aerobics - but my main reason for going to Nuffield St Albans is to do weight lifting- and as I work full time I usually go in the evenings. If you are a man aged 20s to early 30s who loves weight lifting and likes to flex your muscles in the gym and intimidate others then Nuffield St Albans is the place for you. In the evenings you will meet other like minded men who like to reserve equipment so others can't use it by placing a towel over a machine (while they go on another machine.) If they know you are waiting to use a piece of equipment Nuffield male personal trainers, who like to show off in front of their clients that they are boss and own the gym, will purposely spend longer with a client on it, thus ensuring you wait even longer. This is their pay back to you if you ask politely how long they will be. While there are three main weight lifting areas one of them is pretty much out of bounds in the evening for women (choc full of the types described as above and if you do wander into the 'mens' area, you will be glared at until you leave.) At first glance the other areas look as if they have lots of equipment in them but the reality is they do not have enough of the machines that everyone wants to use - thus there is always a scramble between gym users as the most popular become free. Which brings me to another issue - the state of the gym equipment at Nuffield. Suffice to say much of it is old, out dated and clunky (certainly much has not been replaced since my time there.) Many aerobic machines are also out of order a lot of the time, although quite often you will get on a piece of equipment you believe to be fine only to find it not working (and no one has bothered to even put a notice on saying it is out of order.) Audio equipment may or may not work (always take your own music) and there is no wifi for customers. Money spent on upkeep has been minimal over the past few years. At night the car park is in my view particularly dangerous as no one has bothered to repaint the lines - I recently had a nasty fall walking over a speed bump where the fluorescent warning lines have been eroded and never replaced. There are few pavements making it hazardous for pedestrians. I don't think Nuffield would be responsible though for any car park incidents as they have lots of signs up saying it is all at your own risk. Meanwhile, the carpet and floors at the club are dirty and worn. Due to the ridiculous idea of having a swimming pool open to the gym, it is also so stifling hot in the summer that doing anything more than a leisurely walk on a treadmill could put you at risk of heatstroke. However, if you try to raise an issue or ask for help at Nuffield St Albans you will find yourself talking to reception which is staffed by young women who are often huddled together chatting. When disturbed they will respond with one of five comments: 'well there's not much I can do', 'we are getting a refurb', 'I will speak with the person concerned' , 'what do you want me to do about it' or 'it is only temporary equipment'. It is all pointless as nothing is ever done. A tip - don't make an issue of too many things, especially if you are a woman, as you risk being taken aside by one of the men in his twenties outlined above who bowls over to you, big shoulders squared for combat, to tell you it's your attitude as a customer which is the problem. The threat is if you don't like it, tough and they could ask you to leave. If you have a problem it is much better to get a man (preferably in his 20s or early 30s) to make the complaint as then they might listen. For this treatment Nuffield, a 'health and wellbeing centre' - and a 'charity' to boot - charges around £1000 a year. You have been warned!

Negative experience: I have been going to this gym for 21 years. Lately it has gone down hill. Compared to others in the area. The have just started doing a refurb. Not a lot has been said. So I am not sure what they are actually doing. I use the cardio machines a lot. And they are a bit rubbish at the moment. Hopefully they will be upgrading them. If not I will have to cancel my membership. As currently it's not worth the money I spend. I will update once this has happened.

Fantastic experience: It's the best gym ever