The Third Space

I've been fortunate enough to have been a member of 3rd Space for 9 years. Recently, I moved from Soho and allowed my membership to lapse but it's going to be hard to replace. The staff are courteous, the gym is clean, the music variable enough to occasionally hit the spot, the changing areas well-designed and spacious, the pool is ozone treated and never crowded. The trainers are top notch-- many with competitive or sports medicine pedigree-- there's loads of excellent classes for every level of intensity and ability you get a big, fluffy towel every time you visit. Yoga-- especially by Maria who I trained with for the duration of my membership, and also by Tania-- is safe, challenging, and professional and special mention must also go to Fiona and Fitz for (sometimes brutally) increasing my strength while lowering my body fat percentage considerably. Best in show goes to Tony, whose pilates class I went to faithfully (almost) every Wednesday. He literally rescued me from the crippling pain of spinal injury and gave me the tools and knowledge to help prevent it happening in future. Sure, the trainers are often busy with other clients but if you do a couple classes and arrange a private session every now and again, they get to know you by name, check up on you and might even invite you out for a beer-- and you really can't ask for more personal than that. Also, contrary to the comments posted below, I always found management extremely accommodating. They replied to my annoying, long-winded e-mails swiftly, helpfully and with good humor and this goes both for Soho and for Marylebone. On the negative side, the showers could be a bit tempermental, I did miss the juice bar once Whole Foods moved across the street and the darn place is EXPENSIVE AS H***, especially with the recent price hike. Like I say, I was very fortunate to have been a member for so long. However, I justified the expense to myself by saying: Well, if you go 5 times per week it works out to about 6 pounds per visit-- which includes an intensive, well-designed class, and/or some weight training, swimming, abs class or a cross-trainer-while-watching-Sky-Sports experience, plus a steam, shower-with-top-shelf-products, shave, fresh towel, quick weigh-in and suddenly I'm clean, exercised and refreshed right in the center of town. And that to me was worth the price. I will miss this club.

I've been fortunate enough to have been a member of 3rd Space for 9 years. Recently, I moved from Soho and the commuting time has caused me to allow my membership to lapse but I feel duty bound to offer comment. This is by far the best non-collegiate gym I have encountered, either in the UK or the US. The staff are always courteous, the gym is clean, the music variable enough to frequently hit the spot just right, the changing areas are well-designed and spacious, the pool is ozone treated (no chlorine-- or, more precisely, dechlorinated) and never crowded, the trainers are top notch-- many with competitive or sports medicine pedigree-- there's loads of excellent classes for every level of intensity and ability and hey, you get a big, fluffy towel every time you visit. Yoga-- especially by Maria who I trained with for the duration of my membership, and also by Tania-- is safe, challenging, and professional and special mention must also go to Fiona and Fitz for (sometimes brutally) increasing my strength while lowering my body fat percentage and also to Tony, whose pilates class I went to faithfully (almost) every Wednesday. He literally rescued me from the crippling pain of spinal injury and gave me the tools and knowledge to help prevent it happening in future. Sure the trainers are often busy with other clients-- this is how they make their money-- but if you do a couple classes and arrange a private session every now and again, they get to know you by name, check up on you and might even invite you out for a beer-- and you really can't ask for more personal than that. Also, contrary to the comments posted below, I always found management extremely accommodating. They replied to my annoying e-mails frequently, helpfully and with good humor and this goes both for Soho and for Marylebone. On the negative side, the showers could be a bit, erm, tempermental, I did miss the juice bar once Whole Foods moved across the street and the darn place is EXPENSIVE, especially with the recent price hike. Like I say, I was VERY fortunate to have been a member for so long. However, I justified the expense to myself by saying: Well, if you go 5 times per week it works out to about 6 pounds per visit-- which isn't bad for an intensive, well-designed yoga, TRX or pilates class, and/or some weight training, swimming, abs class or a cross-trainer-while-watching-Sky-Sports experience etc., plus a steam, shower-with-top-shelf-products, shave, fresh towel, quick weigh-in and suddenly you're clean, exercised and refreshed right in the center of town. And that to me was worth the price. I will miss this club.

Have been a member on and off (as job location changed) for 9 years. Amazing facilities - the hypoxic chamber was really useful when preparing for the Inca Trail, and the ozone treated pool means you can swim without fear of a chlorine fug following you round for the rest of the day. Changing rooms are spacious, really clean. Women's steam room large and relaxing with chillout music and essential oils. Excellent range of classes and teachers, especially Ashtanga Yoga. Minus a star for the temperamental showers and the personal trainers who take no interest in you at all unless you're paying them.

Management staff are cranky people. I witnessed a manager belittling a desk staff person. Unprofessional people..think to highly of themselves.

This club has really gone down hill over the last 2 years. The outside looks like a 1st year student has designed it with no imagination or brand sense. The club thinks it is better than its members and unless they address this, it will continue to lose credibility.

Worst gym experience I have ever had. I've been a member here for almost a year and I will not be renewing my contract. I don't know where to start. The staff are incredibly incompetent and rude. Customer service is a joke. They basically sell you a very expensive membership and once they have you under contract do absolutely nothing to help or make sure you're happy. I have complained numerous times, calmly, diplomatically but they never get back to you. I spent a half hour in the office speaking to the floor manager nicely and calmly regarding some of the issues I had experienced in the club she seemed quite understand and told me that I was totally right and somebody would call me or email me soon. It never happened. I recently booked a few personal training sessions at 60.00 pounds an hour thinking I would train with someone a few times a week for a few months I was ready to buy 20 sessions - THANK GOD I DIDN'T. On Both occasions the trainer showed up 15 mins late and left after 45 minutes - charging me for the full hour. He talked to other people through out our whole workout and left me basically to do the weights on my own. At one point I asked him how many reps I had done and he said " Oh sorry where are we at, again? " WHAT A JOKE! The staff have no sense of humility or concern for your comfort or satisfaction. The receptionists are snappy and cold. The change rooms are over crowded and not up to par for being the most expensive health club in London.