David Lloyd Aberdeen

I joined David Lloyd 2 months ago and have used the facilities several times a week since. I've been very happy with the friendliness/helpfulness of staff, the range of options in the new gym, classes offered and swimming/spa facilities. The monthly free pass and ability to buy day passes for wider family are a really good way to allow others to use and sample the facilities when time and other commitments dictate that a wider family membership doesn't quite stack up at this time. The club has something for everyone and I would recommend the facilities to anyone looking to stay active and/or looking to do use The Clubhouse or spa facilities.

I joined David Lloyd 2 months ago and have used the facilities several times a week since. I've been very happy with the friendliness/helpfulness of staff, the range of options in the new gym, classes offered and swimming/spa facilities. The monthly free pass and ability to buy day passes for wider family are a really good way to allow others to use and sample the facilities when time and other commitments dictate that a wider family membership doesn't quite stack up at this time. The club has something for everyone and I would recommend the facilities to anyone looking to stay active and/or looking to do use The Clubhouse or spa facilities.

I've been a fairly active person for some years now but more towards the outdoors side of things, until I was able to try out David Lloyd using a friend's 'guest pass'. I rediscovered how satisfying and focused a workout at a gym can be, and wanted the benefits regularly—also as a 'third space' where I could keep fit but also work remotely as needed. The pricing certainly sent me looking elsewhere for a while, and I tried three other gyms, two of which were out in Westhill. In terms of pricing these were quite literally 25-30% the cost of David Lloyd and 'did the job'. Unfortunately, I sensed that the ambience at some of these gyms and the 'bonuses' like swimming pool and sauna were lacking, and likely to make me less keen to visit often, which is pretty important just to form the habit of going. Right enough, I go a few times a week and can spend upwards of 3 hours there working out and also getting on with work quite comfortably. Overall, even after trying other gyms, I could see that the whole experience at David Lloyd made the higher price point worthwhile for me. For those looking for a simpler gym experience or who won't spend too long there, it may not be so attractive in terms of value. So why 4 stars? Well, (1), clearly there's no sense complaining about price when you went for the premium option but I do think here that it's just a touch far for most people considering the price points of perfecly good competing gyms. I certainly hope prices remain as they are and don't go up with CPI too eagerly. (2), there are often enough petty complaints to find! For example the weights often seem to be placed onto racks in a disorderly way, which leaves me with the impression that the plates are not often tidied in any 'set' way. We don't need 1.25kg plates on the hack squat machine for example... I've jumped in the shower before and had it fail to run warm (though this was admittedly a one-off). It's pretty often the case that one of the two straighteners available in the women's changing areas fail to work, and that's not ideal when these are in high demand at peak times—why can't every station have straighteners, and they should be replaced as soon as they fail. (3), their registration system can be seriously buggy at times. SMS verification can fail to function, leading to lots of confusion and waiting for codes to be sent around. Giving someone a guest pass can be way more hassle than it needs to be. Get used to the usual rubbish of setting passwords, accessing emails, entering forms repeatedly... Rubbish! Better if the guest pass was shareable instantly without all this bureaucracy and friction. It can be seriously off-putting as a first impression for guests. Also, it would be great if guests could use the courts too without surcharge. I think that's a reasonable expectation for the price and frequency of the inclusive guest passes. Nobody wants to be paying extra after forking out for the Platinum membership. Besides this though, it's the best gym I know of and have tried in the area, and for me is ultimately worthwhile. It's certainly made me comfortable going often and spending hours at a time. It never gets 'too busy'. Finally, the money is certainly reinvested as the place is looking really fantastic after the renovation. If you want a premium gym and third space, and understand the benefits you're getting for your money, I do recommend the place!