JJB Healthclub: A great way to keep fit and feel good (DW Fitness Clubs)

Member Name: englishrose

Product:	DW Fitness Clubs
Date:	08/03/09 (505 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Up-to-date machines.well-staffed.con venient.luxurious.

Disadvantages: I can't think of any

I have only recently joined JJB Sportsclub about two months ago, switching from another local gym as JJB had a lot more going for it, in my opinion.

I am not in any way a bodybuilder or one of the 'beautiful people' that you tend to see in some sportsclubs, so anywhere that I attend has got to feel comfortable for us 'ordinary people' .

JJB membership currently costs £37.00 per calendar month for full membership, which means that you can attend at any time, as often as you like, and all areas and classes are open to you.

There are cheaper membership plans, but these restrict the times that you can enter the club: Generally this means off-peak hours in the daytime only, which is great if that is suitable for you, you are getting a discount, but I need to be flexible so I pay the full price. Off-peak membership is £27.00 per calendar month.

Peak Opening hours are 6.30am - 10.00 pm in the week, and 8.00am to 8.00 pm at weekends, leaving you no excuse to avoid going, unfortunately :)

Off-peak restricts you to 8.30am - 4.30pm in the week, although your weekend hours are the same.

There are also reductions for pensioners and students, as long as they have the off-peak plan. So there is something for everyone, price-wise.

There are over 50 branches around the country, many of them attached to a JJB Sports Shop. The branch I use (which I won't name, in the interests of staying anonymous) is part of a retail park, and so there is always plenty of free parking.

My old gym had a creche and hairdressers/beauty salon attached to it, but clients had to pay extra for both of these anyway, so I left that out of the equation. What they didn't have, but JJB do, is the Power-Plate machines and the Stairmaster and split-level treadmill machines, which interested me a lot - I've been exercising for a while to keep my weight down, but I was getting a bit bored, so I was looking for some different machines to use to keep me motivated.

JJB have a great website, which looks very inviting and allows you to enrol online, which is great if you don't enjoy filling forms in at the reception desk where everyone can see all your details. I enrolled online, then simply went down to the club for my pre-arranged induction appointment, where I was shown around all areas and introduced to all the equipment.

It was stressed to me by the instructor that they are always available to answer any questions or problems, and to just ask: This has proved to be true, they are very well-staffed. Members can always ask for advice and can have a personal programme of recommended exercise if they wish. However, if you just want to exercise without anyone else's input, that is fine too, and you are left alone to get on with it, if that is what you want.

The club has a gym area, with all the latest equipment, both weights, resistance and cardio-vascular, then upstairs there are two studios, one for regular exercise classes and some new ideas such as Cheerleading! Then there is another studio set aside for relaxing types of exercise such as yoga, pilates and tai-chi. This is all included in your membership, and you can easily join any class at any time, as timetables are clearly displayed at various points around the club.

The gym area is kept immaculately clean, and you see staff constantly going around cleaning the equipment when it's empty. Members are also expected to carry their own towel and wipe down after themselves too.

The swimming pool area is just beautiful: The pool itself is approximately 20 x 9 metres, so it's not the biggest pool, but it's fine for swimming. An important point for me was, is it warm enough? Because at my last gym, it was just too cold all the time. I am pleased to report that yes, it's a lovely body-temperature warm.

A fantastic feature that I have never seen before is the moving images that are projected onto the large wall alongside the pool: It varies between underwater tropical fish, waves lapping up a sandy beach and various other peaceful, soothing images.

Also in the pool area, there are two jacuzzi/hot-tubs, and a fabulous steam-room: There are two seating areas within the steam room, and it's quite dark in there with fibre-optic coloured lights - It's so much more relaxing that bright light - especially when you are essentially sitting in a room in your swimsuit with a stranger -and the colours are quite mesmerising.

Members are expected to shower in between the pool, jacuzzi and steam-room, and showers are provided nearby for this.

Surprisingly, there is not a sauna, I don't know why this is - personally I don't miss it, as I prefer the moist heat of the steam-room, but I know they are very popular so maybe this would be a negative for some people.

The changing rooms are very luxurious, with gorgeous wooden lockers and stone tiled floor. There are hairdryers available to use free of charge, and GHD straighteners that cost £1 for 4 minutes, coin-operated.

The lockers use a £1 deposit return system and the key is attached to a safety pin that you pin to your clothing or swimwear: I was a bit surprised by this: in these days of Health and Safety madness, I would have expected a wristband system to keep your locker key on , but it's fine by me.

The showers are not so good - I have found the strength of the water flow very weak, which is quite frustrating, although they are very nice with frosted glass doors, a corner shelf to put your toiletries on and chrome fittings. There is a (free) shower gel dispenser in each one.

Overall verdict: I am glad I have changed to JJB HealthClub, it's got some great modern machines to keep me motivated, and feels very luxurious too.

Summary: Health and luxury at a great price