Fitness First UK Reviews 

The gym itself is actually good — facilities and workouts were fine.
Unfortunately, the experience completely falls apart when you try to leave.

I was on a rolling monthly membership, sold as something you can “cancel anytime”. Like most reasonable people, I cancelled my Direct Debit believing this would stop payments. Instead, my membership stayed active, arrears built up, and I was later told I could not cancel unless I paid the arrears first.

To make matters worse:

My account access was blocked once arrears appeared

Cancellation could not be processed while in arrears

I was then required to pay an additional future month just to be allowed to cancel

So in reality, you are forced to pay to leave, even on a monthly contract.

Support is slow, obstructive, and relies heavily on policy rather than fairness. I sent various messages to the gym manger for support which were ignored. The way this is handled leaves a very sour taste and completely overshadows what was otherwise a decent gym experience.

I would strongly advise anyone considering joining to read the cancellation terms very carefully and not assume “rolling monthly” means what it sounds like.

I won’t be returning.

Don't waste your money and get stuck in unreasonable contracts. The gym is way too small for how many people they have subscribed, the classes are mid, often with bored looking instructors that finish the class early, who probably can't be bothered. The gym has undergone refurbishment and I honestly can't see the improvement. It is overpriced and they force you into a minimum of a 6 month contract with a leaving fee! Consider somewhere else.

I am a member of Fittness first Streatham. I’m giving a shout out to Mary’s Zumba classes which are excellent and a shout out to Ade’s Body Balance classes which are amazing!! After each class I have a swim in the lovely pool , followed by sauna and steam room. Highly recommended.

I needed help with my membership and Naomi helped me through by email very quickly and fixed my issue very quickly and nicely.
Thank you very much for helping me

Fitness First is an okay gym - I go to the Tooting branch. I feel like it is a bit small and there is always far too many people in there

great customer support through WhatsApp. A real person gave me advice live on how to renew my membership in the best way.

Just to say, very ususal experience at doble or triple price than others beside the steal you with abusive and illegal clauses. I want to cancel my membership so I went to the gym. Must to say I’m there for more than a year, I went to cancel mi membership which was paid on 1st of December , it means still got 20 days more to go, but what a surprise you have to pay over the next month to cancel. So I cancel today because whatever the reason and I have to pay 12 days from January ?????? Is that legal???? Is just another useless company who can make profit from their activity and need to steal their customers Enjoy your 20£ , embarrassing company,

I’d like to share some feedback about the Open Day event. It felt mostly like a show — there was no real recruitment process, and no staff were actually hired. This wasted people’s time and gave the impression that the hiring process wasn’t transparent. Please be clear in future if there is a genuine recruitment opportunity or not.

My experience with this company has been disappointing from day one. I was overcharged at the start of my membership, the Baker Street gym often had no hot water, and when I raised this, a staff member told me it was “not their fault” because management had emailed members. Towels regularly had an unpleasant smell.

The issues became worse when I tried to cancel. From 27 October onward, I emailed several times requesting cancellation, yet my messages were ignored. When they eventually replied, the responsibility was shifted back onto me — first claiming I had emailed the “generic” address, then explaining that Chelsi could not respond because she was off. No one acknowledged the clear communication failures on their side.

I also reported that my app did not show the cancellation option. They were aware of this problem but did nothing to resolve it, leaving me unable to cancel through the required process. Despite that, I was still charged for an additional month, even though my login was inactive.

A simple cancellation request turned into 6 weeks of unanswered emails, conflicting explanations and misplaced blame. The lack of accountability and consistency, combined with earlier service issues, shows very poor customer care. I can’t say all Fitness First gyms are the same, but I would certainly avoid the Baker Street location at all costs.

I absolutely love Fitness First Brixton. I’d been looking around for a gym that suited where I live and my lifestyle, so I decided to try this branch, and I’m so glad I did. From day one, I’ve felt completely at home here.
The staff are incredibly friendly, welcoming, and genuinely make the gym feel like a community. The facilities are great, the gym is always clean, and there’s a wide range of classes available at different times throughout the week, which really helps me stay consistent.
A special shoutout to the manager, Pearl — she’s amazing! Always smiling, helpful, and such a positive presence. The whole team is fantastic. Papa, Neil, Mary and others have honestly made every visit enjoyable, and the atmosphere really stands out from other gyms I’ve been to.
I truly feel like I’ve found the right gym for me. Highly recommend this branch to anyone looking for a friendly, supportive, clean and well-run gym in the area!

Gemma was helpful and the process was quick and easy

The process was easy. It's nice that I can sort out my membership and questions over WhatsApp. My local gym is in a brightly lit area so I'm not concerned about going to the car park on my own. Gym has all you need and always a warm welcome. Nice independent cafe too.

Hello Marc Diaper CEO of Fitness First
I did not receive a valid reason for my membership to be terminated from Fitness First from Kris Williams who you passed this problem to .

maybe you could intervene?
I look forward to hearing back from you.
thank you
Susan Trim

Membership price's are too expensive for what it is, facilities never work, air conditioning leaking onto members and equipment. Very money driven, no compassion or understanding for their members. Terrible customer service.

The staff are absolutely amazing. From the moment I walked into the gym as a complete beginner I was put at ease by Max and other team members. Great equipment and everything else you need for your workout.

Really poor service and hidden clauses to try and keep taking money. The d avoid this deteriorating gym and pay the extra £20 for a virgin active membership.

No loyalty to their long term members!

10/10 DO NOT RECOMMEND

I’ve been a member of Fitness First for over two years, and what started as a decent experience has turned into an absolute nightmare. I requested a membership upgrade and was unknowingly locked into a fixed-term contract without my consent. When I tried to dispute this, they told me I’d have to pay an early cancellation fee for a contract I didn’t even agree to.

While this dispute is ongoing, they continue to charge me for a membership I’m not using, despite multiple requests to cancel. To make matters worse, they’ve now forwarded my case to a debt collection agency instead of resolving it properly. I’ve tried countless times to get through to customer service, but it’s near impossible. And when you do manage to speak to someone. Robyne and Jennifer were particularly unhelpful - it’s like talking to a brick wall.

This gym is sleezy, dishonest, and completely lacking in basic customer care. They will lock you in, drain every penny, and make cancelling as painful as possible.

Do yourself a favour and avoid Fitness First. Absolute disgrace of a company.

I joined the club (Streatham Hill) for classes, but most of them were really hard to book as it's oversubscribed. Recently, they introduced extra fees for early booking. I initiated to cancellation of the club membership 1 month before the end of the 12-month contract via the app, but it was required to pay the equivalent 5-month membership fee to cancel. So I cancelled my Direct debit. Fitness First cancelled my membership card immediately, but tried to collect money through a debt collection company. I explained I paid 11months' full fee out of a 12-month contract, but they were insisting on paying the amount. Eventually, after several emails and phone calls exchanged, they recognised their system error. However, they are still insisting I should pay two months' fee instead of 1 month's fee without any legal contractual base.

Great gym and equipments! Gemma helped me out on their support channel and was really friendly and patient. Would definitely recommend!

The personal trainer, wearing FF branding, charged upfront for a block of personal training classes but then left the club. It is very misleading and not explained that they are self-employed and club is not going to cover this kind of eventuality. I have been chasing the continuously (as it is significant amount) but no responsibility taken. Please do not pay the PTs upfront.