Badger Magnum is on Broom Lane in Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne. It holds a 4.9 rating from 17 Google reviews. The record stopped in October 2020, so nothing here has been confirmed in nearly six years.
Seventeen ratings, five short reviews. But they're consistent enough to tell you exactly what this is.
It's An Old-School Bodybuilding Gym
A member in August 2020, in full: "Proper old school friendly gym."
A member in January 2019: "A real bodybuilding gym with a great set of lads."
A member in October 2020: "Great gym with loads of equipment. Very helpful staff and a good vibe."
Old school. Real bodybuilding. Loads of equipment. Nobody mentions classes, a pool, a sauna, cardio or an app.
That's the whole picture, and it's a clear one. If you want a room with iron in it and people who lift, this is that. If you want a treadmill with a screen, nobody here has mentioned one.
It's Steve's Gym
A member in January 2020: "I've known Steve the owner for over 33 years and he is an absolute gentleman. Rest assured that you will be treated with respect whatever your goals are here."
Thirty-three years.
That's the longest relationship anyone has described in this directory, and the sentence that follows it is the useful part: "whatever your goals are." At a gym that another member calls "a real bodybuilding gym with a great set of lads," that's a specific reassurance, and it's aimed at exactly the person who'd hesitate at the door.
I'd read those two reviews together. One says it's a lads' bodybuilding gym; the other says you'll be treated with respect regardless. Both can be true, and if you're nervous, the second is the one written for you.
A fifth member, in February 2019, wrote in Geordie: "Big Stevie some boy like, spot on gym." I'm not going to translate that, but the sentiment is clear enough.
What Nobody Tells You
Everything practical, and this is a bad case.
No opening hours on the listing. No phone number. No prices. Nobody describes the equipment beyond "loads."
The site is badgermagnumgym.com. With no phone number anywhere on the record and nothing written since October 2020, that's the only route to an answer.
Six years is long enough for an independent gym to have changed hands. The reviews rest heavily on one man being there, and the newest of them is from 2020.
Who It's Not For
Anyone wanting classes, cardio, a pool or a sauna. Nobody mentions any of them.
Anyone who needs to know the hours before turning up, because this record simply can't tell you.
43 Broom Ln, Whickham, Newcastle upon Tyne NE16 4QS.
FAQ
What kind of gym is it?
Old-school bodybuilding. Members call it "a real bodybuilding gym" and "proper old school." No classes, cardio or extras are mentioned.
Is it welcoming to beginners?
A member who's known the owner 33 years says you'll be treated with respect whatever your goals. That's the only comment on it.
What are the opening hours?
None are published, and there's no phone number on the record either. Check badgermagnumgym.com.
How current is the 4.9 rating?
It isn't. It's from 17 ratings and the newest review is from October 2020.