Virgin Active East London

The view, the refreshing breeze from the beach. They could have not chosen a better position for the outlet, it is in the thick of things. Few meters to the beach, hotels and food outlets. This VA is similar to other VA's and not much of difference. Awesome place to be at and steam off your stress on weights or cardio machines.

Nice gym, neat and spacious with a big heated pool and a Kauai inside. They also have a small sauna and steam room on site with a huge workout studio for classes and dedicated spinning cycle area. Friendly staff and nice views of the ocean as well.

If you’re moving from Cape Town and care as much about the overall environment of a gym as you do about what it offers, I wouldn’t recommend this place. If you just want to get in, do your workout, and leave, it might work. The space is large, especially the cardio area, but it feels husk-like, stripped and soulless. The service is polite, but there’s no heart, neither in the building nor in the people. For me, a gym needs to be a place I want to be at, so even on days I don’t feel like going, the environment itself motivates me. That doesn’t happen here. Even with the reduced fee, over R400 less than what I paid in Cape Town, it still wasn’t worth it. I’m not on that expensive medical aid, hence the cost. I’ll be trying Virgin Active in BB gym as a last-ditch effort and will review it on their Google page too. I hope to be pleasantly surprised. Whatever Wembley is doing in Cape Town, they need to bring that approach to East London. Cause I am not willing to subscribe to a service where the environment makes me feel drained. Oh and the internet was so slow - after my work outs, I find a studio and use a short guided 15 minute Charlie Follows yoga session on YouTube. It buffered so much that I had to give that up too. And the aircon. It's simply not there. And the enforcement of having to put my backpack away. I don't like going into lockers at the best of times, and now I'm forced to. If someone breaks into my locker and takes my stuff.. Who is liable for it? It's just not a pleasant space. Its worth saying.The pool is nice. If this is one's first impression of a VA gym, I believe it would give a good first impression.

This is easily one of the worst Virgin Active gyms I’ve experienced. I remember coming here as a child when my mom used to train, and unfortunately, it’s nothing like it used to be. The service is average at best—nothing particularly impressive. What stands out more is the lack of professionalism from staff, who casually refer to members as “chomie” (friend), which feels inappropriate and crosses boundaries. Management also seems inconsistent, often bending rules in favor of personal trainers. At times, the gym feels poorly managed and disorganized. The restrooms are a major issue—they haven’t been updated since I was a kid. They’re chaotic, with people even washing clothes in the sinks, and there’s little to no enforcement of basic standards. The noise and overall environment in that space can be overwhelming. Equipment is another problem. Out of roughly 10 treadmills, only 4 or 5 are usually working at any given time. On top of that, the air conditioning is uneven, with cooling concentrated in just one area, making workouts uncomfortable elsewhere. Overall, this gym feels neglected and far below the standard one would expect.