I have been on and off member at VA Canary River side for over 15 years. The location is amazing and the staff is very nice and helpful. It's my place to relax and feel happy. I have recently rejoined the gym after a few years break. I can't express my disappointment to find out that for a gym this rank the minimum requirements aren't provided anymore (body lotion, face cleanser, cotton wool and ets) Very often the body wash in the shower is missing. The ceiling above the thermal pools needs amending and the common area of the spa and showers are pretty outdated. I wasn't informed that if you are 5 min late for a class you will not be able to attend. Which is ridiculous because the clock in the exercise studio is running 10-15 min fast. I've reported to the manager but last time I checked it wasn't fixed.

I went on a guess pass and was considering signing up until I drank the water form the water fountain by the pool. Absolutely disgusting, you can’t tell as your drinking directly but I tried filling my water in my cup and it was completely brown!!!!! I alerted the staff and it seemed like it was known issue. I continued to monitor the situation for hours and they never put a sign up to shut down the water fountain. I had to let other people who were attempting to drink out of it know of the situation. I got very sick after leaving the gym!!

Amazing pool, good range of weights to lift, and decent classes. But the gym is a disappointment in a couple of big ways. The front desk can barely be bothered to say hello or goodbye most of the time. The state of the changing rooms is particularly poor. In the men's room, nine or of ten times, there's no shampoo or conditioner. The showers are grimy and at least one doesn't have hot water. The lockers themselves are worn and need refurbishment. For a place that bills itself as an upscale gym and charges 140 pounds per month, it needs to do better. Update: Been a while since I'm no longer a member. This is just a quick note to say that they never got back me, their comment notwithstanding.

I joined VA in November 22 and for the first few months it has been great. However, since Feb\March the gym just got so much worse. In the past three months, for example, it frequently happened that they ran out of towels and asked customers to bring their own. As if I could stop home after work to grab a towel due to their lack of coordination. They also randomly close the spa and swimming area for cleaning during normal opening hours without notice or explanation (they close at 10pm during week and 9pm weekend, this should be enough time to clean after closing down rather than picking service hours and closing areas with services for which customers pay A LOT). They also don’t have enough dumbbells for people who want to train with lighter weight; there is only one set that goes from 1KG to 5KG and they are always in use. Me and many other customers brought this up multiple times but they never cared to add extra ones. Early this year they also removed some amazing classes and in general they don’t offer great variety of classes. Another reason for the 2 stars is that the changing rooms are often messy with piles of dirty towels in the bins; they always ran out of the complementary products that should be available (body cream, shampoo, body wash, etc) and I never saw the hair diffusers that they mentioned when I joined. Also, since May, they stopped allowing people to suspend their membership multiple times per year (max 2). This is actually one of the reasons why I joined as I travel very often and needed that level of flexibility. All of this while increasing prices for guest passes and extra passes if you are on a flexi membership. I understand many gyms don’t let you block your membership often but this is not what I signed up for. There are comparable gyms that cost half of what VA charges you, looking forward for my membership to expire so I can switch to a more competitive alternative.

Could be wonderful and at first sight is. The class teachers are great. But the Virgin staff chat among themselves and ignore customers (pretty much every time!) and the facilities are old and desperately need investment. Had an issue with a maintenance man in the ladies changing room which was dealt with but not very well. Would like to support them but I get better value elsewhere.

Appearance and location is top notch and most of the staff are friendly. How ever… the Sauna, Steam and spa facilities are constantly out of order. The showers are frequently not working and good luck finishing any of the soap dispensers working. Equipment is average and is more likened to a hotel gym, not really the type of facility you would use for legitimate training, however, they do offer a range of classes if that’s more your thing. Further more, to often the staff fail to show up on time to actually open the gym, leaving members out in the cold waiting. It happened again this morning, after half an hour of waiting outside, I had to leave. Very poorly run. Really unfortunate because there is so much potential. I would save your 180£ a month! Look elsewhere

The location of the gym is great. And the river views are very impressive. However, the service is very poor from top to bottom. I get the impression Virgin no longer care about this particular gym and it’s just being run into the ground. There are constant issues with the facilities; I have never been there when everything working. Showers broken for months, water fountains never working, even towels hooks snapped, but never fixed. The other day the mens’ sauna and shared steam room were both out of order. No reason provided. The worst is the staff - not all, but most. Terrible attitude. Raise an issue with them and the customer is treated like ‘the problem’. I blame poor management, although I have not a clue who is actually n charge. It seems the kids have taken over. This is not acceptable given the cost of the membership.

Great club but no Pilates studio, locker room v old school, bit of anti social elements make it unpleasant.

Swimming pool is amazing, great views of London , no matter if you’re swimming during the day or during the night. Facilities are good, staff is usually nice, but sometimes more should be done to make sure rules are followed.

Great instructors but the gym is dated and care is not being given to it.. the AC in main studio does not work and is still not fixed despite telling us it was a week or two ago- and it’s bordering dangerous to work out right now. They’ve changed the products in the shower rooms - and are no longer Molton brown - but we haven’t been told about this happening or received a discount for the change to a cheaper product. The cafe area is gorgeous but no one to serve any foods or drinks (they have recently placed in a self serve coffee machine). The staff are lovely overall - but there’s a lot of room for improvement.

I am new to this gym and am really enjoying it. Staff are very lovely and made me feel very welcome. Props to cleaner working very hard. Seen her cleaning /scrubbing all surfaces really well. Swimming pool is amazing,and I love being on treadmill from which I also see amazing river view My all time favourite is hydrotherapy pool and after enjoying reading Bible by the swimming pool,always feeling like being on mini holidays. I recommend this place ❤️ and PS/for coffee machine complain below - benefits /coffee taste nice, it's cheaper and takes 2 min to be made.

Health and safety has gone out the window. No sand timers in the saunas. No cleaning staff visible the entire time I was there today, Saturday which is a very busy time. I expected to have clean equipment available for use, but no paper towel or sanitisers provided. Toilets were no better. Why am I paying all that money when an under par services is provided...

I have an issue with the cleanliness. I noticed it initially but it’s now gotten to a point that I believe it’s affecting my health and so I’ve stopped going. Twice I’ve been to the hydro pool and gotten sick afterwards. It wasn’t until the second time it happened in the space of a few weeks that I realised I always get sick when I come here. Both times I only went there to use the hydro pool. I didn’t put my face under, only sat there for approx 20 mins. And I started to get flu like symptoms when I was showering. It’s not normal that when I entered the gym I was completely fine. When I left I had an irritated throat. On the ceilings (in the spa, and also the women’s changing room showers) there are some white things that look like mould (white mildew). I’ve always wondered why they can’t clean that. Also the soap in the showers needs to be filled more regularly as it’s always empty.

[EDIT 1] I could not get anyone to answer the phone after ringing for 15 minutes on a weekday. This unfortunately reinforces my disappointment at their operations Beautiful gym let down by the operations. At £150-180/m, this is by no means a cheap gym. But basic things like the ability to charge my phone at the reception (shockingly tried 3 different places to confirm that it didn't work. I had to buy a meal in nearby Tortilla and waste 30 minutes just to get it charged so I can tap in the contactless), buy padlocks is a big letdown. Also, the showers are constantly out of soap and I have to try a few before I find one that actually works. Today, one of the biggest disappointment was in its operations standards. First of all, one lady injured herself gravely (which required ambulance as it was a life & death situation for her) they had to vacate the whole pool and sauna. I wonder what it was that made her fall in the first place. Secondly, yes, treat her with compassion and care, and take as long as you need, but don't do it in a way that shuts down the entire facility. The analogy I have is when there is an accident on the street, take as long as you need, and shut down the street, but don't shut down the city or district because there was an accident in one street. TL;DR beautiful and nice gym. Operational aspects needs a think-through especially at this price point.

Terrible customer service specially from the PT team. Trainers keep spamming you and if you miss the small window of time they are interested in you, then you will lose your money and never even get a response back or refund. They are quick to sell you their programs and charge your card and never actually deliver the services. Disappointed and feel rubbed.

I have seen some really bad reviews on this gym, but since I been coming I love it. Spa sauna pool facilities are nice, the pools lovely with a relaxing views. Best part are the classes with really good teachers. This gym is crowded though sometimes which is unfortunate but for me as a all round experience when I go it’s very nice.

I am extremely disappointed with the recent experience at Virgin Active. My boyfriend has been a loyal member for two years, when the membership was £80 per month. However, the membership was £94 per month. The membership fee suddenly increased from £94 to £101 within a day, without any prior notice or explanation. When I visited the gym to join, I was met with mockery and disrespect from a staff member. Despite explaining my financial constraints, the staff member showed no empathy and rudely dismissed my concerns. Instead of offering a solution or showing basic courtesy, she abruptly ended the conversation. This behavior is unacceptable and reflects poorly on the customer service standards of Virgin Active. As a result of this unpleasant experience, my fiancée and I have decided to seek alternative gym memberships. Additionally, it's worth noting that the gym facilities are also showing signs of aging. I hope this feedback prompts Virgin Active to reassess their pricing policies and prioritize improving customer relations

This place …. Positively the staff are friendly and helpful and facilities are good although worn and tired. However there where four lads in there today causing continuous affray and taking pictures of female members leaving the female change rooms from behind the spa area glass panel whilst making grotesque animal noises and gloating about the things that they will do to the girls. This is the single worst thing I’ve ever seen in a virgin active in 25 years. It’s totally unacceptable. Although this is the worst scenario it’s not an isolated incident at Canary Wharf, I really regret becoming a member here. 25 years a happy customer at VA (various locations pre-covid) and now this, at such elevated prices is insulting. There are many aggressive members with no social standards, despicable manners and obscene personal hygiene in the communal areas. Human debris in the shower, spitting snot, urinating…it’s vile. This is a terrible club! I really wish I wasn’t a member here, I cannot in any good faith recommend this club to anyone especially women who want to feel safe after what I saw today. Nobody should ever feel apprehensive or afraid of going to a place of leisure and exercise. Nor feel dirty leaving it. UPDATE: Thank you for the time to reply to my review. The request for me to forward a date and time of the incident disturbs me, as I made a personal alert to 3 reception staff simultaneously at my exit that very day and they all declared that they will act accordingly and clearly did nothing nor put anything on file. This was after several people had left the spa area already and a member of staff had asked the lads to stop the behaviour and was told in no uncertain terms what she should do (you can imagine what was said). She had not reported anything by the time I did. My reporting it again that same day on the app, resulting in a generic apologetic reply from club management, with a futile promise to investigate (just like your reply). Therefore you (VA) are already aware of the Date and who 'dealt' with it . It frightens me to think that nothing is on record for you to investigate. That raises even more flags. You have a strict No-Photography rule according to your T's & C's in those areas of the club and yet in the 6 months of my membership not one member of staff has ever intervened in stopping people filming, Tic-Toc's (as also happened to me) or photos being taken. Personally I won't be coming back to this club, I took a hiatus from coming since that day and the culminative awkward apprehension I get (for the first time ever at VA in 20 happy years) is enough for me to never come again. I have 6 months left on my membership and I can only assume that there will be no release form contract. I cannot continue at a club, sharing confined spaces with convicted criminals openly wearing ankle tags nor the low level of personal behaviour that's rife all the way through. If you want to know the date and time of the incident then perhaps start with confronting your own staff and management for the records that they where supposed to hold on this since it happed. Its tiring living in a world of generic corporate apologies and inaction. If you want to apologise to me for what I've experienced in this club, release me from my contract, either way I wont be back!

I thought for that kind of money you would get something incredible - how wrong I was. Everything inside the gym looks old and tiny. The ceilings are super low and the machines are very close to each other which makes it feel tiny and cramped. There is not a lot of gym space in general. The changing rooms are dirty with tiny wardrobe space. The swimming pool was nice to be fair but not worth paying that much money in my opinion. I just signed up today but I will be cancelling today again. You got to do a lot better for 180£ Virgin.

There is s a wonderful view from the gym. The location is on a Canary Wharf Pier and around there are nice restaurants and coffee shop. However, the gym is on a two floors. The training area is small and it requires to go up and down if you have to use the full tools to carry out a training program.

Have been a member almost a year now the staff are good the actual gym facilities are above average. They have a limited amount of machines for instance only two cable machines, free weights area on the upper floor is a good size and has 5 squat racks. The spa facilities are very good however sometimes there are issues which are not fixed for weeks such as the hydropool, sauna or steam room. Currently the hydropool has been not working correctly for 2 weeks and nothing has been done. I would suggest they offer more frequent guest passes as you provided only 2 and a couple on your birthday only. Also recently noticed the gym are no longer using Molton brown products even thought the dispensers still clearly say molton brown on it without staff mentioning anything…

This gym is very, very far off the pricing point, I'm only with it for vitality, I'll start with the positives, the spa is quite nice and all the staff I've interacted with have been brilliant, earning a two star rather than one. The range of equipment, especially machines is very low. The dressing rooms are old and battered, the showers do not look very clean and don't smell particularly good. There is constantly, constantly bars and dumbells left all over the floor by gym members, which I've almost tripped over on multiple occasions, either more staff need to be employed to sort that out, or the staff on the floor need to be telling members to put their equipment back when they're done with it, it's embarrassing, I've been to £25 a month gyms with better attention to equipment lying around than this one. When I compare this to third space, a gym I was with previously at a similar pricing point, the difference is colassal.

I love this place! The views are just breathtaking whilst swimming or working out on the gym equipment. They have everything you need, towel to body lotion! You name it! Defo recommended for those who want me time once a week or more!

My friend has brought me into the gym as the extra paid member recently. The swimming pool is great, a bit overcrowded and doesn’t feel as in pictures. Big sauna has the smell of the socks, sauna in men’s room is great and hot but upon my visit was also overcrowded. Didn’t feel welcomed and the gym (staff needs customer service training) in general had a bad vibe. The one day pass price felt a bit too expensive for experience I’ve had at this gym. But swimming pool and jakuzzi area could be great with less people!

The gym falls short in several key areas that impact the overall gym experience. Firstly, the sauna door in the main pool area has been broken for over two months, posing a safety concern and inconvenience for members. The issue remains unresolved, indicating a lack of urgency in addressing maintenance issues. Additionally, the gym has faced ongoing problems with essential facilities such as water taps and dryers. Both water taps on the main gym floors have been non-functional for weeks, while the dryer in the men’s changing room has been out of service for days. These issues detract from the overall convenience and hygiene of the facility. Furthermore, the gym equipment is notably limited, with a lack of variety and insufficient numbers of machines. Members expect a wider range of equipment to cater to diverse workout needs, which is currently lacking at the gym. The gym itself requires urgent attention in terms of maintenance and refurbishment to provide a satisfactory experience for its members.

Lovely pool area, and sauna and steam room! Best to go in the daytime as early evening very busy

Very lovely swimming pool, reception and trainers for the classes. However, the cleaning staff is VERY RUDE to me and some other girls there when we wanted to use the shower close to the exit (normally no one using during quiet time). But that was busy time, and all showers close to the changing place are occupied, what she wanted us to do? She also said she really dislikes us always having water everywhere, but it was showering place and swimming pool… and she threw her towel almost on us when drying the floor… not sure if this is a proper way to clean the floor :( Was happy when went there to train but sad when leaving today… everything else is amazing except being treated like this in such a lovely place

Why wouldn't you 'work out with a view'? Any riverside gym is a winner and this one has many floors equipped with all the classes, equipment and kit you could wish for along with the most luscious spa, a huge riverside pool with floor to ceiling windows and a beautiful cafe space in which you can catch up on your admin or socials including a balcony. I take the Hilton ferry across the river to reach this gem of a wellness centre and it's also close to both tube and DLR. One of my faves.

Great location. Unfortunately, the owners seem content to let the facilities slowly run down. About half of the time you go there, the showers won't have soap. A few of them will be broken. The spa is nice and the equipment is ok for casual training.

This review is based just on the spa and swimming facilities. Overall I liked it, the hydro pools were nice I liked the rocks. The sauna was a good size. I liked the swimming pool, I just wish there were more loungers. The steam room was nice but I wish it was dark inside and not as bright. Overall I liked it

Very grubby. Showers filthy, leaky toilets. Sanitary bins don't open. One cleaning spray per Class in studio. It's fine so long as you're up to date with your vaccinations I guess

Honestly I don’t get the complaining here: - great location - very friendly staff (Zaheer & Amelia were very patient and supportive) - the pool/sauna area is amazing - variety of classes and easy to book - clean/spacious and nice people So overall a great deal for that price - I have the Flexi+ Deal! Complains here are on a very very high level - so def. worth checking out and see for yourself! Cheers

I have been a member at the Canary club for over a year. I am a regular gym user and have a DL membership as well (which is a much better club imo). Prior to moving out of London, I had informed the club about my move and was told it is fine as I will be out of contract anyway by that time. The app doesn’t Let you cancel if you are still within contract hence all has to be done in person. The club is very average at best, the facilities are really dirty and the gym isn’t really amazing for the price, only the location is good. The sauna is peeling apart and the steam room is more like a mouldy bunker, got forbid someone closes the door a little too hard and hot water falls from the ceiling. Now fast forward 3 months and since “cancelling” I have had my case passed on to debt collection. My partner who just happens to be a lawyer with colleagues specialising in these cases has found Virgin in breach of their contract with me multiple times, regarding the move and price increase. Please don’t be scammed by these crooks and go somewhere better.

The gym floor is a bit crowded however the swimming pool is huge with really nice river view. The sauna room is not very big however the shower has strong water pressure which is good. Overall it is worthy of the membership fee.

The gym is decent and has a lot of equipment: treadmills, rowing machines, free weights, barbells and functional equipment like tyres. The pool and spa area is beautiful. However, the machines and benches are too close to each other, it is difficult to exercise during peak hours. The lockers are well worn out. The locker room area is messy, there are towels lying around everywhere. Many showers lack soap and taps. Overall, the gym gives an impression of a mid-range facility, and is far from places like Third Space in terms of tidiness, cleanliness and modernity. I only signed up because I have 50% off with Vitality, I would never pay the full price as it's not worth it. I think Virgin Active needs to invest more in updating the lockers, weights area and improve cleanliness of this place.

Really great gym. Spa and pool facilities are superb. Gym itself is not as big but has quite a lot of equipment. Love the group classes the most, really great mixture and timings. Staff is always polite and helpful. Customer service has been also super responsive and they are taking their members feedback really seriously. Highly recommended!

The gym needs new machines. If you joining this gym to do weightlifting, don’t do it. Nutfield will be a better place. Swimming pool is nice for swimmers but that’s it. There are not enough machines, complains are reviewed but issues are not resolved. Even puregym has better, more and in better condition equipment. Please see the photos so you know what to expect.

Racist. Unwelcoming. Cheap and limiting gym. I’ve been going to this gym for 2 years due to convenience and pool. I have never felt welcomed by the staff apart from the minorities. I was racially attacked in the car park by the car park staff and I when I reported this to the gym they said it is none of their business as it was not in the gym and out of their jurisdiction. But in the same breath they proceeded to cancel my membership under the clause of ‘harassing a member of staff’. In addition to this I really mean it when I say was already going to leave as they are cheap and things are always broken and left so for months on end. At 1 point the lightbulb from the steam room was literally hanging out the ceiling and when reported they said ‘it’ll be fine, it’s got rubber wires’. I wish I could give it -5 stars.

Since you emailed to ask my opinion, allow me to express my concerns regarding several issues I've encountered at your facility, which significantly detract from the user experience. Firstly, the steam room is barely functional. A vent is hanging precariously from the ceiling, secured only by a protruding rusty nail. Due to the vent not being properly affixed, the steam room fails to maintain an adequate level of steam, which is quite disappointing for users seeking to relax and unwind. During a discussion about this matter with fellow patrons in the steam room last evening, we informed a staff member of the situation. Her response was concerning: "You need to tell them, as they don't listen to us when we do." This indicates a deeper issue of communication breakdown within your team, and I urge you to start valuing your staff's input more seriously. Furthermore, the sauna has visible maintenance issues. A large section of what should be wood paneling is instead exposed raw plasterboard, which is unsightly and diminishes the overall ambiance of the space. Lastly, the gym equipment, particularly the bench press availability, is inadequate for the size of the facility. There is only one normal flat bench press for the entire gym, located on the top floor. This is frankly unacceptable and limits the workout options for your patrons. I sincerely hope that these issues can be addressed promptly to improve the experience for all users of your facility. Your attention to these matters would be greatly appreciated.

My favorite Club, thank you so much❤️! The Staff is very friendly and professional💪.

Instructor doing class next to gym, kept opening door and shouting so loudly that it could be heard on the gym floor. Member of staff was helpful and did assist in closing the door again but instructor kept opening it and noise was way too loud. This has put me off attending this club on a saturday morning again ! Please speak to your instructors as not everyone wants to tolerate this noise level ! Furthermore, the sinks in the female changing rooms are leaking constantly and a bucket is always overflowing with water all over the floor, I have noticed this now over the past 2 months and it has still not been fixed.