Virgin Active Northern Beaches Gym

Negative experience: Try and pay these guys upfront, where they don't need to chase their money, they have their annual membership fee upfront, and you get crickets throughought and negative customer service as if you are presenting a Masters Degree...the mindset is mindblowing. Admittedly liked the gym and wanted to join, but if this is how they are when trying to join, good luck if i am a member and need an issue resolved. No Thanks

Fantastic experience: Good location. Easy parking. The boxing and weight rooms are great.

Fantastic experience: Equipment is premium, cold plunge is amazing, sauna is always hot, staff is very nice. 10/10 gym

Negative experience: By far the worst Virgin Active of all. No Stairmaster which is a joke for a gym that price and no response of my request if there are considerations of getting one. Overall the yoga and pilates classes are way too easy and half the hairdryers are broken/there is often no soap left in the showers. As someone who used to go to the clubs in the city which are far better this branch is definitely not good value for money. Only good thing is the towel service.

Negative experience: The gym is extremely filthy. All they do is just wipe around, no proper cleaning. The showers needs a thorough cleaning. I’ve even seen mushrooms growing in it. The sauna and cold plunge are constantly out if order. Additionally, the customer service is very poor. Always looking for an opportunity to rip you off.

Negative experience: There are some aspects of this gym I truly appreciate, the different classes and the fantastic PT I have and the fact it is conveniently located are probably the only things keeping me from leaving. Set that aside and the gym is honestly abismal and just continues to decline. - [ ] All hand sanitiser stations seem to have been removed which just seems absurd in a gym of that size. You can now only sanitise your hands via the odd bottle dotted around/on the main desks. - [ ] There is a mirror in the reformer studio that has been broken for at least a year now, yet they have put more mirrors up in the studio - why not fix the broken one first? - [ ] The amount of old and broken gym equipment both upstairs, down stairs and in the reformer studio is just unacceptable. People are paying premium rates to use gym equipment that must be at least 10 years old! - [ ] Broken gym equipment takes forever to be repaired. The standing adductor for example has been broken for over a month now with nothing done. The seated leg extension has recently broken so am expecting the same slog of time here for it to be fixed. - [ ] The sauna and plunge pool facilities are frequently out of order with zero communication given, meaning people waste a journey only to find out at reception. They have sporadically communicated it’s out of order, but not each and every time it happens. - [ ] The parking is often atrocious with it impossible to find a park. - [ ] The gym floor itself is becoming more and more crowded with it often impossible to get on any of the machines. - [ ] Classes are often impossible to book unless you book a week in advance. - [ ] The gym is so unflexible with scheduling a freeze/pause period. It has to be within their set periods. I know for a fact that other gyms allow you to pause based on your preferred dates. - [ ] The care and upkeep of this gym just seems to have fallen away, it’s turning in to a graveyard of dead gym equipment and griminess. - [ ] The problem is if they are to improve any of the issues, it will mean a price hike, even though it is what people should be getting in the first place. - [ ] The grid has been placed right in the middle of the main gym floor, it’s unpleasant and so loud, this should be placed to the side or within its own room - [ ] Classes need to be better staggered to avoid the sheer chaos that can take place in the car park and lift actually trying to get in to the gym.

Fantastic experience: Excellent gym, pricier than others but with that there is less riff raff more equipment available to use, awesome personal trainers. The pool is great, so is the spa, cold dip pool and sauna. Classes are awesome for when you want to train but not have to think about a program. Absolutely love this gym over all the other gyms available. Been a member since it opened and will keep my membership moving forward. What you pay is what you get.

Negative experience: My customer experience in the last year has been vey poor. Any customer feedback just seems to fall into a black hole without any follow up or communication - this is really disappointing for a brand that markets itself as customer centric. I will be cancelling my membership at the next available opportunity and won't be recommending Virgin Active to anyone.

Negative experience: The quality of service, equipment and facilities continues to decline. The plunge pool is broken more than it works and when it does work it’s never at a productive cold enough temperature. Tried raising it with staff multiple times, this and other issues, always dismissed. Poor hygiene in bathrooms / showers, only one land to swim when aqua aerobics classes despite being only sometimes 12 people in a class.

Negative experience: Very unimpressed with policies and customer service. This is an extremely expensive gym but if you miss a few classes you can’t book in for the next month. Because the classes are so overcrowded and you need to book a week in advance I can’t even use my membership. I am now paying for something I can’t use. Service desk said “too bad” and when I tried to cancel my membership he said he couldn’t do it. DON’T JOIN THIS GYM.

Negative experience: Sauna keep breaking very often and take ages to get it fixed.

Negative experience: gym is not worth money you are paying for......

Fantastic experience: Best gym on the beaches - great selection of classes, facilities and awesome instructors.

Negative experience: I am writing this review to express my concerns and ultimately share my decision to cancel my membership at this gym. While there are aspects I genuinely appreciate, I have encountered a few recurring issues that have significantly impacted my overall experience. First and foremost, hygiene has been a major concern for me. I have noticed cleanliness issues around the pool, spa, sauna, and boxing room. On one occasion, I witnessed a fellow gym-goer performing intense boxing exercises without bothering to use a towel to wipe away their excessive sweat. The result was an unpleasant puddle of sweat on the floor, which was both unhygienic and off-putting. Additionally, the "ozone glove cleaners" have proven ineffective as the gloves still retain strong smells of sweat, indicating inadequate sanitation. Moreover, the overcrowding and parking difficulties have been a consistent source of frustration. The gym's location often experiences high traffic volume, leading to actual traffic jams that make it a tedious task to find parking. It frequently takes me more than 10-15 minutes just to secure a spot. Once inside, I have noticed that the weights room tends to be overcrowded, which can be quite inconvenient and limits the effectiveness of my workouts. I want to stress that I genuinely loved this gym and the wide range of classes it offers. However, due to the infrequency of my visits and the persistent presence of these issues, I have made the difficult decision to explore other alternatives. I sincerely hope that the management takes this feedback into consideration and addresses these concerns promptly. Improving hygiene standards, ensuring effective equipment cleaning, and finding solutions to overcrowding and parking issues would greatly enhance the overall experience for members like myself who value cleanliness and a comfortable workout environment.

Negative experience: This place needs a major revamp. It has equipment that has not been upgraded since it opened and most of it doesn’t work. The Norwest gym has had like 4 facelifts whilst this northern beaches one is so dilapidated. Wake up virgin active!

Fantastic experience: Great gym. Overall, anyone complaining obviously hasn’t attended other gyms out there. Virgin active is in a class of its own.

Negative experience: My account had issues and no one can help me resolve it for a few days resulting in me not being able to book a class. The reception staff ended up giving me other person's account which is a complete breach of privacy. I understand the staff are young but they should be educated to handle enquiries or trained when to escalate to senior staff member to deal with complex matter.

Negative experience: THERE ARE 2 ISSUES I HAVE WITH THE CLUB: I am sorry to give a 1 star review but after more than a year speaking to staff about it and sending in online feedback nothing has been done. FIRST ISSUE All I ask is that some inexpensive, effective signs be placed on the sauna door and on the wall facing you when you enter the plunge pool. These should advise members to shower after leaving the sauna and BEFORE entering the plunge pool, spa or swimming pool. In particular the small plunge pool, it's not nice when you are joined by one or more members who step in from the sauna absolutely dripping with sweat and rinse it off in 2 cubic metres of water. Many members lack common decency in this regard and I believe the onus is on Virgin Active to effectively communicate the rules in this regard rather than leaving it up to members to do it. SECOND ISSUE I use the lap pool, spa, sauna and plunge pool facilities the most. Today when I arrived today 21/03/2023 I was told there was a maintenance issue since yesterday and these were all closed. I accept that these things can happen BUT what I don't accept is that I was not informed beforehand by email or text message to my mobile. I wasted a trip to the club for nothing as did many others. This has happened on several occasions in the past. Why can't members be informed on a timely basis about the closure of facilities? this is not good enough, communication with members is non existent, lift your game Virgin Active. Apart from the above happy with facilities and staff.

Positive experience: Nice gym but is getting too expensive for what you get. 30% of the equipment needs replacing and sauna is gross.

Negative experience: Be warned I’ve been with VA for a few years now, their overall standards/ care factor seems to be dropping dramatically when comes to standards of maintaining the building and workout equipment. Half of the workout machines do not work, it’s been like this for several months with several complaints being mentioned at the front desk. Even lockers don’t work & the simple water fountain. The staff are very friendly but no action is being followed through whoever their equipment maintenance supplier is, they are not doing their job.. It’s getting to the point where it’s not worth going to this particular gym as you pay very high membership fees for equipment & facilities you can’t use.. This needs to be fixed ASAP & to have long term measures put into place !! It’s Ridiculous..

Negative experience: Gym Equipment Graveyard - I’m guessing that every large gym chain must have a dumping ground for old gym cardio machines when they upgrade equipment at their larger gyms… Well… Virgin Active clearly employs Frenches Forest/ Northern Beaches as their dumping ground. I’ve been a VA member for 7 years and for the vast majority of that time I have used the city gyms that get well maintained and updated. (which you’d expect for what VA charge) unfortunately, enough is enough, i’m over rocking up to VA frenches forest and going from cardio machine to cardio machine with none of them working. I’ve spoken to them now several times at the desk and literally nothing has been fixed for months, in-fact, now you can’t find a machine where you can log on and it works correctly. To be honest my issue isn’t the fact that the equipment is old OR the fact that every time it rains water leaks everywhere (this never gets fixed) OR the fact the body scan machine is broken, OR that the drinking water machine by the pool is out of order…. NOPE…. I can live with those issues, my main issue is the fact none of the cardio gym equipment clearly gets maintained, so it never seems to work… the whole point of a gym should be to have working gym equipment… So my advice… if you’re thinking of joining VA and a city gym is going to be your main gym… VA is worth it. If you’re thinking of using VA Northern Beaches as your main gym and you want functioning cardio machines…. Don’t bother… look elsewhere. On a plus the staff are all pleasant.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic gym and crèche. I like that it has classes running all day and an inexpensive membership for my 13-17y.o family members. My baby loves the crèche which I find really warm, welcoming and cost effective. The family is getting in shape whilst the baby socialises, fantastic all rounder gym, very happy.

Fantastic experience: Great class with Clare. Best gym.

Fantastic experience: Awesome gym. The best in town

Fantastic experience: I joined three months ago from a small barre only gym. I found it really good value for money as it has the diversity of classes (up to 30 a day!) and instructors. You just have to keep trying until you find the best class and instructor match for you. The pool is very clean and never crowded and the spa and sauna is a bonus if you like them.

Fantastic experience: This gym is far better than other VAs I have visited. Very big, lots of equipment which is appropriately spaced, has ample free parking, very clean - especially the bathrooms and showers, no bad smells, and the air quality doesn’t feel stuffy. This is my favourite VA to visit. Just wish it was closer to home and to the office!!

Fantastic experience: really helpful all the staff at virgin. I enjoy coming here

Negative experience: I have been a member since VA Northern Beaches opened its doors. As I am relocating out of Sydney I have cancelled my membership. Tried online and was called with in 4 hours. Then I was told I had to go to the Gym to personally cancel. I went and cancelled in person before the payment date. VA are still charging me and will not respond, even though they state some one will contact me within 24 hours. Very poor and unprofessional treatment of a longstanding customer.

Fantastic experience: Great facilities. Sometimes they are under maintenance but apart from that 5 star!

Fantastic experience: Love coming to the gym ….. never stayed at a gym before but been a member here for over 10 years. Enjoy the cafe. Excellent coffee and staff so friendly.

Fantastic experience: Great coffee, nice friendly staff in the V-cafe. Give it a try

Negative experience: Have been a member of virgin for over 6 years now both here and in England. Pretty disappointed to get told I can't use equipment of facilities that my fees contribute towards due to lack of supervision and the alternatives are out of service. I Am considering cancelling my membership and joining a gym that will let me use resources and equipment that my fees go towards.

Positive experience: Great staff. Management poor. Constant facilities broken and generally takes 1-2 months for them to fix basic things that members specifically join for. Like sauna, spa etc…

Negative experience: Absolutely disgraceful way the staff treated me today . after using the pool and having a shower i realised i had left my towel in my locker so went quickly to open it and once again the battery had died and it wouldn’t open . No towel and dripping wet my friend rang the front desk to get someone to open it . Ten mins past , freezing cold and we ring again , one lady goes to the front desk and asks again to open the locker , again no one shows up . Again my friend goes to the front desk to be told they were doing something else . By this time i have w been standing freezing , wet and not happy .After 20mins in walk the girls no sorry nothing .Manager your staff and you should be ashamed of yourself. I have cancel my membership . This was the seventh time this has happened .

Fantastic experience: I always enjoy my training sessions at Virgin Active.

Fantastic experience: Allgood

Fantastic experience: Ultimate place to unwind and relax! Must visit

Fantastic experience: Excellent amenities and class schedule, easy parking

Fantastic experience: Best , biggest and boldest gym on the beaches ! 10/10

Fantastic experience: I have been coming to this gym for years. It’s super clean, the team is super friendly and the classes are great. I recently had a small little trouble with billing due to a mistake in the system caused by a former employee and James went the entra mile to help me. He fixed the issue and he gave me an amazing customer service. In a world where many business manager and owers have become accustomed to the idea that customers are for granted, James has a different attitude and values every person coming to the gym. So Thank you!! It’s a pleasure to exercise here:)

Fantastic experience: state of art facility with friendly, smiley staff. Revitalised and it looked simply amazing!

Fantastic experience: Every person works here that I meet are so nice and friendly. Always greet with a smile. Every trip here is a happy trip :) The view upstairs is 10/10 gorgeous and the swimming pool is Just one thing: I might have stayed in the spa for too long, after I went out I noticed that my dark brown hair was bleached into a dark orange-ish colour, if you also have long hair please be aware and protect the hair if you are going.

Fantastic experience: With a full refresh of the equipment, it's now back to 5 stars

Fantastic experience: I had my 8yo’s birthday party here - the boys loved it! Sports theme with lots of activities (both inside and outside), and best of all I didn’t have to do a thing - just brought the cake! Would highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Love this club! The variety of classes keeps me coming back. The trainers genuinely care about your fitness and health. The facilities are the best from the showers to hairdriers and the spa , my happy place!

Fantastic experience: Always friendly and clean.

Positive experience: Great Gym! Great employees! Some equipment are bit old, but the gym is well maintained! Would recommend!!

Positive experience: Awesome gym with Friendly staff, great well maintained equipment (both weights and machines), pool, spa, plunge pool, sauna, cafe, nice bathrooms and a ton more. Basically I'm recommending you check this gym out :)

Fantastic experience: Great gym, awesome facilities

Fantastic experience: great gym, friendly staff

Negative experience: Still a member for almost 3 years now only because its 2 mins aways from where I work. 1.No value for money you pay. 2. PTs are very expensive 3. Equipment is outdated 4. Classes worth going to are always full and are not timed right. (At least for me, If I can't make it to a class at 5:45 am because I start work at 7, I would expect another class just after 3pm, not to wait around until 5pm ) 5. I have seen many people using the equipment wrong with a risk of hurting themselves bad and the trainers just walk past with out correcting them. UNETHICAL. 6. Prices went up 3 times in last 14 months. 7. I have seen a lot of negative reviews for how they make it hard to cancel the membership. Can someone explain why a member need to be at the club to cancel the membership ? So far only answer I got is that it's their policy. If someone wants to cancel their membership outside of the commited period, you do it. No questions asked. You are not a legal practice, signature is not a excuse to make people to take extra effort to just answer your questions which are in no way useful to the client. You are only providing a service, not legal advice, change your policy and educate your staff. Teach them ethics not just the ways to extract more money out of your members. Positives: 1. Pool and sauna are good 2. Staff are nice to you always in person 3. Great trainers and you can learn good form in the classes 4. Don't know how much they charge but there is child care facility and swimming classes to kids couple of days a week.

Negative experience: Tried to join online and it wouldn’t submit. So called up to join instead, no one answered. Clearly don’t want my money!!!

Negative experience: Terrible articles online about the creche!

Positive experience: I was a member for one year. The gym needs some TLC in some areas but overall best gym I've been a member of. Alex Lakeman is the best trainer here. No one corrected form or seemed to have the level of knowledge he did. You wouldn't want to miss one of his classes if you joined here.

Negative experience: Absolutely disappointing! On the day I went to this club to get some info on membership T&C I was assured by their so called consultant that if I get relocated to somewhere without the accessibility to any Virgin Active club, my membership could be cancelled without any penalty and debit payments would be stopped with a 2 weeks notice. 8 month through my membership, I got relocated to overseas and before I leave I put 3 months freeze on my membership, and when the freezing period ended I contacted them by email and asked for a free cancellation based on the verbal agreement I initially had with their consultant. I had to wait for couple of weeks before I receive a cold reply indicating that they are not going to cancel the membership and the payments would be debited from my account till the end of 12 month membership + the freezing period. Furthermore, they are still taking the payments from my bank account although the 12 month membership has already been finished. I will definitely take this matter to the media and department of fair trading upon my return to Australia as well as the Consumer Tribunal if need be. I feel I have been treated very unfairly and the way they conduct their business is not very trustworthy!

Fantastic experience: Great gym with friendly and knowledgeable staff. If you want to have a great workout try a spin class with Kasia!

Positive experience: Good gym . Machines are getting old and dated . SOA and sauna are nice . Very expensive membership tho

Fantastic experience: Great location and wonderful gym

Fantastic experience: I've recently rejoined the Virgin Active Frenchs Forest club and I'd fully recommend it. Yes its pricey but its worthwhile. I love the huge pool, the classes are great and everything is clean and in tip top condition. Trainers are helpful and even if it's a big group class they will always make sure your form is right and that you are doing the moves correctly. Lovely club overall.

Positive experience: I came here as part of the school sports program. The facilities are pretty good, but the boxing gloves should be replaced as they are old and sweaty.

Positive experience: Been a member for about a year and a half and it is the first gym I have kept up the membership. I must say maybe because I have had great PT people, who are very helpful and also committed to what my goals are. My trainer, Maja, has been a great support to me and always checks up on my health issues as we are training. Yes it is pricey but there is a full range of classes I can choose from and the ones I have taken have been great especially when it is my first time in that class (thanks Ros), they checked to see how I was going, if you have an injury they suggested to do the class a different way and seems to keep an eye on you to make sure your doing okay. It is an all in one gym which is what I love, depending on my mood it I want to go for a swim, or just do cardio or weights. The staff have always been friendly when you arrive and if not busy will say goodbye on your way out.

Fantastic experience: Best Gym Ever. Good facilities, nice staff and nice gym goers.

Fantastic experience: Great place to work out with your girlfriend beautiful view of Sydney.

Negative experience: A+ price with little extra benefits. The machines have TV and internet but 1 out of 10 touchscreens work. If the touchscreen works, the reception is out or the internet is out. That's basically the only feature they have over cheaper gyms and it's frustrating when they have done nothing to maintain it. Ive given direct feedback multiple times with no resolution. Giving feedback is a waste of time at this gym. They constantly ask for it but do not act when it is given. Maybe a bit of negative public attention will stir up a result? I'm sick of paying top dollar for unavailable features.

Fantastic experience: Best gym I’ve been to! So many classes to choose from with friendly and helpful staff. Dane is a great personal trainer focusing on technique and form and has got me in my best shape ever! I have been a member of virgin active multiple times due to finances, but it’s the only one I keep coming back to! Don’t ever let me leave again!

Negative experience: Wanted a casual, temporary 2 week visit option as i am only in town a couple of weeks yet they do not accommodate for this and charge $45 per day. Not flexible at all and unaccommodating.

Negative experience: Prices have risen to ridiculousness amounts since I initially joined in 2013. In many cases. it is now more than double the fee compared to other gyms with similar features. In the last year, the condition of the gym has deteriated and it was only really worth going outside of peak hours at this point due to overcrowded classes and people hogging the equipment. To make things worse, if you attempt to suspend your membership, they still charge your account $15 every 2 weeks. This lead me to cancel instead. So now I am cancelling my membership, but the response I get is that I will still be charged for the 2 next weeks in advance... WHILE I AM NO LONGER A MEMBER.... I had a conversation with their staff, whom I feel sorry for as they'll have to explain this to every member who want's to cancel. To top it off, if I block my account from virgin active, they will be referring me to a third party (dept collectors) to collect for a membership I have already cancelled. I understand it's a business but they make it SO blatantly obvious that they care more about collecting the $$ than anything else.

Positive experience: If You don't want to be smashed in the face by massive egos when you enter the door then this place is better than most gym's in the area , good sauna and cold pool too!

Negative experience: It is disappointing if you are not young and fit. For the over 60s there is not much available. I was joined up for about 2 years then had a 2 year break, rejoined last year but have now decided to leave. Exit fee of $200 as well.

Fantastic experience: Member since February 2009, still go regularly and enjoy!

Fantastic experience: Awesome place to train! Staff are friendly and helpful and the facilities are top notch

Positive experience: When first joined in 2010 prices were reasonable but increases of 75% over the years make them uncompetitive compared to other gyms in the area.

Fantastic experience: My wife and I are currently members here and the place is the best. We have been members at anytime fitness and fitness first in the past but this place has the best equipment, staff, facilities, food etc. So join and make Mr Branson even richer... haha

Negative experience: If you are looking for a 'health club' then this is for you. If you just want to use the gym facilities, then most would say this doesn't represent good value. Despite consistently raising the cost of membership by $1 a week, there is little to no improvement to the gym area. I would like to see more done to maintain the gym equipment and machines. There are far too many machines with torn covers and/or stretched cables. As I work away from home I have found them to not be very flexible when it comes to putting your membership on hold. Virgin only allow you to put whole (2 week) pay cycles on hold at the cost of $5 (per week) and you have to give them advanced notice. I would estimate in the 2-3 years I have been a member I have effectively doubled the cost of my membership by being unable to put my membership on hold as the pay cycle doesn't align with my time away from home. I am still a member because I like the fact that the gym is quite large and open. Should the cost of membership increase again, I will most likely move to another, more flexible gym.

Negative experience: First of all I gave it this star rating not because it is not a great gym (for some that don't care about money, then it is) but being affordable and organised needs to be a factor. Also the staff gave me false information just to get me signed up. Was told I could use both the city and the frenches forest gym which turned out to be untrue. This is reserved for full members paying members only, not students. So you are actually not getting just a discounted price for being a student but restrictions imposed on you also. It is almost like going to Hoyt's and paying concession and only being able to sit at the very front row. $1300 for a Student a year is just insane, I'll put that out there right now. It offers good value for money if you use everything, but I was interested in the gym only, not the pool, not the classes and the other stuff so was pretty poor value for me. Also very poor hygiene, I'd say around 75% of people here don't use towels, even if carrying them with them. If they would have organised the club (which wouldn't be hard) to have passes to certain areas or a pass to all areas based on what you pay (would of cost all of some doors and swipe machines) would of been great for everyone, unfortunately this is not the case. My room mate couldn't afford it straight up so I had to pay the extra (on top of what a normal gym would cost) just to work out with her, again her being a student straight up didn't have the money because $1300 for a student again = insane.

Positive experience: I came here on a trial visit with my friend and was really impressed. The pilates class I did was well structured and catered to all ability levels, and the change rooms were clean and well equipped. I liked that we could enjoy a coffee in the cafe afterwards after the class.

Fantastic experience: I really did 'love' my time spent at Virgin gym. I didn't do any classes, mostly free weights. The spa and sauna were a big part of me joining, as the gym in Dee Why, only had a steam room in the boys change room. Virgin the spa/sauna is out in the open, and it's shared with both guys and girls. Thinking about going back.

Positive experience: Food good but expensive

Fantastic experience: Awesome, Nothing more needs to be said!

Positive experience: Friendly staff, great assortment of classes