The best luxury gyms in London

Pillar Wellbeing

57 Whitehall, London SW1A 2BX

Pillar Wellbeing, the luxury health club located in Raffles at The OWO, is a full end-to-end wellbeing service provider, with a philosophy built on three pillars: movement, nourishment and recovery. From the moment you enter, the interior is calming and refined. The hallway opens up to an elegant foyer where staff greet you and show you to the changing rooms. These are fully equipped with all post-gym and -swim necessities (including decompression boots for speedy leg recovery). There’s a reformer Pilates studio, overlooking the 20m pool below. The gym, also with a view of the pool, is equipped with Technogym machines, and there is an area for cardio, lifting weights and plyometric movements. Resident personal trainer Matteo Massaini can guide you through a bespoke workout that is fun, while efficiently focused on your goals, from mobility to strength and endurance.

Pillar Wellbeing membership costs £6,250 per year plus a £2,000 joining fee, raffles.com

Surrenne and Tracey Anderson Studio

Located in The Emory hotel, Surrenne is a health club, wellness space and spa. The mirror-wrapped gym features equipment from Technogym, Woodway, Peloton and Hydrow, among others, while the Surrenne Studio, next door, is a space for a wide variety of classes. Centring the latter is a large screen that can be used for on-demand virtual classes – you might fancy being led through Yin Tibetan bowl meditation from a Japanese garden, or a yoga flow from the Agafay desert in Morocco. Recovery is at the heart of Surrenne. Perhaps wind down with a facial crafted by Dr Macrene Alexiades, sweat out toxins in speciality steam rooms, or get rid of delayed onset muscle soreness with Hypervolt massage machines. What sets Surrenne apart, though, is its Tracy Anderson Method classes. Taking place in a specially heated room with a springboard floor, workouts following the LA fitness guru’s principles are designed to balance, strengthen, and transform body and mind.

Individual membership rate £10,000 (plus £5,000 joining fee) surrenne.com

V

Berkeley Square House, London W1J 6BR

V is a health club in Mayfair built on five pillars: the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of wellbeing. Focusing on these elements, the thinking goes, will help you achieve your fitness goals, create a sustainable routine, and keep your mind healthy too. Gym equipment includes Technogym, Watson, Rogue, and Therabody. There are also Pure Strength hip thrust and deadlift machines for targeted strength training for lower-body days, along with Watson’s stainless-steel dumbbells. Classes include a variety of yoga flows, and mat and reformer pilates. V also operates its own running club. The 5km runs, led by Naomi Heffernan, a Nike Trainer, performance coach, and 4x Hyrox World Championship competitor, go through Mayfair and Green Park – fun, social and a chance to refine your running technique. For recovery, choose from sweating out toxins in the sauna, jumping into an ice bath, or perhaps the Therabody Lounger, combining zero-gravity reclining and multisensory sound vibration therapy for total relaxation.

Membership is £250 per month and subject to a £200 joining fee, v-london.co.uk

The Lanesborough Club and Spa

2 Lanesborough Place, London, SW1X 7TA

Nestled in Hyde Park Corner is The Lanesborough Club and Spa. From an almost-hidden entrance, you head down a swirling staircase to get to the facilities. As you enter, the hallway is reminiscent of a home rather than a club, which adds an element of exclusivity and intimacy. There's a Technogym-equipped gym, as well as various fitness classes. These are offered for small groups (no more than four participants per class), and there are around 40 classes per week to choose from, including yoga, reformer Pilates, boxing, HIIT, TRX and conditioning, and circuits. Afterwards, freshen up in the sparkling gold changing room, created in partnership with design studio 1508 London, and enjoy a meal at the adjoining restaurant, which includes a menu of juices and low-calorie, high-energy options – perfect post-workout.

Membership starts from £6,000 per year, lanesboroughclubandspa.com

Studio Fix

42-44 Kensington High St, London W8 4PD

Located on Kensington High Street, Studio Fix is a class-only gym. Inside, the space is split into three studios. Studio 1 is a calming space enveloped by mirrors and a large window letting in natural light; it resembles a dance studio and is perfect for restorative yoga or a barre class, for example. Studio 2 is all red lights and moody atmosphere. This space offers high-intensity, low-impact Lagree Megaformer classes (a spring-based workout machine, similar to reformer pilates). HIIT and boxing classes are available in Studio 3, a vibrant, blue-lit area with lots of room to throw a mean left hook. Studio Fix also has spaces for wheelchair users in its adaptive boxing class. Note that the gym provides boxing gloves, but you need to bring your own hand wraps or gel wraps, and to take part in the barre class or Lagree Megaformer, grip socks are compulsory (all are for sale in the gym's shop).

Memberships start at £25 for one class up to £600 for 20 classes studiofix.co.uk

Equinox

99 Kensington High Street London W8 5SA;
Bishopsgate 8 Clerk's Place London EC3A 8AQ;
E by Equinox at 12 St James's Street, London SW1A 1ER

If you prefer self-guided training, then Equinox is a fitness fanatic’s playground. America’s leading high-end health club chain came to the UK in 2012, first opening on Kensington High Street, followed by an outpost in Bishopsgate. Its Kensington location boasts an art deco design with a marble lounge area, and changing rooms stocked with complimentary Kiehl’s products. The open-plan training floor is housed under a large skylight, drawing in natural light – a refreshing touch in comparison to many basement gyms, with their artificial lighting and nightclub energy. Accompanying the gym are three studio spaces: for yoga, boxing, and cycling, with a variety of classes on offer. There are also options for personal training. Both the Kensington and Bishopsgate locations are home to full-service spas and juice bars. To up the luxury further, St James’s E by Equinox offers a focus on one-to-one fitness. Of course, the gym is stocked with elite equipment not only for your workout but also for recovery, including a cryotherapy chamber, a regeneration room and a compression therapy area.

Memberships range from £185 to £400 a month www.equinox.com

BXR

Marylebone location: Chiltern Street, London W1U 5QY
City location: 22 Bishopsgate – Floor 25, London EC2N 4BQ

BXR Marylebone — BXR's Marylebone outpost

BXR opened in 2017 in Marylebone with much endorsement from boxer Anthony Joshua and a membership committee that includes record producer Mark Ronson, hotelier André Balazs, model and actress Sara Sampaio, and boxer Eddie Hear. The club’s principles are rooted in boxing and BXR offers a luxurious take on a garage gym, combining functional space with elite-grade equipment in an edgy, industrial setting. Large tyres, sled runs and climbing ropes are perfect for functional fitness to complement plyometric or calisthenic training. A designated boxing studio includes benches, weights and punchbags. The changing facilities are stocked with Malin + Goetz products, and you can rent a permanent locker. After a workout , relax at the café and lounge and choose from pre- and post-workout menus. BXR is also home to BXR Lab and Clinic, which offers access to a cold water plunge, an infrared sauna, as well as management plans such as clinical rehabilitation, physical therapy, nutrition and specialised strength and conditioning.

Membership starts from £1,800 per year or £180 per month, bxrlondon.com

KX and KXU

KX: 151 Draycott Avenue, Chelsea, London SW3 3AL
KXU:241 Pavilion Road, London SW1X 0BP

Pronounced ‘kicks’, KX is a private members’ health club in the heart of Chelsea, founded in 2002 and offering a holistic approach to health, fitness, nutrition, and wellbeing. It is opulently designed and features a club room, a restaurant and a juice bar. Classes range from Pilates and barre to dance and cardio conditioning. KX is all about creating long-term lifestyle changes rather than a quick fix. In 2017, KX launched its sister venue KXU, located two minutes from Sloane Square station. The pay-as-you-go boutique gym has three sleek studios with a focus on functional fitness, HIIT and strength training, with a designated Hyrox area with a 10m track, sleds, official Hyrox weight plates and kettlebells, along with wall balls and slam balls. The gym also offers yoga, barre and cycle classes. It doesn’t have to be all hard work, as there is also a medi-spa and a nutrition bar at which to enjoy a fresh smoothie or post-workout meal.

Membership starts from from £615 per month plus joining fees, visit kxlife.co.uk; KXU membership is £340 per year, visit kxu.co.uk

Blok

Shoreditch: Principal Place, EC2A 3BL or Clapton: The Tram Depot, E5 8BQ

While Blok is not a luxury gym by any usual measures (you can even pay as you go), we've included it in our round-up for its flexibility and the freedom this affords users (a cool east London crowd). Founded in 2016 by Max Oppenheim and Ed Stanbury, Blok was designed to step away from the ‘hustle’ and ‘gains’ culture of a typical gym, with a design that is the antithesis of a big-mirrored, dimly lit club. With two studios, one in Clapton and another in Shoreditch, a stone's throw from Liverpool Street station, Blok’s principle is to encourage a fitness routine you can sustain. At the Shoreditch location, the reception includes a drinks bar, and a refrigerator stocked with healthy meals and snacks for a post-workout refuel. The changing rooms are equipped with the basics (toiletries, hair dryers and straighteners). Blok is a class-only gym, and there are more than 20 options to choose from, spanning yoga, Pilates, boxing, and barre. In the Clapton studio – an industrial-style space beneath railway arches – Blok now also offers ‘Hot and Cold’, a sauna and cold water therapy to help aid recovery, regulate your nervous system and reduce inflammation.

Pay as you go available; three-month SuperCharge90 membership starts at £95 for the first month, including 10 classes; £110 per month for the next two months, bloklondon.com

Third Space

Locations are all over London

Finally, there is Third Space, perhaps London’s most renowned luxury gym. With sites across the capital – Soho, Canary Wharf, Mayfair, Marylebone, Islington, Moorgate, Tower Bridge, Battersea, Wimbledon and the City (with another opening soon in Paddington) – there’s no excuse to skip a workout. The locations offer an abundance of equipment to avoid overcrowding even at peak times, from treadmills and cardio equipment to strength-training machines, along with climbing walls, cycling studios, and swimming pools. To take your athletic performance to the next level, Third Space has a ‘Performance Lab’ offering a variety of assessments, from endurance tests to body composition, and even sweat analysis.

Membership starts from £210 per month, thirdspace.london

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Tianna Williams is Wallpaper’s staff writer. When she isn’t writing extensively across varying content pillars, ranging from design and architecture to travel and art, she also helps put together the daily newsletter. She enjoys speaking to emerging artists, designers and architects, writing about gorgeously designed houses and restaurants, and day-dreaming about her next travel destination.