Work it! (for £1,000 a month): A guide to London's most exclusive luxury gyms
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2024 was an annus horribilis for London’s private members’ clubs. The Garrick, tarred by a smear campaign in the Guardian over its historic refusal to accept female members, finally succumbed to the pressure after big mouths in the establishment made it publicly known they would otherwise leave. The Groucho, meanwhile, was forced to close temporarily following an alleged rape at the premises. As one star wains, though, another tends to appear. Enter: the luxury gym. Unsurprisingly in an era where social clout is determined by how toned you look on the gram, it has become the choicest hangout for the great, the good, and those looking to get ahead.
January is always the busiest month for new gym sign-ups, accounting for 12 per cent of new memberships each year as people embark on new year’s resolutions — which typically last till March. But knowing what we do about the capital’s luxury gyms might tempt you stay there for longer than that...
It seems those paying for the more expensive gyms aren’t just paying for somewhere more quiet and with better amenities. They are buying into a safe space to discuss business. Moguls are no longer cutting deals over a grilled lunch with rich, buttery sauces, but in the steam room at the gym after a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class. A hedge-fund manager might still take a client out to Maison Estelle for a meet-and-greet — but the quiet chat happens somewhere much louder: the oontz-oontz-powered training floor. “Lift!” the instructor commands, while electronic dance music blasts through the gym speakers, providing the cover for one businessman to whisper to another: “Let’s negotiate.”.
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