Nuffield Health The Oxfordshire Health & Racquets Club

As a tourist, I appreciate the setting, amenities, and Café Bar section in this bustling health club. The exercise gear is extensive, with a Spa offering beauty treatments like massages and an outdoor pool. My rating would have been 5 stars if there was a Jacuzzi.

The Club used to be excellent, but now it's all falling apart and turning into a dilapidated spot. First, the Jacuzzi disappeared, and now the steam room is gone. The sauna is overcrowded and too chilly. There's an abundance of black mould in the shower area (extremely unhygienic), most showers are out of order, the water is always cold, the soap dispenser is always empty, and the changing room is filthy and revolting. Many machines in the gym are out of order, and the wet wipes for cleaning are always depleted. If something breaks, it's never repaired, and if you complain, you're threatened with a ban from the facility. They no longer provide towels, plastic bags, or cleaning rolls, and they now close early, requiring you to arrive an hour before closing as the automatic doors lock. The membership fee is not low-cost, and you don't receive even the basic service, facilities, or minimum expectations from a health club. Most people only go there because of the parking lot and its location in Summertown; apart from that, there are no other advantages.

The employees are fantastic, the classes and personal trainers are top-notch, but the management is truly dreadful. I've just received my second notification in less than a year about a membership fee increase. Their policy states that if you cancel at the beginning of the month, you only need to pay until the end of that month. It's no coincidence that they send out the email about the price hike on the second, so even if you cancel immediately, you still have nearly 2 months of payments to make to leave. Next month, I'll be paying over 15% more than I was at this time last year. A word of caution for those considering joining: they can raise prices whenever they please, and there's nothing you can do about it. The gym has deteriorated since I joined, the hot tub is now hidden away, and towels were never restocked post-Covid. I must mention that Matt is exceptional; I enjoyed my personal training sessions with him, so I would recommend him if you're unfortunately already tied to the gym. Otherwise, it might be wise to seek alternatives.