thegymgroup.com

Longtime member deeply disappointed by hygiene and safety issues

I have been a member of this gym since it first opened, and I need to clarify that my rating is not directed at the staff. The staff and personal trainers are truly exceptional—friendly, professional, and doing their best in challenging conditions. They are not the issue here. The real problems lie in hygiene, cleaning, operational failures, and the lack of oversight on both cleaning contractors and member behavior. The cleaning standards have been unacceptable from the beginning and have only deteriorated. Contractors seem to do the bare minimum. I've seen cleaners using the same mop for both floors and walls, which speaks volumes about the hygiene practices in place. Toilets and sinks are often inadequately disinfected, if at all. A specific example: on the night of 10/01–11/01, the men's toilets and sinks were completely clogged and unusable. The cleaner arrived, mopped the floor, and left without addressing the issue. As a result, the facilities remained unusable. The showers are another significant failure. They clearly aren't being checked or cleaned properly. A used pair of boxer briefs was left hanging inside a shower cubicle for days. This may seem minor, but it's extremely unhygienic and quite disturbing. No one should have to shower next to someone else's dirty underwear. The fact that it stayed there for days indicates a complete lack of basic oversight. Changing rooms are consistently dirty. Bottles, shakers, and personal items linger on lockers for days, indicating that lockers aren't being cleaned at all. Sometimes, locker interiors have unpleasant odors, and dressing counters are usually covered in powder, hair, and general mess. These are shared, high-contact areas that should be cleaned regularly, but they are not. There are also significant access and safety concerns. Many doors require codes, yet the system is often unreliable. Sometimes you can enter but cannot exit, and other times it's the reverse. The garage access has similar issues. Even more troubling, changing room doors are frequently deactivated, bypassing access control altogether. These are not minor inconveniences; they represent fundamental operational and safety failures in a 24-hour gym. Moreover, the accessible lift breaks down regularly—approximately once a month. For a facility that operates 24 hours, this is unacceptable and raises serious questions about accessibility, reliability, and duty of care. After hours, cleaning contractors typically arrive late and often consist of just one person. They usually stay until around 03:00–03:30, but much of that time appears to be spent on their phones or social media rather than actually cleaning. The results are evident. Member behavior exacerbates the situation. Dumbbells and weight plates are scattered throughout the gym, attachments go missing, bins are ignored, and trash is left everywhere in the changing rooms and showers. While some may not be bothered by mess, filth, and rubbish, it is a significant issue for me. This is a paid gym, and fundamental hygiene, safety, and respect for shared spaces should be a given. The gym has a great location, modern equipment, and a lot of potential. The staff are genuinely wonderful. However, all of this is overshadowed by alarmingly poor cleaning standards, unreliable access systems, repeated accessibility issues, careless contractors, and a lack of enforcement regarding hygiene and behavior. If there were another 24-hour gym nearby, I would switch without hesitation.

Date of experience: Jan 10, 2026