When your gym membership rivals your rent or mortgage, it’s crucial that the place feels like a second home. A feeling which London’s most high-ends gyms definitely deliver on – and then some, with features such as adjoining sauna and steam rooms and lighting curated by French interior designers. The Lanserhof at The Arts Club even offers treatments including medical-grade full-body MRIs.
To some it may seem extreme to splash out close to £1,000 on a place you only go to once a day (or once a week, or never), but Hollie Grant, owner of Pilates PT in Fulham, explains why the market for exclusive gyms remains strong in spite of a cost of living crisis. “People want a level of privacy. They don’t want to have people taking photos of them while exercising or to feel that people might come up and speak to them,” she says.
“We have lots of high profile clients who want to sneak in and sneak out,” she adds. “We are used to signing NDAs and it’s not obvious where the studio is.”
If you’re tempted to follow in the footsteps of London’s well-heeled fitterati, these are the most exclusive and high-end wellness destinations to know.
Surrenne, Knightsbridge
Membership fee: £10,000 a year + £5,000 joining fee
USP: A designer facility with bespoke services led by experts in their field
This brand new wellness den has just opened underneath the Emory hotel opposite Hyde Park and is run by Maybourne, which is responsible for London hotels such as Claridge's, The Connaught and The Berkeley. Surrenne is the new four-floor, 2,000 square metre wellness space featuring the UK’s first studio from fitness entrepreneur Tracy Anderson, who is responsible for the sculpted bodies of Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez. The approach is holistic, with food selected by model-turned-nutritionist Rosemary Ferguson and facials on offer from a board-certified plastic surgeon.
The studio itself was designed by French architect Remi Tessier and an in-house scientific advisory board is on hand to offer members medical diagnostics. There’s also Damien Hirst artwork on the walls. You’ll find cardio equipment from Technogym and Peloton, as well as a 22-metre swimming pool, sauna, snow shower and treatment rooms to relax and unwind afterwards. The icing on the cake? Included in the membership price is an exclusive laundry service for that sweaty gym gear.
Old Barrack Yard, Knightsbridge, SW1X 7NP. surrenne.com
KX, Chelsea
Membership fee: from £7,380 a year + £1,000 joining fee
USP: A trendy celeb-favourite with an exclusive members’ club vibe
A-list fans: Gwyneth Paltrow, Kylie Minogue, Pippa Middleton
KX (pronounced ‘kicks’) is not just a gym. It’s also a spa, restaurant and private members’ club. It’s been going strong for a quarter of a century and its longevity is reflected in the fact that attendees are now buying memberships for their children as an 18th birthday present. The price reflects the club’s exclusivity, with regular clients including Gwyneth Paltrow and Kylie Minogue, while the likes of Pippa Middleton have been known to drop by for a quick sweat sesh.
Treat your tastebuds to healthy food in the nutritionist-led restaurant, then head to the full service spa for massages, facials and perhaps an intravenous infusion of Vitamin C if you’re feeling fancy. KX promises to be an ‘oasis of calm in the heart of London’ and is somewhere you can luxuriate for hours, away from the prying eyes and ears of the rest of the city’s rabble.
151 Draycott Ave, SW3 3AL, kxlife.co.uk
Lanserhof at The Arts Club, Mayfair
Membership fee: £4,000 a year + £1,500 joining fee
USP: Medical diagnostics and futuristic state-of-the-art equipment
A-list fans: Victoria Beckham, Cara Delevingne
Lanserhof at The Arts Club takes wellness to a different level with its medical-grade healthcare offering. Your initial assessment doesn't just consist of a personal trainer taking your blood pressure. Instead, you’ll be diagnosed by an in-house GP with state-of-the-art medical equipment, including an MRI scanner, before being sent off into the high-tech gym for a bespoke workout. The clinical ambience doesn’t end there, with an all-white changing room and people spinning around in space-age machines. This private wellness clinic may feel a little intimidating to some, but you may just bump into the likes of Victoria Beckham and Cara Delevingne, who have been known to visit.
18 Dover St, W1S 4LT, lhtac.com
Equinox, various locations
Membership fee: £3,240 + £250 initiation fee
USP: Influencer-style luxury fitness featuring popular group exercise classes
A-list fans: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry
Equinox has a more traditional feel than other luxury gyms, but still delivers an exclusive members’ club vibe. Starting with a studio in Kensington, the American chain has now expanded its UK outposts with branches in St James’s and Bishopsgate. Converted from the legendary Rainbow Room restaurant and nightclub, the Kensington club is still a popular hangout for celebrities (Meghan Markle has previously been spotted working out there). It promises a ‘luxury fitness playground’, where members can enjoy popular classes such as Barre and Pilates, as well as high-performance personal training. The Kensington gym is visually striking, with a huge elliptical dome spanning the ceiling which allows members to bathe in the sunlight and take the best possible golden hour selfies.
Kensington, 99 Kensington High Street, W8 5SA; Bishopsgate - 8 Clerk’s Place, EC3A 8AQ and St James’s, 12 St James’s Street, SW1A 1ER, equinox.com
Third Space, various locations
Membership fee: From £2,580 to £3,360
USP: Wide variety of training equipment and home-from-home changing facilities
A-list fans: Guy Ritchie
Third Space is expanding fast, with over nine locations now open in London and three more opening this summer. It’s ideal for those who want more from not only their workouts, but their recovery too. With performance cardio equipment, Eleiko strength areas, velocity-based training technology, a sled track, intelligent cycling area, and a recovery lounge, there’s definitely something for everyone. Just watch your back in the boxing ring, as Guy Ritchie has been touted as a regular. Facilities also include saunas, bathed in the glow of a back-lit Himalayan sea salt wall.
