Better - Kensington Leisure Centre Reviews 

It’s okay but can be very busy and sometimes people connect their phone to speaker and play very loud and inappropriate music with lots of swearing in which is not enjoyable

Shout out to Isaac the main man keeping the place great for its members, much appreciated

I registered at Better Sport Centre Kensington as a disabled person hoping to take part in activities and improve my fitness. Unfortunately, my experience was very disappointing from the beginning. I struggled to receive clear information about the memberships available. When I called customer service, I was simply advised to search online myself to find a suitable membership. As an older person, I felt I was not given enough time, patience, or support to properly understand the process.

In the end, my daughter had to help me communicate with them, follow their advice, and complete the registration. I paid the initial deposit and first month’s membership fee and also booked a coach for a gym induction. Sadly, the induction was not helpful at all, and very little proper guidance or information was provided.

Because of the poor support and lack of understanding towards elderly and disabled individuals, I decided to cancel my membership shortly afterwards. Overall, I found the service disappointing and not suitable for people who may need extra assistance and clear communication.

Been Visiting Kensington Leisure Centre for years. Always happy to be there
Friendly staff and nice facilities

Very supportive and welcoming team with great Trainers who really make a difference. There is a fantastic selection of classes, especially with the introduction of the Les Mills programmes. The gym equipment is tidy and organized and there is a real sense of community spirit at Better Kensington

Lovely staff members and classes are well done and good fun!

Nice facilities but terrible organisation. The facility closed for events with zero notice to members. Swimming pool are mostly for lessons now. Paying members are crowded in 2 lanes and schedule of lessons keep changing and is not available anywhere but a single paper document on the wall, so impossible to know in advance when there wont be children lessons. - i am thinking of cancelling my membership. I totally understand lessons can take place but at least te Centre should share the information so paying members can adapt. Really bad management, bad experience, avoid.

It's a nice and clean gym centre with everything I need in one

Subject: Concern about declining standards and safety at the gym

I’m writing as a regular member to share some concerns about the recent decline in standards at the gym. I’m doing so because I value the facilities and would like to continue training here, but things have noticeably gone downhill over the past few months.

In particular:

Need more classes. Classes are frequently overcrowded, which affects both safety and the quality of the sessions.

Certain classes and activities are being cancelled on the same day, often at short notice, making it hard to plan workouts.

Cleanliness is not at the standard it should be for a busy gym – floors, changing areas, and some equipment often feel poorly maintained.

I’m also concerned about member safety and atmosphere. Recently, I witnessed a man shouting aggressively at a woman as he left the gym, and no staff member intervened. That kind of situation really needs visible staff presence and a clear response to ensure members feel safe. Certainly Jeff was one of the few trainers that seemed on top of the situation but he is no longer there, losing staff like that is disappointing.

There are also some equipment issues that need urgent attention:

Class mats are worn out and need replacing.

Many of the bikes in the group cycling studio clearly need servicing (noisy, loose, or not adjusting properly).

It’s a real shame, as the facilities themselves are excellent and the gym has a lot of potential. With better maintenance, clearer standards, and more proactive management, it could be a fantastic place to train again.

I’d appreciate it if you could let me know how you plan to address these issues and over what kind of timeframe.

I just wanted to send a huge thank you to you and all your amazing staff yesterday, they were extremely helpful in setting up the party room and the food spaces for the children along with helping us take down the decorations and reset the room for the second Party. Soft play party for our 2 year old was amazing. Highly recommend.

They were all very attentive extremely helpful and on hand for help.

All good, the pool, gym

I’m happy to be part this BETTER Leisure Centre
But only think is
We need more showers in the ladies changing room .

Bad management
No information given

Reception staff is really good, as are the instructors I have experienced. Great to have a flat bottomed teaching pool for aqua aerobics classes. There is a good selection and frequency of classes generally.

However, the availability of aqua aerobic classes is well below the level of demand and it is challenging to get access to them. Aqua aerobics is one of the best types of exercise for older/disabled people, which is an under-served constituency of the club. I rely on the aqua aerobic classes because I am disabled and they are crucial to my mobility. There are 2 problems: 1. There are a number of aqua classes that are charged for that are not full, while there is demand from members who are already paying for classes through their membership, but have to pay extra for these classes. Some are controlled by the Council, but others by Better, which could be changed to normal member classes. Even more ludicrous is that some of the "pay for" classes are designed for disabled people that I can't get access to, because I'd have to change my membership to a more expensive membership category. It makes absolutely no sense, but I've been told that "it's just the way things are and can't be changed". If these classes were free, they would be full and people would feel less frustrated about not being able to get into the number of classes they need to remain healthy and fit. 2. There is strong demand for a Saturday class. We've been told it is impossible as there is no space on Saturdays. Management won't even consider trying to make a space for such a class, which will increase availability for both working and non working people. Once again, the older/disabled constituency is poorly served on Saturdays. Many of us have approached management to discuss and try to find solutions but are just told no, nothing can change.

the price, the facility, the community. I honestly can't believe how lucky we are.

Organise, clean, and helpful staff

My 6-year-old son had his first private swimming lesson yesterday. The facilities are excellent — modern, clean, warm, and very well organised. On Tuesdays, there’s an instructor named Shofi (I hope I’m spelling it right) who’s fantastic with children and has a great approach. We were so impressed that I’ve already booked all available classes until November!