Leisure at Cheltenham — Attraction in Cheltenham

I was a member a fair few years ago and joined up again last summer. The difference is, these days the swim sessions are in hourly slots. However, week days there is one at 2.30pm then nothing until after 6pm. You cannot just turn up. Covid is well and truly over (safety measures in place, anyway) so who knows why the pool is unavailable for 3 hours a day?

I went there last Thursday (1 week ago) and the jacuzzi was STILL out of order and it’s been 1 month so far. Not only that, the steam room also out of order and just to put the Cherry on the cake the cold shower also out of order. So, 1 out of 4 parts of the “wellness suite” in working order.

The jacuzzi used to break down every month or so when I was a member the first time around. The parts they waited for were always sourced from (wait for it) Canada.

They must be coming from Australia these days.

I did email my feelings and asked for a concrete date of when it will be fixed a week ago.

No response.

Once they have your money (I paid for the year up front) they have no duty of care to you as far as they are concerned.

Just look at the previous reviews here. Not an acknowledgement is there?

Went and had a trial elsewhere today and aside from 1 45 minute class a day, the pool and spa is available from 6am u til 9.45pm DAILY. INCLUDING WEEKENDS. NO SLOTS, JUST TURN UP!

You cannot swim or even spa in the evenings at the weekend here.

The last couple of times I visited, the changing rooms smelt of strong urine. I don’t bother feeding it back as what’s the point?

Anyway, don’t waste your...

Has been previously good but going downhill. Submitted a formal complaint this morning. Called to ask why the Ts and Cs on the splash and swim and floats swim have now changed to only one adult free with however many paying children and not communicated to me. Member for over 5 years, spend a substantial amount with the trust. No issue with prices going up, its a cost of living crisis. But floats sessions are definitely not for adults and the previous system was fair, I get if it's a ratio higher than 1:1 adult to child. (Not 2 adults for 1 child for example) but if you have two children who aren't strong swimmers you need an adult on them at all times in the floats sessions as they are pretty chaotic!

Girl on the phone answered with "yeah" was rude and unhelpful "the prices are the prices" and "have you got a question I can actually help with?" In a very belligerent manner. I had to inform her that answering questions and escalating complaints was actually part of her job. She reluctantly gave me details to escalate, then suggested that we go elsewhere to swim! She also mentioned "it's been this way since COVID" over and over again when it absolutely hasn't. We swam last year and it was adults are free and pay for the kids. Also the prices last year were £4.80, not £6.20.

Train your staff, stop trying to gaslight and argue when you are incorrect and be nicer to longstanding and loyal customers or you will lose all of us! I'm definitely not a "customer is always right" believer but this was ridiculous.

Sort it...

Review for Leisure at Cheltenham ⭐☆☆☆☆ (1 Star)

I had a deeply disappointing experience at Leisure at Cheltenham on April 26, 2025, during the 10:45 AM splash and swim session with my two- and five-year-old children. The service was shockingly inconsistent, particularly around the availability of swimming noodles. Staff gave conflicting information, first saying noodles weren’t allowed, then promising they’d be available in the next session, only to withhold them again. We later learned that instructors’ children were allowed to use noodles, which felt unfair and discriminatory to other families.

Worse, an instructor named Nicola was extremely rude. She wrongly accused me of not paying for a session, asked me to leave, and laughed at my language when I mistakenly called lifeguards “security guys,” even after I apologized as a non-native speaker. This felt humiliating and potentially discriminatory. When I asked for an apology, one duty manager confirmed Nicola refused to apologize, and both managers dismissed the issue as a “miscommunication” without taking responsibility or providing their names.

This experience left my children upset and me feeling bullied and disrespected. The lack of accountability and poor customer service were unacceptable for a family-oriented facility. I’ve raised a formal complaint and hope for improvements, but I cannot recommend Leisure at Cheltenham based on this visit. Families deserve consistent policies and...