Virgin Active Gym Cedar Square — Local services in Gauteng

I joined this gym in 2015 and am finally calling it quits.

Let me walk you through my final visit to the gym I called home for a decade.

I needed to use three machines for my workout. The first had a sweat towel over it and water bottle next to it with the user nowhere to be found. I'd say this is the case for at least one machine I want to use at least once every three workouts.

Remove the towel/water bottle/backpack placeholder and the user will usually pop up at some point and demand to know why you're using 'their' machine.

The other two machines had people sitting on them staring at their phones. I didn't see either of them do a single set while I used another machine to pass the time and waited for them to finish their sets.

There have always been people using benches to do thumb workouts at gym, but the membership at this gym seems to have increased recently and now, on average and at any given time, up to half the people occupying benches or machines are staring at their phones, not working out.

I wanted to do some free weights. Dumbells were all over the place, maybe 40% of the weights were racked in the correct weight section, around 40% of them were racked in the wrong section or missing completely, 10% were in use and another 10% had just been left besides equipment or on the floor without being re-racked.

This is the case basically every time I go to gym. Weights in the 6kg-14kgs range are often difficult to find.

I ended up leaving the gym feeling annoyed without being able to do the workout I'd driven to the gym to do. In the past I have asked people to share their machines or use them between sets when they have been on their phones, but this can get unpleasant as some users have very bad attitudes. I just want to work out, not get into stare-down with a roided up boet in lycra tights.

Ultimately this comes down to management. In my opinion VA should outright ban phone use on the weights floor and ENFORCE that ban. The gym personnel could also do more to re-rack equipment, since many members seem to be incapable of putting something back where they found it.

To replace all your equipment and renovate your gym, only to leave it virtually unusable seems like a massive own-goal. This gym used to be an awesome place to work out....

My recent experience at Virgin Active Gym Cedar Square left me feeling disappointed and frustrated. After an intense workout session, I was looking forward to a refreshing shower, only to be greeted with a complete lack of hot water. While I understand that load shedding can affect utility services in South Africa, it is unacceptable to have no backup solutions in place for providing hot water to the showers.

As a paying member, I expect a certain level of service and amenities from a reputable gym like Virgin Active. The absence of hot water in the showers significantly detracted from my overall experience. It left me feeling uncomfortable and inconvenienced, as a cold shower after a workout is far from ideal.

While I acknowledge that circumstances beyond the gym's control, such as load shedding, can disrupt services, it is the responsibility of the management to find alternative solutions to ensure the basic comforts for their members. A gym of this caliber should have contingency plans in place to handle such situations and minimize the impact on members' experience.

On a positive note, the gym itself appeared well-maintained and equipped with a range of fitness machines and equipment. However, the lack of hot water in the showers was a significant drawback that overshadowed these positives.

I hope that Virgin Active Gym Cedar Square takes this feedback into consideration and implements measures to address the issue of hot water availability during periods of load shedding. Members should not have to endure uncomfortable conditions after a workout, especially when they are paying for a premium gym experience.

In summary, my experience at Virgin Active Gym Cedar Square was marred by the absence of hot water in the showers. While external factors like load shedding may contribute to this issue, the lack of backup solutions was disappointing. As a result, I left the gym feeling unsatisfied and inconvenienced. I hope the management takes proactive steps to ensure that members' comfort and satisfaction are prioritized...

This morning, I arrived at Cedar Virgin at 5h50 not knowing it opens at 6am. The doors are open, trainers waljing around casually, noone at door lights on, I check in (one of 3 people to check in) and finish my drink with the staff casually walking passed saying nothing. I walk to get dressed, do so, and out of nowhere am accosted by a teammember who incredibly fake friendly insists I leave to return in 5minutes when they're open.

When I said oh, so we can all check in and be ignored until now to be chased out I was simply met with a frantic smiling "yes".

As I leave to go to the lovely and great Broadacres round the corner, I am acosted right outside the lockerroons by a second rude teammember insisting they are closed and I leave. Its 5h57. When I stopped her and said "Don't you worry I'll leave for Broadcres." she simply insisted that that's fine because they're also closed as rude as can be.

This all while other people are also confused inside and waiting to be chased out again for the full 3mins.

Broadacres, is open, friendly, helpful, accommodating and beyond all NOT rude due to their own inability to simply do their job and be polite about their own mistakes at the paying customer.

Cedar - not on. This, paired with the shocking state of the water damaged lockerrooms that looks like a glorified sewer in one corner at present, is a good way to go out of business.

Specially with the magnificent Broadacres and its wonderful team a stonesthrough away!!

Highly recommend skipping this place...