Barry’s London Canary Wharf — Local services in London

I was excited for an Orange Theory-type workout (ie. 30 minutes cardio / 30 minutes weights). Unfortunately, I left with a migraine headache. The audio in the workout space was beyond decible levels that are safe for humans. I've never felt so much pain in my body from speakers jamming my ears with noise. This is listed nowhere on the website, but it's not an unknown fact to the gym.

The staff know this as well, as they supply you with earplugs in the beginning (no joke). As I am an expat here, maybe the UK doesn't have the same health restrictions for music levels in gyms as other countries in the Commonwealth, so it could be normal here. I've never left a workout with a migraine headache and literally not being able to hear anything after (even still now).

Also note - the "red room" isn't red. They turn the lights out so it's pitch black about 50% of the time. The only time the lights are red are when the instructor is explaining an exercise. So if you need some sort of light to help keep you centred on a treadmill, see yourself in a mirror, or have any vision restrictions requiring light, please note this and come prepared.

The class was as expected from a fitness perspective... sort of (I'm familiar with this type of workout, so I was able to sort of catch on by watching... but I would not recommend it for someone who has never done a workout like this, or a novice athlete). The instructor didn't say hi to new members in the class (a first for me), introduce himself, ask for pre-existing conditions/injuries, or give modifications in the workout. As a certified PT myself, these are 4 things that aren't great to overlook. Possibly a refresher in personal training courses could help the instructor remember these things. Additionally, because the music was beyond loud, there was no way my end of the class could hear the instructor as he had to crank up his mic so loud and it constantly clipped.

With respect to registration, workouts are listed on the website and you pick your treadmill or floor spot when you register. When you're registering, if you see that the Treadmill spot (marked as T1/2/3/4/etc) is booked, then just pick an associated floor spot. You will share with that treadmill spot in the same number. But your number will decide if you start on the floor, or on the treadmill. (meaning if you pick a treadmill when you register, you'll start there, and your second set will just be a floor spot. and vice versa if you pick a floor spot when you register)

Since instructors don't tell you at the beginning, treadmills are calibrated to run in MPH (not KMPH) and weights are in KGs. If you're

I’m really disappointed with Barry’s Bootcamp’s policy of letting prepaid sessions expire without any warning. At no point during the purchase (at the studio) was I informed of an expiration date, nor did I receive any reminder that my sessions were about to lapse near the expiration date. It feels like a deliberate tactic to make people lose what they’ve already paid for!

There are plenty of fitness studios that value their clients and treat them fairly, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS TO THE BUSINESS’ REPLY:

Thank you for your response. I’d like to offer two pieces of constructive feedback: (1) Please ensure your staff explicitly inform customers at the time of purchase that class credits come with an expiration date as relying solely on signage near the till or small print is not sufficient. (2) Consider implementing a system to notify customers when their credits are nearing expiration, whether by email, app notification, or even a quick sms or call. A simple reminder would go a long way in showing respect for your clients’ time and money.

I hope you take this onboard. While I appreciate the eventual extension, I don’t think it is fair for me to pay a fee when all of this could have been avoided with clearer communication...

It was my first time at a Barry's class yesterday and the trainers couldn't have been more helpful and lovely at Canary Wharf! Any questions I had, they were quick to answer. They were checking in with me before hand and getting me excited and asked after me afterwards too. The trainer for the class, Chiara, was so welcoming and after a quick induction before everyone else came in, led such a cool class! She was so engaging and made the effort to refer to people by their name to make you feel like she was pushing you specifically in a class of 20/30+. The class itself was wicked, a great balance of cardio and weight training with people being able to push themselves as much as they want. I was actually in awe of how Chiara was able to effectively run two classes simultaneously!

The facilities at the gym are stunning too, gorgeous changing rooms with literally anything you could need (ghd hair tools, towels, nice soaps, hairspray/deodorant/dry shampoo, cotton buds and tampons) and they're so clean and tidy as well as looking nice!

I'll definitely be back, I'm now a full Barry's convert. If anything, I'll head back for the great smoothies...