White Horse Leisure & Tennis Centre

This gym is gross. Like disgusting gross. If you care about cleanliness in the least, it is not the gym for you. In the actual gym area, there are zero steps taken to encourage gym goers to wipe down sweaty equipment they use. In fact, about 50% of the time I arrive (2-3 days a week), there is no cleaning spray at any of the three stations, or there are no paper towels to use. Every time one is out, I have to walk to the front desk to request one of the two. About half of the time, there’s no actual cleaning spray or towels in the building - they’ve run out and neglected to get it ordered on time, and won’t get a substitute from a local store. The other half of the time they have it in stock, but nobody has bothered to check and refill any of the stations. Gym goers sweat all over the machines, then walk away. There are no signs requesting people to wipe down machines. Even trainers working one-on-one with members have their person use a machine then leave without wiping it down. So cleaning is not taught or emphasized from the get go. It is the responsibility of the gym to create some kind of culture of cleanliness. White Horse does the opposite. I have arrived several times (today included) where I have either sat waiting for 30 minutes for someone to arrive with cleaning spray, or have not worked out at all because there’s no cleaning solution at all. I refuse to touch these disgusting machines without cleaning them first, since only about 1% of members wipe anything down. There have been days I have watched the gym full of 40 or so people, and track only one or two others who actually clean their gross sweat off the machines without cleaning they’ve used. This place would be shut down in the States. I have complained many times, asked to speak to whomever is in charge. Sometimes I get validation, sometimes I get dismissed. But at the end of the day the same. thing. happens. Nothing changes. If I had access to literally anywhere else I would stop coming here.

· via Google

Enjoyed lane swimming here during ‘Swim for all’. There was only 1 lane set up for medium speed which was actually too narrow for multiple people to pass each other. Swum lengths alongside this with a few others but because there was not actual lane for it everyone was weaving. Wish the lifeguards would use their initiative and set up another lane when it’s busy like that to enforce the clockwise direction. Used the steam room after my swim which was pleasant and not busy! Female showers were nice but could really do a good clean. Hair and bits of tissue all over the floor. Tiles are very mouldy in the showers.

· via Google

Good pool and sauna. Failing in hygene facilities: no private showers and in the male public showers customers are asked to stay in clothes. With thousands of people using facilities some percentage surely need to go to the toilet before going for the swim. Without the possibility of taking your clothes off and cleaning properly you can only imagine what it does to the pool water hygiene.

· via Google

Generally I love this swimming pool and I travel 20 minutes to get here rather than using my local. I find the booking process easy and it's usually much cleaner than others. Lately though the Learners Pool isn't heated to the same celsius as before and it's been much less appealing for babies/ very young children. Their skin is turning purple after half an hour despite lots of splashing about and we struggle to stay the full hour. On the other hand the showers are then scalding hot so we also can't stand under them for long as it's unpleasant. Not sure what has happened to the management of the pool area recently, it doesn't seem like anyone is checking the temperatures.

· via Google