Pancras Square Leisure Centre

Pancras Square Leisure Centre

Pancras Square Leisure Centre
2.5
6:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
6:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
6:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
6:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
6:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
6:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
What people are saying
Terrible staff attitude
1.0 of 5 bubblesJul 2024
I’m glad I’m not the only one on here who’s had it up to the eyeballs with fast swimmers hogging the slow lanes. I entered the slow lane only to discover two fast swimmers were already in there. I swam at a moderately slow pace, while the other two swimmers proceeded to dart past me at lightning speed whilst thrashing around with the grace of an epileptic elephant. After a few lengths, one of the fast swimmers started overtaking me and hit me as he swam past. I ignored it the first time, but the second time it happened, I told him he should be in the medium lane as he was clearly too fast a swimmer. He objected to this, claiming he was a slow swimmer! I continued on my way, only for the lifeguard to start hollering for my attention. At the top of his voice, he told me the other swimmer was fine to overtake me. I replied that my issue wasn’t with him overtaking me. It was with the fact the guy was swimming too fast for the slow lane, and as a result, ended up hitting me twice with his flailing arms as he overtook me. To this, the lifeguard had the cheek to reply that he didn’t see the guy hitting me with his arms, basically implying that I was lying. I asked him why on earth I would lie about something like that and he fell silent. Very odd and sexist customer service approach - calling out and embarrassing the lone female swimmer who’s clearly in the right, and making a show of them in front of the whole pool. By this point another female swimmer had entered the slow lane and was visibly uncomfortable with the lifeguard's attitude. Laughably, this lifeguard also claimed that “it doesn’t matter” what speed a person’s swimming at - they can still use the slow lane and overtake slower swimmers. Going by that idiotic logic, what’s the point of having different speed lanes in the first place? I also very much doubt the same rules would apply or go down well if a slow swimmer obnoxiously took over a fast lane. I would recommend Better Pancras Square replace their current lifeguards with cardboard cut-outs to ensure a more intelligent and professional level of service.
Overcrowded, filthy and overpriced
1.0 of 5 bubblesJun 2024
The pool is nice and used to be great for a leisurely swim, but unfortunately in the past 6 months, it's gotten progressively more and more packed to an uncomfortable degree. If you're a slower swimmer, you're screwed as there's always at least one very fast swimmer rampaging down the slow lane and making it impossible to swim without being hit by them. Staff can see this going on but don't care or say anything. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to call these inconsiderate extra fast swimmers out for hitting me as they swim past, and to this day only one has apologised. The changing rooms constantly stink of poo and no one does anything about it. It just gets increasingly worse. Flies constantly circle the showers and there are often dead ones on the floor. This might have something to do with the fact Better use their lifeguards as cleaners as opposed to hiring actual cleaning staff. Disgraceful. I'm paying nearly £100 a month for Better membership and this centre is just one of several that doesn't bother replacing its broken hairdryers and straighteners. Instead they just plonk a "this will be fixed shortly" sign which stays up there for months and months if not a year+. The last thing to break was the swimming costumer drier, which was dismounted from the wall over a month ago, and STILL hasn't been replaced. The staff have been made aware all of these changing room hygiene/broken equipment issues umpteenth times by multiple people, but still they do absolutely nothing about it. I've had enough, to be honest, and will be cancelling my Better membership this month.

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The area

Address
Neighborhood: Kings Cross
How to get there
  • King's Cross St. Pancras • 4 min walk
  • Euston • 10 min walk
Reach out directly

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


2.5
2.5 of 5 bubbles27 reviews
Excellent
4
Very good
4
Average
6
Poor
5
Terrible
8

Nintai
4 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022
After my first experience in the premises I can point a few young guys that were gathering at the entrance of the sauna talking really loud, being noisy and agitated. I was not happy with this as I go there to de-stressed myself, to relax. The lockers cost 20 pence however that 20 pence are not returned, hahahah found a bit greedy after the price you already payed to use the installations, however I had no change, and at reception the staff neither could provide some change. The plunge pool was empty, no water. So in my opinion the service was incomplete.

Nevertheless I enjoyed as much some swimming, sauna and steam room
Written September 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DavidGreene_1986
London, UK4 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2016 • Solo
I have mixed feelings about this gym – on the one hand it is new build with modern machinery and generally good facilities and in a great location, however, a number of small things, which I believe are easily fixable, do in my opinion let them down. Instead of just mentioning my negative experiences at the leisure centre I’ve also suggested some easy fixes which I think are easily doable, and I hope of use to the centre management:

Faulty Machines: the advanced machinery (you need to have an account and login to use it) often doesn’t work on a couple of the machines. A number of times I’ve tried using a machine only to find it isn’t recognising any ID keys and so can’t be used, the machine then isn’t identified as being out of order for a couple of days (there isn’t a sign on the machine) and then not fixed for a couple more. Easy fix – staff should identify machines not used at peak times and check to see if there is a reason why, an ‘out of order’ sign needs to be put up quickly if faulty and then the machine fixed promptly.

Towels: I’ve been a member of a handful of gyms and I’ve never seen any as bad as this. Collecting a towel should be one of the most simple things in the world and take only a couple of seconds, however it’s frequently turned into a task far more laborious and time consuming than it needs to be – sometimes they’ve run out of towels altogether. When attempting to pick up a towel I’ve often been told to wait my turn in a queue for a couple of minutes, or on the occasions when I politely interrupt and ask for a towel I’ve been given extremely unfriendly stares; which is all unnecessary as collecting a towel should be a simple and quick process. Easy fix – have a large pile of rolled up towels either on the desk just before the gates or on a table just after them, keep this pile well stocked and have a polite sign asking members to only take one towel each so you don’t run through stock too quickly.

Swimming lanes: this is a massive bugbear of mine, the lifeguards don’t manage the pool at all – they are not present just to stop people drowning, but to manage the pool: no running, no bombing, no petting etc., this should extend to managing the Fast/Medium/Slow lanes during ‘Swim for Fitness’ times. There are often very slow people in the fast lane, which is extremely frustrating when trying to keep to a swim fitness regime but have people idling along in the fast lane who need to be constantly overtaken. Fast, Medium and Slow lanes are obviously relative to the swimmers present in the pool, but on most extrememly slow swimmers, or on occasion, people learning to swim, should not be in the fast lane. Easy fix - the lifeguards should assess the swimmers in the pool in a given ‘Swim for Fitness’ session, and when they need to they should politely ask swimmers to move into a faster or slower lane when required; there used to be a lifeguard who did this, but is sadly no longer working at Pancras Square leisure centre.

20p for swim lockers: this is fine for non-members, but members should be given tokens to use as we’ve surely already paid for this in our membership!?

As I stated above, I do like the gym and think that the areas in which it consistently lets itself down (in my opinion) can easily be fixed at pretty much no cost to the centre, apart from the time taken for staff training and reduced income from the 20p locker charges to members.

Perhaps the suggestions for towels and ‘Swim for Fitness’ session pool management could be trialled for a month or two, followed by a survey to see if it has positively impacted the user experience, which I think it would do.

I do hope this feedback and my suggestions are useful.
Written March 15, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Yrt212
London, UK18 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2015
The location is great and the equipment is new and easy to use.

The staff and service is absolutely abysmal. The woman who first signed me up gave me the wrong information and charged me double for the joining fee. This was amended after waiting 45 for a manager to turn up. My induction was a mess. I was told I would be given a thorough guided tour but the guy showed me one running machine, how to use the key and a quick walk around the gym space. Only after insisting, he showed me around the pool area, where classes are held and where to get changed and put my things. He seemed very put out by making this extra effort but I don't care - I'm paying £70 a month so show me once & i'll happily not bother you again.

I spent a few months coming and going quite happily to the gym but, unfortunately, you have to pass through reception each time to get in and they are the most miserable and unhelpful bunch of people you'll ever meet. I don't know if part of the job description is to be full of contempt and apathy.

Anyway, after finding the changing rooms to be quite dirty on a regular basis and witnessing staff at reception openly making fun of an elderly lady who was hard of hearing, I decided to end my membership. It's a shame because the place has potential but I can't justify the price for such terrible service.

Written November 2, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ms E
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2024 • Solo
The pool is nice and used to be great for a leisurely swim, but unfortunately in the past 6 months, it's gotten progressively more and more packed to an uncomfortable degree. If you're a slower swimmer, you're screwed as there's always at least one very fast swimmer rampaging down the slow lane and making it impossible to swim without being hit by them. Staff can see this going on but don't care or say anything. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to call these inconsiderate extra fast swimmers out for hitting me as they swim past, and to this day only one has apologised.

The changing rooms constantly stink of poo and no one does anything about it. It just gets increasingly worse. Flies constantly circle the showers and there are often dead ones on the floor. This might have something to do with the fact Better use their lifeguards as cleaners as opposed to hiring actual cleaning staff. Disgraceful.

I'm paying nearly £100 a month for Better membership and this centre is just one of several that doesn't bother replacing its broken hairdryers and straighteners. Instead they just plonk a "this will be fixed shortly" sign which stays up there for months and months if not a year+. The last thing to break was the swimming costumer drier, which was dismounted from the wall over a month ago, and STILL hasn't been replaced.

The staff have been made aware all of these changing room hygiene/broken equipment issues umpteenth times by multiple people, but still they do absolutely nothing about it. I've had enough, to be honest, and will be cancelling my Better membership this month.
Written July 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

V R
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Solo
I’m glad I’m not the only one on here who’s had it up to the eyeballs with fast swimmers hogging the slow lanes. I entered the slow lane only to discover two fast swimmers were already in there. I swam at a moderately slow pace, while the other two swimmers proceeded to dart past me at lightning speed whilst thrashing around with the grace of an epileptic elephant.

After a few lengths, one of the fast swimmers started overtaking me and hit me as he swam past. I ignored it the first time, but the second time it happened, I told him he should be in the medium lane as he was clearly too fast a swimmer. He objected to this, claiming he was a slow swimmer! I continued on my way, only for the lifeguard to start hollering for my attention. At the top of his voice, he told me the other swimmer was fine to overtake me. I replied that my issue wasn’t with him overtaking me. It was with the fact the guy was swimming too fast for the slow lane, and as a result, ended up hitting me twice with his flailing arms as he overtook me. To this, the lifeguard had the cheek to reply that he didn’t see the guy hitting me with his arms, basically implying that I was lying. I asked him why on earth I would lie about something like that and he fell silent. Very odd and sexist customer service approach - calling out and embarrassing the lone female swimmer who’s clearly in the right, and making a show of them in front of the whole pool. By this point another female swimmer had entered the slow lane and was visibly uncomfortable with the lifeguard's attitude.

Laughably, this lifeguard also claimed that “it doesn’t matter” what speed a person’s swimming at - they can still use the slow lane and overtake slower swimmers. Going by that idiotic logic, what’s the point of having different speed lanes in the first place? I also very much doubt the same rules would apply or go down well if a slow swimmer obnoxiously took over a fast lane. I would recommend Better Pancras Square replace their current lifeguards with cardboard cut-outs to ensure a more intelligent and professional level of service.
Written July 30, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

paul p
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Friends
Filthy fiasco!!

This locations abysmal cleanliness standards are glaringly evident in the men's shower rooms, with an alarming presence of worms and flies. The cleaning staff's negligence, underscored by their apparent reluctance to use disinfectant, leaves a persistent unclean ambiance, even during their so-called "cleaning" activities.

It's apparent that the staff's training focuses more on cosmetic mark removal than actual cleanliness or disinfection. Prepare to encounter nails, pubic hairs, and various bodily fluids in the showers—a truly disgraceful situation. I must discourage anyone from even considering this facility due to these severe hygiene concerns.

Brace yourself and pack loads of bottles of Dettol and sanitiser - slippers are a must if you even dare to venture in. It's far wiser to avoid this place entirely. Shockingly, despite being informed over 5 months ago, the manager has taken no corrective action, as the staff candidly revealed. It's so important to bring this gross hygiene lapse to the attention of the council housed in the same building. It’s Shameful and appears a result of cost cutting the staff say. Something really need be done here if they’re to stay operational.
Written December 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

rj22222
midlands, UK8 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Solo
Ok leisure centre pool for lane swimming, pretty standard really but no complaints. Really just wrote the review to say lockers are 30p and there's a token machine that takes contactless as this I couldn't find this info elsewhere!
Friendly staff
Written April 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Stephen F
Halifax, UK3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Solo
I use the gym and sometimes, the pool when I am in London, which is very occasional. Every time I go, I am blown away with how friendly and helpful the staff are. The gym is busy but fine and the pool tends not to get too crowded for length swimming. Recommended.
Written October 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Adrian Colegate
Stevenage, UK56 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2016 • Solo
I've been visiting the pool here for a week now and I'm generally unhappy with everything about the swimming facilities.

When you enter, you check-in using a computer terminal (only 1 of which was working today) which scans your membership card and inexplicably spits out a completely blank slip of paper as a receipt.

The changing rooms are small and have 2 weird curved benches and 2 changing cubicles. This might have looked great on a 60's "artists impression" of the design. In reality it's unusable and woefully inadequate. You can't help but immediately get in each-other's way.

The floors and curved benches were always dirty.

Only 50% of the wash basins have been working all week, there's only 1 toilet cubicle and the swimming costume "spinner" was ineffective, leaking and had a mop bucket under it to catch the constant dripping.

The lockers cost you 20p every time you need to lock them which isn't refundable. This is the 21st century for goodness sake. I intend to swim every weekday before work, so this means my monthly swim membership goes up by at least £4. Today I had to try 3 different lockers to find one that didn't have a coin jammed in it, rendering it inoperable. The keys have ancient rubber "manacles" attached to them which you're supposed to put round your wrist or ankle. No thanks - I want to be hydrodynamic, If I wanted to make my training harder I'd wear drag shorts.

The pool is split into 5 lanes which is too many. This leaves them only just wide enough for 2 people to pass each-other. The lane speeds are printed on boards at the far end of the pool in text so small that you can't read it. This means slow swimmers swim in any lane they like and get in everyone's way. The lifeguards seem indifferent and do nothing. On the plus side, it is a 25 metre pool and the water is nice and clear and doesn't smell or taste of chlorine.

After a long aerobic swim, you need a nice cool shower and a cool environment in which to calm down and slowly get changed. Sadly neither of these exist here. The showers don't have temperature controls, so it's cold initially, then too hot after a few seconds: useless. The air conditioning in the changing rooms is also non-existent. So in the hot, cramped, dirty changing rooms with broken facilities I continue to sweat profusely and can't cool down or dry out until I actually leave the building.

A very poor experience overall.
Written September 29, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

marco r
London, UK5 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2016 • Solo
after I've paid my membership I've been told that I need to book and induction before I can start using the gym, that took one week, cause no availability in the evening. So I paid a week for nothing, and when I went to the induction the staff told me they have to measure my blood pressure, since it seems to high I have to go to the doctor before I can start training. that means I paid 3 weeks (50 quid) and I can't use the gym. Cancelled my membership straight away.
plus, small and super busy gym.
Written January 14, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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