Equinox

Equinox, is a super swanky, luxury gym based just off High Street Kensington. Equinox is an American company, famous for being at the top end of the gym scene, with high end personal trainers, equipment and all round star service. It is renowned for it’s hefty monthly fees, so I was intrigued to see how much it differed from your average high street gym

The gym is situated on the 5th floor in the same building as the Kensington Roof Gardens. The fact it is at the top of the building is significant, because there is so much natural light in the gym. The day I visited, it was a gloriously sunny day, and it was so nice to feel that sunshine and look out at the views, rather than being stuck in a gym with artificial lighting, and no windows.

The gym is set up in an oval shape. I met with Membership Advisor, Rory Butler, who explained the reason for this is so you can look at other people working out, and it motivates you to keep going. The gym has multiples of the same equipment, so you never have to wait for a machine. The Machines are all the latest and top quality models, I was introduced to the Alter G Anti Gravity Treadmill, which claims to take the aches and pains out of cardiovascular training by “unweighting” runners from 20 to 100 percent of their bodyweight, one percent at a time. This reduces the risk of stress related injuries, while allowing athletes to train harder, faster, and smarter in a safe, controlled environment.

I was also introduced to the Curve, which is powered by you. There is no electricity. You work to power it, so you burn 30% more calories than on an average treadmill. The running surface actually absorbs energy at the point of impact, which eliminates harmful shock to joints & connective tissues. When I used this I realised just how hard it was, it felt more natural than running on a treadmill.

The gym has weights, dumbbells, foam rollers, kettle bells. It also has soft plyometric boxes, which offer a soft and safe landing when doing jump training. Another stand out machine was the Matrix StairMaster, this  engages the body’s largest muscle groups to repeatedly lift your body weight up, step after step. They claim this is more effective than a treadmill, as you are constantly carrying your weight uphill. This was a real fat burner, and it was my favorite machine to use, as it works you so hard.

As well as the quality equipment, you also have eucalyptus infused cold towels to keep you cool. There is a juice bar where you can pick up a fresh juice, as well as healthy snacks such as eat, love, raw bars, vereo snacks and Plenish cleanse cold pressed juices. There is a boxing studio, with top of the range punch bags, a spinning studio with the latest bikes and lastly there is a creche which charges only £7.00 for two hours!

The trainers and instructors are sent across to America to be trained, to ensure each client receives expert advice and the latest techniques. The club also offers a varied class schedule from boxing to pilates to cycling. I did the Inside out Barre class with Instructor, Anne- Mette Friis. Anne- Mette has a background in ballet and that was apparent throughout the class. The class was similar to other barre classes I have done. My only criticism was the class was quite full (roughly 20 people) so sometimes it was difficult to spot the instructor, and you missed out on that one on one direction, that you would get from a smaller class. There are other signature classes here, such as Whipped, Tabata and Metcon3 which I have heard great things about, and would love to go back and try out.

The monthly fee of £183.00 sounds expensive, but Equinox is offering you everything from one place, you don’t need to pay your monthly gym fee plus paying for additional barre, pilates, spinning classes elsewhere. You can get it all in a luxury gym, knowing you have the best equipment and trainers to hand, and you can cool down with a eucalyptus towel afterwards!