Fitness First has completed a premium refurbishment of its Highbury gym
It boasts the most comprehensive recovery area to date
Two new sites are in legals in London
CEO, Marc Diaper, says the brand is now open to expansion beyond London
Fitness First UK has raised the bar with its latest refurbishment, in Highbury, London, as it continues to premiumise its estate.
This is the fifth refurbishment completed since August 2025 – following from London Bridge, Queens Park, Balham, Fenchurch Street – and has the most comprehensive recovery area to date.
Facilities include a red light therapy room, with a professional-grade bed which is used in clinical environments. Through a partnership with Bon Charge, red light therapy is also being offered in classes and recovery sessions.
A second plunge pool has been added so different temperatures can be offered. There's also percussion and compression therapy and an activation area. Teams are being educated to ensure that members get the most out of the recovery area.
All clubs feature EGYM equipment and Bioage Assessment, which has been branded 'Able' and is proving to be popular both with members and prospective members. Able is offered for beginners and progressive beginners and Able Pro has been created for intermediate and the more advanced members.
In the gym there's an increased strength offering with Life Fitness / Hammer Strength equipment, a new Technogym cardio line-up and a dedicated Hyrox / functional training space.
Five new categories of classes are on offer in the group exercise studio – strength, cardio, cycle, mind and body and fight, while Les Mills BodyPump, BodyPump Heavy, Strength Development, BodyAttack and Yoga retain their place on the schedule.
Reformer Pilates has been introduced, with a PILAT3S reformer studio. This is currently offered as part of the membership in the higher-tier clubs. The roll-out will also include clubs in the lower tiers and this will be an additional cost per class for members, with the option to upgrade. Classes are in high demand with long waitlists, so studio extensions are being looked into.
CEO, Marc Diaper, told HCM: “Our offering will evolve with each refurbishment to ensure we're staying ahead of where we believe things are going. Future clubs will be design-led and where space allows will offer co-working/social areas and fuel bars as well.
“We have a longer term vision of what the consumer will want over the next five years and this is the start of the evolvement of our offering. The take up on these new offerings have exceeded expectations so far and we have several more refurbishments and club extensions planned across the next 18 months.
“We're also in legals on two new sites and have agreed Heads of Terms on another, all of which are in London but we're open to other areas of the UK. The new sites will showcase all of the new features and more as we continue to evolve and progress our offering.”
Marc Diaper will be a keynote speaker at the HCM Summit in London on 22 October. Book your tickets here.
View the full speaker lineup at www.HCMsummit.live/speakers
