Car park
I visited the club for a meeting of Toastmasters International, a Hertfordshire branch.
We parked in a large open air car park. No trouble finding a space.
We saw two similar colour cars parked alongside. One of my friends said, "I see two cars of similar colour parked alongside. My friend said that often happens. I wonder why that is?"
Another friend suggested, "They like to be together."
I don't think it's true.
"You park where there's a space. One large enough."
I park away from others, between two empty spaces, so I can get out easily without damaging my car or anybody else's. I hope the space will stay free. I have been known to photograph my car in a large car park so that I can find it again.
The Shop
The large sports shop stocked swim and gym wear. Some high priced items, others were on sale at reduced prices. I could have bought leggings in various patterns and styles, plain or with patterns or embellishments (like thick tights without feet or short stretchy skinny trousers) in various colours, lowest price about £20. I needed a pair to wear under an ankle length skirt on a cold October day, but decided a pair of tights would be cheaper.
Gym Sizes and Membership Prices
Gym membership comes in assorted prices. Several gyms in London have regular offers in their windows or in local newspapers of reduced price memberships at certain times of year or to attract a second member of your family to join.
Work Perk
You can also get corporate memberships. Some businesses offer gym membership as a perk to attract or keep staff. Others like to keep staff happy, or healthy. Or a small business might want to get a reduced price for the boss and family, and offset the membership off tax.
Some gyms allow you to work out at a second gym in their group, or another local gym. This is handy if you work in one area but live in another. You might want to beat the traffic and go to work early, or you need to work late.
Other gyms allow you to use any of their gyms worldwide, which is good for those who are constantly travelling. With some gyms this is a permanent feature, others have a two tier membership, lower price for membership of your local gym, higher price for membership of a group of gyms. belonging to gyms in a group means that if one facility is out of use for renovations or maintenance, you can use a different gym. They might also have different hours, for example at evenings or weekends or over the Easter and Christmas holidays.
Visitors
Soem gyms are exclusively for members. Others run classes which are open to outsiders. Some allow members to bring in guests. If you attend only intermittently, you might go to classes at a gym and pay the visitor rate.
Fees for guests vary enormously. Once club might let you bring in a visitor for just £5. Others, such as one in Hong Kong which had reciprocal membership of a club I belonged to in Singapore, was charging £50 for a day visit and use of the swimming pool. In some you need to be a guest of a member. Other clubs let anybody attend. But you often have to show photo ID such as a passport.
I imagine this is for all kinds of security, but because people using gyms and swimming pools are leaving clothes and valuables in lockers or lying around, mainly to prevent theft, such as credit cards and clothes from changing rooms, more than gym property. From conversations I have had with gym staff, including trainers, visitors find it is a nuisance to have to produce ID. But this is for the protection of everybody, staff, members and visitors.
Visitors to gyms and club swimming pools can often attend classes, or swim, by paying a fee. If I were a regular visitor I would check on ebay whilst sitting in the cafeteria, or car park, and then look at the shop again. It is nice to be able to see goods in your hand and choose the size and colour and thickness and quality, especially if you are in the mood to buy or need new or replacement gear for a lesson or workout session. Also to buy instantly.
I have often been two to gyms in North West London, one in Northwood where my family used to be a member, and another in Harrow, Fitz Gym, which has no shop, although it is behind a shopping mall containing a Sports shop and a Marks and Spencers. It is nice to have a gym on site. You can go shopping whilst waiting for others.
The Food
The cafeteria is spacious and elegant. I was pleasantly surprised. It overlooks a sports area. The tables are large. They suit a small group of four who can gather at one end, or a large group.
On a Sunday lunch time there was a short queue. A cabinet sold yogurt, and some children size portions. The main menu offered baked potatoes with fillings. One of my friends ordered large thick sandwiches with salad including small tomatoes. Another person had a main meal, I think it was fish, with chips and a slice of lemon on the side. We sat down to wait and their hot food came up in about ten minutes.
I found a children's size meal of two hard boiled eggs. That seemed to me a healthy option, right for my diet, with no sauces. The charge was a very reasonable price of £1.25.
The cappuccino came up in huge cups. The top layer was froth. Oner person uncovered the froth and found the cup was only two thirds filled with liquid. However, the cup was so large that the cupful was a generous sized portion and she soon agreed with us that she had plenty.
The light bulb had blown in the lobby of the room where we were meeting so we were trying to sign in in an indoor area in semi-darkness. A member of staff suggested that we moved to another table under a light by another wall. This worked. But I thought we should have had the light fixed during the five hour meting, or beforehand.
We had the use of an adjoining room by an empty bar for the contestants who had to leave the room and be called in. That room seemed rather cold when I arrived and the room was empty. But maybe the warmth of the people changed things because later when the group gathered it was fine.
The jugs of water ran out and we had to ask staff to re-fill them. A couple of members of staff were around to look after our group.
David Lloyd Club,
Hatfield Business Park,
Hatfield
Herts AL10 9AX
Tel
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