Stage Three in the easing of lockdown is momentous for those who hold fitness dear. Gyms and indoor swimming pools have been open for a few weeks, but governed by a slew of rules banning people from two different households to deliberately mix, along with indoor group exercise classes, and so on.

Group classes are now back, steam rooms and saunas are open, and the endorphin buzz that fuels our gym communities has returned (I defy you to break plank if everybody else is shaking on in there).

Forget home workouts - the pandemic has seen the five-star service of high-end gyms really come into its own. Such establishments have had cleanliness down pat for years with sanitation staff on constant duty. They also come with a line-up of top trainers offering one-on-one coaching, and they have luxurious facilities to wind down in afterwards.

Here's what gym-goers are in for at the UK’s most sought-after gyms.

The Ned

Cost: annual membership is £3,150 with a £1,000 joining fee

Jake Manning, Ned’s Club Gym manager, is thrilled at the arrival of Stage Three. “Group exercise creates such a community. After months of virtual classes, our members are so pumped to be back.”

Group classes have continued in some form at The Ned, thanks to its two outdoor terraces which are heated with retractable canopies - but now its mix of daily HIIT, yoga, strength and conditioning and pilates classes is back indoors, ramping back up to 35 classes per week.

Classes will be limited to six people and the team has implemented an intensive cleaning programme. “The health and well-being of our members, guests and staff is our top priority,” says Manning. “To keep them feeling safe we are managing capacity closely and we are closing the gym and changing rooms every 90 minutes for a 30-minute clean.” Members can also use machines independently or book personal training sessions.

The Ned’s library of digital classes remains open for its members, but personal training (“we have a team of six PTs, specialising in everything from pre- and postnatal training, weight lifting and biomechanics”) and top tech will lure members back indoors. “The gym was fully refurbished in December 2020 – and includes Peloton bikes, BeaverFit training rigs (for CrossFit-style training) and Technogym cardio and strength equipment,” concludes Manning.

27 Poultry, EC2R 8AJ; thened.com

Third Space

Cost: from £165 per month

Master Trainer at leading gym group Third Space Lucie Cowan is delighted that group classes are back. “To say we’re ready would be an understatement,” she says of the high energy classes the group is known for, from treadmill running to pilates, HIIT, cycling and yoga. “We are elated and excited to reintroduce group exercise. We are still practising all our social distancing guidelines and maintaining all the rigorous safety measures we put in place before the third lockdown, which we're confident ensured our members felt safe.”

“We’re fortunate that our clubs are all large spaces, which bodes well for social distancing. Thermal cameras will scan all members and staff core body temperature on entry. We’ve invested in the best hygiene technology, including air systems integrated with bipolar ionisation technology to maximise fresh air.”

Mandatory booking prior to attendance means Third Space can keep a constant track of capacity, and equipment has been arranged to help everyone maintain social distancing. Routine sanitisation practices are rigorous and frequent, with a large housekeeping team, clear signage and plenty of sanitising stations for gym-goers.

Third Space has also created an online class library in its newly built filming suite so that members can follow along from home. “We have strived to cater to every type of workout our members may desire, including new audio running programmes,” says Cowan. "Every member is being sent a personalised programme they can follow when training alone in the gym, via our app, based on their individual goals and interests, alongside a personalised nutrition guide from our in-house nutritional kitchen Natural Fitness Food.”

E14 5ER; SE1 2AP; W1F 9US; EC3R 7AT; W1U 2HU; N1 1UL; thirdspace.london

Evolution by Matt Roberts

Cost: 25 personal training sessions from £2,250

“It’s great to have clients back in and be face to face for workouts again,” says Matt Roberts, whose Mayfair gym Evolution is regarded as the crème de la crème of bespoke fitness. “No matter how good tech can be, there is no real replacement for human interaction and I know clients and trainers have been missing it.”

Evolution specialises in one-to-one training, so the new rules fit seamlessly with Roberts’ proposition. “Our environment is always extremely highly cleaned and the space allows for a degree of broader distancing and privacy, so it really feels like normal,” he says. Along with screens, appropriate PPE and sanitising, Roberts explains he has ‘leaned into’ the new normal to enhance the luxuriousness of the experience with locker room and bespoke client management.

“It’s even more personal, in order to make our clients feel safe and to provide the extreme high-end service that they love.” Roberts is known for a bespoke approach to client coaching, including everything from blood testing to hormone screening, biomechanical analysis and bio-hacking with a resident ‘longevity doctor’ - so he has no doubt that clients will come flocking back.

That said, “virtual training continues to grow and will keep doing so,” explains Roberts. “The past year has allowed us to learn how to perfect the approach and we have a phenomenal service which also includes a super-fast supply chain for making a home gym.”

32 Grosvenor Square, W1K 2HJ; mattroberts.co.uk

KX

Cost: membership from £615 per month, with a £2,000 joining fee

Stage three was a long time coming for Graziano Arricale, CEO of luxurious KX studio in Chelsea. “The team and I are thrilled,” he said. “It marks the welcome return of some normality for our members. Classes are back, along with indoor dining at KX restaurant."

Bookings for the first week of classes went live one week in advance and filled up instantly. "We will continue to ensure adherence to social distancing measures - the health of our members and staff will always remain our first priority,” says Arricale.

KX has turned to technology to guarantee it’s spick and span: “We use THOR UVC technology - the most powerful hospital-grade steriliser worldwide - throughout the club, everyone is required to use our temperature scanner on arrival, and safe social distancing will also remain in place. It’s incredibly important our members are made to feel comfortable,” says Arricale.

He adds that his team hasn't had to do much persuading to get members back indoors for the 100-plus classes KX offers every week, which are included in the monthly membership fee. “They are excited to get back; they see it as a home away from home. Our PTs are the very best in the industry, plus our studios are unrivalled in terms of equipment and technology.”

He is referring to the club’s new Red Fit Cardio lab, a therapeutic studio with surround red and infrared lights. “Performing moderate cardio training under PBMT lights has been shown to improve cardiovascular health and fitness, target fat burning and upregulate the body’s antioxidant system,” says Arricale. “This cutting-edge therapy is available to all KX members.”

For those hesitant to step back indoors, virtual personal training, which KX has provided over the last year, will remain available.

151 Draycott Ave, SW3 3AL; kxlife.co.uk

Workshop at the Bulgari Hotel

Cost: annual membership from £5,500 with a £2,000 joining fee

Celebrity trainer Lee Mullins' dazzling Workshop gym inside the Bulgari hotel in Knightsbridge is continuing to focus on one-to-one sessions for the time being. “We've been super excited to be able to reopen, and have been ensuring clients feel safe,” he says.

As well as adhering to government recommendations, Workshop is undergoing a renovation which will enhance its exclusivity. “It will include a private training studio within the gym for guests to train in,” says Mullins. “Limiting the facility to only four appointments per hour will ensure an adequate amount of space for each client to train in.”

As for the success of the first month back, he says that clients haven’t needed much enticing at all: “They have been desperate to get back into the gym, which has been incredible. It’s often underestimated what a positive effect it can have on people emotionally. Hearing the excitement from clients has opened my eyes as to the impact these lockdowns have had on people's mental health.”

With an international staple of members, many of whom have left London to nest up in sunnier parts of the globe, Mullins will continue to offer virtual training through Zoom. But his digital offering is about to up its game: “I have been in LA working with one of the most exciting digital tech companies in the world to bring a new virtual training product to market that I believe is going to completely revolutionise the at-home and in-room training experience.”

171 Knightsbridge, SW7 1DW; workshopgymnasium.com

The Lanesborough Club and Spa

Cost: annual membership from £6,000

The glossy club and spa at Hyde Park Corner’s Lanesborough hotel is back in full swing, with the sauna and steam room reopening to join the gym and hydrotherapy pool, changing rooms and showers, as well as wellbeing and beauty treatments (courtesy of coveted brands such as Tata Harper and La Prairie), one-on-one personal training sessions and group classes.

Spending time there is a treat, with fully serviced marble changing rooms where staff will provide you with a locker, robe, and a menu of drinks, should you fancy a post-workout Americano. The gym - all dark wood and mirrors - is small but well equipped with Wattbikes, treadmills, weights and bodyweight areas. It has always had a keen focus on one-on-one training, which will - aside from the decadent spa facilities - draw its members back in quickly.

Its newly released ‘Train and spa with confidence’ statement explains that employee use of preventive equipment such as hydro-alcoholic gel, masks and gloves is mandatory, and strict sanitation protocols are observed by housekeeping staff who man the area 24/7. Over the past year, the club has run online classes and virtual personal training for its members (naturally, there are no hotel guests to speak of at the moment).

Hyde Park Corner, SW1X 7TA; lanesboroughclubandspa.com

Lanserhof at The Arts Club

Cost: annual membership from £5,000

Mario Pederzolli of Lanserhof at The Arts Club is ecstatic that Stage Three is underway. “We have been more fortunate than most in that our medical facility has remained open. It has been clear during this period that our members have appreciated coming in to see our team of doctors and specialists. Our members, trainers and instructors are all incredibly excited at the prospect of getting together again in a group environment to exercise. Social interaction and group training is such an important part of exercise.”

The vast majority of Lanserhof visits are by appointment only, but it has still gone all-in on Covid safety with air filtration systems, sanitising stations, deep cleaning and social distancing. Now that classes are back, they will be kept small in numbers. “We are a premium and exclusive space and our numbers are always limited to ensure this,” says Pederzolli. “More than a fitness club, Lanserhof at The Arts Club is home to a state-of-the-art medical clinic, with practitioners specialising in all aspects of health and wellbeing.”

Having spent pandemic downtime investing in new fitness equipment, there is a lot for members to be excited about. The offering includes Technogym’s revolutionary microchip technology (“which provides our members with a personalised training experience that continually tracks results”), interdisciplinary personal trainers that ensure you take an integrative approach to mastering goals, and services such as cryotherapy, vitamin infusions, and diagnostic testing from Lanserhof’s Spine and Movement Labs, MRI and 3D-body scanner.

Right now, it’s all about combating the effects of lockdown. “We actively encourage our members to do a full consultation with our medical director to ensure the best possible post-lockdown health and fitness programme,” says Pederzolli. Maintaining optimum health and wellbeing can be challenging in the current climate, but Lanserhof aims to make it easier with its team of medical and wellness experts.

17-18 Dover St, W1S 4LT; lhtac.com

Read more

• I was one of the first visitors back at a five-star spa - this is what to expect

• How the super rich are getting fit in 2021 ​

• The super-rich are escaping for ‘immune boosting’ trips in a bid to become immortal ​

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