Withington Baths & Leisure Centre

I’m a big fan of the older style of swimming pool, more into patterned tiling than souless chrome so this pool was right up my alley! As Emma-​Lou pointed out, some may find it a little rough around the edges but I’d rather a little bit of run down-​ness than overly polished newness.
£2.40 for a swim seems reasonable to me, I paid £4.40 as I felt like a bit of a sauna too. The sauna area is small enough, but there are a few chairs/​loungers and a shower area. Not exactly a cosy spot to relax in but you could just always pop back in the pool between sauna sessions. There are special days/​times for single sex sauna use, listed on the website. There are also adult only swimming sessions which is handy as considering the size of this pool (25m and not particularly wide) you wouldn’t get much in the way of lane swimming in if there were lots of kiddies about.
I didn’t go to the gym but it looked to have a few of all the usual machines and things when I passed by. It seems there are a good selection of fittness classes on too.
Enjoy, c*

Okay. Those of you following the saga of me attempting to get changed discreetly re: the low cubicle doors at Withington Leisure Centre’s pool, it turns out I was using the side of the pool dedicated to male changing rooms. Colour me egg-​faced.
Also, it would appear that on a Tuesday this place massively quietens down at 8am. Word to the wise!

Withington Leisure Centre is a decent gym and sports complex, and as I was a regular user for a year, I feel an attachment to its pleasant community vibes. However, I do feel it should be given a slightly more honest depiction.
It has indeed got some nice little features, notably the boxing classes, which as a lad, were great fun and a very very good work-​out. Additionally, the bloke who runs them is constitutive of an absolute legend. Those of the female species have oft reported on the yoga classes in a similarly positive tone.
However, whilst previous reviews have correctly praised its prices, I do feel it should be noted that the gym equipment here should not be compared to that of Virgin, or even the similarly priced Armitage Centre in Fallowfield. Whilst both of those aforementioned establishments can boast state of the art Techno-​Gym equipment, Withington Leisure Centre could more accurately claim its equipment has historic value, or that it featured in the 1980 classic ‘Raging Bull’.
Having said that, the cardio equipment seems newer and better. For me, using slightly worse machines is a small price to pay for a very cheap gym which is never too full and plays good music. So I still prefer it to Virgin.
The pool is a slight let down, so don’t join if its your main reason for doing so. You can only swim for a couple of hour-​long slots each day because the pool is usually in use for school swimming lessons or OAP women’s aerobics. If you’re mainly interested in the Gym though, it’s a nice bonus to have the odd free swim.
I like Withington Leisure Centre a lot, but it probably wont be perfect for everyone.

I’m glad that when they built the gigantic Aquatics Centre they didn’t let the smaller quainter leisure centres around town turn to wreck and ruin. Whilst the Aquatics Centre is certainly more suitable for serious swimming, it is nice to have convenient local pools such as Chorlton Leisure Centre and Withington Leisure Centre.
Withington Leisure Centre is home to a 25m pool, a sauna, gym and they also hold aerobics and aqua aerobics classes. Memberships are available. My friend had a student membership which she said was really good value as long as you used the facilities a couple of times a week — it’s about half the price you would pay at the swanky Virgin gym at Parrs Wood.
It’s a little bit cheaper for a swim here than at the AC but you have to be prepared to circumnavigate loitering biddies and splashing kids as there are no lanes, and there is free swimming for under 16s and over 65s!
The best thing is that you don’t need to worry about finding a pound coin for the locker and lugging your pile of clothes, shampoo, towel etc around (which inevitably leaves you with soggy knickers or your towel on the bottom of the pile when you get out!). You simply leave all of your belongings in one of the cubicles around the edge of the pool. I like that traditional touch, and although this pool isn’t as pretty as Victoria Baths or as functional as the Aquatics Centre, it’s a good place to swim if you live in Withington or Fallowfield.