The Newshound

David Lloyd bans men from spa areas during peak hours because some women feel uncomfortable, sparking equality row

A David Lloyd Clubs facility, where male members paying up to £500 a month are threatening formal equality-law complaints after being barred from spa areas with no equivalent men-only sessions offered.
A David Lloyd Clubs facility, where male members paying up to £500 a month are threatening formal equality-law complaints after being barred from spa areas with no equivalent men-only sessions offered.

Male members at David Lloyd Clubs are locked out of spa areas for a two-hour weekly window, with no reduction in membership fees and no reciprocal men-only session on offer. The upmarket gym chain — where couples' memberships can reach £500 a month — has pointed to 'significant feedback' from female members, including those with 'religious beliefs', to justify the women-only slots. One formal complaint has labelled the Thursday evening 18:00–20:00 exclusion 'active discrimination' against half the membership base.

Male members accuse David Lloyd of breaching equality laws that prohibit sex discrimination, with no equivalent men-only provision offered.

Couples paying up to £500 a month say the policy stops them using the spa together during peak hours.

'It is the responsibility of the club to ban those people, not punish the whole demographic to which they belong,' one furious member posted online.

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