Recreation Armadale has a good range of equipment and is never too busy unlike some of the Fitness First franchises in the area. The staff are friendly and accommodating and the classes. Facilities are good, although the pool is kept at 30 degrees which is too hot, and the change rooms are a little outdated. All in all good value and highly recommended.

Approximate cost: $14 per week

The classes are good, and I have liked several instructors. However I have had very serious concerns about the quality of the child care at the Glen Iris branch, and was not very pleased with the response of the owner to my suggestions for improvement. Six kids caught gastro there, and they just said "nothing to do with us". So while I go there myself, I don't take my daughter any more. Also the parking is a major hassle.

After comparing many health clubs in the area, Recreation offers excellent equipment with real value for money. I found the staff to be helpful and accommodating and am surprised by ratings on the contrary. Unlike other health clubs, Recreation didn't push the 'hard sell' and genuinely wanted to make sure that I was comfortable with the equipment and health club at large before I committed to purchasing a membership. I would definitely recommend this smaller chain to those of a large nature (Fitness First).

Having paid for a $50.00 gift voucher for 8 weeks, I thought fantastic, real value for money. The equipment is fantastic, the staff not so. They're inflexible, patronising, rude and totally unaccomodating. I was late due to traffic accident, on my first personal trainer appointment. Parking was difficult and in my haste I rammed into an illegally parked 4 wheel drive. 10 minutes before my appointment time, I arrived to be told I need another appointment. All I asked for was to be shown on how to work the equipment. No, they were adamant, cannot be done in so short a time. Imagine my surprise when at my next appointment, I was weighed, measured and my blood pressure taken - hardly more than a 10 minute exercise. My next appointment with a personal trainer was with someone feeling ill. He couldn't wait to get through the routine quickly and barked that I in actual fact needed a 1 hour appointment not just the half hour allocated. 20 minutes later he declared we were finished and after my protest reluctantly showed me how to work the treadmill and bicycle.

Approximate cost: $50.00