We’ve always invested in our large clubs, with very spacious studios and equipment zones, which means we’ve been able to adapt the gym layouts and class capacities to apply social distancing without compromising our range and quality of services to ensure you can still enjoy all your favourite classes and workouts. You can read more about the changes we have made as well as some important notes for members below or click here to read more about the guidelines for getting back to gym after a long period of time, your risk profile and other COVID-19 considerations you should be aware of before you get back to training.
Membership info
The safety of you and our team is our number one priority. You can read more about the details around that below. But know that we are ready. Are you?
Under 18s
Unfortunately, restrictions are in place, Club-V will remain closed for now and all under 18 and Club-V memberships will automatically be frozen at no cost. However, we have made some changes to be able to welcome some of our kids and teens back.
Children between the
ages of 14 and 17 are welcome to come in and train from
1 September. To unfreeze a membership for a child in this age group,
please click here or email us on
unfreeze@virginactive.co.za.
We are opening our
pools to under 14s from Monday 21 September so the kids can get back in the water (active supervision is required throughout their swim and time in club). The pools will be open for swim squads, lap training, learn to swim and leisure swimming. If you would like to get your kids back in the water, you will need to unfreeze their membership which you can do by
clicking this link and specifying which under 14s you would like to unfreeze.
We are doing our best to open up our full kids offering and will keep you updated of any changes as we receive them.
Ready to come back?
Your membership was automatically frozen from 26 March 2020, with no debit order running for the entire period of closure. Your debit order will resume in the first week of September.
Not quite ready? Continue to freeze your membership.
We’ll continue to freeze your membership at no cost for the next 2 months (September and October 2020) if you don’t feel ready to come back yet. If you do wish to take advantage of the extended freeze, please do so by 10am on Monday 31 August as debit orders will be running as usual from 1 September. You can freeze online at
go.virginactive.co.za/freeze or by emailing us on
freeze@virginactive.co.za. You’ll be able to unfreeze your membership at any time if you want to come back sooner by emailing us on
unfreeze@virginactive.co.za.
If you choose to keep your membership frozen, you’ll still have free access to our online workouts for members on
Virgin Active Coach. With over 350 on-demand workouts and live weekday workouts, it’s guaranteed to keep you active and healthy. We also have some of our best Personal Trainers on hand to be your exercise partner online. They’ll create a unique and inspiring exercise plan to suit your goal, fitness level and current life circumstances and keep you motivated to succeed. View the packages.
Accessing the clubs: what's changed?
Train at the club most convenient for you
To help us make your exercise experiences as seamless as possible, we're offering you the ability to train at the club most convenient to you, which may have changed given the current situation. Click here to change your club. You'll also be able to access additional clubs close to you.
Please note:
- You'll still be able to access your home club
- Excludes Collection clubs for non-Collection members
- RED members may only change to another RED club (please get in touch if you'd like to upgrade your membership to a non-RED club).
50% capacity & booking update
Great news, we have moved to a 50% of capacity limit and as our clubs are so spacious, this will increase the number of spaces available for our members to train and allow more people to access the club. This means that you will no longer need to book a visit to a club,
only our group classes will need to be booked.
We will still need to manage capacity, so please check the
club capacity indicators on our website which will show you how busy the club is throughout the day. Class bookings are important for us to manage capacity in our studios and to avoid disappointing members who arrive and can’t be accommodated in a class. We have
changed the class booking process to make it easier to book, just visit
my.virginactive.co.za/bookings to view the timetable and use your membership or ID number to book. Please remember to cancel your booking if you can’t make it so that we can offer your space to another member.
You will be pre-screened when you arrive at the club (super quick, promise) and then you are free to train.
Using the facilities: What's changed?
We've made changes so that you can return to your workouts in an environment where safety and hygiene is a priority. We have taken the opportunity to implement measures that allow you to safely social distance, sanitise regularly and reap the benefits of an active lifestyle. We follow hospital-grade cleaning protocols for sanitisation and disinfection, and although indoors, our clubs have state-of-the-art ventilation systems which continuously pump fresh filtered air into the club.
Look out for our Virgin Active team members, who are on hand to assist in any way.
Watch this quick video for an overview of the protocols and precautions we've put in place or read more about them below.
Screening: Screening and temperature checks will take place on arrival. Member access is now also completely contactless and will confirm your timeslot and register your visit. Our team is health screened throughout the day, protected and well prepared.
Good hand hygiene: This is an effective measure in keeping viruses at bay and hand sanitiser stations are conveniently located throughout the club.
Social distancing: Our GRID lines marked out at reception, in the changerooms, on the gym floor and in the studios take the guessing game out of social distancing. We have the added benefit of having spacious clubs that naturally allow for
more-than-adequate personal space.
All our equipment has been spaced accordingly or decommissioned to allow adequate distance between you and your fellow gym-goers and we've optimised the use of all our areas in our clubs.
Changerooms: The changerooms will be a focal area for our
intensive cleaning efforts. Follow our GRID guidance to maintain appropriate social distancing and allow yourself and your fellow members space while using the changeroom facilities. Arrive dressed and ready to train if you can as this will reduce potential contact in the locker rooms. Based on the Government guidelines, signs will be posted indicating restrictions in place. Our showers are open and from 21 September our saunas and steam rooms will be too (except in East London and Port Elizabeth due to water shortages).
Using the equipment: Disinfectant spray and paper towelling are provided on the gym floor and in the studios. Please wipe down your equipment before and after use (please do not do this with your sweat towel). Small gestures make a big difference to everyone's peace of mind in a shared space.
Our health and hygiene crew will be sanitising and disinfecting all equipment throughout the day and we have clearly marked out weight drop-off zones where you can take your weights to be sanitised after your session.
PT sessions: To protect you and our team members, we will eliminate any physical contact during training sessions and our teams will keep their masks on all day. We have carefully marked out training spaces to make this all a little easier.
Masks: Government has released new regulations covering the use of masks in the club. The use of masks is no longer compulsory when members are undertaking vigorous activity, provided that they maintain a 2m distance from other people. A mask must be worn at all other times in the club, including on entry and exit. Our teams will still be masked up and we encourage members to use masks responsibly and with consideration for other members. Virgin Active will also have training masks available for sale in our clubs from 1 September 2020.
Group classes: We have optimised our timetables and adapted classes without compromising on the great workout you expect. You can do your favourite class with fewer people per class in your dedicated space demarcated by a GRID box. All classes are 100% bookable on the app so you will need to book beforehand to participate. Before and after each class, our health and hygiene team will do the all-important job of sanitising and disinfecting the space and the equipment, with a focus on high-touch areas.
Swimming pools: Pools will be open for all unfrozen members. There will be a
2 person per lane limit and a 5 person lane limit for squad training (as long as all members of the squad stick to the 1.5m social distancing protocol). Our pool systems are designed for high volume usage and ensure a healthy environment for members. All pools are disinfected using automated dosing systems and are tested by our staff at least 3 times a day. Our spa pools are similarly maintained and tested 5 times a day. There is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs or water playgrounds. Additionally, proper operation of these aquatic venues and disinfection of the water (with chlorine or bromine) should inactivate the virus.1.
1 Source: US Centre for Disease Control and Protections
Nutrition on the run: All Kauai's and Nüs will be open and operating between 6am-8pm daily. Sit down service will remain closed, but you can order and pick up on your way out of the club.
- At Kauai, you can order ahead on the app (be sure to check out their winter menu, yum!) and simply collect from the counter. Contactless payment will also be facilitated through the app and Partner Reward Vouchers can be redeemed at the till.
- At Nü, you can order at the counter on arrival and collect on your way out. Contactless payment will also be available via SnapScan and Discovery members can still redeem their Vitality vouchers. To get you back to healthy eating, you get 20% off anything on the Nü menu until 30 September.
Let's do this together
As we navigate through the re-opening of our clubs, there will be some new things to expect during each phase. Facilities and programming will vary by club and be consistent with Government guidelines. We appreciate your help and understanding as we work through this time together.
We are here, we have your best interests at heart, and we are committed to keeping you motivated and on-track to achieving your fitness goals one day at a time.
Be active. Be Safe.
#LiveHappilyEverActive
