Review: The Club and Spa at The Cube, Birmingham

As someone who regularly eats out, whether to spend time with friends and family or to review venues for the blog, you would think exercise would be high on the list of priorities. Sadly, you'd be mistaken. Although I do enjoy the gym and exercise when I get the chance, I don't make time for it (naughty naughty).

However, when I was invited by the team at The Club and Spa to try out a personal training session and climbing wall experience, I dusted off my trainers and checked myself into the gym.

I was buddied up with Emma from Emma Victoria Stokes and together, we spurred each other on (read, dragged each other up from the floor).

First of all, we tried out the climbing wall and I was super excited to try something new. However, excitement quickly turned to fear, especially as the only way to get back down once you've gone high enough is to literally let go of the wall and trust in the ropes. Needless to say, I schrieked!

Our PT for the day, Connor, was amazing and helped us out with not just the safety and technical side of the experience, but also with lots of support and encouragement which really spurred us on.

Not only did we try climbing up the wall, we also did a traverse which is a sideways climb without ropes. This was my favourite part of the day and I would definitely try this again.

For members, use of the climbing wall is included in the membership. There are very few climbing walls in the area, so for anyone who likes climbing, it's a real bonus.

Next, we had our half hour PT session. I have never worked out with a PT and it was so much more fun having Emma with me :)

After a "warm up" on the rowing machines, we moved onto throwing stability balls and sled training. The stability ball exercise was all about lunging and throwing a giant ball at a basketball board, which was ok, but pushing the sled was a lot harder than you'd think, especially when required to crouch down to almost touch the floor.

Onto the battle ropes. I had never been acquainted with these two ropes, but I soon found out what I was in for. The first two ropes were big and heavy and we had to throw these to the ground so they made a very loud bang. The other two ropes were lighter and we had to move these up and down really quickly. This may sound easy, but trust me this my least favourite part of the session.

Lastly, we had a quick 10 minute spin battle on the bikes. Piece of cake right? By this point we were hot and sweaty, but my oh my, it felt good to be able to say I'd done something really productive with my morning!

Finally, we were able to wind down and use the spa facilities, including the pool, steam room, sauna and chill out rooms. There are also treatments available and a salt room for detoxing. I couldn't stay long so I lounged by the pool with a magazine, but hopefully I'll get a chance to go back for a full day soon.

We had a peek at the Champagne Nail Bar too whilst we were there, how luxurious!

The spa facilities were really good and I loved the mellow room with hanging chairs. The pool is more for relaxation than lengths and was busy when we went on a Saturday, but I can imagine it's quieter in the week.

So what did I think? Well, I can really say that I'd recommed getting a personal trainer if you're looking to shape up. It makes such a difference and it really helps to keep things interesting as it's so easy to fall into a routine with your workout. I'd also say that I thoroughly enjoyed having a training buddy! I've worked out solo for a while but it was so much fun to have Emma to share my pain with. I ached for days after around my shoulders and arms. The climbing was so much fun that I hadn't noticed how much effort it required but it must have done some good!

The Club and Spa is located in The Cube, Mailbox District, Birmingham, B1 1RN

*I was invited to The Club and Spa to experience a PT session, use of the climbing wall and spa facilities, complimetary.