Bath & Racquets Club

Spear’s Review

This most exclusive gentlemen’s gym is located in a Mayfair mews. There’s a stringent selection process: a candidate is proposed and then seconded by two existing members, letters are written to support the application, and finally the club’s committee must assess suitability.

Members can also play squash, take classes and pay a visit to the barber, steam room or masseuse, as long as club kit is worn while training. The late Mark Birley’s classically designed club has art-lined walls, antique rugs, comfortable sofas to relax in and a bar serving an all-day menu. With a waiting list for new members, Birley’s intention to create ‘a place that will make its members want to exercise’ is certainly being realised.