OPERATOR PERSPECTIVE
OPERATOR PERSPECTIVE
A new social scene He continues: “We have swimming pools in seven of the nine clubs we manage on a management contract basis – many of which are in hotels – and in both of the health clubs we own. In line with the scope of this report, these are rectangular pools – mostly 16–18m in length, some 20m – so people can swim up and down if they wish. “Yet more and more, we’re seeing people use our pools to simply relax, whether they’re our members, hotel or day spa guests. As a result, we’re developing even more hot and cold therapy spaces around them: vitality pools, hydrotherapy pools, saunas, salt rooms, volcano saunas, steam rooms, snow-sky experiences and so on. “It all ties in with a broader shift in member behaviour. After COVID, our members told us it was the social aspect they had missed the most – the mental wellbeing benefits of being around others at the club. That’s now reinforced
by their usage patterns. Before COVID, our average dwell time was an hour to an hour and a half. It’s now over two hours, with a number of members spending entire days at the club: they swim and do workouts to break up their day’s work, which they now do remotely using the club as a base. It’s creating challenges with car parking, but that’s another matter! “The point is, more than ever before, people come to the club to socialise – and our pool areas increasingly reflect this with lots of recliners, decking and popular outdoor spa gardens. Our pool areas aren’t just for swimming any more. People might spend an hour and a half here, even two hours, but they’re probably only in the water for half that time. “We aren’t the only ones doing this, either. If you look at the newer David Lloyd clubs, for example, there’s significant effort going into creating social spa spaces around the swimming pool.
Our members and guests increasingly use our pools not to swim lengths but to relax, unwind and detox from the stresses of life
DAVE COURTEEN
Swimming isn’t just about sport and fitness. It’s about relaxation and mental wellbeing, says Mosaic Group’s founder and managing director
“From lane swimming to rehab, swimming is a brilliant form of exercise. I wouldn’t want to imply anything to the contrary,” says Dave Courteen, founder and managing director of Mosaic Group. “However, to view swimming purely as sport or exercise is to adopt an overly narrow perspective – one that misses out on an entire, growing user group.” He continues: “There are lots of pools out there that people don’t necessarily swim in, at least not from the traditional perspective of swimming lengths or swimming as a sport.
“Our pools fall into this category. These are adult-only spaces where the only programmed content is aqua aerobics; we have some older members who would want my head on a stick if we took this off the timetable! Outside of these classes, our members and guests increasingly use our pools not to swim lengths but to relax, unwind and detox from the stresses of life. “Even those who might not previously have considered their mental health needs now appreciate our pools – and all the associated hot and cold facilities – as beneficial not only for their physical health but also their mental wellbeing.”
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023 STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2025
STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023
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STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2025
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