Edinburgh has a wider range of gyms with swimming pools than most UK cities its size — from Edinburgh Leisure’s network of 12 public pools (including the 50m Royal Commonwealth Pool) to three David Lloyd clubs, two Bannatyne health clubs, and Nuffield Health. The options span public leisure centres with swim-only memberships below £30 per month through to premium health clubs with indoor and outdoor pools, spa gardens, and tennis courts at £100 or more per month. This guide covers the main choices across the spectrum.
- Edinburgh Leisure runs the most pools in Edinburgh (12 pools at 12 venues including 5 Victorian baths) — a Swim Membership gives access to all pools for the most cost-effective pool-only access in the city
- David Lloyd Edinburgh Shawfair is the newest and most comprehensive gym with pools in Edinburgh: a 20m indoor pool plus a 25m outdoor heated pool, outdoor spa garden with hydro pool and plunge pool, and Padel courts — from approximately £129/month
- Bannatyne Edinburgh City Centre offers the most centrally located health club pool: a 16-metre pool with sauna, steam room, and spa pool, from approximately £40.99/month
- PureGym Edinburgh locations do not have swimming pools — if a pool is required, PureGym is not an option regardless of its lower gym pricing
Edinburgh Leisure — Public Pools With Gym Access
The Royal Commonwealth Pool — Edinburgh’s flagship pool venue
The Royal Commonwealth Pool on Dalkeith Road is Edinburgh’s most significant public swimming facility, run by Edinburgh Leisure (the city’s charitable leisure trust). The Commonwealth Pool has a 50-metre main competition pool, a separate diving pool, a learner pool, a gym, and a sauna suite, making it the most fully featured public pool in the city. It was built for the 1970 British Commonwealth Games and underwent a major refurbishment for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games period. For serious swimmers who want lane training, the 50m pool is unmatched in Edinburgh: 8 lanes at competition length give the most usable training space available outside a university pool. The venue’s gym and fitness classes are available alongside pool access, making it a practical full-service leisure centre as well as a swim-focused venue.
Edinburgh Leisure’s Swim Membership provides access to all 12 Edinburgh Leisure pools across the city — including the five Victorian baths (Glenogle Swim Centre, Warrender Swim Centre, Leith Victoria Swim Centre, Portobello Swim Centre, and Dalry Swim Centre). These Victorian pools are architecturally distinctive and have cultured strong local loyalty; several include sauna and Turkish bath facilities. Edinburgh Leisure also offers a Full Fitness Membership covering gym, swim, and fitness classes across all venues. For those who want pool access only, the swim-only membership represents the most cost-effective way to access swimming pools in Edinburgh — cheaper than any of the private gym chains. Exact current pricing is available on the Edinburgh Leisure memberships page, which is updated regularly.
Edinburgh Leisure network pools beyond the Commonwealth Pool
Across Edinburgh Leisure’s 12 pool venues, the facilities vary considerably. The Victorian baths — built between the 1890s and 1940s — tend to be smaller pools (typically 23 to 25 metres) with a distinctive period architecture; Warrender and Glenogle in particular have devoted memberships and long-established lane swimming cultures. More modern Edinburgh Leisure centres, including Drumbrae Leisure Centre, Gracemount Leisure Centre, and Leith Waterworld, have wider leisure facilities including gyms and fitness studios alongside the pools. Leith Waterworld specifically offers a leisure pool with water features alongside lane swimming, making it the most family-oriented of the Edinburgh Leisure pool venues. For anyone wanting to swim regularly at different venues across the city, Edinburgh Leisure’s Swim Membership provides by far the broadest access at the most competitive price. Our guide to outdoor swimming pools and lidos across the UK provides context on publicly managed alternatives to indoor gym pools for those who prefer open water.
Bannatyne and Nuffield Health — Mid-Range Health Clubs With Pools
Bannatyne Edinburgh City Centre
Bannatyne Edinburgh City Centre is the most centrally located private health club with a pool in Edinburgh — occupying a city-centre location with a 16-metre pool, sauna, steam room, and spa pool as its aquatics offering. Memberships start from approximately £40.99 per month, which is significantly lower than David Lloyd and competitive with the mid-range gym market in Edinburgh. The club provides around 70 exercise classes per week including Les Mills programming (RPM, Body Combat, Body Pump), yoga, and aqua classes. Child swim times are available Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, and at weekends from 10:00 to 14:00 — making it a viable option for parents who want both their own training time and supervised swim access for children during the same visit. The 16-metre pool is smaller than the Edinburgh Leisure Victoria bath pools and significantly shorter than the Commonwealth Pool’s 50m; for serious training swimmers, this matters — for health and fitness swimming it is adequate for most needs.
Bannatyne Edinburgh Newcraighall, on the eastern outskirts of the city, is the larger of the two Edinburgh Bannatyne clubs, with a 20-metre pool, sauna, and spa pool, and more than 90 classes per week across three studios. At 20 metres it is more practical for continuous lap swimming than the City Centre branch, and the larger facility offers a broader class schedule. For members who live in the east Edinburgh suburbs (Musselburgh, Craigmillar, Portobello direction), the Newcraighall location is both larger and more accessible than the city-centre branch.
Nuffield Health Edinburgh — two locations with pool and spa
Nuffield Health Edinburgh operates two pool-equipped locations in the city: Edinburgh Fitness and Wellbeing Gym (the main Edinburgh site) and Nuffield Health Edinburgh Fountain Park in Fountainbridge. All Nuffield Health membership plans include full access to the gym, swimming pool, spa, and unlimited fitness classes — there is no separate pool-access tier. Nuffield Health positions itself as a health-focused gym brand with a degree of medical credentialing (its parent organisation operates hospitals as well as fitness clubs), and Edinburgh members have access to health assessments and a broader wellbeing support framework alongside standard gym and pool facilities. Monthly membership pricing at Edinburgh’s Nuffield locations is in the range of approximately £85 to £115 per month for direct membership; day passes are available at around £19.99 via third-party booking platforms including Hussle for those wanting to try the pool before committing to membership. A rolling monthly contract with one month’s notice is available at both locations.
David Lloyd Edinburgh — Three Clubs and an Outdoor Pool
David Lloyd Edinburgh Shawfair — newest club with outdoor heated pool
David Lloyd Edinburgh Shawfair is the newest and most extensively equipped gym with pools in Edinburgh, opened in the Shawfair development southeast of the city. The aquatics offering goes beyond any other Edinburgh club: a 20-metre indoor pool for all-weather training plus a 25-metre outdoor heated pool for summer swimming, complemented by an Outdoor Spa Garden featuring a hydro pool, plunge pool, sensory showers, and sun loungers — effectively a small outdoor spa complex alongside the main club facilities. Additional facilities include a gym, fitness studios, tennis and Padel courts, a crèche, and a family swimming programme. According to The Scotsman’s coverage of the Shawfair opening, the outdoor pool is heated year-round, making it usable beyond the summer season. Standard Plus membership starts from approximately £129 per month; Platinum membership from approximately £149 per month. David Lloyd memberships include access to the full facility including all pool facilities, courts, and crèche.
David Lloyd Edinburgh Corstorphine and Newhaven Harbour
David Lloyd’s two established Edinburgh clubs — Corstorphine (west Edinburgh) and Newhaven Harbour (north Edinburgh, Leith area) — offer indoor pools with spa facilities alongside full gym, fitness class, and racquet sports provision. Corstorphine includes an outdoor whirlpool as part of its spa offering; Newhaven Harbour benefits from a Leith waterfront location with views across the Firth of Forth. Both clubs operate at David Lloyd’s standard membership pricing tier, approximately similar to Shawfair, though the outdoor heated pool and Spa Garden at Shawfair make that club the flagship facility in Edinburgh. For members in the west Edinburgh, Murrayfield, or Corstorphine areas, the Corstorphine club is the most accessible; for those in Leith, Easter Road, or Portobello, Newhaven Harbour is the practical choice. David Lloyd memberships are not generally transferable between clubs without an upgrade or home club change — it is worth confirming access arrangements across multiple Edinburgh locations before joining. For wild swimming and outdoor alternatives to gym pools in the Edinburgh area, see our guide to natural swimming pools and chemical-free alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which gyms in Edinburgh have swimming pools?
The main gyms with pools in Edinburgh are: Edinburgh Leisure (12 venues including the Royal Commonwealth Pool, 5 Victorian baths, and several modern leisure centres — pool membership available); Bannatyne Edinburgh City Centre (16m pool, from £40.99/month) and Bannatyne Edinburgh Newcraighall (20m pool); Nuffield Health Edinburgh and Nuffield Health Fountain Park (both with pools, spa, and classes); David Lloyd Edinburgh Shawfair (20m indoor + 25m outdoor heated pool), David Lloyd Edinburgh Corstorphine, and David Lloyd Edinburgh Newhaven Harbour. Note: PureGym does not have pools at any Edinburgh location.
What is the cheapest gym with a pool in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh Leisure’s Swim Membership is the most cost-effective way to access swimming pools in Edinburgh — it gives access to all 12 Edinburgh Leisure pools citywide, including the Royal Commonwealth Pool (50m) and the five historic Victorian baths. For a combined gym and pool offering, Bannatyne Edinburgh City Centre starts from approximately £40.99 per month, making it the most affordable private health club with a pool in the city.
Does David Lloyd Edinburgh have an outdoor pool?
Yes — David Lloyd Edinburgh Shawfair has both a 20-metre indoor pool and a 25-metre outdoor heated pool, along with an Outdoor Spa Garden featuring a hydro pool, plunge pool, and sensory showers. The outdoor pool is heated and usable year-round rather than being seasonal only. The older David Lloyd Edinburgh Corstorphine club has an outdoor whirlpool as part of its spa but not a full outdoor swimming pool.
Does Edinburgh Leisure have gyms with pools?
Yes — Edinburgh Leisure operates 12 swimming pools and 17 gyms across the city. Several venues combine both: the Royal Commonwealth Pool has both a 50m competition pool and a gym; modern leisure centres including Drumbrae and Gracemount have pool and gym facilities together. Edinburgh Leisure’s Full Fitness Membership covers gym, swim, and fitness classes across all venues; the Swim Membership covers pool access only across all 12 pool sites.
Is Nuffield Health Edinburgh worth it for swimming?
Nuffield Health Edinburgh’s memberships include full access to pool, spa, gym, and unlimited classes in a single monthly fee — making it competitive with Bannatyne if you use the gym and classes as well as the pool. For pool-only use, Edinburgh Leisure’s Swim Membership is more cost-effective. Nuffield Health’s Edinburgh locations offer monthly rolling contracts without long tie-ins, which suits members who want flexibility. Day passes at approximately £19.99 via Hussle allow you to trial the pool before committing to membership.
