Harrow Leisure Centre, Byron Hall

I visited the soft play with my 2yo and autistic 5yo. They both enjoyed themselves very much and had plenty to do. The soft play was clean, safe and very quiet on a weekday morning. It only has one entrance/ exit, making it ideal for managing multiple young children and children with SEND who elope. There was also a staff member in the soft play who was quietly observing and supporting when needed (ie: to wipe up water spills). The only thing that stopped this being a 5 star review was the reception experience. There was a very long queue for the leisure centre and only one staff member working! It would be good if we could just scan the online booking and be let in automatically or if there were 2 reception staff— as it appears to be a busy leisure centre with many activities.

The swimming pool itself was very nice and enjoyable to use. Unfortunately, the experience was let down by other aspects. The receptionist came across as unfriendly, and the interaction felt very robotic rather than welcoming. The showers and changing rooms were not up to standard, with chewing gum collecting in the drains and an overall impression that they had not been cleaned for some time. Having moved out of London several years ago, I’ve noticed that service and standards tend to be higher in other English counties. Perhaps my expectations are too high, but I do feel facilities should be maintained and presented to a better standard.

On 16th October 2025, I had a truly disappointing experience at Harrow Leisure Centre. I had booked the sauna and steam room for 3:00 pm (they’re cleaned between 2:00–3:00 pm). When I arrived just before 3:00 pm, the doors were wide open, and the area was still closed off. This meant both rooms had lost their heat and would take around 20 minutes to reach a proper temperature, wasting much of my hour slot. After asking the pool attendant for help, a manager eventually arrived around 3:10 pm, walking very slowly and looking completely uninterested. He didn’t say a word, made no eye contact, simply shut the doors, and walked away. When I asked if the area was now open (since the gate was still closed), he silently turned, opened it, and walked off again without saying a single word. When I mentioned that the rooms would take another 20 minutes to heat up and that an apology would be appropriate, he ignored me completely and continued walking. I later found out he was a manager, and other members told me complaints had been made about him before with no apparent response. That is unacceptable. I have no issues with the other staff, but this manager’s behaviour was extremely rude, arrogant, and disrespectful. It completely ruined my visit, and I sincerely hope senior management at Everyone Active address this properly.