Barnet Copthall Leisure Centre

Used it twice in December 2015.
Pool is a good length, not too crowded.
Plenty of lockers.
Shower area for men smelled of toilet contents on both occasions — very off-​putting. Snack-​bar is absolutely not inspiring in terms of health.
Friendly staff, plenty of parking (free).

I have quite literally grown up at this leisure centre. Our relationship goes back to the early 90s, when I was learning to swim and running after boys at least three years older than me. As I grew up, so did the Centre — the diving pool became a legitimate diving pool, the café transformed from a cafeteria-​style greasy chip joint into a luxe all-​organic juice bar and then a diddy little coffee shop on the first floor, and the suped up gym space has become the primary reason anyone comes here. They sold off a lot of their land (which still makes me sad, remembering how much kids would just run around the acres of grassland) to a private mini-​golf company, and used the profits to amp up the parking lot.
This leisure centre still caters mainly to the very young and the very old — and I am happy about that. There is a role for leisure centres like Copthall in an ever-​demanding, ever-​commodified and fast-​paced London suburb. My nostalgia and belief in this role make me want to give the centre the full five stars, but that’s not really the point of Unilocal reviews.
As such, here are some of the cons:
— the swimming pools are ALWAYS full of kids and/​or grannies, who take up the lanes and clutter the changing rooms
— the changing rooms smell
— the toilets smell
— the SS-​esque security at the front is completely destabilized by the lack of security, CCTV, etc across the rest of the building
— the parking lot is similarly insecure
— there is a definite ‘in’ club (amongst staff and Centre visitors), and you don’t get great customer service unless you’re in this club
— despite all the updates and refurbishing, the entire Centre (minus the gym upstairs) still looks like it was built in the 70s.
I still love it here. I still love the smell of those changing rooms because they tap into my childhood. I am still in awe of the shiny gym equipment upstairs, because Mill Hill never had such a shiny public gym. If I ever have kids, and even if I move far away, I will still want to bring them here to develop a relationship with Copthall.
Should you come here? If you’re all fancy and expect a private gym, then no. If you have a hundred and fifty kids, sure (but count them carefully on your way home — you could easily misplace one). If you like to be pampered and flattered by the staff, no. If you grew up in North London in the 80s and 90s, absolutely.

Recently and every Tuesday night, I have been going to the Copthall leisure centre for late night jogging around the track. I go on Tuesdays as during the winter, they only stay open till 9pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
It cost £3 to have access to the track, I think it is reasonable, as running aroud the track with so many other people doing the same spurs you to carry on, it is much better than just jogging around the park.
The field at Copthal are massive, you can play golf or just use the driving range. There are facilities in abundance and you can find anything and everything that suits your training/​fitness needs. There are dance classes, including salsa, which I did once, great fun!
It probably is the best leisure centre in London, due to its sheer size, and how much is going on, it is like a little community in there.