The Maqam Centre - London

Richard R.

I have to unfortunately give this place 3 stars when in theory it could easily achieve 5.

On the positives, the building is clean, the pool is the perfect size (and temperature!) for what it's designed for, the changing rooms are spacious and kept in good order, the cafe is very good, and the staff are always very friendly and welcoming.

Unfortunately, I'm really unimpressed by the Maqam Centre's approach to inclusivity. They only have 2 family swim sessions per week - one of these is on a Thursday lunchtime and the other is late afternoon/early evening on a Sunday. So for any dads or partners out there who are working, neither of these are good options. Thursday lunchtimes it's likely you'll be at work, and a Sunday late afternoon/early evening is past dinner and bedtime for very young ones. My 6-month old loves swimming and I (dad) am the swimmer in our family. I've been taking my daughter in the sea since she was 2 months old and in multiple pools elsewhere - but sadly I can't take her to the pool a few minutes from my house because, despite advertising themselves as family-friendly, they're really not. Mum-friendly, certainly. Family-friendly, not so much. (Ironically, given that the A-board advertising the centre outside clearly shows a man with his very young baby enjoying the pool).

On visiting the centre recently, I asked whether there was any chance of either adding more family swim times, or bringing the Sunday one forward any earlier. The answer was a resounding no. They do, meanwhile, have 2 female-only sessions *per day*. I'm sure these are very popular - but I'm also sure more family sessions would be popular. Perhaps management could consider dropping one or two of the 14 female only sessions a week to stick on an extra family option?

If you're a mum (or if you're fortunate enough to be the dad with time off to raise your child) then I'm sure you'll love the opportunity to visit the Maqam regularly. But "family friendly"? Certainly not.

Gabi G.

The pool and the surroundings are neat and clean. The pool is spacious and the atmosphere overall is amazing. The ladies hiit class was very fun, the lady instructor was full of energy and made the class more enjoyable 🥰

Yoni G.

We have always loved this charming cafe and boutique pool, but more recently our 8 year old has had the most fabulous swimming lessons with Jeremy. He is extremely kind and warm and gentle - exactly what she needed!
Thank you Jeremy, Jacquee and all the wonderful team at The Maqam✨

Anna

We love the Maqam Centre for our weekly swim classes. Unlike other places it’s very clean, changing rooms are designed for little once and the water is warm.

The only thing they need to approve on is reception services, it’s seems they are very disconnected where you get mixed information depending on who covers on the day I.e booking policies.

The cafe is great but customer service non existing. No problem solving capabilities sadly.

Emily

Lovely lovely reception staff, usually 6 women max for 3 lanes in the women’s only swimming sessions which is great for space, beautifully purple lit pool with mosaic arches and serene vibes. Always friendly clientele. Lovely posh shower gel provided. Great post-swim offerings and much appreciated food and drink options in the light filled cafe. I love the chicken avocado salad and a matcha or chai latte.

Marafi A.

So I was with them for a year. Till someone decided to argue with me while swimming. They didn’t want to stay in their lane were extremely childish about it as well. They never grew up. They did nothing after I told them this.

And then in regards to payment. They overcharged me and never refunded it back. They said they did, but they clearly lied about it. Be warned this place well their admin Manager staff during 2023 hoping they fired him by now who knows. He isn’t to be trusted when it comes with money. Never went back after that.

Z

My daughter and I have recently attended our first family swim session and I was impressed. The changing rooms were clean and even though my daughter doesn't need it anymore, there are amazing facilities available if you are swimming with a younger child (baby changing mat on bench, seats you can strap your little one in whilst getting change, High chairs by the hair dryers and I spotted a little play pen) The swimming pool wasn't as warm as I thought it was going to be initially but we were actually fine throughout the 45 minutes. The pool area was clean and had a very nice vibe to it. Looks exactly how it shows on the pictures. There were swimming accessories available which my daughter loved.

The only downside is that they only do a family swim on a Thursday, during the day, during term time. Which we cannot normally attend because my daughter is at nursery. It would be amazing if there was either a later session or a session on the weekend, which I'm sure will open it up to a lot more people.

We will be back for sure, just a shame we have to wait until the summer holidays to do so!

Ronny S.

We always have a safe and enjoyable time at the Maqam Centre. Our teacher Alex is very dedicated and skilled at giving baby swimming lessons 🙂