Comparison · Luxury · 8 min read
Harbour Club vs Third Space: one Chelsea club or nine across London?
Similar money, opposite propositions. Harbour Club is a single riverside site with indoor and outdoor tennis, two pools and a crèche, now run by David Lloyd. Third Space is a network of nine training clubs with no courts and no children. Which one you want depends on who else is in the household.
Updated September 2026 · Harbour Club fees from published reports; Third Space member-reported · By About Health Clubs
Transparency
Harbour Club’s last widely reported rates were a £1,555 joining fee and £325 a month (2021); current rates are on enquiry and likely higher. Third Space is member-reported. No affiliate links on this page.
At a glance
Short on time? Here’s the honest answer.
Choose Harbour Club if anyone in the household plays tennis, there are children, and you live within fifteen minutes of Chelsea Harbour. Choose Third Space if you are training for yourself, want a pool near both home and work, and would never use a court.
Tennis, children, one home → Harbour Club
Solo training, city-wide → Third Space
Side by side
How they compare
| Harbour Club | Third Space | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical price | ~£325/mo; joining fee last reported £1,555 (2021). Current on enquiry. | ~£245 to £325/mo; joining fee £100 to £200, often waived. |
| Sites | 1, Chelsea Harbour. David Lloyd all-club access on request. | 9 across London on Group membership. |
| Owner | David Lloyd Leisure. | Independent (Third Space Group). |
| Racquets | Indoor and outdoor tennis, coaching, junior programmes; padel arriving. | None. |
| Pools | Indoor and outdoor. | Indoor at Canary Wharf, City, Islington, Marylebone. |
| Family | Crèche, kids’ swim, holiday camps. | Adults only. |
| Gym & recovery | Good floor, spa, treatments. Built around courts and family. | Largest floors in London, climbing, hypoxic, cold plunge, medical. |
| Classes | Included; Reformer add-on. | Included across all clubs. |
| Getting there | Destination; no Tube. Members drive or live nearby. | On commuter routes; use whichever is nearest. |
| Best for | West London families and tennis players. | Solo trainers who move around the city. |
Price: Harbour Club’s joining fee is the real difference
Monthly fees are close: around £325 at Harbour Club, £245 to £325 at Third Space depending on tier. The gap is the joining fee. Harbour Club’s was last reported at £1,555; Third Space charges £100 to £200 and waives it twice a year. Over a first year that is roughly £1,400 more for Chelsea, before any family add-ons.
Racquets: only one of them has any
Harbour Club has indoor and outdoor tennis courts, coaching, junior programmes and a competitive social ladder; padel is arriving under David Lloyd ownership. Third Space has none and never will. If a court is on the list, this comparison ends here.
Family: crèche and kids against an adults-only floor
Harbour Club runs a crèche, children’s swimming and holiday camps in the David Lloyd manner. Third Space is adults only. Parents who want the club to absorb a Saturday will find Harbour Club is doing a different job from Third Space entirely, and the fee is buying childcare as much as fitness.
Training: Third Space has more of everything for the solo member
Bigger floors, more racks, climbing at Tower Bridge, hypoxic training, a medical offer, pools at four sites and a class timetable across nine clubs. Harbour Club’s gym is good and its pools are excellent, but it is one site and it is designed around the courts and the family. For someone training alone five days a week, Third Space simply offers more hours of use.
Location: a fifteen-minute rule
Chelsea Harbour is not on a Tube line and the club is a destination, not a stop on the way. Members overwhelmingly live in SW10, SW6 and SW3. Third Space’s sites sit on commuter routes and Group membership lets you use whichever is nearest that day. If you would drive to Harbour Club, factor in the time.
Harbour Club is a David Lloyd at Chelsea prices. Third Space is a gym at Chelsea prices. Both are honest about what they are; make sure you are.
Our verdict
The household decides, not the gym floor
Harbour Club for families and tennis players in west London who will treat it as a second home; the joining fee amortises over years of use. Third Space for everyone else at this price, and especially for anyone whose week spans more than one part of the city.
If you are a solo trainer who happens to live in Chelsea, look at Third Space Wimbledon or Mayfair before paying Harbour Club’s joining fee for courts you will not book.
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FAQs
Common questions
How much is Harbour Club Chelsea?
The last widely reported figures were a £1,555 joining fee and £325 a month in 2021. Under David Lloyd ownership rates are on enquiry and have likely risen; ask specifically about family and all-club options.
Is Harbour Club part of David Lloyd?
Yes. David Lloyd Leisure acquired Harbour Club and runs it as its London flagship, so David Lloyd Platinum members may have access arrangements. Check with your home club.
Does Third Space have tennis or padel?
No. Third Space is a training club with pools, climbing and studios but no racquets. For courts at this tier, Harbour Club is the option in London.
Which is better for a family?
Harbour Club, without question. Third Space is adults only. See our David Lloyd comparisons for how Harbour Club’s model works elsewhere in London at lower prices.