Equinox W8 Kettlebell Club: 3 Power Classes Each Week

Equinox Kensington, on the fifth floor of 99 Kensington High Street, London W8 5SA, puts Kettlebell Power on its Main Studio timetable three times a week: Monday 6:15 to 7:00 pm, Tuesday 7:30 to 8:15 am and Wednesday 6:45 to 7:30 am in the October 2026 schedule. Each 45-minute class needs advance sign-up through the Equinox app, and it is the closest thing West London has to a kettlebell club inside a luxury gym.

The building is half the reason people choose this club. The seven-storey Art Deco block opened in 1933 as the Derry and Toms department store, designed by Bernard George with metalwork by Walter Gilbert. The fifth floor, where Equinox now trains, once held The Rainbow Room restaurant, famous for dinner dances. Later the store became Big Biba, the 1970s fashion emporium. The whole building has been Grade II* listed since 1981.

Equinox opened here in 2012 as its first UK club. The brand's own description calls Kensington an open-plan strength floor under a gleaming domed skylight, with an illuminated elliptical dome as the centrepiece. Alongside it sit a Boxing Studio, Yoga Studio, Cycling Studio, Pilates Studio, Tier X personal training and a full-service spa. Kettlebell Power takes place in the Main Studio, marked MS on the timetable, rather than out on the open gym floor.

The class description on the October timetable is short and specific: a total-body workout combining strength-focused compound movements, explosive power and core conditioning, with the promise that you will learn to navigate this classic modality safely with expert instruction. In practice that means swings, cleans, presses and squats strung into rounds, with time spent on the hinge before anything explosive. It suits someone who already lifts and wants better power output.

Two coaches split the slots this month. Alex Rennie takes Monday evening and Tuesday morning, and Hendrick Famutimi leads the early Wednesday class. Rennie also teaches Athletic Conditioning at 6:30 am on Tuesday, directly before his kettlebell class, so committed early risers sometimes stack both. Famutimi runs Leg Day at 6:45 am on Monday, which pairs well with a Wednesday kettlebell session if you want two lower-body days spaced apart.

Our pick is Monday at 6:15 pm. It falls after work, it is the only evening kettlebell class of the week, and the club stays open until 10:00 pm, which leaves time to stretch on the strength floor or book the spa afterwards. Tuesday at 7:30 am suits people heading to offices in Kensington or Hammersmith. Wednesday at 6:45 am is the earliest and the most focused hour, but the club only opens at 6:00 am on weekdays, so there is little time to warm up.

Honest verdict: skip this if you are a total beginner hoping for slow technique work. A 45-minute class with a full studio cannot give you the hand-holding a dedicated kettlebell coach offers, and the asterisk beside every class means places go to members who booked ahead. Beginners are better served by booking a personal trainer for one session on the strength floor first, then joining Kettlebell Power once the swing feels natural.

Equinox describes the club as a fixture for residents of Earl's Court, Chelsea and Holland Park, and the timetable shows who it serves. The weekday mornings are stacked with strength and running classes for people training before work. The middle of the day leans towards Pilates, barre and yoga in the Yoga Studio. Evenings mix boxing Rounds, True Barre and the Monday kettlebell hour, so you share the corridor with boxers taping their hands and yoga regulars carrying mats.

There is one quiet rule worth knowing: the printed timetable marks new or updated classes, instructors and times in bold, and each month brings a fresh PDF, so look at the app the night before you go. Spots are claimed in the app rather than at the studio door. If Kettlebell Power is full, Stronger Women on Monday at 9:30 am or Stronger on Wednesday at 9:30 am cover similar strength ground in the same Main Studio.

Equinox does not publish membership prices on its Kensington club page; the route in is the Join Now or Schedule a Visit button, which arranges a tour with the membership team. Group classes such as Kettlebell Power are included for members. The spa is open to non-members, so a guest who wants the building without the membership can still book a treatment.

What to bring is simple. Kettlebells are supplied in the studio, so you only need flat-soled trainers, a towel and water. Grab a bell one size lighter than you think for the first round; the explosive work in this class rewards crisp technique, so move up a size only once your swings are snapping cleanly to chest height without your lower back taking over.

High Street Kensington station on the District and Circle lines is a short walk west along the same side of the road, which makes this one of the easiest clubs in London to reach by Tube. The same building also houses Japan House London on its lower floors, a free cultural centre with a shop and gallery, worth a browse while you cool down after an early class.

Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace lie just north-east of the club, a few minutes on foot east along the High Street towards Palace Gate. After a Monday evening session the park walk is a calm way to finish, and on a Wednesday morning you can head into the gardens before most visitors arrive. Holland Park, with its Kyoto Garden, sits a little further west.

Address: Equinox Kensington, 99 Kensington High Street, London W8 5SA. Club hours: Monday to Thursday 6:00 am to 10:00 pm, Friday 6:00 am to 9:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday 8:00 am to 7:00 pm. Kettlebell Power, October 2026: Monday 6:15 to 7:00 pm, Tuesday 7:30 to 8:15 am, Wednesday 6:45 to 7:30 am. Advance sign-up required.