MY visits to countless leisure centres, gyms, health spas - whatever they have been branded - have all had these things in common - working up a sweat and money deducted from my bank account.

David Lloyd - the brand founded by the former British tennis star - tries to be different.

For one, the membership price is noticeably more than you might pay at typical gyms.

But Jon Kohn, who is the manager of the new Colchester David Lloyd explained you’re paying for a lifestyle.

Secondly, that lifestyle boasts not only gym equipment and classes but somewhere to catch up on some work emails, catch up with friends over coffee or treat the kids to a morning out.

So who does David Lloyd expect through the doors of its 95th club when it opens today?

Mr Kohn said: “Our main catchment is prosperous families so we try to appeal to the family market and distance ourself from other gyms.”

And David Lloyd brand’s definition of prosperous?

“Prosperous would be affluent. Families typically would live a couple of miles out of town and their ages would be 30 to 45, with a couple of kids, a large house.

“They’d have a disposable income and maybe a couple of holidays a year, two cars, one of them a 4x4,” said Mr Kohn.

Needless to say, a middle-class stereotype springs to mind.

But the David Lloyd brand is also keen to come across as “not just a posh gym” and accessible for mid-income families too.

Mr Kohn continued: “We try to encourage people to join the club and make it a club for life.

“For example, at this site we have a creche for young kids, swimming lessons and from age three to four we start running classes for them.

“The classes start to become more sports and co-ordination-based as they move upwards.

“More recently we have launched a lot of more activities for 11 to 14-year-olds for supervised gym sessions.

“Whatever age your children are, we have activities for them that will keep them active.”

There are also adults’ classes which run at the same time as children’s, with the idea families can spend quality time together at the site over a few hours.

The site forms a key part of Colchester Council’s Northern Gateway - that is a destination for sports, leisure and business complementing wider plans for hundreds for homes in north Colchester.

Still to come at the gateway are a 12-screen multiplex cinema, restaurants and other extreme sport facilities, including a velodrome.

Mr Kohn said its out-of-town location just off junction 28 of the A12, had been eyed up by the David Lloyd business for some time.

“Colchester has been on the radar for several years, we’ve been scouring the site for at least the last five years.

“We look for big catchment areas that have drive times far greater than the average journey to a health club, so people will travel 15 to 20 miles to get to a David Lloyd site.

“In more recent times, we’ve acquired out-of-town sites, this is a good example.

“We needed it for the size, the key driver was the land size.”

So what does the 4,845 square metre site boast? For a start, it has more than 100 individual exercise machines.

There are five indoor and three outdoor tennis courts, a 20-metre indoor and a 25-metre outdoor pool, class studios, a vast cafe and even a quiet lounge area, or Business Hub for those wanting to work.

The spa area has a sauna, steam room and whirlpool and heated beds.

The gym is divided into specialist zones and there are holistic classes, such as yoga, or high intensity, or cardiovascular-exercise-based classes.

Membership fees, which come under various packages, depending on what facilities you want to use, range up to £100 per month.

The top package, also including racquet facilities, use of the spa, a towel and a bar discount, has been taken up by 90 per cent of new joiners at Colchester so far.

It all sounds very plush. But will it make you any healthier?

Mr Kohn said, on balance, yes.

“I think the breadth of the facilities certainly encourages people and creates a really enjoyable environment to come to, and therefore it helps people commit to a healthier lifestyle for a longer time.”

Mr Kohn is also keen for the new Colchester site to integrate into the community.

“It is vital that we do. We have already built up good relationships with our neighbours, the football club [Colchester United].

“We are really keen to try to help them find a way to work with us.

“For example, their mascots will come in here on Saturdays before a game.”

Plans are also afoot for leftover paint used at the site and labour to be donated to St Helena Hospice.

And on November 18, David Lloyd is allowing its venue to be used for a 24-hour charity rowing event.

It’s got growth potential too. Chigwell’s David Lloyd, which is slightly larger, has 9,600 members.

Mr Kohn said: “I think I would like it to be established as part of the community.

“It would be lovely to have a great reputation for delivering a great service and genuinely making a difference to people’s lives.

“If it was seen as a great place to go I think I would be happy with that.”