Virgin Active’s New R100m+ Collection Country Club Sets a Benchmark for Longevity in Africa

A new luxury era of wellness and longevity has arrived in South Africa. Health club Virgin Active has opened a R100 million-plus premium club in Cape Town, redefining what we can expect from a fitness space.

Luxury Meets Longevity at Virgin Active’s New Cape Town Wellness Club

Officially opened to the public on 19 February 2026, the new 5,500 m² social wellness club is located at the site of the former Point club. It is positioned as South Africa’s first Collection Country Club, blending fitness, recovery, nutrition, co-working, and community into a single, holistic space designed for improved longevity.

“Our social wellness clubs have been reimagined as stunning spaces with exceptional hospitality. A place where training, recovery, wellness and social connection are given equal importance.” – Dean Kowarski, Virgin Active Global CEO

Inside the Collection Country Club

“Our social wellness clubs have been reimagined as stunning spaces with exceptional hospitality. It’s a place where training, recovery, wellness, and social connection are given equal importance,” says Kowarski.

The upgraded facility includes:

• Improved performance and fitness: An expanded, fully functional gym floor, a cardio zone, a new Lift Club, fitness classes supported by the latest equipment, dedicated strength and conditioning areas, and personal training services.
• Group exercise: The five studios offer Reformer Pilates, hot yoga, boxing, high-intensity training, performance and simulation cycling, as well as meditative sound bath classes.
• Swimming: Partnering with Olympic gold medallist Chad Le Clos, Virgin Active has launched the Virgin Active Chad Le Clos Swim Academy, which features a 25m training pool. The programs are supported by qualified swim coaches who deliver structured training for beginner, recreational, fitness-focused, and competitive swimmers.
  

  “The Virgin Active Chad Le Clos Swim Academy allows members to learn, improve and build confidence in the water, no matter their age or ability. We want to create a strong foundation for performance, fitness, or simply feeling safe and capable in the water.” says Le Clos.

• Recovery and relaxation: The spa area provides both hot and cold contrast therapy, including a sauna, steam room, spa pool, and cold plunge. Additional recovery facilities include Hydromassage and CryoLounge beds, compression boots, and Hyperice massage guns.
• Outdoor and indoor play: There’s padel, pickleball, tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, and, following Virgin Active’s recent exercise and training partnership status with Hyrox, the club also features an outdoor functional Hyrox training area.
• Thrive and health support: From health and medical suites, biokineticists, physiotherapists, sports scientists, longevity suites, dieticians, and body composition support (body scanners), to an infra-red and red light longevity cabin, spa, and hydrotherapy facilities.
• Nutrition, connect and work: In addition to social wellness events, NÜ Health Food Café offers nutritional offerings, co-working spaces, boardrooms, and dedicated indoor and outdoor social spaces for community building.

The “second space” concept

For Kowarski, the Collection Country Club is a “second space” that can operate as a lifestyle environment for training, recovery, focus, work, connection, and restoration, and it forms part of a broader national upgrade programme, with additional developments planned across South Africa in 2026.