It’s January and whether you’re a year-round gym bunny, trying to recapture your fitness mojo, or considering dipping your toe in the exercise world for the very first time, you’re probably getting a bit swept up in the New Year health hype.
Manchester is blessed with a plethora of options to keep active, whether you’re into a butt-kicking boot camp or a mindful yoga session.
But there aren’t many gyms in town where you can train in several different ways for one single membership cost.
Credit: The Manc GroupV1BE has two gyms, both of which are plenty spacious.
Now with two locations in the city centre, this is a gym space that marries boutique fitness classes with an open gym kitted out with all the equipment you need for a complete solo workout.
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V1BE’s original studio was down in a basement unit in the Northern Quarter and had built up a loyal following with its classes, which blend treadmills, free weights and boxing.
V1BE and Lifestyle Fitness joined forces a couple of years ago to launch a £1m facility in Ancoats, going on to open a second joint venue on Mosley Street.
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Considered one of Manchester’s best class-based gyms, the addition of an open gym area has made V1BE one of Manchester’s best gyms full stop.
In the free weights area on Mosley Street, you’ll find a stylish gym that may be compact, but one which has an impressive array of equipment (and properly nice changing rooms too).
There’s a huge rig in the middle of the room for pull-ups and callisthenics workouts, along with a track for sled pushes and pulls, resistance bands, battle ropes, paralettes, kettlebells, sandbags, gymnastic rings, weight belts and more.
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Fancy a blast of cardio? They’ve got it all: Wattbikes, assault bikes, stairmasters, treadmills, rowers and ski ergs.
Ready to move some weight? There’s a great range of machines plus a whole wall of dumbbells, two squat racks, many barbells, and an Olympic lifting platform.
Then when you’re done sweating you can grab your stuff from the digital-locking lockers, hit the showers, and blast your hair back to order with GHD hairdryers and straighteners.
V1BE has all the versatility and freedom you could want from a gym.
Back upstairs at V1BE you’ll find the studio area, hosting the classes that it built its name on. Classes range in length (30, 45 or 60 minutes) and intensity.
There’s IGN1TE, where you’ll flit between treadmill sprints and floor workouts. STR1KE does the same but also incorporates boxing drills. ADRENAL1NE skips the treadmills and focuses on free weight and bodyweight exercises. And then there’s BOOT1E, dedicated to lower body strength.
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V1BE has also just launched new pilates to its timetable in time for your 2024 health kick. With their full membership, it means that in one week you can lift heavy, stretch deep, or sweat hard, with whatever workout you fancy each day.
Memberships for V1BE start from £39 – you can find out more HERE.
Manchester’s new aesthetics clinic with a budget-friendly tiered pricing model
The Manc
There’s a new medically–led aesthetics clinic in the heart of Manchester, which offers a tiered pricing model that will get you the right treatment at a price that suits your budget.
The Academy Clinic has opened up on Quay Street, specialising in natural, balanced results with a massive range of injectable and cosmetic dermatology treatments
The clinic was founded by Dr Tristan Mehta, Dr Emily Mehta, and Dr Marcus Mehta, who want to raise the standards of injectable and cosmetic dermatology treatments across the UK.
It’s part of Harley Academy, the UK’s leading provider of postgraduate training in aesthetic medicine.
And that’s what sets it apart from a lot of other clinics in the UK, and makes it a stand-out in an industry that is largely unregulated – at The Academy Clinic you won’t ever be treated by non-medics or anyone without formal medical training.
It means that you are always in the hands of a registered medical professional – whether it be practitioner or trainee, and doctor, nurse, dentist or clinical pharmacist – who would be able to manage complications, so you can feel confident you’re in the best hands.
The Academy Clinic in Manchester. Credit: Supplied
And the tiered treatment model really does suit every patient’s budget and preferences – you can take a more affordable treatment option, where qualified medical professionals are learning and being upskilled with expert supervision during your treatment; or you can opt for a fully private experience with a senior practitioner and no training elements involved.
There’s a wide range of treatments available, including popular injectable skin treatments such as Profhilo® and Profhilo Structura®, polynucleotides, dermal fillers, microneedling, HydraFacial and more, all designed to deliver natural-looking, confidence-boosting results.
Beyond patient care, The Academy Clinic’s clinical team also trains and mentors medical professionals through its GMC-registered aesthetics training academy, Harley Academy.
Dr Tristan Mehta, Founder & CEO of The Academy Clinic and Harley Academy, said: “Our mission has always been to raise standards in aesthetics. By combining education with patient care, we can ensure treatments are delivered safely, ethically, and with natural results.
Treatments include HydraFacials
“Bringing The Academy Clinic to Manchester means more people can access medically-led aesthetics with confidence.”
The Academy Clinic is now open at St John’s Court on Quay Street in Manchester, having acquired SkinViva last October.
To keep up to date with the latest news and promotions, you can follow The Academy Clinic on Instagram @theacademyclinic. For bookings or enquiries, call 0161 865 1141, visit theacademyclinic.co.uk or email [email protected].
Exclusive offer for The Manc readers: Use code MANC25 at the time of booking or when in clinic for 25% off any treatments excluding wrinkle reduction treatments.
Wigan favourites Stanleys release first single ahead of debut album next year
Danny Jones
Fast-rising Wigan band Stanleys have dropped the lead single from their debut album, which is finally on its way and will be coming sometime next year.
Entitled ‘Pass The Time’, the Stanleys’ latest outing arrived on Friday, 20 February, and while there’s still no specific release date for the first-ever full-length LP, we do know it’s coming at some point in 2027.
To simply label it as more catchy indie would be a disservice to the craft and graft these lads have put in: this is definitely a step forward and in a slightly different direction, with an even more guitar-driven feel and an extra bit of gruff about it compared to previous Stanleys material.
Our only minor complaint is that we wish it lasted a little longer – we want MORE.
An energetic two-and-a-half-minute track that we can already see becoming a fan favourite, it’s one we’re looking forward to hearing in the flesh.
We’ve caught the Stanleys boys live a few times now, both here in Manchester city centre and at their sold-out show in Wigan as part of The Monaco relaunch, as well as at the likes of Kendal Calling festival in recent years.
Safe to say, they never disappoint, and neither do their growing crowd of die-hards.
With lyrics touching on not just the passing of time but also that sense of youthful ambition and how it fluctuates with age, it feels like one of those defiant indie rallying cries we grew up listening to in our own adolescence, and it definitely has plenty of energy to it.
Both The Manc and our wider Audio North team had the pleasure of chatting with them back in November 2024, and you can tell they have big plans to take on not just the local music scene but the UK and beyond.
The release of ‘Pass The Time’ comes almost a year on from their last song, ‘Out the Door’: a similarly fast-run song, albeit with a different vibe.
Positioned as part of Wigan’s next generation of new bands and artists, Stanleys are clearly looking to keep developing as musicians, and if tunes like these are anything to go by, then we can’t wait for their first full record.
They’re also going to be playing a night here in Manchester city centre and beloved grassroots venue, Night and Day, this April; you can grab tickets HERE.
So get adding it to your Spotify playlists, watching the music video, and maybe we’ll see you at the gig.
Daisy Jackson -
5th January 2024 
