jaegos house kensal rise

The finest family members’ clubs in London

15 Jan 2024 | | By Mhairi Mann

London's family-orientated members' clubs offer all manner of creative pursuits for little ones – with plenty of perks for parents too

London is home to some of the world’s most impressive private clubs, but few of these are child-friendly. Soho House is an adults-only zone on weekends, and you’ll be met by a cold stare if you venture to the likes of 5 Hertford Street with a toddler (plus the stairs are wholly impractical with a pram).

A select handful, however, have been designed with London’s littlest residents in mind. Buoyed by bright décor and freshly-cooked meals, little emperors and empresses can indulge in all kinds of creative escapades, while parents unwind with cocktails and spa treatments. New hybrid working models also mean that families are now seeking all-encompassing spaces, with co-working, crèche and nursery facilities under one sleek roof.

From eco-conscious interiors to the most sumptuous soft play areas in Britain, these are the best family members’ clubs in London.

Purple Dragon, Chelsea

Purple Dragon opened in 2008 and paved the way for members’ clubs putting children at the fore. Created with ultra-high-net-worth families in mind, this is where you’ll find the One Per Cent in their natural habitat. Members have included Victoria Beckham and Kanye West, chauffeur-driven children are accompanied by bodyguards and staff are fluent in up to 26 languages, including Arabic and Mandarin.

The club boasts a 15-metre indoor swimming pool, a library of Taschen books, trampoline pods and an elite soft play area. Activities at Purple Dragon are far-reaching and seemingly endless: Da Vinci art workshops, swimming lessons, Jedi training and cookery classes, where budding master chefs can try their hand at making bread, sushi and Swiss rolls. In the interactive zone, little ones can sample golf, clay pigeon shooting and Formula One racing via high-tech simulators. There are no daycare or crèche services, but all activities are run by qualified Play Buddies.

30 Gatliff Road, SW1W 8DP, visit purpledragonplay.com

Cloud Twelve, Notting Hill

Serenity is not often a term associated with tiny tots, but Cloud Twelve’s unique model combines therapeutic spa and wellness offerings for adults with, quite possibly, London’s chicest crèche and kids’ club. The concept was founded by Jenya Di Pierro, a former fund manager and qualified naturopath and herbalist. Di Pierro previously lived in Japan and wanted to recreate an Asian spa experience in London, while also fostering a sociable, engaging space for well-to-do families.

Downstairs is a delightful, forest-themed soft-play centre, with breakout interactive play areas. Here, children up to the age of 11 can enjoy ballet lessons, cookery classes, arts and crafts. Parents can watch from the lounge while their little ones learn about botany, or sing along to a performance by the club’s theatre production team.

Members can enjoy complimentary crèche time, allowing weary parents to explore the myriad wellness facilities upstairs, including a hair salon, nail bar and cosseting spa, complete with a Himalayan salt room. There’s also an impressive Wellness Clinic on the top floor, which combines traditional Chinese medicine and natural therapies with modern science. Osteopathy, acupuncture and reflexology are all on the menu, as well as craniosacral therapy for both adults and babies.

2-5 Colville Mews, W11 2DA, visit cloudtwelve.co.uk

Maggie & Rose, across London

maggie and rose family members' clubs london

Maggie & Rose was founded in 2006 by Maggie Bolger and Rose Astor, the latter of whom is known for her high-society connections and historic family dynasty. Billed as a ‘Soho House for parents’, it was the first design-led members’ club with under-threes as its target audience. Astor and Bolger have since left the business but it continues to draw a stylish, well-heeled crowd, with outposts in Kensington and Chiswick (with many more rumoured to be in the works). The London clubs also host a number of classes, from music to art, which are aimed at boosting child development.

Visit maggieandrose.com

b_together, St John's Wood

Maggie Bolger sold the aforementioned Maggie & Rose chain in 2019 but wasn’t quite finished with her foray into family spaces. Considered a trailblazer in the industry, she now owns and runs b_together in St John’s Wood, with a second site having just opened in Singapore. Pegged as one of the best family members' clubs in London, b_together combines creative learning and pre-school classes with a stylish restaurant, retail space and co-working area for adults.

'Imagine the best family club ever, then times it by a billion,' the website declares, confidently. Ensconced in soothing, neutral tones and trailing greenery, members can sip cocktails in the club lounge while their offspring partake in lively art, music and dance classes in the play area. B_together also caters to teens, who Bolger believes are ‘often an overlooked group’. There is the opportunity to learn valuable life skills through workshops on personal finance, CV writing, interview techniques and mindfulness.

Further highlights include flexible childcare for children aged one to four, as well as creative camps during the summer holidays for four to eight-year-olds. B_together is also a club with a conscience. Its restaurant, ​​AT Feast, is almost entirely zero-waste, while a chic shop boasts a tempting array of sustainable wares.

47 St John's Wood High Street, NW8 7NJ, visit b-together.com

Jaego's House, Kensal Rise

Jaego's House is a family members' club and nursery in Kensal Rise which joined the London roster in 2022. Spanning 20,000 sq ft, this sweeping space features a jungle gym, supreme soft play area and a kids' cinema, as well as a restaurant and waterside café. There is also a crèche and child-minding services, allowing parents to unwind in the adults-only co-working area, gym or library.

The family members' club is adjoined to Kensal House Nursery, positioned in a Grade II-listed white stucco building. It offers a bespoke curriculum, which has been thoughtfully created with consultation from leading childcare experts. The nursery benefits from exclusive access to Jaego’s House facilities, including a jungle gym and soft play.

The club is the work of Charlie Gardiner, founder of Incipio Group, who is known better for his pop-up bars than his baby-friendly enterprises. “The dream for most parents is to find somewhere that they love visiting just as much as their kids do,” says Gardiner. “And that is exactly how we want our guests to feel about Jaego’s House. I lived in Kensal Rise for six years and walked past this building every day, thinking that it could be transformed into an amazing space. My son, Jaego, was born just 500 metres away and so it felt like the perfect fit."

The White Building, 557 Harrow Road, W10 4RH, visit jaegoshouse.co.uk

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