'Sad & disappointed': S'porean actress Chen Xiuhuan who signed 'lifetime' True Fitness membership in 2017 on sudden closure - Mothership

Singaporean actress Chen Xiuhuan narrowly avoided signing up for a new personal training package with True Fitness, just days before the gym chain's sudden closure.

True Fitness and True Yoga announced on Sep. 10 that all outlets would cease operations "with immediate effect", citing an inability to continue operating due to debt.

Chen took to Instagram on Sep. 11 to share her reaction to the closure.

She said she had booked a workout session the day before, only to open the True Fitness app the next morning to find that all outlets had ceased operations.

Chen, who has been a member since 2017, said she used to work out at the gym almost three times a week. She described the workouts, classes, familiar faces and trainers as having become "such a regular part of my life".

Calling the sudden end "honestly heartbreaking", Chen wrote that she was left wondering "where do I go from here" after years of having a regular workout routine there.

"I know I’ll eventually find somewhere else… but right now, I’m just sad and disappointed," she wrote on her Instagram post.

Speaking to Zaobao, Chen revealed she had just completed a set of 24 personal training (PT) sessions, which require additional payment on top of membership fees.

She said she had been planning to renew her PT package, but held off as her daughter had returned from overseas and she spent two weeks with her instead. As a result, she had not yet paid for a new package when the closure was announced.

Chen also shared that she joined True Fitness in 2017 as a lifetime member.

According to a Straits Times report, two individuals who bought lifetime packages in the 2010s paid around S$8,000 to S$9,000. There's also a S$100 annual fee to maintain the membership.

On the prospect of a refund, Chen said that even if the company goes through liquidation, remaining assets are usually prioritised for staff salaries and debt repayment first, with member refunds typically last in line. She said getting any money back seemed "practically impossible".

She also pointed to the impact on gym staff who had suddenly lost their jobs, including some who had come from overseas to work in Singapore and had already started families here.

Chen noted that outlets that are about to close usually see a drop in business beforehand, but said the outlets she frequented were always crowded with full classes, which added to her shock at the closure.