Gyms and Studios

A greater general awareness of health and physical wellbeing has contributed to the prolific rise of fitness outlets across the city — from generic gym franchises to boutique studios offering specialist training.

Most of these outlets offer monthly memberships for access to sports facilities and professional fitness trainers, ranging in price and specialization. 

In summer 2020 a wave of coronavirus cases caused many indoor gyms and studios to close their doors temporarily, but resourceful owners and trainers moved their classes outside or online and reduced capacity to conform to social distancing restrictions.

Gyms

Fitness First
Offering a variety of activities including yoga, group classes and personal training across nine urban locations in Hong Kong, this British-founded fitness chain is a ready favorite among new arrivals.

Goji Studios
Goji, a local chain of fitness clubs with locations in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, offers wellness services like meal plans and skincare treatments in addition to the expected training facilities and classes.

PURE Fitness
This high-end chain of fitness clubs is certainly one of the city’s more luxe options. But for access to its ultra-modern, state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in some of Hong Kong’s prime locations, many are happy to splash out.

Those with especially busy or unpredictable schedules can try one of Hong Kong’s 24-hour gyms, such as 24/7 Fitness and Anytime Fitness.

Specialty Studios and Boutique Gyms

Many of Hong Kong’s best personal trainers and group fitness instructors ply their trade at boutique gyms rather than big fitness chains. There are studios catering to just about any type of workout you can imagine, with CrossFit, Muay Thai, and barre all trending in popularity over the past few years. Here are some well-established studios:

Cardio/HIIT

  • F45 (Locations across Hong Kong) – A mix of circuit and HIIT style workouts that take 45 minutes
  • HIT45 (Central) – High-intensity interval training using treadmills, weights and bodyweight exercises
  • XYZ Indoor Cycling Studio (Central) – Indoor cycling classes; they also offer in-home stationary bicycles with live online classes

CrossFit

Dance
For a list of dance schools and studios in the city, see Live > Continuing Education > Extracurricular and Special Interest Classes > Performing Arts, Dance and Music. There are also various dance events to get involved in, such as the After Work Salsa Dance party hosted every Monday night at Rula Live in Lan Kwai Fong by Dance with Style Hong Kong. Entry is free, and dancers of all experience levels are welcome.

The Hong Kong Ballroom Dancing Council Limited was established in 1989 to promote ballroom, Latin and social dancing.

Muay Thai/Boxing/MMA

  • DEF Boxing (Sheung Wan) – Boxing gym that trains top professional boxers and absolute beginners
  • Hybrid (Central) – Fitness center focused on MMA, offering personal and group training and kids’ classes
  • Impakt (Central) – One of Hong Kong’s biggest MMA and fitness centers
  • The Fighters Club (Locations in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay) – One-on-one personal training only in boxing and Muay Thai

Personal Trainers

  • Joint Dynamics (Locations in Central and Quarry Bay) – Physiotherapy clinic popular with trail runners and other athletes, with two well-equipped locations for personal training
  • One Personal Training (Central) – Boutique gym promising transformative results through a 12-week-long high intensity training program and diet plan
  • Ultimate Performance (Central) – International chain hailing from London and specializing in one-on-one training; also offers meal preparation service, small group fitness classes, and online classes

Women-Only

  • Fitness Bee (Locations in Sheung Wan and Causeway Bay) – Boutique gym offering personal training (in their Sheung Wan location) and a lengthy lineup of group classes (at Causeway Bay)
  • Pherform (Central) – Members-only studio offering training specifically tailored to women’s bodies

Yoga/Pilates/Barre

  • Flex (Locations in Central and Wong Chuk Hang) – One of Hong Kong’s premier barre, Pilates, and yoga studios
  • H-Kore (Locations in Central and Quarry Bay) – The only studio in Hong Kong offering the Lagree Fitness method (think super-pumped-up Pilates)
  • Iso Fit (Central) – Pilates and Gyrotonic group and individual training with an adjoining unit dedicated to physical rehabilitation
  • Pure Yoga (Locations across Hong Kong) – Yoga mega-chain with classes and locations to suit every schedule
  • WeBarre (Central) – Boutique barre studio with classes for all levels, including high-intensity training and pre- and post-natal classes
  • Yoga Room (Sheung Wan) – Large yoga studio in Sheung Wan with multiple spaces and classes throughout the day in yoga, aerial yoga, kids’ yoga, Pilates, TRX and more

Beyond Gym Memberships

During Hong Kong’s cooler and less humid fall and winter months, it can be quite enjoyable to train outdoors.

The most common way to get started is to join a group program, which provides useful guidance and is also a great way to meet new people.

  • The November Project – Free, challenging bodyweight workouts outdoors in Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun’s Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park
  • Primal Fit – Outdoor circuit, bodyweight and TRX training in Tamar Park, Sun Yat Sen and Lamma

Exercisers who do not want to be tied to a particular club can try ClassPass, which gives members flexible access to fitness classes at various outlets — not just in Hong Kong, but everywhere ClassPass operates (no fewer than four continents, plus New Zealand!). Members can also follow classes online.

For a discussion of trail and road running, including running clubs in Hong Kong, see Explore > Sports and Recreation > Sports in Hong Kong > Running.

Sports and Recreation Centers

Hong Kong has a number of sports and recreation centers and youth associations offering programs, courses and training schemes all year round.

Leisure and Cultural Services Department
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department manages a wide variety of facilities and programs that are available to the general public. Some facilities, such as swimming pools, do not require pre-booking. Other facilities and centers, including those for rope courses, archery ranges, bowling greens, holiday camps, badminton, basketball, volleyball, netball, tennis and squash courts, do require advance booking and often the prepayment of fees. Their website lists the locations of the leisure facilities, fees, and the terms and conditions for their use.

South China Athletic Association
The South China Athletic Association promotes community-based sports and organizes teams to participate in local and overseas competitions. They provide recreational facilities and training courses for a number of sports, including badminton, basketball, dancing, fencing, football, golf, martial arts, shooting, swimming, tennis, table tennis and many more. Although membership is required to join classes or use the facilities, the annual membership fee is nominal (HK$200 or less). Their main club facilities are in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island; tennis courts are located at the SCAA Tennis Centre at King’s Park Sports Ground in Ho Man Tin, Kowloon (near Jordan MTR station).

Although membership is required to join classes or use the facilities, the annual membership fee is nominal (HK$200 or less).

YMCA
At the YMCA in Tsim Sha Tsui, children can learn gymnastics, badminton, basketball, taekwondo, swimming or indoor wall climbing. The YMCA also has non-sports offerings in computer training, language, music, arts, drama, dance and cooking. The center runs a selection of summer youth camps in July and August every year. There are a few dedicated English programs; most classes are conducted in Cantonese or Cantonese supplemented with English.

YWCA
The Centre of Learning and Life Enhancement (CLLE) at the YWCA on Macdonnell Road in Mid-Levels Central offers a wide range of classes and programs for children and adults, ranging from sports and fitness (martial arts, gymnastics, soccer, tennis, qi gong) to cooking, arts and crafts, languages and more. Many if not most classes are bilingual or conducted in English. The YWCA’s sports facilities include a 2600 sq. ft. indoor gymnasium with climbing wall; an outdoor heated swimming pool; a fitness center; and a dance studio.

Private Members’ Clubs

Many of the larger residential estates in Hong Kong contain clubhouses with leisure facilities such as swimming pools, badminton courts and gyms for residents’ use.

The fees may be included in or in addition to the monthly rent.

Other private clubs are geared toward aficionados of sports such as golf, cricket, sailing and rugby. These clubs set their own fees and criteria for membership. Some club memberships require the payment of debentures. Long waiting lists are common, but very wealthy individuals can try jumping the line by buying a corporate debenture from a broker on the secondary market.

Some well-known private clubs in Hong Kong include:

Maximize your business exposure