Aquaspin Middle East launches in Dubai

Sian Bentley, a United Arab Emirates-based fitness trainer, has launched Aquaspin Middle East, a franchise of the Singapore-based aqua spinning company, at Dubai's Intercontinental Hotel.

With a degree in sports psychology from Brunel University in the UK, Bentley started her career as a personal trainer, including being a yoga and Pilates instructor, as well as a Nike brand ambassador. Having moved to Dubai in 2010, she worked as a personal trainer before dedicating her time and expertise exclusively to a number of fitness and health-conscious local families.

In 2017, she was introduced to the Singaporean founders of Aquaspin, and decided to bring this new exercise class - dubbed the ultimate aquatics class - to the city.

Speaking about launching Aquaspin Middle East, Bentley explains “it is important to find a franchise that supports you.

“The founders in Singapore are really passionate about their brand and have very high standards. They are a global brand with a local feel. At the same time, I’m happy I have found a franchise that works for this region. Aquaspin makes the most of the city’s five-star facilities and people in Dubai love unique new concepts.”

Commenting on launching a new franchise, Bentley adds “I would advise other fitness trainers who are considering opening their own business to save, save, save. Starting a business is costly and there are always surprises. Therefore, when starting up, it is important to shop around. Find the best deals on trade license, insurance and shipping companies by doing your own research. Gather at least five quotes before settling on one, and always ask for a better price. Also, insurance for fitness classes is quite hard to find in Dubai.”

Apart from the process of setting up a business in the city being quite costly, she says, one of her biggest challenges was finding an appropriate scheduling and booking system.

She states “how people would book and pay for the classes was one of the first challenges I faced because Dubai is extremely limited when it comes to scheduling and booking systems, especially for the fitness industry at start-up prices

“We only have 12 bikes per class so I need to encourage people to book and pay in advance.”

Bentley is expecting that Aquaspin Middle East will expand to two more studios in the near future.

Click here to contact Aquaspin™ via their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory.

Image: Sian Bentley. Courtesy of Aquaspin Middle East.