Virgin Active expands presence in Thailand with Siam Discovery club opening

Global gym chain Virgin Active has opened its new Siam Discovery leisure club in Thailand, marking the first of up to 20 new centres planned to open in the South East Asian nation over the next six years.

Designed to give members an unparalleled fitness and wellness experience, with innovative product offerings and a wide range of facilities, the Siam Discovery is Virgin Active’s fourth club in the Thai capital of Bangkok and will build on the company’s ambitious plans to invest up to 5.2 billion Thai Baht (US$150 million) in the country, creating up to 1,500 new jobs.

The company also plans to invest an additional 100 million Singapore dollars (US472 millio) in Singapore, as the Virgin Active brand expands its presence in the region.

Joining its clubs in Empire Tower, EmQuartier and Westgate, Virgin Active Siam Discovery covers more than 5,000 metre², and is one of the largest members-only fitness clubs in Asia.

It offers an air-conditioned 20-metre indoor swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, an ice room and Himalayan salt inhalation room. Club lounges serve healthy meals and offer free Wi-Fi and computer stations, as well as business meeting pods and sleep pods.

The club also boasts the largest indoor climbing wall in Thailand, as well as the company’s second Altitude studio set to mimic training conditions at 3,000 metres above sea level - higher than Thailand’s highest point, Doi Inthanon at 2,565 metres. The club also features a multi-sensory mind and body studio where members can take part in hot yoga ‘under the setting sun’, as well as The Grid - a training zone - and a bespoke boxing studio.

Equipment includes the latest gym technology - Artis® Collection, free weights and cable weights from Technogym® plus PowerPlate and Woodway Curve

Virgin Active South East Asia Managing Director Matthew Bucknall explains “the resounding success of our first three clubs shows that we are creating an unrivalled health and fitness club offering in Thailand.

“It sets a strong foundation for our ambitious plans to grow the number of clubs we have here and across South East Asia, and we’ve already identified six new sites for 2017.”

Virgin Active’s next club will open in Bangkok’s new Central Festival East Ville. It will feature Asia’s first fully dedicated children’s fitness facilities incorporating the latest junior activities, which will include learn-to-swim programs from the UK and Australia.

Bucknall is convinced that clubs in South Eeast Asia will transform the region’s fitness market, appealing to a new wave of consumers who want more from their workouts and to be part of the brand.

He adds “the global health and fitness industry is evolving rapidly. 

“Many of the current Asian health and fitness club offerings are outdated, fitness-only formats.

“We believe our unique state-of-the-art clubs, like the one we’ve opened today in Siam Discovery, will transform the region’s fitness market. Along with more of our large premium clubs, we are also looking at exciting new formats to offer something for everyone.”

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