TEXT AND PHOTOS BY PEDRO ANDRÉ SANTOS / TRANSLATION DAISY WONG
The first Metal Gym was opened in 2020 and in less than five years, Metal 24 Fitness has established six gyms in Macau and one in Taipa, the latest of which opened recently in the heart of Macau, a rate of expansion that has even surprised the owners of this venture.
“We wanted to introduce more Metal-focused gyms in Macau, but I never imagined it would expand so much,” says Rachel Chui, one of the managers and personal trainer. “I think the Metal music we play definitely sets us apart from other gyms. It can really transform the atmosphere of the space into something that is very cool and gets people’s attention.”
Indeed, the Metal music playing in the background is one of the hallmarks of Metal Gyms, and the new space, Gothic Metal, located on Avenida da Praia Grande, follows the same style as the others, with black painted walls decorated with graffiti by local artist PIBG2038.
“I really like Metal music, and even within the genre there are different styles, hence the different names of our gyms. The latest one is called Gothic Metal. If we open any more gyms, I don’t know what style of metal they might be called, maybe something stronger, like Death Metal, but I don’t know if that style would be approved,” Rachel laughs. “For now, we’re going to concentrate on the ones that we have already opened.”
Of course, you don’t necessarily have to be a fan of Metal music to join the gyms. There are some other interesting quirks about these spaces that seemingly have nothing to do with fitness, but nonetheless set the space apart and have a certain appeal to local fitness buffs.
“I think there are other things that attract attention apart from the music, especially the cats. We have cats in all our gym spaces, and we also have other animals like turtles and a hedgehog,” says Rachel, emphasising that the aim is to “try to be different from the rest”,considering that Macau already has a lot of gyms.
The focus so far has been mainly on the Macau side, but the company also operates Baby Metal 2 in Taipa.
“It’s a smaller gym than the others and we also wanted to have pink themed decorations, which is why it got that name,” explains Rachel.
The first Baby Metal Gym was opened on the Macau side, its name inspired by the Japanese metal band of the same name.
Encouraged by their success in Macau, the group even has plans to open the first Metal Gym in Zhuhai this year.
“We are so glad that we have so many members to support Metal 24 Fitness, and our goal is to ‘get everybody to love going to the gym’, that’s why we’ve invested significantly to expand Metal Gyms all around the city,” says Rachel. “Macau people are becoming more and more aware of staying healthy and the local fitness market has grown rapidly these years. Therefore, we need to maintain a high quality and openmore branches to stay competitive and make it more convenient for people to workout.”
Currently their annual membership fees are MOP5,300 per year, and newly signed members can receive two extra months as a bonus offer. Membership provides access to any of the Metal Gyms in the city, as well as the chance to join group classes.
