Health x Wellness
UFIT celebrates 10 years in Singapore with launch of new UFIT Hub
UFIT Health and Fitness celebrates 10 years of success with the consolidation of the outlets into three integrated health and fitness hubs, and ongoing digital transformation for a personalised health experience.
UFIT will be consolidating into integrated Hubs with the first UFIT Hub located at 21 Club Street. These Hubs will be one-stop destinations for health, fitness and and will offering personal training, group exercise, physiotherapy and nutrition under one roof. Clients will also get access to Sports Medicine, health testing and an indoor-open floor studio.
The Club Street outlet will be the first of three Hubs that UFIT operates. This destination will see the merging of the Amoy Street location, the Clinic at Raffles Quay, and the personal training arm of UFIT’s Tanjong Pagar site.
As part of the digital transformation journey, UFIT clients can access a bespoke Online Coaching platform that enables UFIT trainers and professionals to support them on their fitness journey. The platform will include tools such as full-body scanners and health and performance screenings. There will also be a credit-based system on their app, enabling clients to purchase credits directly via the app and redeem across any classes in the Group Training portfolio, including outdoor Bootcamps and Indoor classes at the Club Street studio.
Lynsey, Head of Marketing for UFIT, shares with us about the new Club Street Hub.
the Active Age (AA): When did the business shift from a fitness business into a health business, and why?
Lynsey: UFIT has always equated health and fitness, but this year we have made that link much stronger with the recognition that health is not just about one part of your fitness, such as having abs! Health is a fully rounded concept encompassing all aspects of lifestyle including nutrition and mental wellness. The world of health is a complex one and requires client data and metrics to be able to give us the reins to efficiently program something for you that will get the results you deserve!
AA: “The future of health is to have a health coach.” How does the concept of hubbing help to accomplish this?
Lynsey: Having all of our specialists operating in the same physical space enables much greater interaction and provides a seamless experience for our customers. Integrated health means having access to the right professionals at whatever stage on the journey you are on, whether that is for diagnosis of an injury or rehabbing back-to-full function. It’s important to analyse a person’s nutrition or get them onto the right training regime to hit their goals. With UFIT, we offer a Health Coach as a long-term relationship, somebody who knows your metrics from your first visit and who can guide you along your individual path to greatness.
AA: You have combined many smaller spaces into one 16,000sqft place. What challenges did you have integrating all the spaces together, and how does hubbing help your clients?
Lynsey: It was a challenge finding the right space for the first UFIT Hub as we wanted somewhere not too far from the CBD UFIT locations that would be combined in it (Amoy Street, Tanjong Pagar, and the Clinic at Raffles Quay) and yet somewhere accessible for UFIT clientele. Once we saw this space, which combines five shophouses in one, we were sold. It’s such a beautiful space that embodies everything we set out to accomplish.
Secondly, the Hub would truly enable our clientele to access all of our offerings in one space, making it a “one stop shop”. It was important for us to be able to offer a holistic view to health and wellness, and that starts from the most basics, such as nutrition, and assess what kind of programme would best fit what they need. From there, we are able to form the building blocks needed for all-round wellness, which might include physiotherapy for some, rehabilitation for others with injuries or a combination of group classes and personal training.
AA: How have you added technology to help your clients, in their health and fitness goals?
Lynsey: Yes, UFIT has had a digital transformation to ensure that all of our booking, payment and customer transactions are seamlessly linked which in turn provides our clients with the best all-round experience.
We have built a fully integrated app featuring an online payment system that allows you to buy personal training or physio and rehab sessions therefore making it super easy when you actually come down for your session or need to top up.
We’ve also introduced a Group Class credits system where users purchase credits on the app or on our website, that can be used across our full range of group classes – both outdoor Bootcamps and a brand-new schedule of Indoor Studio classes.
We have created a bespoke online coaching platform, that allows Trainers and Therapists to share notes on training programs, nutritional data and rehabilitation. Clients can choose from varying levels of access including a totally remote option for clients outside of Singapore who would like to work with UFIT or for those who travel regularly.
AA: Why did you decide to combine both high-energy activities (on level one) and recovery/physio/rehab (on level two) in the same facility? As compared to making each Hub an activity/treatment specialist in specific practices.
Lynsey : The idea of having everything centralised in one location was to provide users with that holistic experience – it’s a one-stop shop for everything you need, from physio and rehab to a good workout, and then a pitstop at the Burn restaurant to fuel up.
Holistic health is only possible if it’s made physically easier, and more convenient transaction-wise, for our customers. The UFIT hubs combine all our different offerings and services in under one roof. Ultimately, it is important for us to put their needs first and how they use and access the facilities.
AA: How does UFIT operate for clients? Are personal coaches a requisite, and how does UFIT’s methodology work for clients?
Lynsey: PT sessions are not all UFIT offers and are not suitable for everyone: a full range of group classes are also available, and the type of workout can vary from Pilates to HIIT or weights. UFIT is focused on providing clients with a holistic experience and choice but always with the highest quality, which is why everyone starts with a one-on-one consultation to assess their needs and goals.
Our group training classes are great for everyone, where they still have a close eye being kept on them to ensure that they are doing the movements and exercises correctly.
Of course, personal coaching would be more targeted towards the individual’s personal goals.
AA: Does the UFIT facility offer treatments that clients can opt for, that overlaps with areas normally associated with the traditional healthcare system in Singapore e.g. pre/post-natal treatment, recovery and maintenance works etc.
Lynsey: Pre and post-natal has always been an important part of our services. We offer pre and post-natal physiotherapy with our Women’s Health team, as well as Pilates and Pilates Reformer classes. We also have excellent pre and post-natal group and personal trainers.
Recovery and maintenance are a staple of our Physio and Rehab businesses, offering physiotherapy, sports massage, osteopathy, stretch therapy, myofascial release, cupping, running gait analysis and much more.
We are just putting the finishing touches onto our Athlete Lab at Club Street which will focus on Sports Performance, plus we also aim to offer a dedicated Sports doctor on site at Club Street to extend the beginning of our client’s journey with us.
AA: Where will the other hubs/facilities be and what’s the timeline to open?
Lynsey : The Club Street Hub is definitely our flagship hub, as it’s a bespoke facility, but you can find the same levels of service and experience at our existing One-north and Orchard Road location. Both hubs offer a range of services similar to that at the Club Street Hub, and we’re looking forward to expanding their offering as we move towards full integration. We also operate a CrossFit box at CrossFit Bukit Timah, our home in the jungle. The CrossFit classes are accessible on our app and website via the Credits system in the same way as all of our other classes
