Is Buying a Gym Membership a Waste of Money?

Probably. According to the article, he managed to slash his 35,000 RMB annual membership fee down to 7,000. On top of that, when he asked a friend, the friend said they paid just 2,000 a year.

For a 120-square-meter gym, private training sessions go for 2,200 RMB each, annual memberships are 2,400 RMB, and group classes are 39 RMB. Monthly sales typically hover around 180,000 RMB, which might look like net profit at first glance—but you have to spread that across 12 months.

In summary, the only way a gym makes real money is by running away with the cash. If it stays in business, that money gets eaten up by service costs.

If a gym doesn't run off with your money, it's very hard to get rich.