California Fitness
Encyclopedia
California Fitness is a wholly owned subsidiary of 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide which has around 400 clubs serving more than three million members. The first California Fitness club was established in 1996 in the business district of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 near Lan Kwai Fong
Lan Kwai Fong
Lan Kwai Fong is a small square of streets in Central, Hong Kong. The area was dedicated to hawkers before the Second World War, but underwent a renaissance in the mid 1980s. It is now a popular expatriate haunt in Hong Kong for drinking, clubbing and dining...

. Currently, there are 16 clubs in Hong Kong, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

.

The mission of the company is to help members live better through fitness.

California Fitness launched Hong Kong’s first human-powered exercise machines designed to power a gym building in 2007.

Clubs

  • Mainland China (2)
Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

 (The Place), Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

 (Infiniti Plaza)
  • Hong Kong (10)
Causeway Bay
Causeway Bay
Causeway Bay is a heavily built-up area of Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, located on the Hong Kong Island, and covering parts of Wan Chai and Eastern districts. The Chinese name is also romanized as Tung Lo Wan as in Tung Lo Wan Road...

, Central
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center.Central may also refer to:-Directions and generalised locations:* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as Middle Africa...

, MegaBox
Megabox
Megabox is a chain of movie theatres in South Korea. Its headquarters are in Chungdam-dong, Gangnam Gu, Seoul and it was established in 2000....

, Mongkok, Mongkok Pakpolee, Quarry Bay
Quarry Bay
Quarry Bay is an area beneath Mount Parker in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. The western portion of the area was also formerly known as Lai Chi...

, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...

, Tuen Mun Town Plaza
Tuen Mun Town Plaza
Tuen Mun Town Plaza , established in 1988 and located in the town of Tuen Mun, is the largest shopping mall in the NW New Territories and was developed by the Sino Group...

, Wan Chai
Wan Chai
Wan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...

, Whampoa
  • Singapore (4)
Bugis, Novena Square, Orchard, Raffles


Beginning in 2005, California Fitness partnered with two fitness superstars, Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...

 and Yao Ming
Yao Ming
Yao Ming is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association...


, to create signature clubs in the region. There were two California Fitness-Yao Ming Sport clubs in Mainland China which were re-branded as normal California Fitness in 2010. Currently, there are a total of four California Fitness-Jackie Chan Sport clubs in Asia (two in Hong Kong and two in Singapore).
  • The Thai
    Thailand
    Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

     and Korean
    South Korea
    The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

     chains were spun off into California WOW Xperience in early 2000s.
  • Three former Malaysian clubs were acquired by Celebrity Fitness
    Celebrity Fitness
    Celebrity Fitness is one of Asia's largest health and fitness club operators, by number of clubs and members. Celebrity Fitness currently has 27 clubs in 3 different countries, and operates three different gym brands: Celebrity Fitness, Celebrity Fitness Express, and Celebrity Fitness VIP...

     in 2009.
  • Six former Taiwan
    Taiwan
    Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

     clubs were acquired by World Gym
    World Gym
    World Gym was founded in 1976 by Joe Gold during the glory days of “Muscle Beach” in Venice, California. Since that time, World Gym has evolved into an internationally recognized brand....

     in September 2010.

Products, services and facilities

In addition to cardio
Aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise is physical exercise of relatively low intensity that depends primarily on the aerobic energy-generating process. Aerobic literally means "living in air", and refers to the use of oxygen to adequately meet energy demands during exercise via aerobic metabolism...

 and resistance
Strength training
Strength training is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles. There are many different methods of strength training, the most common being the use of gravity or elastic/hydraulic forces to oppose muscle contraction...

 equipment, free weights, group exercise studios, all California Fitness clubs have free internet access (wifi or in-club kiosks). Most of its clubs have steam
Steam room
A steam room is an enclosed space with large amounts of high temperature steam, creating a high humidity environment. People sit in this room in a similar way to a sauna , for relaxation and purported benefits to health and well being. They can be commonly found in gyms, sanitariums and health...

 and sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....

 rooms and there is an outdoor swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...

 in one of its Hong Kong clubs.

California WOW Xperience

California WOW Xperience, a totally separate company, with the California Fitness founder Eric Lavine as the CEO, was established when Thailand and Korea locations were spun off from California Fitness in early 2000s.

In August 2008, cross-membership agreements between California WOW Xperience and California Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness were terminated.

Despite company changes, California WOW Xperience is still frequently confused with California Fitness.

External links

China, Hong Kong, Singapore
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