The Fitness Business

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Beauty Works Solely for women

Beauty Works managing director, Barbara Ngu first returned to Kuching from Australia in the mid- 1990s.

Upon her return, she was eager to continue on her healthy lifestyle of exercising regularly which she adhered to in Australia.

However, she had trouble finding a decent place in town to exercise.

This void led her to open up her own one-stop health, beauty and fitness centre for ladies in 1996.

“I decided that it would be for ladies only, as many women like to have more privacy when they exercise.

That, and also so that they won’t be hassled by the opposite gender,” Ngu joked.

“Exercising is my passion.

When I was in Australia, I saw many people keeping fit and exercising regularly and I was lured into the whole thing as well.

I found that it makes so much difference whether you exercise or not.

It affects your mood, your energy level and most of all, your figure.” Beauty Works is divided into two departments, the first of which i s the beauty department where women can find services such as facial and body treatments, pedicures and manicures, as well as waxing.

On the other hand, the fitness department oversees classes ranging from the hardcore fitness classes as well as the dance classes.

“We also have a gym under the fitness department where we have instructors to guide members to use the equipment the right way, not forgetting the facilities such as showers and a powder area to add to the convenience of members,” Ngu said.

The latest fitness craze

One of the most popular classes in Beauty Works, taught by Ngu herself, is Zumba.

Ngu described Zumba as a form of group fitness programme mixing Latin dance movies with some aerobics moves, thereby making it more challenging and fun for learners.

“Our classes are held in a very casual setting.

Zumba helps you move every part of your body and you can actually sweat up to 1,000 calories per session if you really move according to the instructor’s instructions.

“Zumba has spread, in recent years, to countries such as Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand as well.

There are about 12 million people following this programme in the last five years.” Being a certified instructor for this dance-based fitness exercise, Ngu explained that Zumba comes up with its own new programmes every now and then, the latest of which was Zumba Toning.

“We will be the first to offer the Zumba Toning classes in Kuching, it will be the ultimate toning class helping women shape their bodies using free weights known as Zumba sticks.

I will be going for the course, then take a few weeks to practice and get the right music for it,” Ngu said, noting that Z u m b a instructors have to subscribe to the programme whereby they would be sent new choreography and music on a quarterly basis.

“With this, Zumba members from all over the world will be doing the same thing, regardless of whether you are in New York or Kuching, we are at the frontline of things,” she added.

Apart from this, Ngu is also a Pilates instructor certified by a London-based Pilates Institute.

She revealed that Pilates was one of her favourite exercises.

To add to her already impressive fitness resume is her Hathayoga qualification.

The challenges

“Among the challenges I faced initially was to convince the ladies to spend more time to take better care of their image, outlook and health.

Well, back in the 1990s, not many ladies placed emphasis on themselves.

Instead they were more family-focused.

“However, the outlook has changed considerably as people are more and more aware of the importance of fitness and health.

This is likely caused by outside influence as well as better education,” Ngu remarked.

She believed that as people’s financial situations improved, they tended to indulge more and become more willing to pay to use fitness facilities and participate in fitness classes.

Going forward

Ngu opined that the fitness industry had a bright future in Kuching with the increase in awareness and population.

Beauty Works’ target market included ladies ranging from their 20s to 40s, however, it also offered programmes for more elderly members.

When asked on the increasing number of gyms and fitness centres in town, Ngu said, “While competition has increased, we are still comfortable with our position as we are one of the only ladies-only gym.

There are many ladies who want to exercise in a more private space.

“We are not very actively doing a membership drive or aggressively doing promotions.

Beauty Works is aimed at providing a place for women to exercise and help them reach their goals, so we are more results-oriented rather than being driven by membership count.” She went on to stress the importance of constantly servicing the gym equipment as well as updating the fitness programmes.

“We are currently following the most advanced fitness programmes with the most updated Zumba programmes.

Eventually, my aim is to have a daily Zumba class.”

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