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Imagine hearing the rhythmic thumping of upbeat HIIT music constantly reverberating throughout your room, to the point where you can feel the vibration of the bass beneath your feet.

Now picture that happening when you’re trying to relax and get some shut-eye. Almost impossible, unless you’re one of those people who can fall asleep anytime, anywhere.

Such was the case for customers and employees of HealSpa at Funan Mall, who experienced this on a daily basis, thanks to the neighbouring spin studio, X Fitness.

The number of times the noise occurs varies, depending on the number of classes the spin studio hold. But on the weekends, this can happen up to eight times a day, with each session lasting between 20 to 40 minutes.

How it all started

According to Lynn Gao, the owner of HealSpa, X Fitness moved into the premises next door on December 20, 2021.

The spin studio took a mere three days to complete the renovation works, and officially opened on December 23, 2021.

On that very same day, HealSpa lodged its first complaint against X Fitness to CapitaLand, the operator of Funan Mall, claiming that X Fitness was “blasting music so loudly” that it affected the spa's customers. Customers complained that they were unable to enjoy their spa sessions in peace.

Gao told me that the mall's management came down the next day to speak with X Fitness and advised them to lower its volume, which it proceeded to do.

But after the management personnel left, Gao alleged that the studio once again started to blast loud music.

Over the next few days, Gao claimed that she attempted to speak to the owners of X Fitness but was met with a cold shoulder.

Not the first mugwort-burning incident

How did I end up speaking with the spa? Well, it's thanks to a TikTok video posted by user Michykimchi, who filmed a curious incident this past week involving HealSpa and X Fitness.

In the video, smoke can be seen emanating from mugwort incense sticks that were placed near the entrance of the spin studio.

@michykimchi♬ original sound - Michy♋️

But this was not the first time HealSpa had burned and placed mugwort incense sticks next to the studio.

Gao told me that she first burned mugwort sticks on December 28, 2021 in response to the worsening noise pollution.

To make matters worse, the noise from the spin studio was amplified whenever the doors to the massage rooms were closed.

As such, Gao lodged further complaints but according to her, the mall management refused to take further action.

Gao claimed to have “burned the mugwort sticks on purpose” in hopes of getting attention so that the management would do something about the issue.

While Gao's stunt did attract the attention of the mall operator (who said that it would take back X Fitness' unit if the noise level were to exceed 65 decibels), the spa continued to be disturbed by the thumping noise from the spin studio.

Business negatively affected by noise

Gao claimed that since the start of the noise disturbances, her business has dipped by more than 50 per cent.

Customers were frustrated with the loud music blaring through the walls, with some leaving halfway through the spa sessions. A few of them requested to switch outlets, while others asked for refunds.

Gao claimed that their appointment list was often full during the weekends and on weekday afternoons, but many regular patrons have refused to come back.

When I went down on Tuesday to meet with Gao, the store only had one customer getting a foot massage.

Employees distressed by disturbances

Apart from this, the employees whom I spoke to also claimed to have been very distressed by the noise disturbances.

The manager of the outlet, who declined to be named, said that many employees had asked for a transfer, while a handful has resigned citing the non-conducive work environment as the reason for leaving.

While no physical altercations have occurred between the employees of the two companies, employees at HealSpa alleged that the staff at X Fitness deliberately "bumped into [their] shoulders" when heading toward the restroom on several occasions.

When they politely asked them to lower their music volume, the staff at X Fitness would "roll their eyes" at them or ignore them.

"Their body language was very rude already," the manager at HealSpa stated.

The receptionist at HealSpa also claimed that the employees at X Fitness would come over and "glare at [them]" for no apparent reason, once even openly taking pictures of them.

When I visited the spa, the smell of mugwort lingered faintly in the outlet.

Personally, the faint smell of mugwort was acceptable, but if burnt in large amounts, I believe it would be pretty overpowering to the senses.

After X Fitness called the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Police, the incident caused a big stir at the mall and on the internet.

Gao claimed that X Fitness hasn't been as noisy since the incident was filmed and uploaded on TikTok.

But what she does not understand is the logic behind the placing of a spin studio beside a spa meant for relaxation.

"Why would the management put a spin studio beside a spa? My business has been so [badly] affected," Gao told me.

I reached out to CapitaLand for a response regarding the incident and while it did not answer my questions specifically, it provided the following response:

"We are aware of the ongoing discussions between HealSpa and X Fitness, and have reached out to both of them for further discussions.

As a pop-up concept, X Fitness will be vacating the mall by mid-April. Till then, X Fitness has committed to lower its volume.

We thank our tenants for working with us to provide a conducive environment for our shoppers."

The owners of X Fitness declined to respond when I approached the spin studio. Well, hopefully the remaining weeks will pass peacefully and smokeless-ly.

Top image by Shynn Ong.