S'pore massage chain Wan Yang closure: Ex-staff dismissed impending closure rumours, salaries still unpaid

Former staff of now-defunct Wan Yang Health Product and Foot Reflexology Centre, a massage chain in Singapore, were apparently only notified about the closure of the business on the day its outlets ceased operations.

It was previously reported that Wan Yang had suddenly closed all of its five outlets without prior notice.

Staff were caught by surprise

In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, a senior staff member at Wan Yang, surnamed Huang (transliteration), revealed that she was not given any prior notice regarding the closure.

Huang, who had worked at Wan Yang for 18 years, said rumours about the parlours closing down had been circulating among customers over the past month.

"Our staff initially thought it was fake news, so we didn't pay much attention to it," she said.

She added that the company first shuttered its outlet at Our Tampines Hub in November, and staff were later informed that the HarbourFront Centre outlet would be closing in April 2026 due to land acquisition.

The remaining three branches were expected to continue operations as per normal.

"We all thought it was just a matter of making a few adjustments to some stores," Huang said. "We didn't expect it to close down completely."

She also revealed that she had been told the company needed to complete its annual tax filing before salaries could be paid.

As a result, she has yet to receive her salary for the month of November.

According to Shin Min, each outlet typically employed about nine massage therapists and three to four administrative staff.

With the abrupt closure, Huang said she is now "out of work and out of income", and is actively looking for a new job.

A staff meeting was called on the day of the closure

Another female employee told Shin Min that she had reported to work as usual when the outlet's manager suddenly called for a meeting in the morning.

Staff were asked to cancel all the customer appointments for that evening and were instructed not to sell any more packages.

It was only around 3pm that afternoon when the outlet's manager announced that it was their last day of operations.

"Many of us were mentally prepared for some changes, but we thought the company would at least continue until Chinese New Year next year. We didn’t expect it to be so sudden," she said.

Authorities to ensure Wan Yang fulfils legal obligations

In response to Mothership's queries, spokespersons from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) stated that MOM is looking into the closure of Wan Yang's outlets to ensure that the company has discharged its statutory obligations, such as salary payments: "We stand ready to help the affected employees with job matching support."

Employees who require advice or assistance on salary claims can contact TADM here.

The spokespersons also confirmed that work passes of Wan Yang's foreign staff have been cancelled.

Needed monthly turnover of at least S$100,000

Huang told Shin Min that the management had previously told staff that each outlet needed to achieve a monthly turnover of at least S$100,000 to remain viable.

"After hearing that, staff put in extra effort to promote the packages. I personally managed to get 20 packages signed. Now that the company has shut down so abruptly, we feel cheated and are very sorry for our customers," she said.

Many customers had purchased packages because they trusted specific therapists, she added, and staff had tried their best to provide good service.

"None of us expected things to end this way," she added.

Top photos via Google Maps and Shin Min Daily News