Boutique fitness gets new muscle

People exercise at a gym in Shanghai. About 15 million Chinese had gym memberships and the fitness market reached 30 billion yuan ($4.35 billion) last year, according to iResearch Consulting Group.

"I love the spinning club because it's so efficient," Shanghai city planner Dong Fang said.

It also enables patrons to double task by getting fit while socializing.

GUCYCLE spinning club's founder, Bruce Chen, said he aspired to build interesting fitness centers in Beijing and Shanghai, where young professionals can meet like-minded friends.

He understood the demographic, since he's a Stanford graduate with years of investment banking experience.

"Many of our members work for banks or law firms," he said.

"Their lives are too occupied by work for socializing. Here, they can expand their networks and meet interesting people. We're creating a space where top graduates and elite professionals from different fields can work hard and play hard, together."

Such clubs' startup and overhead costs are pricy, Verlin explained.

Rent is high. Trainers are expensive. And topnotch sound systems, lighting and mobile app management cost a bundle.