Megafit locks itself in the basement

Shanghaiist's gym is moving. And since we found out about this rather abruptly -- and there's a decent chance it might be your gym, as well -- we figured we'd spread the word. We go to the Megafit on the corner of Huaihai Zhong Lu and Danshui Lu, not too far from the Huangpi Nan Lu metro stop. Not a bad gym. Spacious and clean (well, save for that rat we saw there a little more than a year ago). Shanghaiist chose Megafit for its windows, a big wall of them overlooking Huaihai. Time goes by faster on the elliptical machine when you can watch one almost-accident after another down on the busy street.

So, we were none too pleased to learn last week that Megafit would be moving into a basement. They are closing their current location on July 14 and they aren't opening the new one until August 6 -- leaving customers the perfect opportunity to test out other gyms in the neighborhood. The new place is actually closer to Shanghaiist's apartment, in the basement of the same Hong Kong Plaza building that houses Uni Qlo and Wagas. A sign posted in Megafit assures gym-goers that the new location is in "one of the top 10 'A' grade building" in Shanghai. It also brags of "direct access to the underground metro," which to them means "therefore the environmental comfort and ventilation is of excellent quality." The new space will be 5,000 square meters and a team of "top Hong Kong designers and interior decorators" are working hard to make the new Megafit "state of the art" and "exciting." But we fear not even Hong Kong designers can put windows in a basement.

So, what's going to happen to Megafit's old three-story location? Well, according to the kid working the front desk last night, Shanghai is going to get just what it needs -- another huge wedding store.

Megafit, new location starting August 6: Basement 3, Hong Kong Plaza, South Block, 300 Huaihai Zhong Lu (淮海中路300号，香港广场南区，地下3层).