Mumbai: SoBo’s hippest gymnasium forced to shut business

One of SoBorsquos toniest fitness centres Melt is set to shut shop at Cambata Building opposite Churchgate station after providing a vibrant space for the affluent to sweat it out for 21 years The housekeeping staff who have been associated with the elite fitness centre since its inception said that the sprawling space was a second home for themDespite incurring heavy losses the management of Melt has absorbed its loyal housekeeping staff into its sister concern QI Spine Clinic The director of the Olympicstandard gym Nitij Arenja told midday that he had been approached by many to create franchisesCambata Building which houses MeltMany film industry bigwigs as well as senior IPS and IAS officers Mantralaya bureaucrats legal eagles business honchos and other fitness freaks have sweated it out at Melt The gym then called Qi was founded on June 1 2002 It was rechristened Melt in May 2019 said Dheeraj Pardesi an employee who sits at the front deskAlso Read Mumbai Uddhavjirsquos Shiv Sena wonrsquot cross the 50 mark in the BMC elections says Ashish ShelarIPS officer Ashok Kamte who was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra after he laid down his life during the 2611 attacks would often frequent Melt Another patron was the decorated IPS officer Himanshu Roy who ended his life in 2018 while battling cancerApart from senior IPS officers such as Krishna Prakash Amitabh Gupta Vishwas Nangre Patil and Hari Balaji retired bureaucrats and solicitors general breaking into a sweat were also a common sight at the establishment According to Meltrsquos management the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud would also drop in whenever he was in MumbaiAmitabh Gupta the additional director general of prisons Maharashtra said ldquoI have been in Pune for the last three years but I would wake up early in the morning and sweat it out for an hour every day at Melt when I was in Mumbairdquo ldquoIt is sad it is shutting down now Its ambience was extremely good machines trainers and staff members are amazingrdquo he addedIronman Krishna Prakash the additional director general who is the chief of Maharashtra Force One and incharge of VIP security in the state told midday ldquoFor me going to the gym is not the only way to work out but I must say that Melt was one of the best places to sweat it out in Mumbai Many IPS and IAS officers and their wives as well as children would go there I would visit it once or twice a weekrdquo He added ldquoMelt was a place for solace and relaxation for Himanshu Roy sir He would go there with his personal gym trainer Till his last day he was there at the MeltrdquoApart from its ambience the gymrsquos strategic location proved crucial to its popularity PicsAtul KamblePrakash praised the gymrsquos management and trainers ldquoAlso the equipment was always stateoftheart Many retired highprofile officers would go there not only to work out but also for their rehabilitation So the gym shutting down is an emotional setback for the elderly Many people were emotional when I spoke to them about this recentlyrdquo he said ldquoWe had a good bond with elderly people there as we used to celebrate our birthdays together toordquo he addedReason for closureArenja told midday ldquoCambata Trust has a tenant who we were partnering with to run Melt Now the tenant is amicably returning the property to the landlord ie Cambata Trust There was no legal fight Everything was done amicably We were formed informed of this development a couple of days ago Hence we are shutting down the business on May 31 We have conveyed this message to all membersrdquoThe fitness centre was fully revamped before the lockdown and expensive machines were brought from Italy to create an Olympicstandard gym for fitness freaks But despite huge investment the management could not get a good return as the lockdown was implemented soon after the revamp in 2020 said ArenjaMukesh and Vimmi NisharSpeaking about the future he said ldquoWe have had a lot of calls related to franchise enquiries Many people have approached us in the last couple of days as we have around 800 members and goodwill in the market They want to franchise the brand We have yet not finalised anything but discussions with those who have approached us are underwayrdquoJob security is guaranteedArenja said despite the financial situation Meltrsquos loyal employees will not be left high and dry ldquoThe housekeeping staff as well as employees from our admin department have been associated with us since day one I never treated Melt as a profitmaking business Indeed it was a passion project and these people were part of this family for over two decades None of them have been asked to go jobless So as per our commitment we have absorbed them into our sister concern QI Spine Clinic Itrsquos a nice way to give back to the communityrdquo he addedArenja said ldquoMelt was a home of a community of south Mumbai I am very grateful that people trusted us and gave us a chance to serve them So with a lot of gratitude and humility we have been overwhelmed by the emotional supportrdquo Apart from its ambience the gymrsquos strategic location proved crucial to its popularityldquoWe never advertised our brand yet wellknown people were members of Melt People have travelled across the globe yet they returned to our gym and said lsquoMelt is the bestrsquo We have the same machines that are all installed at the Olympics Also since it was located outside Churchgate station where Mantralaya stock market courts government headquarters etc are located within a onekilometre radius Melt was the first choice for our membersrdquo he statedThe owner of Citywalk Shoes Nasir Jamal who would regularly frequent the establishment said ldquoMelt was like a family space where the gentry was extremely good It was centrally located for all of us I used to go there with my wife and son A couple of days ago I was informed by the management that it is shutting down due to some issues I donrsquot think I will be able to find any other gym in south Mumbai with such impressive facilities and cordial staff membersrdquoJennifer Sadri a trainer has spent half of her life at the Melt ldquoI joined this gym when I was 23 It is like a home to me I have no other words to say about this gym which has given me everything in liferdquo she saidHousekeeping staff sadA housekeeping staffer Sandhya Bhurke has been associated with the Melt since day one ldquoIt was like a second home I am the only breadwinner of my family so Melt was like a temple I am very sad that my shrine is going to shut on May 31rdquo she added ldquoI am very thankful to the management as they have promised to absorb us somewhererdquo said Bhurke a Jogeshwari residentSangeeta Chauhan would always feel uncomfortable if the Meltrsquos floor was not spick and span ldquoI would always rush to wipe the floor at Melt which has given me everything I never treated Melt as my workplace It is more like my own house which I would keep clean for everyone The members would always bring gifts including seasonal fruits for usrdquoMukesh Nishar director Happy Homes Realty Pvt Ltd said ldquoMy wife Vimi and I have been members of Melt for the past 17 years We start our day with Melt We have a group of around 50 friends at the gym who are more like family From trainers to the housekeeping staff each one of them is extremely close to us and I canrsquot imagine having to say goodbye to themrdquo 800No of members