Too Smelly For Gym? Chinese Fitness Centre Refunds Money Over Body Odour Complaints, Asks Him To Join Elsewhere

A man in Hangzhou, China, was refunded his gym membership after the management received numerous complaints about his strong body odor. The gym cancelled his membership, refunded the remaining 3,888 yuan, and provided a three-month membership to another gym, despite the man's efforts to manage his heavy perspiration.

A Chinese guy obtained a refund from a gym that requested him to stop using the facility and even offered him a three-month membership card at another gym because the management had received too many complaints about his strong body smell. The man, named only as Shi, resides in Hangzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang province. According to local media Zhejiang TV, he paid 6,388 yuan (US$940) for a three-year gym membership in May 2025, which allowed him to utilise the facilities until the end of April 2028.

Shi said he had lost a lot of weight a decade ago, dropping from 125kg to 80kg. Since then, he became a workout enthusiast and took part in various sports regularly. Shi worked out five times a week after joining the gym. However, on June 20, he got a message from the gym telling him that his membership was being cancelled due to several complaints about the overpowering stench he was causing within the building. Before making this choice, we gave it a lot of serious thinking. The gym informed Shi, "We will reimburse your money for the remainder of your membership period."

The message continued: “We are already under pressure to do business amid the economic downturn and we are trying to treat each customer well. But many customers repeatedly complained to us that the strong odour in the gym had affected them. So we have to end your membership.” Shi said he received 3,888 yuan (US$570) from the gym as well as a three-month membership card to another gym. 

The media was informed by the gym where Shi used to work out that he had a tendency to sweat a lot and smell strongly.

Numerous patrons reported that the machine Shi had just used or was passing by had an overtly unpleasant odour. The machine, the treadmills, the treadmills, the treadmills. The gym said it had once allocated exercise equipment in the corner for his use and asked him to come during non-rush hours. But that did not quash the complaints.

Shi acknowledged that he perspires a lot, but in an effort to lessen the effect on others, he typically carried many towels to cover the equipment and wipe away his sweat.