In 2011, former professional hockey player Mike Hartwick was on holiday in California surfing when he realized that surfing provided better physical conditioning and athletic performance than traditional weight training at the gym. Thus, Surfset Fitness was born.
"After retiring from hockey, I started training for the Boston Marathon and the Tough Mudder. During these workouts, I often injured my knees, so I began looking for an alternative to conventional gym workouts," Surfset Fitness founder Mike Hartwick told The Fashion Spot in an interview.
He said that surfing not only delivered better workout results than the gym but also improved cardiovascular regulation. "But surfing isn't for everyone, so we tried bringing the sport indoors so that gym-goers could also experience the benefits of surfing."
In 2012, Mike Hartwick brought Surfset Fitness's product – the indoor surfboard RipSurfer X – onto the American reality TV show Shark Tank.Ultimately, he secured a $300,000 angel investment from Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, who now holds a 30% stake in Surfset.
On the night the show aired, Surfset Fitness’s official website received 250,000 visits. In 2013, Surfset generated approximately $5 million in revenue and has significantly expanded its distribution channels in recent years.Major partners include the 24-hour U.S. fitness chain Anytime Fitness, as well as collaborations with Under Armour and Garnier Fructis.
▲Robert Herjavec tries the indoor surfboard RipSurfer X on the Shark Tank show
Currently, Surfset Fitness has expanded to 18 countries and regions, including the United States, the UK, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, with 141 gyms worldwide using its equipment. Of these, 27 gyms are branded under the Surfset name.
As an indoor fitness surfboard, the RipSurfer X looks no different from a regular surfboard, except for three silicone balls and a base plate underneath. The silicone balls simulate the "waves," creating an unstable, low-gravity feel with tilting motions.
▲The indoor surfboard RipSurfer X released by Surfset Fitness
Women’s magazine ELLE once reported on the RipSurfer X. Grace Leung, founder of Hong Kong gym Omelette Menu, said that besides offering balance and muscle endurance training, the product also delivers impressive muscle toning and body-shaping effects when combined with other fitness equipment. The most effective combination she found was with TRX suspension training and RIP resistance bands.
"Besides providing a challenging workout, I think it’s also a really fun way to exercise," New York beauty blogger Sharon Feiereisen wrote on her webpage. "It’s very innovative and perfect for young people."
In addition to getting gyms to adopt indoor surfboards and selling online, Surfset Fitness’s own gyms are also quite unique.
▲Dedicated classroom for Surfset classes
Every gym that adopts the RipSurfer X dedicates over 200 square meters to the equipment, equipping 25–30 surfboards for group classes. Courses range from high-difficulty "Resistance Training" yoga on the board to beginner-friendly "Balance" classes.
The person in charge of Surfset Fitness’s flagship store in Japan, Kazuko Uezumi, told reporters, "There’s no fixed schedule for using the RipSurfer X – you can come once a week or 5–6 times. She noted that most students start to feel the effects after just two classes, with the most noticeable improvements in core strength, triceps, and upper arms."You’ll see a clear improvement in your balance within the first week of training."
Kazuko Uezumi said that Surfset Fitness gyms have a standardized teaching system for indoor surfboards, mainly divided into beginner and advanced courses, each lasting 45 minutes. Additionally,unlike other fitness programs, members receive guidance from professional instructors while using the equipment – unlike typical gyms where only those who buy personal training sessions get coach attention.
At Surfset Japan, for example, there are three “Primary” and seven “Regular” classes per week dedicated to using the indoor surfboard, each priced at about 3,500 yen (approximately 210 RMB). Surfset Japan also offers a four-session trial package per month for busy professionals, priced at around 3,200 yen (approximately 190 RMB).
"Since surfing became an Olympic sport, many people have started paying attention to it, and a surfing craze has emerged in Japan. But those interested in surfing often lack the time or opportunity to go to the beach," explained Kazuko Uezumi. Although the indoor surfboard is suitable for users of all ages, the current Surfset clientele mainly consists of women aged 20–40."Most women find outdoor workouts too hot and tiring, but now Surfset classes solve that problem."
▲In Japan, most Surfset class participants are women
According to the business head of another Japanese gym, Life Create, which also uses Surfset equipment, since introducing the RipSurfer X across 17 branches nationwide, they’ve focused on developing Surfset classes as a core offering. Life Create’s Ginza branch in Tokyo had registered 1,529 members for Surfset-specific courses within the first six months of introduction, with numbers still growing."In 2015, our revenue was about 639 million yen (approximately 37.1 million RMB), and by the end of 2016, annual revenue had reached 1.129 billion yen (approximately 65.6 million RMB). The growth was largely thanks to the Surfset business."said the business head.
Currently, Japan’s gym market is in a phase of slow expansion. According to data from the “Leisure White Paper 2017” published by the Japan Productivity Center, the Japanese gym market reached a historic high of 448 billion yen (approximately 26 billion RMB) in 2016, showing only a 0.5% increase compared to 2015. Among this,The most important consumer group consists of middle-aged and elderly people.
"In a context of slow growth, the decision by major gyms to introduce new fitness methods like Surfset has indeed attracted more young people to join gyms," she said.
However, compared to the immense popularity of Surfset Fitness in Europe, America, Japan, Singapore, and other regions, apart from a few gyms that have introduced it in Hong Kong, such a novelty would face a completely different situation if entering the Chinese market.
In recent years, with the rise of a new wave of fitness trends and the expansion of fitness clubs, the number of gyms and members in China has grown rapidly. Data from the General Administration of Sport of China shows that the number of fitness clubs increased by 20% in 2015, reaching 4,425. The number of fitness club members in 2015 reached 6.6377 million, up 21.3% year-on-year. The types of gyms have also expanded beyond traditional large-scale comprehensive fitness centers, with more boutique gyms, yoga studios, cycling studios, and other formats emerging.
Although China's fitness market has begun to diversify, most gyms in China still largely adopt a business model of selling a large number of memberships, and most gyms remain sales-driven.
Meanwhile, Surfset Fitness’s current main revenue streams includeselling fitness classes to consumers, retailing individual items to consumers, and offering video streaming subscriptions—models that are not well-suited to the current Chinese fitness market.
On the other hand, opening a Surfset fitness studio is not cheap.
"You can see that the equipment sold on the Surfset Fitness official website is priced at $675 per unit, and we need 30 units for one small group class." Although the exact investment amount was not disclosed, the business head of Life Create stated that significant costs were incurred in store decoration and equipment procurement."You can see the surfboards decorating the store entrance, as well as the overall interior decorated in a beach resort style. Moreover, to create an atmosphere of the U.S. West Coast, the Surfset class room is kept at a constant indoor temperature of 33 degrees Celsius."
▲Interior decoration of the Life Create gym
According to research by Indian business media Franchise India, Surfset Fitness’s flagship store in India, Surfset Indian, initially invested $300,000 just on equipment and hardware. This is a fairly high level of investment in the current Chinese fitness market.
Reporters consulted several well-known domestic gym insiders who, apart from having little knowledge about indoor fitness surfing machines like Surfset, also expressed concerns about Surfset’s development in China.Among these, high initial investment and slow cost recovery are relatively common concerns.
Liu Jia, founder of Vbros, told reporters that currently only some sports teams in China are using this type of equipment, and it has not yet entered the mass fitness market. For fitness enthusiasts, the RipSurfer X functions similarly to a treadmill, serving as another form of aerobic equipment.
Secondly, the small base of surfers in China is also a major issue. "Domestic consumers are not familiar with surfing movement patterns, which poses a risk of injury. There are very few variations of movements possible on this equipment, making it less enjoyable for workouts," Liu Jia said. "But as an operator, there may still be commercial potential. Nowadays, the public is already quite familiar with group aerobic classes in gyms, and Surfset might bring some freshness. If my clientele shows demand for this equipment, I might introduce one or two units, but I wouldn’t promote it extensively."
"The unit price of this equipment is not expensive," said Lin Jianpeng, founder of the fitness lifestyle brand MUSCLE DOG. "As something relatively new, similar to Les Mills, if promoted well, it has market potential."
At present, it seems that Surfset Fitness may face challenges in gaining traction in the Chinese market. Not only does the barrier of unfamiliar exercise modes limit the user base, but large-scale store openings may also fail to attract the right kind of consumers. Whether developing in China through franchising and whether brand concepts can align with partner gyms are both tests Surfset faces. Perhaps starting with selling fitness equipment to enhance customer experience and letting users understand Surfset Fitness’s products and fitness philosophy would be a good first step.
Although it remains uncertain whether this American fitness brand can successfully enter the Chinese market, Mike is not worried: "Word-of-mouth marketing is currently the most powerful form of promotion. People who have used our product can help us spread the Surfset Fitness message worldwide. Our ultimate goal is to become a brand like Nike, Zumba, or TRX," he said. "Good things always face challenges at the beginning, but you only know once you’ve tried it."
Source: Lazy Bear Sports