Madonna’s gym in Mexico City opens after securing city permits

Madonna’s gym in Mexico City opens after securing city permits

Madonna’s gym in Mexico City named Hard Candy Fitness has finally been allowed by local authorities to open after management secured the appropriate permits. Officials in the Miguel Hidalgo district were threatening to shut down the new gym soon after it opens because of the lack of documents. The district’s chief Demetrio Sodi said on Wednesday that the singer’s fitness club did not submit a parking certification, security plan and a land use permit. Sodi allowed the club to proceed with its opening festivities last Monday even if it still lacked the other paperwork. The official is a relative of Latin Grammy award-winning singer Thalia. Mexico has a notorious reputation for its red tape and bureaucracy, and Madonna and his team just found out how opening a business can be difficult in the country.

The singer was present during the ribbon-cutting ceremony and later led a dance exercise session for about 20 selected members of the fitness club. The group danced along with music made by DJ Paul Oakenfeld, who worked with Madonna on her most recently concluded tour. Madonna’s gym was built in Mexico City “as a place to fine-tune our brand and then expand it to other countries and, in the long term, develop a global brand that includes the United States,” the pop legend said last week. Madonna plans to open ten of the fitness clubs worldwide. Membership in Madonna’s gym in Mexico City has a joining fee of $827, which covers the first two months. Monthly membership dues cost $159 per person.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Saturday December 04 2010, 1:47 AM EDT. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0