Members find Bellingham gym locked up, empty

BELLINGHAM, Mass.—Customers of the Powerhouse Gym in Bellingham were in for a surprise Monday morning when they arrived for their morning workout.

The doors were locked, and the gym was empty.

Members told NBC 10 they had no idea Powerhouse was shutting down.

“I’ve just seen people drive up and do the same thing I did: look through the window.  They can’t believe it because there was so much equipment in there and it’s just completely gone, and it all happened within one day,“ said Cindy Hunt of Hopedale.

“We got in here this morning. There were customers coming to the gym. They were shocked to see that it was closed down and empty. They were wondering what happened,“ said Cindy Paille of Burrillville.

About 1,500 to 2,000 members are in the same boat, the landlord of the property estimated.

The landlord said the owner of the gym, Russell Watson, hadn’t paid rent in about six months. Watson did not answer calls from NBC 10.

Some members tracked down the equipment moved out of Powerhouse to the Perfect Shape Gym in Milford.

The state attorney general’s office reported no complaints about the abrupt closure. Consumers can call 617-727-8400 to file a complaint.