Wan Yang Reflexology staff told of closure only on final day, with salaries still owed

SINGAPORE: Former employees of Wan Yang Health Product and Foot Reflexology Centre say they were notified of the company’s shutdown only on the day its outlets ceased operations, leaving staff and customers blindsided by the abrupt closure of the long-running massage chain.

Wan Yang, which operated five outlets islandwide, reportedly shuttered all branches without prior notice.

A senior staff member, Huang (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News that she received no advance notification before the closures.

Huang, who had worked at Wan Yang for 18 years, said rumours about impending shutdowns had circulated among customers over the past month.

“Our staff initially thought it was fake news, so we didn’t pay much attention,” she said.

The chain first closed its outlet at Our Tampines Hub in November. Staff were then informed that the HarbourFront Centre branch would close in April 2026 due to land acquisition, while the remaining three outlets were expected to continue operating as usual.

“We all thought it was just a matter of making a few adjustments to some stores,” Huang said. “We didn’t expect it to close down completely.”

Huang added that staff were told the company needed to complete its annual tax filing before salaries could be paid. As a result, she has yet to receive her salary for November.

Each outlet reportedly employed around nine massage therapists and three to four administrative staff.

With the sudden closure, Huang said she is now “out of work and out of income”, and is actively seeking new employment.

Another female employee said she had arrived for work as usual when the outlet’s manager called an unexpected morning meeting.

Staff were instructed to cancel all evening customer appointments and to stop selling packages immediately.

It was only at about 3pm that day that they were informed the outlet would shut its doors for good.

“Many of us were mentally prepared for some changes, but we thought the company would at least continue until Chinese New Year next year. We didn’t expect it to be so sudden,” she said.

Authorities Looking Into Salary and Legal Obligations

In response to media queries, spokespersons from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) said MOM is examining Wan Yang’s closure to ensure the company fulfils its statutory duties, including paying outstanding salaries.

“We stand ready to help the affected employees with job matching support,” the spokespersons said. They added that work passes for the company’s foreign staff have been cancelled.

Employees seeking guidance or assistance on salary matters can contact TADM.

Management Previously Set High Revenue Targets

Huang told Shin Min that management had previously stated each outlet needed to achieve a monthly turnover of at least S$100,000 to remain viable.

“After hearing that, staff put in extra effort to promote the packages. I personally managed to get 20 packages signed. Now that the company has shut down so abruptly, we feel cheated and are very sorry for our customers,” she said.

Many customers, she added, had purchased packages because they trusted specific therapists, and staff had worked hard to deliver good service. “None of us expected things to end this way.”

Customers Report Losses as Prepaid Packages Become Void

The abrupt shutdown has left many customers unable to redeem their prepaid packages. While the full scale of the losses is still unclear, at least S$29,000 (US$22,000) has been reported by affected customers so far.

The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) said it had received 15 complaints as of 23 November.

CASE president Melvin Yong, who is also MP for Radin Mas SMC, said in a Facebook post on 24 November that the organisation had contacted the company for clarification on refunds and possible remedies.

CASE noted broader concerns about rising prepayment losses in the beauty and wellness sector. In the first half of 2025 alone, such losses reached S$108,000 — a 464 per cent surge compared with S$19,000 in the same period in 2024.

Yong said CASE is advocating for a mandatory five-day cooling-off period for all prepaid packages in the industry. Currently, this protection is available only to customers of CaseTrust-accredited businesses.

The organisation is also proposing that businesses be required to place customer prepayments in escrow to safeguard funds in the event of sudden closures.

“CASE will continue to engage the government and the industry on stronger prepayment measures,” Yong said.

Affected customers can contact CASE at 6277-5100 or visit www.case.org.sg for assistance.