TAIPEI • The coronavirus pandemic has affected many businesses - and those run by celebrities have not been spared.
Taiwanese actor-director Peter Ho will close his spa in late June due to a huge drop in the number of customers.
Ho, 44, opened Hydro Mode, which offers facial and massage services, to great fanfare in November 2016.
He is a majority shareholder of the spa.
Ho is known for playing swordsman Yan Shisan in the film Sword Master (2016), directed by Derek Yee and based on late martial arts novelist Gu Long's novel Sword Of The Third Young Master.
He has also starred in Chinese television series Three Kingdoms (2010) and the romantic movie The Truth About Jane And Sam (1999) with Singaporean actress Fann Wong.
He has focused on directing in recent years and is now helming the mystery series Who's By Your Side, which stars Vivian Hsu, Kaiser Chuang and Janine Chang.
Ho's wife Peggy Lin is currently running the spa business.
At its peak, the spa counted celebrities, businessmen and politicians among its customers.
It is said to have an average monthly turnover of more than NT$800,000 (S$37,800), according to Taiwan's United Daily News.
The spa was initially not affected much at the start of the outbreak, but business began falling as strict containment measures took effect.
Ms Lin told the newspaper: "Many of our customers are businessmen from mainland China, Japan, Hong Kong and the United States. The business was hit hard when Taiwan barred entry to more countries."
She said social distancing measures implemented by the government have further impacted the business, with both customers and beauticians concerned about their safety.
Business has plunged by more than 50 per cent as more customers stayed home, she said.
Though the landlord has offered to reduce the rental, she and Ho made the painful decision to shut the spa, as it was uncertain how long the pandemic would last.
Ms Lin said they have started informing spa members of the impending closure and have also posted the notice on its website and social media pages.
Asked whether she and Ho plan to have children after the spa's closure, she expressed concerns about having children during the pandemic.
