Just in time for last-minute deals

With more fitness enthusiasts preferring a pay-as-you-go approach to gyms, applications like Activpass fit right in.

The app's "Last Minute" feature offers 50 to 90 per cent off bookings at gyms, spas and salons up to three days in advance.

This means users can sign up for an hour-long yoga class for as low as $5 just before it starts.

The app has 300 businesses on board with 800 last-minute deals a week for services ranging from pre- and post-natal massages to circuit training.

The Activpass algorithm uses automatic dynamic pricing to adjust the prices of last-minute deals according to factors like demand and location.

Mr Peter Seow, 56, co-founder of Activpass said: "The Last Minute feature is great for those who don't mind exercising anywhere at any time and aren't interested in routine."

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One user, Ms Ning Wong, said the app also has the upper hand over big box gyms, which typically have monthly membership fees without the flexibility of pausing subscriptions.

The change management consultant who is in her early 40s, travels frequently for work and leisure, sometimes up to a month and a half at a time.

She said: "In the last 15 years, I've dabbled in different programmes but I've never finished a package because work can get very busy."

She once spent $280 on a 10-session yoga package but completed only seven classes before it expired.

Since discovering the app in April, she has spent no more than $50 on at least two classes a week and has tried boxing and body sculpting classes so far.

"This doesn't mean I'll stick to ad hoc classes, but it answers my need for flexibility."

Lifesparks Studio, which offers Boogie Bounce Xtreme, Zumba and Piloxing classes has had more individual and corporate enquiries since joining the app in March.

But the increased visibility on the app also means more competition.

Lifesparks founder Charlotte Mizuki, 36, said: "As part of the pioneer batch of vendors on the app, people get to see us first and that helps to fill up underbooked classes, but over the next few months, more vendors will be coming onto the app too, so we'll need to find a way to stand out from the crowd."