Rich-lister threatens court action over alleged ‘racist’ elite gym

Millionaire Christopher Shao has doubled down on claims his mother was unfairly targeted at Saint Haven gym, and says it is not just he who has been racially vilified at the exclusive club.

Forget cold plunging, it’s all hot water over at Saint Haven with a Melbourne millionaire saying he is prepared to go into legal battle with the country’s most expensive gym for alleged “elitist racism”.

Entrepreneur Christopher Shao has doubled down on claims his mother was unfairly targeted, saying Tim Gurner’s private wellness club has racially vilified her for holding her phone at the elite gym.

But in an exclusive interview with Page 13, the Melbourne richlister says it is not just he who has been racially vilified by the elite gym.

Since going public with his story earlier this month, Shao says he has received messages from fellow members and ex Saint Haven staff who say there were also racially profiled and vilified by the exclusive members only club.

Melbourne millionaire Christopher Shao.

He is now prepared to go into legal battle for them, saying many are too scared to come forward as they are scared of the legal ramifications.

“This isn’t just about me - it’s about systemic elitist racism imbedded in institutions that pretend to champion wellness and inclusivity but act very differently behind closed doors. All Australians deserve better,” Shao said.

“The way my concerns were handled was not just dimissive, it was offensive to anoyone who doesn’t fit the narrow, elitist stereotype they seem to want to protect.”

Shao’s ‘Ultimate Saint Haven membership”, which costs $499 per week, has now been suspended as the club reportedly investigates the matter.

Shao, who once bought Toorak’s most expensive penthouse and who comes from a richlist family of Chinese money, has said he is prepared to cover the legal costs of other members and ex staff who have contacted him. He said one employee from the membership consultant team told Saho he had been sacked from the private members club with no warning after he had finished fasting during Ramadan and said remarks were made about race within the club and “not having too many of one kind within membership.”

Shao said he has been firther incensed after meeting with Saint Haven executives earlier this month.

“Since speaking out a significant number of former Saint Haven staff have contacted me to share their own experiences of the club’s toxic internal culture, it’s clearly not an isolated issue,” he said.

“They don’t necessarily have money to back it up and, you know, these people have lawyers and legal teams. They are too scared to speak up.”

Saint Haven private wellness club.

The brainchild of biohacker property developer Tim Gurner, Saint Haven – which has venues in Toorak, South Yarra, Collingwood and St Kilda – is an up-market “waiting list only” private club that bills itself as “a place to disconnect, recharge, surrender and share experiences with others”.

It boasts a range of wellness and anti-ageing offerings such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, IV drips and mineral-infused osmosis water from its “Fountain of Youth.”

An internal note to Saint Haven staff and members and seen by Page 13 was sent about by Gurner Group CEO Ahmed Fahour, formerly head of Australia Post and Group CEO of Welnness Hotels and Hosptiality Peter Crinis, a former Crown executive, on Friday addressing the matter:

“Dear Saint Haven and Saint Members, Saint Haven and Saint were founded with a simple but powerful vision: to create a sanctuary where every

individual can feel safe, respected, and fully accepted. Diversity, inclusion and mutual respect are not just part of

our culture — they are central to everything we do and everything we stand for.

“Recently, a concern was raised by a member in relation to an incident in our bathhouse. This matter involved the

application of our strict no-phone policy — a rule in place to protect the privacy and comfort of all members.

“Based on our initial review, no wrongdoing has been identified on the part of our team.

The club boasts a range of wellness and anti-ageing offerings.

However, we will review any new information and have taken precautionary measures by suspending the member’s access pending further investigation, due to actions taken by the member post the incident in the bathhouse.

“However, in the past 24 hours, we have become aware of an extremely inappropriate internal team message sent by a team member, unrelated to the above, sent earlier in the year, that does not reflect our values or the expectations we uphold. This behaviour is not acceptable and goes against everything we stand for.

“The team member has been stood down pending a full investigation. We hold our team and members to the same high standards, and we will always act swiftly and fairly in response to any conduct that compromises our values.

“We want to be clear: Saint Haven and Saint have zero tolerance for racism, discrimination, or any conduct that undermines the dignity, safety or wellbeing of others. We hold both team members and members to the same high standards, and we take all matters of this nature extremely seriously.

“Saint Haven and Saint are proud to be a diverse and inclusive community — across culture, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and background — and we celebrate those differences every day. Our responsibility is to provide a space where every person feels welcome, valued, and protected.

The brainchild of biohacker property developer Tim Gurner, Saint Haven is an up-market “waiting list only” private club. Picture: Supplied

In some of his Instagram posts on Thursday night Shao refers to Tim Gurner as “Mr Avocado” after the Melbourne real estate mogul made widely-mocked headlines for saying that if millennials wanted to buy a house they should “stop buying smashed avocados.”

Shao on Thursday night posted a series of threats detailing Linked In profiles of some of the Saint Haven senior group executives, closely guarded Saint Haven membership costs - Platinum $170 per week, Black $299 per week and Ultimate $499 per week.

“Your staff openly jokes about platinum members as peasants, black members are basics and ultimate they might finally know your first name.”

“Corporate culture starts at the top and trickles down through the organisation. Tim Gurner do you still think the new generation can’t afford houses because they spend too much money on avocado toast?” he posted.

Originally published as Rich-lister threatens court action over alleged ‘racist’ elite gym