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| The Perfect Lie: Is Gym at Sea a Real Gym Chain? |
Gym at Sea is not a real fitness chain, despite how convincingly it appears in Netflix’s The Perfect Lie. The business is fictional, created for the series as part of Simon’s world and the wider mystery surrounding the wealthy group at the centre of the story.
Created by Dorien Goertzen, The Perfect Lie, also known as De Eetclub or The Dining Club, follows a privileged circle whose comfortable existence begins to unravel after the death of Evert. Karen, the newest arrival in Bergen, quickly finds herself drawn to Simon, a charming local with a seemingly successful business empire. Naturally, because this is a thriller and not a gym membership advert, Simon’s Gym at Sea comes with considerably more baggage than treadmills and protein shakes.
In Saskia Noort’s original novel De Eetclub, Simon invests in Evert’s sports-store chain. The Netflix adaptation changes that business into a gym chain, with the sports connection becoming a more visible part of Simon and Evert’s world. It is a small but significant adaptation choice, giving the characters a business that feels plausible for Bergen’s affluent social circle while also fitting the show’s visual identity.
There is no indication that Gym at Sea was created as a fictionalised version of a particular real-world gym brand. Neither Noort nor the show’s writers have identified a specific fitness company as its inspiration. That probably works in the series’ favour, because tying the fictional business too closely to a real chain could distract viewers from the story every time someone walks past a rowing machine.
The idea of turning the original sports business into something more fitness-focused also fits the themes running through The Perfect Lie. The characters are surrounded by polished homes, expensive lifestyles and carefully maintained appearances, while their relationships are considerably less healthy. Gym at Sea essentially becomes another shiny surface hiding a much less comfortable reality, which feels very appropriate for a story built around secrets.
There is also an interesting connection to something Noort once discussed about the origins of her novel. She recalled reading a newspaper report about members of a football club board arguing in a restaurant.
Rather than simply enjoying the bizarre spectacle of grown adults having a public disagreement over dinner, she saw the beginnings of a story about a group of friends whose seemingly pleasant gatherings gradually become much more complicated. The sports element may therefore have found a new form in the television adaptation through Gym at Sea.
The Netflix production also went for a strong sense of place, with much of the series filmed practically in North Holland, including Bergen, the town where the story unfolds. Some filming reportedly took place at Surfschool Hoek van Holland, and the location’s connection to outdoor activities makes it easy to see how existing facilities could help sell the fictional Gym at Sea on screen. Whether every part of the gym was a real location or enhanced with production design, the important point is that Gym at Sea itself remains part of the fictional universe.
Fan reactions to the business naturally vary. Some viewers are simply interested in whether Gym at Sea exists because the series makes it look like the sort of boutique fitness chain that could easily have a very real website, glossy Instagram account and unnecessarily expensive monthly membership.
Others are more interested in what the company means for Simon and Evert, particularly as the story gradually reveals how business, friendship and personal secrets overlap. Then there are viewers trying to identify the filming locations, because apparently solving where a fictional gym was filmed is now part of the entertainment package.
Personally, I think Gym at Sea is one of those fictional businesses that works better because it does not exist. A real gym chain would probably have viewers searching for its membership prices instead of wondering what Simon is really up to, which would ruin the mood. The business also gives The Perfect Lie a useful layer of irony: everything looks polished, healthy and successful on the surface, while the people behind it are carrying considerably messier baggage.
Turning the sports-store connection from the novel into a gym chain for the Netflix adaptation feels like a smart visual choice, because it fits Simon’s character and the wealthy, image-conscious world around him. I can imagine fans having fun spotting filming locations and debating which real gym might have inspired the look, even though there is no confirmed answer.
So, if you finished The Perfect Lie wondering whether Gym at Sea is an actual gym chain, the short answer is no. It was created for the story, with its roots in the sports business from Noort’s novel and a new role in the Netflix adaptation. But perhaps that is exactly why it works: the company looks real enough to investigate, while the secrets surrounding it are strictly part of the show. Did Gym at Sea look convincing enough to fool you, or did you immediately suspect it was fictional?