Doctors performing delicate spinal procedures may still hear and feel the dulled thuds of dropped weights in the background after their private hospital lost a legal battle with a nearby gym.

The Supreme Court of WA has ruled that, following remedial work, the Fitness Cartel gym is no longer noisy enough to interfere with “ordinary” use of nearby premises, with no exceptions for Perth Day Hospital’s “exceptionally delicate trade”.

The 24-hour gym, which opened in late 2025, occupies a unit next to the hospital — which opened in June 2026 — as well as the entire second floor above the front portion of the hospital,

In December 2025, the hospital’s CEO texted an owner of the gym to complain about the noise of falling weights, saying the “vibration is so bad and is going to damage our sensitive equipment”.