Equinox Launches New $40k Gym Membership That Is Supposed to Slow Down Aging

By: Ben Campbell | Published: May 12, 2024

Equinox is known around the United States as one of the most luxurious and expensive gyms in the industry. It costs more than $300 per month to be a member, which is considerably more than the standard Gold’s Gym, which only charges $14.95.

But now, Equinox members will have the option to pay an additional $3,600 for a total annual cost of about $40,000 for the company’s elite membership package.

Equinox: America’s Luxury Gym

Equinox first opened its doors in 1991 for New York’s elite. Since then, another 106 clubs have opened throughout the country and the world. The luxury fitness and health company claims, “It’s not fitness. It’s life.”

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Photograph of the exercise machines at an Equinox gym without any clients

Source: Reddit

Of course, it offers the standard gym equipment, but it is designed with an exceptionally stylish aesthetic. Their clubs also include spas, personal trainers and some of the most lavish locker rooms on the planet.

For Those Who Want an Even More Elite Equinox

For the vast majority of Americans, the $300 Equinox charges their members a month already ensures the club is wildly out of their price range. However, Equinox has already begun building even more expensive and, subsequently, more elite gyms for its top earners.

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Photograph of one of the bathrooms at an Equinox E Club

Source: Equinox

According to Equinox, these “E Clubs” will have a more “intimate setting” and offer the “ultimate exclusivity.” These clubs will most likely be favored by the country’s celebrities and uber-wealthy, as the membership costs around $26,000 per year.

“Optimize Equinox” for Only $36,000 a Year

In addition to building newer clubs that are even more exclusive and luxurious than their existing gyms, Equinox is also offering a brand new annual service called “Optimize Equinox” for all members.

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“Optimize Equinox” will cost members $3,000 per month, in addition to the $300 they pay to go to the gym, for a grand total of nearly $40,000 a year.

What Does “Optimize Equinox” Offer?

The Optimize program is truly the first of its kind. Those who sign up first receive every type of medical test available, including heart, kidney and liver exams, metabolic function and immune system assessments, a search for cancer markers and a total analysis of the body’s nutrients.

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Once the tests have been completed, a personal “concierge” will assess the data and create a personalized fitness and health plan to maximize the members’ individual needs and services.

Services Included in the Optimize Equinox Package

Each Optimize Equinox member then receives their very own personal trainer, nutrition coach and massage therapist to help them improve their body and health inside and out.

A man and woman stand side by side in a gym/The hands of a masseuse on a client’s back/A woman wearing a white shirt smiles as she holds a salad

Source: Freepik/Freepik/Freepik

For the cost of $3,000, they get two 30-minute sessions with the sleep coach, one massage and 12 60-minute training sessions every month from each of these top-level professionals.

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Equinox Partnered With Function Health to Provide a Well-Rounded Healthcare Membership

It’s vital to understand that the idea behind the Optimize Equinox membership is that it’s much more than just a fitness subscription. It is a true overhaul of one’s physical health.  So, in order to provide a membership that was truly life-changing, the gym partnered with startup company Function Health.

A promotional poster for Function Health, including photos of Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Casey Means

Source: @FunctionHealth/YouTube

Function Health claims to be “revolutionizing healthcare.” With the help of cutting-edge technology and consistent and extensive testing, founders Dr. Mark Hyman, Jonathan Swedlin and several others believe they can offer their customers “100 healthy years.”

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There Is a 200,000 People Waiting List for Function Health

While Function Health is just one company among tens of thousands taking advantage of the booming wellness industry in 2024, it is doing much better than most others.

Wooden sign that reads “wellness” on a tree at a beach

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The program costs $499 for the 100 biomarkers and other tests. However, it’s so popular that more than 200,000 people are currently on the waitlist. Of course, by partnering with Equinox, Function Health is expanding its business even more.

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Longevity-Hacking Membership

According to Function Health and Equinox, the Optimize offering is a “longevity-hacking membership.  Insinuating that this expensive membership will literally help you live longer.

Digital illustration of a body with a blue light in its chest surrounded by light depicting immortality

Source: iStock

Equinox claims that it has always focused on the “four pillars of longevity”: regeneration, nutrition, movement and community. And now, with the help of Function Health, it can provide its members with “100 healthy years.”

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The Optimize Program Is About Much More Than Appearances

Jonathan Swerdlin, co-founder of Function Health, explained that the Optimize Equinox membership is “really a paradigm shift in how we’re able to live with vitality and avoid suffering.”

Photograph of the back of a woman working out in a gym as she looks in a mirror

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He says, “It deals with what’s above the surface, your abs and glutes, which you can see in the mirror that are great. But it also deals with what’s below the surface and what you can’t see in the mirror. And that’s revolutionary.”

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Living a Long and Healthy Life Happens Through Daily Decisions

Equinox claims they have always been in the business of wellness instead of fitness, and of course, Function Health’s entire business model is based on helping people live longer, healthier lives.

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According to Swerdlin, “Living 100 healthy years doesn’t happen inside of a doctor’s office. It happens in your daily decisions. And it also happens with the way in which you exercise, and Equinox really helps close the loop on that.”

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Will Anyone Pay $3,000 a Month for Optimize Equinox?

Now, in theory, the Optimize Equinox program sounds amazing. There’s no doubt that everyone could benefit from extensive medical tests, personalized coaching and nutrition plans and a private massage therapist.

Sign for an Equinox gym outside surrounded by green plants

Source: Shutterstock

However, the real question is will anyone pay $3,000 a month for this service? Because the program was only announced last week, it’s too soon to say whether it will be popular among Equinox members. But at such a high price point, even a few members could add a substantial revenue stream for the elite gym and Function Health.

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