Premium fitness chain Equinox has launched one of the world’s most expensive gym memberships – a $40,000-a-year plan aimed at improving overall health and longevity.
Equinox is partnering with lab-testing startup Function Health to launch “Optimize by Equinox,” a personalized wellness program that includes everything from personal training and nutrition plans to sleep coaching and massage therapy. The program, announced on Monday, is part of the fast-growing longevity and wellness market in which the fields of medicine, biotechnology, fitness and nutrition are converging in the quest to slow the effects of aging.
“This is really a paradigm shift in how we live our lives vibrantly and avoid pain,” said Jonathan Swerdlin, co-founder of Function Health. “It’s about things above the surface, your abs and butt, that you can see in the mirror. That’s great, but it’s also about what’s underneath the surface and what you can’t see in the mirror. It’s revolutionary.
The optimization procedure begins with a series of tests. Function Health will test members on 100 biomarkers – from heart, liver and kidney health to metabolism and immune system to cancer markers and nutrients. Equinox will then run its own series of fitness tests, including VO2 max, strength and range of motion. Testing is repeated twice a year.
The Equinox “Concierge” brings all the tests and data together to help members design a personalized plan to improve their overall health and fitness. Each member will have a core team that includes a fitness coach, a nutrition and sleep coach, and a massage therapist.
Optimize membership includes three 60-minute training sessions per week with top trainers. It also includes twice-monthly half-hour sessions with a nutrition coach, twice-monthly half-hour sessions with a sleep coach, and monthly massage therapy sessions. In total, the program equates to 16 hours of mentoring and training per month, according to Equinox.
“It’s like a Formula 1 car or an athlete, you get a team of top experts from all these different verticals to design a plan based on all the data we collect,” said VP of Strategic Partnerships and said President Julia Klim.
The move would mark a major test for Equinox’s ongoing efforts to expand beyond fitness into the broader health and wellness business, which has become a booming market among wealthy people.
The company recently completed a new $1.8 billion financing round to refinance $1.2 billion of existing debt. The company said last month’s results were the second-best April in company history.
Equinox plans to open new clubs in Philadelphia and Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood later this year, bringing its total number of clubs in the pipeline to 27.
Klimt said Equinox has always focused on the “four pillars” of longevity: exercise, regeneration, nutrition and community.
“I sometimes joke that we’ve been working on longevity and science is catching up,” she said.
The new plan costs $3,000 per month and lasts for at least six months. The cost does not include an Equinox gym membership, which totals about $40,000 or more for the year.
“It’s a combination of a human-centered, high-luxury service with data and a coaching program,” Krim said.
According to Equinox, the Optimize program will initially launch in New York City and Highland Park, Texas, at the end of May, and will eventually be rolled out to other states. Members will be able to train at Equinox’s elite “E Clubs,” which are more like private gyms and have higher membership fees.
Swerdlin said Function Health’s mission is to help people “live healthy for 100 years.” The company’s own program to test 100 biomarkers costs $499. Yet demand is so strong that there are more than 200,000 people on the waiting list. He said Function wanted to work with Equinox “because they are the leader in this field.” He said Function’s data is most useful when it can be applied, which is where Equinox and its personalized fitness and wellness programs come in.
“It’s impossible to live healthy for 100 years in a doctor’s office,” Swadlin said. “It happens in your day-to-day decisions. It also happens in the way you exercise, and Equinox really helps with that.”
