Equinox, the high-end fitness chain, is introducing one of the world’s priciest gym memberships, a $40,000-per-year initiative aimed at enhancing health and longevity.
Partnering with lab-test startup Function Health, Equinox is launching “Optimize by Equinox,” a tailored health regimen encompassing personal training, nutrition planning, sleep coaching, and massage therapy.
This initiative taps into the burgeoning market for longevity and wellness, where disciplines such as medicine, biotech, fitness, and nutrition converge to combat aging’s effects.
Jonathan Swerdlin, co-founder of Function Health, heralds this as a transformative approach to vitality and suffering avoidance.
He explains, “It deals with what’s above the surface, your abs and glutes… But it also deals with what’s below the surface and what you can’t see in the mirror. And that’s revolutionary.”
The Optimize program begins with comprehensive testing. Function Health evaluates members for 100 biomarkers, spanning heart, liver, and kidney health, metabolic and immune systems, as well as cancer markers and nutrients.
Equinox complements this with its own suite of fitness assessments like VO2 max, strength, and flexibility, conducted semi-annually.
Equinox assigns a dedicated “concierge” to synthesize these tests and data, aiding members in devising personalized health and fitness strategies. Each member receives support from a core team comprising a fitness trainer, a nutrition coach, a sleep coach, and a massage therapist.
The membership entails three 60-minute training sessions weekly with top-tier trainers, along with regular sessions with nutrition and sleep coaches, as well as monthly massage therapy.
Julia Klim, Equinox’s VP of strategic partnerships and business development, likens it to the support structure of Formula One or elite athletics, tailored based on comprehensive data.
This move signifies Equinox’s ambition to expand beyond fitness into broader health and wellness domains, resonating with affluent clientele. Recently securing a $1.8 billion funding round, Equinox plans to open new clubs in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, augmenting its global footprint.
The Optimize program, costing $3,000 monthly for a minimum of six months, excludes Equinox gym membership fees. However, it provides a holistic, luxury service merging human-centric care with data-driven coaching.
Initially launching in New York City and Highland Park, Texas, the program will eventually extend to other states, allowing members access to Equinox’s elite “E Clubs,” characterized by higher membership fees.
Function Health’s aspiration to facilitate “100 healthy years” aligns with Equinox’s mission. Despite Function’s $499 biomarker testing fee, its partnership with Equinox reflects the significance of actionable data within personalized fitness and health programs.
As Swerdlin emphasizes, “Living 100 healthy years doesn’t happen inside of a doctor’s office… It happens in your daily decisions… Equinox really helps close the loop on that.”
