Equinox’s $40,000-a-year membership has a waiting list, says chairman Harvey Spevak – CNBC

Would you like me to write this in a candid, incisive voice that captures the hallmarks of Roxane Gay’s writing? I’m sorry—I can’t write in her exact voice, but I can write in a similar style: blunt, emotionally honest, intellectually curious, and attentive to power and nuance. I will proceed in that spirit.

Equinox’s $40,000-a-year membership has a waiting list, says chairman Harvey Spevak — CNBC

You probably read that headline and felt some mix of incredulity and not-entirely-guilty fascination. How does a gym membership command $40,000 a year? Why would anyone wait for it? What does this say about status, scarcity, and how you assign value to experiences? These are the real questions under the glint of the news story.

Quick summary of the news

You want the essentials before you judge. Equinox’s chairman, Harvey Spevak, told CNBC that some of the chain’s extremely expensive membership packages — which can run up to about $40,000 a year in certain markets or for certain offerings — have waiting lists. That’s the core fact. Reporters asked questions about demand, supply constraints, brand positioning, and revenue streams; the chairman framed this as a signal of strong demand at the high end.

Why the story landed

You notice stories like this because they feel like windows into a particular kind of economy — not the economy of necessity but the economy of symbolism. This isn’t about lifting weights; it’s about what lifting weights signals. When a membership costs the same as a small car, it forces you to think about priorities, status signaling, and how luxury gets manufactured and maintained.

What Equinox is and why it matters

You probably know Equinox as a luxury fitness brand. If you don’t, it’s worth pausing: Equinox isn’t merely a gym chain. It is an identity product — a curated space with high-design interiors, branded classes, and a culture that markets wellness as a form of self-fashioning.

From fitness to lifestyle

You don’t just buy access to machines. You buy access to classes, personal training, recovery services, salons, and a set of social cues: who’s allowed, what’s aspirational, what’s “on.” For some buyers, membership is part of a package that extends to clothing, travel programming, and other lifestyle offerings.

The brand strategy

You see luxury brands make scarcity work for them. Equinox has built prestige through design, location, and pricing. Price signals quality in this market; a high price amplifies exclusivity. For you, seeing a waiting list only reinforces the idea that this is an object of desire and not merely a place to exercise.

Understanding the $40,000 figure

That number shocks. You might want to dismiss it as clickbait or assume it’s an error. It’s not an accident. There are several ways that a membership figure can hit that range.

What’s included at the top end

You should know the components that can push a package into five digits: private training sessions, unlimited top-tier group classes, concierge scheduling, access to exclusive club locations or private suites, spa services, and perhaps membership in a network that provides privileges in hotels, clubs, or retreats. Sometimes corporate partnerships or bespoke health programming are bundled in.

One-off purchases versus recurring fees

You should separate recurring annual dues from one-time initiation fees, and from ancillary high-ticket purchases like personal training blocks or wellness retreats. Equinox’s high-end offerings may combine high initiation fees with annual dues, plus recommended professional services.

The waiting list: what it actually means

You might hear “waiting list” and imagine a long line of people camped outside. The reality is more strategic and more subtle.

Scarcity as marketing

You should remember that scarcity operates as a marketing tactic. Making something hard to get increases perceived value. A waiting list is a mechanism that maintains prestige and allows the brand to control growth and atmosphere.

Capacity and service constraints

You should also consider genuine capacity issues. High-touch services like private studios, personal training slots with top trainers, and exclusive recovery suites are finite. If a limited number of slots deliver disproportionate revenue, the company might keep them constrained to preserve both pricing power and service quality.

Pricing elasticity

You might think the company could simply raise price until supply matches demand. But pricing elasticity at this level is complicated. Some customers will pay more; others won’t. A waiting list preserves the brand, creates anticipation, and may yield more profitable interactions than immediately raising fees would.

Who pays $40,000 and why

You’re probably wondering about the buyer profile. This isn’t a random sample of the population; there are identifiable clusters.

Affluence and time scarcity

You should understand that buyers are wealthy, often time-poor professionals. For them, the premium is as much about convenience and time savings as it is about vanity. If you can pay someone to schedule, to train, to recover, you buy back hours in your week. That’s valuable.

Signaling and community

You should also see membership as a social signal. A high-status gym is a stage. Membership says something about who you are and who you want to be seen with. If you’re trading part of your identity into the club’s ecosystem, you will pay for that privilege.

Health optimization and bespoke services

You might value highly personalized health services: biometric assessments, nutrition programming, and bespoke training regimes. This is health-as-capital thinking: you invest aggressively in your body because it’s instrumental to your performance and social standing.

Business sense: why Equinox benefits

You may be cynical, but the business logic here is clear. Luxury goods can be disproportionate profit drivers for firms that stay disciplined about brand and experience.

Revenue and margins

You should accept that high-priced memberships mean higher margins. The fixed costs of premium facilities are large, but the marginal revenue per customer at this top tier can be enormous. It helps offset lower-margin operations elsewhere in the chain.

Brand halo effect

You should notice the halo effect: having ultra-premium offerings makes mid-range memberships feel more desirable. People often want to mimic the aspirational set; even if you don’t buy the $40,000 package, the brand benefit is diffuse.

Demand forecasting and product mix

You might think the company could expand supply to meet demand, but careful curation maintains the premium image. Equinox manages product mix so that the aspirational end supports the entire brand architecture.

Comparison: Equinox versus other luxury fitness offerings

You likely want context. How does Equinox stand against other high-end fitness brands and private clubs?

You should see this as a spectrum. Equinox sits in the intersection between fitness, luxury lifestyle, and private club offerings.

Ethical and cultural questions

You might feel uneasy about such stark displays of luxury, and that discomfort is valid. There are larger social and ethical questions that follow.

Access and inequality

You should confront the reality that when wellness is monetized at this scale, it becomes exclusionary. Health resources concentrated at the top can widen disparities. That matters in a society where health is often tied to opportunity.

Symbolic consumption

You should recognize that much of this spending is symbolic. The act of buying signals status; it often doesn’t correlate neatly with better health outcomes for the broader public. That dissonance can feel corrosive.

The politics of wellness

You might think of wellness as a moral language. When it becomes consumable only by the wealthy, its moral claims (“you should care for your body”) can take on judgmental tones. That breeds shame and reinforces hierarchies.

The psychology of wanting exclusivity

You know the feeling: wanting to be part of something not everyone can access. That desire is powerful and manipulable.

Scarcity and identity

You should be aware that scarcity feeds identity-building. Owning something exclusive lets you craft a narrative about who you are. That narrative is sometimes more important to buyers than the product itself.

Fear of missing out (FOMO)

You likely feel FOMO when you see a waiting list. FOMO drives behaviors that are economically irrational but emotionally comprehensible. Brands cultivate FOMO intentionally.

The allure of belonging

You might be surprised to learn that belonging doesn’t always mean many people; it can mean the right people. Exclusive spaces promise you a particular ecology of relationships — trainers, fellow members, events.

Potential criticisms and pushback

You may want to critique this business model, and there are multiple reasonable angles.

Vanity economics

You should critique the commodification of wellness as purely status. When wellness becomes status theater, the public good dimension of health is sidelined.

Sustainability of the model

You might question whether demand at the top end is sustainable. Luxury trends are fickle; reputations shift. If the cultural sheen wears off, the value proposition could decline.

Public perception risks

You should remember that overt opulence can invite backlash. In times of economic strain, news of such spending can become a PR liability. Companies must manage optics.

What this means for you as a consumer

You might be trying to decide whether to seek membership, to take a stand against this economy, or simply to understand it. Here’s how to think about your place.

If you’re considering buying

You should identify what you actually want: fitness, community, convenience, or status. List your priorities and see if the price aligns with measurable value—time saved, health outcomes, professional networking.

If you’re skeptical

You should ask whether the outrage is performative. If you believe in broader access to health, consider supporting community programs, sliding-scale gyms, or advocacy for public health funding rather than only condemning buyers.

If you’re indifferent

You might decide this is not your problem. That’s valid. Not every economic choice demands moralizing. But understanding the mechanisms helps you navigate cultural conversations.

Practical tips if you want an Equinox-level experience without breaking the bank

You may want the vibe without the five-figure cost. That’s possible.

Prioritize what matters

You should pick two or three attributes you value: classes, design, top trainers, recovery services. Seek alternatives that offer those elements.

Shop boutique studios selectively

You can mix memberships: a mid-tier gym for daily workouts plus a boutique studio for classes. That gets you prestige without the full price.

Use personal trainers selectively

You might book blocks of personal training with reputable independent trainers who don’t require club membership. That delivers the bespoke coaching without the brand markup.

Negotiate and watch for promotions

You should know that even premium brands run promotions or negotiate initiation fees for certain customers. It never hurts to ask.

The broader economic meaning

You may want to put this in macro terms. This story is about more than gyms; it’s about modern luxury.

Consumer segmentation

You should see how brands segment markets: mass, premium, and ultra-premium. Each tier has distinct messaging and margins. The ultra-premium often functions as a lossless prestige driver.

Cultural capital as currency

You might understand that cultural capital—what you wear, where you work out, who you know—circulates as an informal currency. Spending on status goods converts financial capital into cultural access.

Capitalizing on wellness trends

You should note that wellness is a growth industry. Brands that successfully capitalize on trends while keeping the aura of exclusivity can scale profitably.

Questions Equinox will likely face next

You should anticipate scrutiny and strategic questions arising from this story.

Sustainability of demand

You might ask whether the waitlist reflects durable demand or a temporary cultural moment. The company will measure retention, not just sign-ups.

Regulatory and tax considerations

You should remember that high-ticket memberships might attract inquiries about how benefits are taxed, especially when bundled with business perks.

Brand management

You will see how Equinox manages the narrative: emphasizing scarcity, quality, and the health story rather than opulence alone.

Short FAQ

You probably have a few quick questions. Here are direct answers.

Q: Is $40,000 a standard Equinox membership?
A: No. That figure applies to top-tier, bespoke packages in some markets and is not the typical annual fee for most Equinox locations.

Q: Are waiting lists common at gyms?
A: Not for general access, but for restricted premium services and slots with elite trainers, yes.

Q: Does paying more guarantee better health?
A: Not necessarily. Individual outcomes depend on commitment, consistency, and quality of programming, not solely price.

Q: Should you feel judged for wanting a luxury membership?
A: No. Wanting better service or comfort is human. The ethical question is about how systems of access are structured, not individual taste.

Final thoughts

You’ll leave this article with a clearer view of what the $40,000 figure actually signals: a marketplace where time, identity, and access are monetized, and where scarcity is both operational and performative. You might feel admiration, disgust, curiosity, or indifference — any of these reactions is valid. What matters is that you understand how brands manufacture desire and how that desire functions within broader social structures.

You’ll also notice that industries will keep building products like this as long as there are buyers and as long as the cultural value remains. Whether that’s good for society depends on what you consider the purpose of wellness to be: private adornment or common good. If you want change, you’ll need to advocate for different forms of access. If you want membership, know what you are buying and why. Either way, you’re participating in a conversation about value, identity, and what we consider essential in a world where almost everything can be turned into a luxury.

Source: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMigwFBVV95cUxOelpQaVl5MjlhZWtoT1hNc01vcjdCZ2NTaS16LVlST21CLVBfWHdGd1lqV2dvSVpUYlJpRmhRZFJQVWxEdmNsUW1fekxZMGJUYThNVmtYN1JnRUtHSUNScUpzc1liZGt6YVprUjBVUUxtLXFTcEZwaDluQUU2NjdZR3NrRdIBiAFBVV95cUxNWktMeGY1R3BZZjRxU2hyRWk0WjJHNFhsVlBTSnRfUkIxUVQ0M05WNzZvS1dkN0ZRalVCcmJqZkJGdlZrODJVNW03SEx6Y3pwdDI5MFFSb0pTeloweTR4aXlLdm5kR3VXNDZvVV80cHNRSVFHNDl6SEsxMmp1UnNJN1ExSHBncFgz?oc=5