Equinox Has Had Enough of Fitness ‘Resolutionaries’ & Turns Away New Members on January 1
The luxury fitness brand took a bold move during the January fitness spike — and is being criticized for its unusual marketing tactic
Equinox had some rather unwelcome words for those looking to get fit on January 1, 2023: come back tomorrow.
In a very “you can’t sit with us”-style marketing move, the luxury gym company informed website visitors that it would not be accepting new memberships on the first day of the year.
“It’s not you, it’s January,” Equinox assured, in an attempt to soften the blow of rejection.
The message continued: “January is a fantasy, delivered to your door in a pastel-colored box. It talks about change. It needs a new outfit before it can begin. Short-cutting, giving up just a few weeks later. You are not a New Year’s resolution.”
The luxury fitness company continued, telling visitors that their life doesn’t begin at the start of the year, writing, “We go beyond what’s possible. We defy expectations. We are not moderation. We want it all, every day. And you deserve it all. At Equinox, we don’t speak January — and neither do you. We look forward to welcoming you to our Equinox community tomorrow.”
A scaled down message is still displayed on the site, but fitness enthusiasts are now permitted to join. The fitness company posted similar sentiments in a post on social media, which can still be seen in full.
Unsurprisingly, Equinox has been chastised for its unique January 1 marketing strategy. While many regular gym goers lament the influx of new gym members in January and the resulting crowds, many appeared to believe Equinox was exclusionary, if not elitist, in its fitness gatekeeping.
“As an Equinox member this is just odd marketing. We should be encouraging everyone to start their fitness journey whenever they choose,” one poster wrote on the Equinox’s Instagram page. Another poster agreed: “This campaign is ABYSMAL! All for some eucalyptus towels and a gym that’s still crowded.” A Reddit user pointed out that the high end fitness gym is just a “social club that happens to have treadmills and free weights in the corner,” and that there are other places to work out.
Equinox may have felt confident enough to pull such a bold move during a month where gym memberships spike, as its CEO, Harvey Spevak, had recently reported that in-person fitness has returned and Equinox memberships numbers have improved.
Last year, Equinox partnered with BitPay and announced it would accept crypto payments for its annual paid-in-full All Access and Destination Memberships for New Yorkers.
