Equinox Names Health Advisory Board To Guide Holistic Wellness
The panel of experts will counsel the Equinox Fitness Training Institute (EFTI) to elevate programming for the brand’s members and coaches
Equinox, the luxury lifestyle and fitness brand, has revealed a new Health Advisory Board of top medical and wellness experts, academics and industry leaders to guide Equinox on its holistic approach.
Equinox has made no secret of its plans to ramp up its hiring of coaches, aiming to onboard 5,000 fitness pros over the next two years as its members continue to seek personal training services. The new Health Advisory Board will support Equinox Fitness Training Institute (EFTI), which offers accredited curriculum and board certification for performance coaches.
The move mirrors the New York-based fitness brand’s mission to create a members-first experience beyond eucalyptus towels, making exercise a luxe experience with perks such as an exclusive members-only program with leading brands across fitness, wellness, fashion, food and travel.
Members of Equinox’s Health Advisory Board include Eric Cressey, president and co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance and certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS). Cressey, the director of Player Health and performance for the New York Yankees, has worked with over 100 pro baseball players.
Dr. Mark Hyman, a physician, functional medicine advocate and author, also joins the board, bringing his experience as founder and director of The UltraWellness Center and founder and senior advisor for the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. Dr. Hyman also serves as board president for Clinical Affairs for The Institute for Functional Medicine.
Dr. Stephanie Kuku, health technology advisor in digital health and artificial intelligence for Hardian Health and chief knowledge officer at Conceivable Life Sciences, comes to the new Equinox board with over 15 years of clinical and research experience.
Joining Cressey, Dr. Hyman and Dr. Kuku are Dr. Rebecca Robbins, a sleep scientist, assistant professor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate science at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dr. Jordan Shlain, founder and chairman of Private Medical and founder of Healthloop, an AI digital health company. He is also the co-founder and chair of EatReal, a non-profit advocating to improve public school food menus.
“At Equinox, we are relentless in our pursuit of delivering results to our community, and the accomplished members of our Health Advisory Board will be instrumental in helping take our shared commitment to new heights in 2024 and beyond,” said Scott DeRue, Equinox president.
The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg recently reported that the luxury fitness club operator is in talks to raise a mix of new debt and preferred equity to offset its upcoming debt maturities of $1.5 billion.
The famed fitness brand has also grown its international footprint this year with the announcement that its hotel line would be hitting the Red Sea coast as it builds The Equinox Resort Amaala in Saudi Arabia — an amenity-rich resort that boasts movement, nutrition and regeneration and a magnesium salt rooftop pool.
