In light of the recent fitness news that’s causing a bit of an uproar in the twitterverse, I’ve got a bone to pick with the fitness industry, particular in NYC.
Working out at boutique fitness studios in NYC is really effing expensive. Over the past 4 years I’ve watched the average price of a class creep up from $30 to $32 to now $34 for one 45 minute to 1 hour class. As someone that works out 6 days a week, that means I would be paying $850 a month to work out. Yeah, I definitely can’t afford that.
So, the alternative to boutique fitness studios are “big box gyms”, ClassPass/ Fitreserve and free options in the city. As with anything, you get what you paid for.
In college I belonged to one of those moderately priced big box gyms that boasted an impressive list of group fitness classes. I took the same Zumba class every Sunday morning for an entire year and the instructor never once asked me my name. If a particular class was popular, good luck getting a spot. On many occasions I found myself pushing and shoving past the hoards of people trying to grab mats and weights. The experience of just getting a spot was aggressive and stressful.
Even during my short tenure as an Equinox member last year, I was amazed at the overcrowding in classes and lack of personal attention. It’s a recipe for injury and also means that people who “don’t know what they’re doing” might not be getting the full benefits of the work out since they are doing things incorrectly or didn’t grab the right weights.
In recently years, the “middle class of gyms” have been struggling. New York Sports Club changed it’s membership model, which I fully believe happened because companies like Blink and Planet Fitness have made it easy to gain access to a treadmill and some free weights for a lower price. They even responded to the trend by creating BFX. David Barton also responded to the trend by doing away with it’s own cycling studio to partner up with CYC Fitness.
It makes me wonder how much longer NYSC, Crunch and New York Health & Racket Club will survive. How much longer until the only fitness options in NYC are boutique fitness, bare bones gyms like Blink, and then the expensive gym option of Equinox?
Once upon a time there were only a handful of boutique fitness studios in Manhattan, catering to a select few. Now it’s become far more the norm than something just reserved for the upper crust of Manhattan. The Flatiron district alone is home to no less than 15 boutique fitness studios in the short distance between 14th Street and 23rd Street. That’s a lot of fitness. Do all 15+ of these studios really expect to fill their classes if only a select upper crust of Manhattan can afford this luxury?
Yes, there are ways to workout besides boutique fitness and money will always be a barrier to entry for all the fun things in life, but this is fitness I’m talking about. Something that we are all expected to do to live a healthy life. These studios preach motivation and changing your life through fitness, but it seems they are only willing to offer this to those that can afford the luxury.
A common thing I hear among from my close friends, a crowd of young professionals working at roughly entry level salaries, is that they love the experience at boutique fitness studios when they go and would feel more motivated to workout if they could afford these $34 classes on a regular basis. I can totally relate to this and use Fitreserve in order to afford the classes I love, even though that comes with it own set of restrictions. If I had all the money in the world though you bet I would be spending more time at Soul Cycle, Uplift and 305 Fitness. Some people dream about buying Jimmy Choos, I dream of being able to afford Soul Cycle.
I would love to one day open a studio that offers the personal attention and curated workouts of a boutique fitness studio without a hefty price tag thanks to some creative pricing structure. The kind of studio that would’ve motivated me to get off the damn elliptical in college. The kind of studio where my friends would enjoy working out and could afford the classes without sacrificing all the benefits of boutique fitness. I understand that this dream might be impossible because NYC is an expensive place to rent space. I’m not blaming these studios or calling them greedy because you gotta do what you gotta do to make ends meet, but I questioning who these studios truly benefit– just a select few that can afford the luxury?
Edit: I know the true issue isn’t studios being greedy and pocketing this cash, this is the cost of running a studio, and unfortunately the price tag has to reflect the cost of running a business in NYC.
With the ClassPass price increase that took place yesterday and the reaction that resulted on twitter, it seems to me that New Yorkers certainly want affordable yet personal group fitness options as an alternative to big box gyms and online streaming.
Question: What are your thoughts on the price of boutique fitness in NYC and the alternative options?
Great post! I share your frustrations. I was a ClassPass member but left a few months after they initially raised prices to $125. $100 was a good fit – a deal, really, when you considered how often I used the platform. But $125 meant an additional $300 a year, which when you’re paying NYC rent, really adds. up.
I love what the boutique studios are doing; you can tell they foster a more ‘community’ feel than standard gyms. And if anything, I think ClassPass/FitReserve helped a lot of these studios grow in popularity. But the prices are just not sustainable. I was wondering when my friends would leave ClassPass and join me at Crunch – and yesterday, that happened. Fitness isn’t a fad, but maybe the obsession with these studios is. If they can’t fill the classes, they won’t last.
Plus, with various online options and “trendy” fitness plans (think Kayla Itsines & Tone It Up), people CAN get good workouts, and have fun, in standard gyms. Gone are the days that I’d spend 40 minutes on the elliptical machine, do some crunches, and then aimlessly wander around the gym.
Will I splurge on a 5-class pass at a barre studio here and there, now that I pay a lower monthly fee for a gym? Probably. But will I ever spend hundreds of dollars on boutique classes? Probably never. New options will arise – they always have.
If you ever open a studio like you described, please count me in 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for the comment, I’ll totally keep you in the loop about my dream studio 🙂
I totally agree with you on the community aspect– it’s insane how much of my newsfeed on Facebook now is people I met thanks to fitness classes, which never happened at my gym. I’m sure Crunch is seeing a huge spike in membership today, it was one of the first gyms I joined in NYC and I loved the class selection and freedom to visit multiple locations.
You’re so right about the TIU + Kayla Itsines crowd, it’s a new wave of workout options and their own little community now.
I think the price of boutique fitness is seriously insane. Obviously I love working out and understand these studios have to make a lot to be able to stay open with the NYC rents, but paying $34 for 45 minutes on a regular basis is just plain crazy and unsustainable (for people like me $$). The crazy prices and fear I wouldn’t be able to afford a nice gym is one of the reasons I became and instructor 10 years ago. I knew I wanted to move to NYC and also assumed I’d make very little money at my day job at the beginning and came up with the idea to make a little spare spending cash by teaching cycling. That was 10 years ago and it is certainly a crazier place now!
I think that might’ve been some of my motivation to work in fitness post college too– such a huge perk of working front desk at a boutique studio and as a personal trainer at a gym. It’s crazy to think how much the landscape has changed in the past 10 years, but price still seems to be such a huge issue.
Couldn’t agree more here, Kayla. Canceled my ClassPass membership recently and was glad I did upon hearing the news of the recent increase ($190 – absurd), not to mention penalization if life happens and you have to miss within 12 hours. Thank you for sharing this piece! xx
Thanks so much Sam. Fingers cross for more affordability in the fitness space in the future.
I think the online options/app-based programs is going to surge. Between Kayla Itsines and BBG alone there are millions of tagged posts on Instagram, and these are just two of the options out there.
You’re so right. It’s like the workout video craze of the 90’s and early 00’s but with a nice little upgrade. Not sure I could ever get into this kind of working out on my own though!
As an instructor at a boutique studio that has presence on ClassPass – a career shift I made after working as a General Manager at an above-mentioned expensive gym option – and a just as a New Yorker who not only enjoys taking classes for myself, but also bears the weight of some quiet expectation that comes with the job of being an instructor to be seen participating in other classes & supporting our fellow industry brands & pros (which we DO need to pay for), I’m going to play both sides. I’ve thought a lot about all of this cost stuff for awhile now, even before yesterday’s announcement.
The latter perspective is a simpler perspective to explain: If you don’t have time to read my long blah blah blah below, here’s the cliff note : I FEEL YOU. To elaborate, Boutique Fitness in NYC is expensive – often unattainably expensive for a good majority. Though in a city of 8 million, the “non-majority” is still a pretty huge group of people. Pshhh I can’t afford paying $34 for a class on any sort of regular basis…or ever! Within the industry, there is the occasional gesture of offering to “guest in” an instructor from another studio, though there are obvious limitations to that: Our studios often lay down strict rules against guesting in participants who aren’t “first timers,” and there’s kind of courtesy amongst us- an understanding that this is our career and how we pay our bills, so it doesn’t feel right to not pay. Full disclosure: I bought that $19 CP deal that was promoted for 5 classes, just to get some workouts in that don’t break the bank. I loved the idea of it and I felt a sense of relief that I could have some healthy workout time for myself outside of my job – we instructors need that just as much as anyone else who works a job and needs the physical and mental benefits of some active me-time. Just because I’m an instructor doesn’t mean I’m intrinsically motivated to go work out on my own. I need a group atmosphere, a community, and the accountability of showing up to a commitment I’ve made to a team, a partner, an instructor, etc. I like the energy of a group, the surround sound of music in a studio, new & innovative workouts, and all that good stuff. I’ve considered joining CP as a full-benefit member, but even when it went up to $125, It’d be stretching my budget a bit. Were it to have been my ONLY option, I’d certainly have re-prioritized the line items of my financial responsibilities. But I needed to somehow make some compromises. Ultimately I joined a rock climbing gym that has locations in both Brooklyn and LIC. I live in Chelsea in Manhattan (rent-stabilized AMEN!), and I recognize that it takes some time on the train, especially the Brooklyn location. But then I do have clients who commute to my classes from NJ and Long Island- even one from Pennsylvania who treks in on Thursday nights! So commute time is a compromise that I was able to swallow. I treated myself to an all-access membership for about $100. Is is a “boutique” studio? No, but the workout is interesting & challenging, and the walls are changed every 4-6 weeks to keep it fresh. There is also a group fitness studio in each location that offers small group classes (INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION!!!!!) included in the membership fee. There is also a gym space in each location with some really cool work out equipment. Again, it’s not the power-brand boutique group fitness scene I’ve always loved, but I’ve found a community and workouts that challenge me, and I’ve fallen in love with it. Not so bad! So again, ultimately, I’m with you on what an endorphin buzzkill the cost of “enticing” fitness is here in NYC, but there really are other options as long as you’re willing to make some compromises.
The OTHER side: Leaving my consumer thoughts behind in that first part and speaking from an industry point of view.
I’ll try to keep this as simple and brief as possible- NYC as a whole is extraordinarily expensive. Everyone is trying to make it. Classpass, studio owners and hourly/salaried studio staff, the instructors, AND the people who don’t come first to mind when these things happen. Landlords, contractors, etc. This is a great big game of dominoes. A studio does well and wants to expand? Guess what? That landlord is going to take a look at the company financials and ask for a higher rent. Now that the space is rented, it needs to be built. A contractor and their staff who does their research and sees that the company is a successful business is going to charge more too, because the assumption is that the studio can afford it. Cost of operation once moved in, built, and up-& running? I can tell you after running 3 locations of a big-brand gym that the monthly utility bill for just one location was over $220k. TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND.
Now let’s talk about staff. Quality staff costs money. I know we’ve all had experiences with empty-souled-&-eyed employees who barely make eye contact and don’t really care how you feel. Not many people wake up in the morning and think, ‘I want to go do a crappy job at work today.’ We all want to succeed and feel good. Problem is that living expenses are a very real thing. So if companies don’t pay up, employees either suffer financially and aren’t in the best state of mind, or they get a 2nd job to avoid suffering financially, which leads to a really exhausted employee who’s head is spinning because they have time for maybe 4 hours of sleep in between jobs to stay afloat. Do you want that employee to be your fitness instructor? Do you like clean showers at the studio you pay $34 to go to? If the maintenance staff is so tired from making ends meet with multiple jobs or they feel undervalued for the hard work they do (I HATE cleaning my toilet- I’m guessing they don’t love it either, but they have very high work ethic and do it for all the sweaty strangers who come to work out), they may not take as much pride and care in keeping it clean for you. The hype around a lot of these boutiques studios has been spread by social media- a former co-worker who did studio social media used to be thoughtfully crafting social media posts from 6am to midnight- even staying up-to-date on world events to play off of and post in real-time while she was out to dinner with friends. Think of all the big-gym membership advisors and marketing teams who stayed up and on it to reply to comments and open dialogues with people to convert them to gym members at all awkward hours of the day and night yesterday. If those types of hard working employees aren’t being fairly compensated for their round-the-clock attention to their jobs, they may not be so on top of coming up with the fun studio events, themes, community buy-in, etc, which would leave the media presence of the studio a little blah.
How does this tie in to the price of ClassPass? Well, the thing is that originally CP helped out in filling less-popular time slots. But then, in the same way that I never buy anything full-price at The Gap because I know there’s a 30-40% off sale 6 out of 7 days a week…or I’ll go to Old Navy, which offers an ultimately similar enough selection, full-paying clients started saying, hey, I love you guys, but I worked really hard for my money, and I see that I can still have group fitness, but at a 1/4 of the cost. So studios started suffering in historically-waitlisted time slots because a LOT of people were willing to make the “compromise” of being limited to 3 classes/month. In fact, smart media outlets got in on it all and really pushed stories of how there were benefits to a well-rounded workout and constantly switching things up. Because we’re a community heavily influenced by media, suddenly this was all amazing…time slots that were not full either because of inconvenient timing or instructors who were still building a following in the industry had full classes (we’re most often paid by attendance in this field) and were getting paid well, and users had unlimited workouts & felt good about themselves because they were getting well rounded workouts. But what about the other instructors who had worked hard to build followings and fill their classes? They were suddenly suffering financially, and some studios were losing key team players because it was an unaffordable job. So studios opened up CP slots in those time slots, though restricted numbers. The thing is that we New Yorkers are often pretty sharp, and people caught on…wait until the last minute to sign up, and more slots would be opened up. It’s all a very intelligent game. The financial problem here is that what was once a concession of getting a small portion of the full price for a class spot where there’d have otherwise been $0 income for that spot became an accross-the-board norm. Some prime time class slots that started off with 5 CP slots and 40 full-paying spots went to 35 CP slots and 10 full-paying slots. Consider the financial loss that is for the business. To give a quick idea of what that does to an instructor…many of us in the industry have no health insurance, or pay fully out of pocket for it, which is VERY expensive. Being that our bodies are our main tool that we use to deliver class to you, our bodies do need taking-care of, so we pay full cost of individual insurance, or there are many who are uninsured and either get stuck with out of pocket emergency bills, or can’t afford to go get something taken care of when there’s something wrong. When studios start losing money, they can’t even CONSIDER offering us benefits, forget about raising our income to match the way our living expenses raise each year- most NYC landlords don’t really care if you’ve gotten a raise or not. It’s a bit of a vicious circle. We need to pay our bills, but if a studio can’t afford to offer us benefits because of their own operating costs PLUS loss of income, we instructors will need to take on even crazier schedules at more studios and will end up burnt out for you. I know, I know, we chose this career…BUT…our bodies are human, too, and you can only push the body so far. We LOVE our jobs- at least I do! But I like to be a role model and be able to inspire my clients, and if I can’t afford to take care of myself, how will I help guide you? I’m not complaining at all about the physical cost of teaching or how we’re compensated or employed, by the way- coming from 10+ years sitting at a desk, I have SO much fun with what I do now. I am just pointing out that a price hike for ClassPass is actually a much more complicated thing to think about with a LOT of behind the scenes parts that are trying to keep moving, all while there’s increasing financial burden trickling down from the top. There are systematic issues looming even further above that that none of these businesses have any say in (what we’re all taxed, the cost of benefits, etc). I have no idea what the solution is. There ARE other fitness options. Might they be considered as “cool,” or be as enticing to many? Maybe not, but you won’t be starved for affordable options if what you’re really going for is health and fitness. All of these businesses fall somewhere on the food chain, and as consumers, we do, too. I hear you, Kayla. What I wouldn’t give to afford even 2 classes a week at one of these boutique studios that has a workout that really speaks to me, but….my place on the food chain and my financial reality puts me against the wall in a place I’ve got to choose to do what I CAN afford to stay fit. It’s the cost of living in this city :/ Keep up the thought-provoking posts!!!
Thank you so much for the comment, Melissa. I’m so with you on the motivation front, yes I’m a certified personal trainer, but no I don’t really want to motivate myself and prefer the group atmosphere on all fronts.
I have such an insane respect for people “making it happen” in fitness, whether it’s the fitness studio owner or instructor. I was working 6 part time jobs while I was trying to make the group fitness thing happen and it still wasn’t coming out to a full salary sadly, so I so applaud anyone that’s making it happen.
I hope that this recent news from CP at the very least opens the conversation about what can be done to help everyone that’s feeling the financial burden, the studios, the instructors, the consumers and of course CP
I totally agree that the price of boutique fitness is insaned…but at the same time, I totally understand – NYC rent for these spaces isn’t cheap, and their product is their service. They HAVE to charge what they do.
I’ve been a ClassPass user for years, but I’m cutting ties for now. Luckily I work for a studio myself, so I do have one employee membership. Aside from those free classes, I’ll take advantage of the warm weather and work out on my own outdoors. Every once in a while I’ll treat myself to some of my other favorite studios though (the ones that I think are worth the full price!)
Luckily summer means there are a ton of free fitness classes outside, so the timing really works out!
Loved this! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. While Classpass has given many people an amazing opportunity to workout out at expensive boutique gyms at a reasonable rate, it has simultaneously crushed the boutique industry. Every studio I work at suffers because it relies on Classpass to fill classes, but they make 50% of their potential profit. I was hoping CP would level the playing field and costs at boutique gyms would go down, instead CP has raised it’s prices to ridiculous rates. The solution truly is a new kind of fitness studio with creative pricing structures where everyone can benefit and the community feels inclusive while still maintaining quality customer service. I hope we see one soon!
Thanks so much Shay. I think we’ll have to make that fitness studio happen 🙂
As someone who pays $8 a month for my gym pass these prices make me want to faint. I personally use the PreGameFit program and simply workout in a Fitness 19 and can get the results I want. I can’t even begin to imagine paying that much money in a week let alone a year.
I’ve never heard of PreGameFit, will have to look into it!
I’ve often wondered how the average New Yorker can afford rent and go to Soul Cycle regularly. $200 a month gym memberships are becoming the norm here in Toronto too. I can’t justify that kind of spend monthly. I would rather put it toward my groceries. I have looked into joining a gym (usually over the winter) but have made do with at home workouts, running outside and periodically at a track that charges $9 a visit, and using my community pool. Next month a new YMCA is opening near me and I think it will be affordable for me. If I want to spin or do yoga, I buy passes.
There’s a crossfit gym here, Academy of Lions, that I have to commend as well because it overs a bunch of free classes each week as a way to give back to the community.
That’s so amazing that the CF gym offers free classes to the community, such a great way to give back! While it makes me sad to here it’s become crazy expensive in Toronto too, at least makes me a little less angry that the problem is only in NYC
Kayla! Have you heard of November Project? Come out for a workout – I think you’d really like it and would love to meet in person 🙂 It’s free, it’s encouraging, everyone is treated like the individual that they are, and the workout is as hard as you make it!
Feel free if you have any questions about coming to your first one!
Hi Lauren,
I’ve heard SUCH amazing things about November Project and would love to come. Emailing you right now 🙂
-Kayla
I think it’s tough out there for all small businesses. I think CP was not scalable and too good to be true.
I did put together a list of current fitness deals (some in direct response to the rate hike) that are going on right now in NYC including CITYROW, Barry’s and Refine Method:
https://cuckoolemon.com/2016/04/27/classpass-fee-hike-get-these-fitness-deals-instead/
You’re so correct about small businesses, especially here in NYC. It breaks my heart when a fitness studio closes.
Great list, I’m working on a post focused on affordable workouts in NYC and will be sure to include as a link with more great options.
New York is one of those places that i just dont know if i would love (even though we’re so close! Hi from Toronto!)
I was SHOCKED to hear how much group classes are. That’s almost the same price I would charge for personal one on one training. It’s unfair that they can’t have a moderate option between boutique classes and Planet Fitness type gyms. Going to read about this class pass price increase now!
The truth about NYC is either you love it or hate it. That’s so crazy to hear that personal training sessions in Toronto are that close in price to classes here.
Thanks for your thoughtful blog, Kayla!
Speaking from a marketing perspective, I agree with Melissa that ClassPass has damaged the fitness industry as a whole (and I am a current member who takes classes 6x per week). As you’ve mentioned, there’s good reason boutique fitness costs the price it does. Margins are razor thin. Factor in rent, high quality instructors, insurance coverage (to pay for any liabilities God forbid someone gets hurt in class), small class size so that people feel they receive individual attention, limited number of peak time slots that can be offered, etc. The cost to deliver the good is expensive. The problem is, when ClassPass told people that boutique fitness was an unlimited commodity that could be purchased for $99/month, they basically devalued the product that studios were selling. In effect they were saying to customers, “You know that class that costs $35 per session? It’s really only worth $5.” Also, in selling an unlimited membership for a cheap price, most of the new customers they recruited were not a good fit for studios. A lot of these new customers did not have willingness to pay the true value of what it costs to deliver a high-end boutique experience. It was a bad match from the beginning. There’s good reason Soul Cycle isn’t on ClassPass; Soul Cycle knows that it would devalue their brand and what it’s worth to the consumer.
In addition to devaluing the product, ClassPass has not added much other value to the boutique fitness industry as a whole. Contrast this with AirBnB, for example. The majority of home owners would not open up their house to random people they have never met before. AirBnB solves this by creating a platform for trust. Basically, they de-risked the idea of letting a stranger sleep in your house. ClassPass, on the other hand, doesn’t add value in other areas. First, they are paying studios 50% (or less) of what they would charge a normal customer. Secondly, they are telling customers the product is worth less than advertised. If ClassPass found ways to add value in other ways, it *might* be ok for studios to get less money. For example, ClassPass could save studios time by having a pipeline of talented instructors. Or they could help studios create awesome branded websites and sell merchandise. To my knowledge, studios aren’t getting these things.
Separately, I think ClassPass’ main mistake in the eyes of customers was that their business model was totally unsustainable yet they were not transparent about it and they still continue to be largely silent. Most users understand that boutique fitness should not be this cheap. ClassPass preached about making fitness accessible for the masses, yet when it turned out that’s not feasible, ClassPass did not show any empathy towards their customer base. So either (1) ClassPass was wrong about accessibility and some acknowledgement and empathy is due, or (2) ClassPass performed a bait and switch, getting people hooked on a cheap product and switching it out for an expensive one. Right now they aren’t saying anything so most people are assuming #2, hence the angry tweets and Instagram/Facebook comments. I don’t think it would take much to make people less angry. A little humility or a public statement that says, “we screwed up and we understand how you feel” would do. Some acknowledgement by the CEO and a concession with a longer ramp up period to higher rates perhaps? Most people are not unreasonable. They just want to feel heard. Unfortunately, ClassPass failed to realize that women (who largely make up their client base) are the most powerful brand ambassadors, but when we feel betrayed, we can also be quite ruthless.
For myself, I am in SF so price increases haven’t hit yet. When they do, I am probably going to replace ClassPass with a monthly membership at my favorite studio. It’s actually more expensive to do this than to pay the new $200/mo ClassPass rate; however ClassPass has lost trust with me because they decided not to communicate openly with their customers. I don’t trust them to do the studios right with my money and therefore I would rather give the studio my money and support a small business directly.
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment! I’m super curious to see what will happen in SF, an equally expensive, if not more expensive city than NYC as far as cost of living.