Equinox Group

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American luxury fitness company

title: "Equinox Group" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-companies-established-in-1991", "health-clubs-in-the-united-states", "companies-based-in-new-york-city", "1991-establishments-in-new-york-city", "2006-mergers-and-acquisitions"] description: "American luxury fitness company" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox_Group" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American luxury fitness company ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]

Field	Value
name	Equinox Holdings, Inc.
logo	Equinox Fitness logo.png
image_caption	Entrance to Equinox Hudson Yards
type	Subsidiary
foundation
founders	Danny, Vito and Lavinia Errico
location_city	New York City
location_country	United States
key_people	Harvey Spevak (chairman)
Marc Mastronardi (president)
{{cite web	title
industry	Fitness
services	Health club
revenue	(2025)
num_employees	10,000+ (2023)
subsid	Equinox
SoulCycle
PURE Yoga
Precision Run
Equinox Hotels
PROJECT by Equinox
Equinox Explore
Equinox Media
owner	The Related Companies
homepage
::

Equinox Holdings, Inc. is an American luxury fitness company and health club headquartered in New York City. The company operates more than 300 club facilities in major cities in the United States, as well as in London, Toronto, and Vancouver in Canada.

Equinox Group also has a digital platform, the Equinox+ App, that provides access to digital classes. Equinox is owned by a group of investors including Harvey Spevak, executive chairman and managing partner, as well as principals of Related Companies. It operates several lifestyle brands: Equinox, Equinox Hotels, Precision Run, Project by Equinox, Equinox Explore, Equinox Media, Furthermore, Pure Yoga, Blink Fitness, and SoulCycle.

History

The first Equinox location opened on September 23, 1991 in Manhattan's Upper West Side. It was started by the Errico family—Danny, Vito and Lavinia Errico. In 2000, Spevak led a management buyout of Equinox to two private equity firms, North Castle Partners and J.W. Childs. In 2006, he partnered with Related Chairman principals to acquire a controlling interest in Equinox and secured a significant minority investment from private equity firm L Catterton in 2017.

In 2008, Equinox brought Pure Yoga to the United States from Hong Kong. In 2011, Equinox launched Blink, a separate fitness company, and acquired SoulCycle. In July 2019, Equinox launched Equinox Hotels in Hudson Yards, Manhattan. In January 2023, Equinox banned gym memberships submitted on New Year's Day, to both praise and criticism. The company said the purpose of the ban was to "snub short-term resolutions".

Hard-to-cancel practices

Equinox and SoulCycle have been accused of making it hard for their members to cancel subscriptions. In 2025, Equinox entered into a $600,000 settlement with the state of New York for these practices.

Employment practices

A 2019 article in The New York Times reported that trainers often worked long hours, sometimes as many as 80 hours a week, forcing some to sleep in employee locker rooms or their cars between shifts. Former and current trainers also described intense pressure from the company to recruit and retain clients drawn from the club's members.

In 2013, the company resolved two California lawsuits concerning unpaid overtime for trainers via out-of-court settlements.

Fundraising boycott

Businesses owned by and affiliated with Equinox, primarily Equinox gyms and SoulCycle, faced prominent calls for a boycott and protests. The boycott was first prompted by a widely publicized fundraiser for then-president Donald Trump by Stephen Ross, the founder and principal owner of Related Companies. Equinox and SoulCycle responded to the boycott and protests by stating it did not endorse the fundraiser and argued Ross was a "passive investor."

Blink Fitness bankruptcy

On August 12, 2024, Blink Fitness filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, blaming slow sales caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and increased rising costs as part of the decision. The company plans to shutter some of its locations and plans to sell itself.

Key people

Harvey Spevak

Harvey Spevak is the Executive Chairman and Managing Partner of Equinox Group. Spevak became the CEO of Equinox Group in 1999. In 2000, he led a management buyout of Equinox to two private equity firms, North Castle Partners and J.W. Childs. In 2006, he partnered with Related Principles to acquire and secure a significant minority investment from global consumer-focused private equity firm Catterton in 2017.

Equinox acquired SoulCycle in May 2011.

In 2019, Spevak opened Equinox's 100th club in Hudson Yards, Manhattan, followed by the brand's first hotel, as well as coworking venture Industrious at Equinox, in the same neighborhood.

References

(June 7, 2021). "Mystery Solved: Former Michigan Dean Becomes Equinox President".
(August 14, 2019). "Equinox Group announces its entry into on-demand fitness streaming".
"Equinox Luxury Fitness Club - It's Not Fitness, It's Life".
Kahn, Howie. (March 27, 2019). "The Hotel Where You'll Be 'Sleep-Coached' Into Bed". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
Tan, Gillian. (April 1, 2021). "Equinox Group Draws SPAC Interest After $350 Million 2020 Loss". [[Bloomberg News]].
Beth Landman. "Sotomayor v. Equinox Fitness: The Case of the Canceled Membership". NYMag.
Erika Owen. (2016-02-17). "Equinox to Launch Hotel Brand with a Focus on Fitness Away From Home". TravelandLeisure.
Mzezewa, Tariro. (2019-07-10). "Equinox Gets Into the Hospitality Game". The New York Times.
Kish, Matthew. (January 2, 2023). "Equinox bans new members on January 1, leading to criticisms of 'shaming' and praise of 'bold' strategy".
Muir, Ellie. (January 2, 2023). "Luxury gym club Equinox divides members with ‘exclusionary’ anti-new year’s resolution campaign".
(January 2, 2023). "Equinox bans new members on January 1, sparking criticism".
(January 2, 2023). "Equinox Under Fire for Banning New Members on New Year's Day".
Gedeon, Joseph. (2025-07-08). "US court strikes down ‘click-to-cancel’ rule designed to make unsubscribing easier". The Guardian.
(2025-06-02). "New York Equinox and SoulCycle members may be eligible for $250 refund. Here's how to get it. - CBS New York".
(2025). "Equinox and SoulCycle Customers in New York May Receive Refunds Over Membership Cancellation Issues".
(5 December 2019). "Working at Equinox: 'It's Very Hunger Games'". [[The New York Times]].
Jennings, Rebecca. (2019-08-08). "An Equinox and SoulCycle investor is hosting a Trump fundraiser. Now, members are boycotting.".
Rosman, Katherine. (2019-08-08). "They Paid $42 for a SoulCycle Ride, Not for Trump". The New York Times.
Meyersohn, Nathaniel. (August 12, 2024). "Blink Fitness files for bankruptcy and may close some gyms".
(2019-07-26). "Equinox betting superfans can cut through New York hotel glut".
(16 January 2025). "Equinox Is Trying to Make Health the Ultimate Status Symbol".
(23 January 2020). "Equinox’s Mr Harvey Spevak On His High-Performance Lifestyle".
"SoulCycle Co-Founders Cutler and Rice Have Resigned: Exclusive".
Mzezewa, Tariro. (2019-07-10). "Equinox Gets Into the Hospitality Game". The New York Times.

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