PRIVATE EQUITY OWNED
Equinox
Includes Equinox Fitness, Equinox Gym
luxury gym · New York, NY
- PE Firm
- Related Companies / Various PE
- Year Acquired
- 2006
Where $300/month memberships subsidize billionaire politics and billion-dollar debt.
The PE Playbook
- Owner Stephen Ross hosted a $250,000-per-ticket Trump fundraiser in 2019, triggering mass boycotts and membership cancellations
- Raised $1.8 billion in 2024 just to refinance $1.2 billion in pandemic-era debt — while hiking NYC member prices ~11%
- Launched a $40,000/year 'longevity' membership tier while sister brand Blink Fitness filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
- Standard memberships now run $205-$395/month depending on location
Since the Acquisition
- Budget sibling Blink Fitness collapsed into bankruptcy in August 2024 and was sold off — the members who'd chosen Blink because they couldn't afford Equinox were the collateral damage.
- New York Attorney General forced Equinox to pay $600,000 in penalties for making it hard for members to cancel
- Launched a $40,000/year 'Optimize' membership that doesn't even include a basic gym membership
- Standard memberships now start at $250/month, pushing middle-class consumers out entirely