Equinox launches eye-watering $40,000 yearly membership to increase chances of living longer

Known for its gyms that cater exclusively to the wealthy, Equinox is pioneering an even more unattainable fitness option.

It has launched a $40,000 annual membership designed to extend your life through personal training, nutrition plans, massage therapy and even sleep coaching.

Equinox has partnered with lab testing startup Function Health to launch ‘Optimize by Equinox’, making it one of the most expensive gym memberships in the world.

“It’s truly a paradigm shift in how we can live with vitality and avoid suffering,” says Jonathan Swerdlin, co-founder of Function Health.

‘It’s about what’s above the surface, your abs and glutes, which you can see in the mirror and which are amazing. But it’s also about what’s beneath the surface and what you can’t see in the mirror. And that is revolutionary,” Swerdlin added.

Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC (left) trains with Ramiro of JAM’N 94.5 (right) at an Equinox Gym on Dartmouth Street in Boston

Admission to all of Equinox’s clubs costs $405 per month, or just under $5,000 per year.

‘Optimize by Equinox’ costs $3,000 per month for a minimum of six months, and when combined with standard gym membership fees, the total comes to $40,000 or more.

Regular old Equinox memberships are already quite pricey. If you want access to all 107 Equinox clubs worldwide, it will cost you $405 per month, or just under $5,000 per year.

The Optimize program begins with Function Health testing new members on 100 biomarkers: biological properties that indicate a possible risk of a disease.

The tests will measure members’ health levels in their heart, liver and kidneys and will even attempt to detect cancer markers.

Separate from Equinox’s new program, Function Health’s 100-biomarker tests alone cost $499, and the company says it has a waiting list of more than 200,000 people.

Once the tests, which are conducted twice a year, are completed, an Equinox “concierge” goes out to design the ideal fitness plan for members based on their results.

Four experts are assigned to each member, including a fitness trainer, a nutrition coach, a massage therapist and a sleep coach.

As part of the Optimize fitness plan, Function Health tests new members on 100 biomarkers: biological traits that indicate a potential risk for a disease

Pictured: A seating area at Equinox Hudson Yards. The facility gives members access to signature group fitness classes, an 80-foot indoor saltwater pool, hot and cold plunge pools, and a 15,000-square-foot outdoor pool and sundeck.

The pool at Equinox Hudson Yards

A view of cyclists during Cycle For Survival at Equinox Bryant Park on March 12, 2017 in New York City

Men and women sprint across Equinox’s rooftop training area as part of a Tabata class at a location in Irvine, California

According to Equinox, members pay for approximately 16 hours per month of access to top-level coaching and training.

The Optimize program will first roll out in New York City and Highland Park, Texas, at the end of May. Eventually, other states in the country will follow suit, Equinox said. For now, Optimize members can train at Equinox’s elite “E Clubs,” which are more reminiscent of private gyms.

Function Health’s goal with its cocktail of tests is to give people ‘100 healthy years’ on Earth.

“One hundred healthy years of life doesn’t happen in a doctor’s office,” Swerdlin said. ‘It happens in your daily decisions. And it also happens with the way you move, and Equinox really helps close the loop on that.”