It's hard to summarize my experience as I've been a member from 2008 through 2016 -- exactly 8 years, and probably averaging about 5 times/week going to Equinox. I've had a mixed bag of experiences, some amazing, some mediocre, and some horrific. I've also now had the opportunity to compare Equinox to other options, as I have been going to Life Time Fitness for almost 6 months prior to finally canceling my membership at Equinox.
The first thing I can say is that, at least for me and my family, there is no comparison between Life Time and Equinox: Life Time blows Equinox away in just about every respect. I will break it down for people both qualitatively and quantitatively, for those interested in a comparison, or if you're stuck between the choices.
At a high level, the clubs couldn't be more different: Equinox is a typical gym that tries to be high-end, and charges for it. Life Time is a lifestyle that incorporates the entire family, and while it doesn't try so hard to be high-end, it really is. Life Time is a destination and a wholistic lifestyle experience, where you get a more diverse group of people from many cities and demographics coming together. The mutual respect of the members at Life Time is unbelievable. I can't say the same about Equinox, which is a more pretentious environment. I don't even know that it's the people, as I think Life Time is such a positive atmosphere that it really brings out the best in people, and I personally feel like a better person, and a better athlete at Life Time. Both clubs will give you nice shampoos and towel service, but the warm smiles you get from the Life Time staff (and more importantly, the other members) makes the latter a unique experience where you really forget about life for a while.
Because I work in Manhattan, I will miss being able to jump into any Equinox. Living in Great Neck, moreover, I have to actually drive about 15 minutes to get to LT, rather than 5 minutes to get to Equinox. At first, I thought this issue would be insurmountable, and may even cut into my workout schedule, and motivation to go to the gym, so I kept my Equinox membership active for several months before finally killing off Equinox. The result for me was that once I experienced Life Time, it was almost impossible for me to go to Equinox. My wife had the same experience independently, and I've spoken to a few former members of Equinox that I've seen at Life Time, so I think this has more to do with some je ne sais quoi with Life Time.
To get into some of the more financial and quantitative comparisons, Life Time has saved me hundreds of dollars a month. Let me explain:
At Equinox I was paying over $200/month per person for me and my wife (so over $400/month for the two of us). In addition, on the weekends, we'd take our two toddlers with us, for which we'd pay about $10/each per kid per day. So for 4 weekends per month that's:
2 kids x $10/day-per-kid x 8 days/month = $160/month
What this bought us was that the kids played in a small room while we worked out. There were usually two very amazing girls who took care of the kids, and we admittedly loved every one of them, and they really were the sweetest things. But at the end of the day, it was a small room with limited space, no windows, and not much to do. And at $40/weekend, I'm not sure it was a great deal.
Meanwhile, at Life Time, we pay $380/month for the family, which includes the kids being members. We don't have to pay per day when we bring the kids. Moreover, they have a beautiful space about 10x the size, with windows, special rooms where they teach classes -- everything from karate, gymnastics, arts and crafts, sports skills, etc. What's crazy is that even if not for the extra $160/month for the Equinox child care, we'd still be saving money at Life Time. But in total, we're saving $180/mont at LT, while our kids are having the best time, learning real skills, and with access to dozens more resources and full-time counsellors who have organized real activities for the kids. Again, this is no comparison, and saving over $2k/yr in membership and child care fees, it's incomparable. The only families with young children going to Equinox are those who don't know about Life Time.
Sadly, after 8 years of loyal membership with me and my wife, the club chose to be very nasty to us on the way out, not honoring my remaining personal training sessions, etc. It seems that Equinox has a very short-term relationship approach to customer service. That's not to say that they have not had great managers there over the years...A few times they have had some excellent ones. But they've equally had some nasty vile ones. Very sad.
Some other details: Equinox pool is gross, overly warm, and over-subscribed. Life Time pool is gargantuan, with indoor/outdoor slide, kids pool, multiple temperature zones, and clear as a bell. Equinox has limited floor space while LT is unending. Equinox never evolved, and so they lose hands down. read more