Is the pricey monthly rate worth it? Keep reading to find out...
One reason I love my sorority is because it’s constantly giving me opportunities to take advantage of New York City at a low cost or even for free. A few weeks ago, we had the awesome chance to take a Cardio Dance Sculpt class at the Equinox gym on Bond Street in NoHo completely free of charge!
For those of you that don’t know, Equinox is a luxury lifestyle company with gym chains all around the world, including eighteen in just the New York area. At a flat rate of $250 per month, she’s a little expensive, so I was super grateful to try the Equinox experience at no cost.
I arrived with fifteen minutes before class, so I had plenty of time to check into the locker rooms and put my stuff down.
And let me tell you—even the LOCKER ROOMS were boujee. With a red brick interior, dozens of beautiful mirrors, and impeccable lighting, I felt like I was in an alternate universe compared to what we get at the NYU gyms. There was even a steam room, which they let us use as a complimentary addition after the class. I’d never felt so fancy in my entire life.
As I walked up the stairs to the group fitness studio, I realized there were three whole floors full of strength equipment, machines, and open space. I was absolutely shocked at how big each floor was in general, but even more when I remembered it’s a gym in Manhattan.
Because I was too busy ogling the architecture with my jaw dropped, I was a minute late to the class, which began promptly at 2:15pm. The rest of my sisters were already halfway through the warmup number by the time I arrived. Rushing to grab a mat, weights, and a resistance band, I frantically ran through the room to find a free spot.
The class itself was fantastic—while the music and fast pace between exercises were intense, the actual cardio workout was also just as hard as I’d hoped. Because cardio is the hardest part of every workout for me, jumping up and down and shaking my butt for an hour got me super out of breath (in the best way).
Plus, we got to listen to Lizzo while doing it. What more could you want?
The format of the class consisted of us learning different dance moves and eventually stringing them together into a combination that we performed to several different songs by the end. In between learning dances, there were arm, leg, and core exercises implemented into the class with which we got to use weights and resistance bands. Besides cardio, the strength training portion was also difficult, so I loved it.
Between lifting weights and twerking to “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” the finale song, I genuinely felt like I was at a party while spiking my heartrate.
In conclusion, Equinox is way more than “just rich people who want to look cool and try to work out” as my 23-year-old brother, a faithful member of NYC’s Crunch chain, commented.
In my opinion, Equinox is way above average both as a gym (in terms of size, equipment, and facilities) as well as with their classes and instruction. It’s definitely better than the Zumba and Hip-Hop dance classes I take at my gym back in Tampa. Although it’s pricey, I would say it is worth it if you can afford it.