The price of a SoulCycle drop-in in 2016 was $30/class. I remember seeing the cost of premium studios and wondering what kind of people could afford that. I was a college student at the time so it was even more of a far-fetched thought. In my third year at school I was lucky enough to score a role as an ambassador for SoulCycle where I’d get free class packs for referring other classmates to join. It was a win-win, I got to work out for free, and I got to introduce people to the workout that I loved so much.
After graduating college, finishing my Master’s, and starting my first full-time job at a growing tech startup, I was so excited to decide how I was going to plan my workout routine with all of the money I had come into. As it turned out, even an above-average starting salary barely covered the cost of rent and weekend dinners out in NYC, let alone multiple $30 drop-in classes each week. So I turned to the only other solution that existed: ClassPass.
In the beginning, it was exciting to explore the studios across the city. So many options, almost too many, actually. I’d save places I wanted to try and take advantage of every intro offer out there, never paying more than $10-15 for a class. It felt like I was hacking the system. The problem was, though, I rarely ever went back to the same studio twice. Why would I, when there were so many places, and I wasn’t sure what workout I really loved (besides SoulCycle, which had then become my once in a while “treat” on birthdays or special occasions). And because I wasn’t doing any one type of activity consistently, I noticed I wasn’t seeing progress in how my body felt working out. I was staying the same. Despite working out 4-5 times a week, eating healthy, walking 10k steps, and doing everything “right.”
I was being consistent in the number of days I was working out. Unfortunately, consistency actually means more than just showing up. In order to see actual results, you need to be doing the same type of movement repeatedly to let your body feel the growth and benefit from what you’re doing.
After my ClassPass era came to an end, we were working at $35 per drop-in class. Great. The good news was: I had gotten a great job offer at a top tech company and they were going to pay me for a fitness reimbursement. I finally was able to afford premium group fitness! I took the lessons learned from my ClassPass trial behavior and picked one thing and stuck to it. Orangetheory unlimited. Just over $200 a month. I started to see changes in my body and it was incredible. But because it was strenuous, I decided I needed to supplement with recovery and became a founding member of Equinox Hudson Yards. Another $200 a month.
That was 5+ years ago. Flash forward to today and that same monthly Equinox membership costs over $300/month. Orangetheory unlimited $279. My fitness routine has since changed and I now have an unlimited yoga membership and buy class packs at places like Barry’s. I’m fortunate enough to be in a financial position where I can afford to do this without thinking about how much I’m paying.
But after a few months of trying different studios for research on what makes a good studio in NYC (will share findings soon), I decided to sit down and actually do the math on what it costs to work out in NYC. I’m not talking to the person who prefers running outside and paying $20/month for a budget gym. I’m talking to the people who want to see the results that only come from showing up consistently and being in rooms that push you to the edge of your limits. The reality is that some rooms are better than others when it comes to seeing results, not to mention building community to push you and hold you accountable. Those rooms are the premium ones.
An average fitness-obsessed person in the city in 2026 is paying over $650 a month. At least one unlimited membership for their favorite workout runs $250 or more. Sometimes two, which adds another $200. A regular gym membership for the sauna and cold plunge adds $230. Throw in additional class packs at $150 and you’re looking at $600-800 a month. This is not a sustainable, long-term strategy, no matter how much money you have to spend. Even if you do have the money, it’s a burden to have to coordinate between multiple different apps and booking systems.
I experienced this problem myself before I figured out a better way, and that’s why we’re building Arcana. To make creating a committed fitness routine attainable. Our members will be able to choose a select number of premium studios to attend each month on a consistent schedule, with bookings all in one place doing the hard work for you. All you have to do is show up and let strategic consistency do the work.
Let the record show: the price of a SoulCycle drop-in today is $42.