Some time last week Classpass announced, yet another price increase. You might remember back in July 2015, when they increased their, somewhat once affordable rates to $125/month for the Unlimited plan.
Ok, let’s backtrack a little. For those of you that don’t know what Classpass is, let me give you a quick and short overview. Classpass is like the Netflix of Fitness. It is a service that allows you to pay one price to enjoy an array of fitness studios in NYC (as well as other popular cities). Some of these studios include: Flywheel, Flybarre, Mile High Run Club, Exhale, Barry’s Bootcamp, CityRow, and many more. If you have visited any of these studios, a class at Barry’s or Mile High can cost as much as $30 per session. So having an unlimited plan that allows you to take up to 4 classes per studio, made some sense.
Ok, so here we are to last week, Classpass decided that $125 wasn’t enough and they have increased their unlimited plan to cost $200 big ones. Nothing new comes with the $200 price point, same classes, same studios, just more money coming out of your pockets. Also, what about if you don’t fully take advantage of the unlimited plan in the month. So how many classes do you really attend per month to get your money’s worth? Most Unlimited Classpass members attend an average of 10 classes per month (I might’ve made that number up, but I’m pretty sure I read that somewhere, I can’t find the source right now, but will update post once I find it).  At $200 per month, you aren’t really getting a good deal. The only good thing about the new Classpass is that now they have 3 different membership options for you to choose from. For those that do not attend that many classes in a month, due to a very busy work schedule, there’s the option to attend 5 classes for $75. This is the plan that I’m currently on.
I was once an unlimited member, but ever since their increase last year and I found myself not having enough time to take full advantage of their unlimited plan, I decided to downgrade to their 5 classes per month. 5 classes doesn’t seem like a lot for the price, but it is to me. I use it mainly for cycling classes at some of my favorite studios (Flywheel, Peloton and The Monster Cycle), also for running classes at Mile High Run Club and Barry’s Bootcamp, as well as barre classes at Flybarre or Exhale.
So back to the original question, When Did Getting Fit Cost So Much?
I find that with every new trend, there will be an increase in prices. We are now in the era where fitness is the new thing, eating healthy is the new thing. Therefore, things that were once inexpensive like fruits and vegetables, as well gym classes, are now overly priced and expensive. Why is it that junk food is still cheap? Why are cases of sodas/pop really cheap and water costs so much?
I honestly do not know the answer to that question, but in reality we need to think smarter and think about what we really need vs what we really want. Do we really need an unlimited membership to attend a bunch of fitness studios with every little bit of time in our schedule?! Probably not. Think Smarter. Racked published a really good blog post on Eight Fitness Alternatives to Consider Post-Classpass Price Hike, that I really agree with, things like downgrading your Classpass membership, to taking advantage of freebies, to hiring a personal trainer to help you meet your fitness goals. These are all things that can help save you money while still motivate you to live a fit, healthy and active lifestyle, on a budget.
In conclusion, this post is not to bash Classpass or anyone that’s a Classpass member, it is more to share information and alternatives to those that are still on the fence on what to do as far as their fitness life and priority goes. If you have any thoughts on this, please share in the comments section.