Weight loss in the New Year starts a day late for some.
Luxury fitness club Equinox has come under fire online after launching a one-day campaign labeled “We Don’t Speak January,” banning new members from joining.
On January 1, as many are ready to ring in the new year by getting into shape, those who went to the Equinox website to register for a luxury gym were greeted by an unusual message.
“It’s not you, it’s January,” a message posted on Equinox’s website read.
The company calls January a “fantasy, delivered to your door in a pastel-colored box.”
“You’re not a New Year’s resolution. Your life doesn’t start at the beginning of the year. And that’s not what being part of the Equinox is all about,” the message to hopeful new members.
The message ends by assuring those who want to sign up that the fitness club looks forward to “seeing you in the Equinox community tomorrow.”
Doubling down on attitude, the company posted a list of reasons in a photo on Twitter why they don’t allow new people to sign up.
“January is an unknown language,” it began, only to repeat what was posted on the website.
This strange marketing stunt was greeted with mounting online backlash.
“No one who cares about fitness goes to Equinox. Rich people just have a biological need to spend money,” one Twitter user tweeted.
“Equinox gives off a loser vibe,” another user said in a tweet quote from the Equinox Day post.
“Didn’t realize that health clubs would be so against people trying to… check records… improve their health and well-being?” a users comment on the company’s tweets.
Not everyone is tired of the fitness club’s New Year’s Day campaign.
“Equinox is not accepting new members now. Super brave, super smart, strategically aligned with their brand,” the user tweeted in support from the company’s campaign.
“Equinox is not accepting new signups on Jan. 1. Gyms are okay, but marketing is A+,” another user tweeted.
The TikTok sent by Equinox was later deleted as well because it was unable to register on January 1st.
The video, which shows an empty gym and one member happily working out by himself, has text on the screen that reads, “When it’s January 1st, but you remember Equinox isn’t letting new members join right now.”
“Get your resolution somewhere else,” the video’s caption reads.
As of Monday, new members can sign up for the gym, which charges $382 a month for worldwide access to all locations.
