personal trainer

front desk agent

membership representative

massage therapist

pilates instructor

Equinox

By far the worst company I've worked for. Mainly because the company offers absolutely no support in advertising and marketing to the public. 

Basic breakdown- membership advisors, personal trainers, spa service providers are all required to build their own clientele/business.
Spa associates and personal trainers have no choice but to recruit from the gym floors from existing members of the club. Physically and in person. No signs or even a QR code can be placed in the bathrooms. 

Instead you have to do free demos in the lobby or gym floors for which you always get the same crowd of freebie people. Honestly I don't blame them if you can get a free demo on average once a month. Then why come in and pay???
Each and every time you get names and emails where you follow up with those who received free demos only to email them and follow up regarding a visit to the spa TO NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN except the next free floor demos. 
Members are soo used to this that I've had many instances where I'm just doing an informational booth with members coming up asking “something free, anything free being offered?” Creates a very uncomfortable work environment.

Simultaneously they will have you do pop up spa services in places of the club like the bathroom (a brow wax pop up bar) or doing facials on the gym floors as a “spa pop up.” 
Under the conclusion that we service providers need to physically go to the client in the club where if we connect with them by going physically to them, they'll pay for the service in the middle of the bathroom or public gym floor w/o all the amenities that a spa experience offers - like a proper treatment bed w/ heated pad, spa music for a calming non disruptive zen mode, a steamer, magnifying light, sink/sanitation and the proper ergonomics for a spa provider to execute exceptional work. 

Even though the spa is just a couple steps away inside the club and even though we've already connected with members face to face on the floor through free demos and inside the spa during spa parties and the clients coming in for their regular massage with their regular long term massease NOT A SINGLE PERSON CAME BACK FOR A PAYING SERVICE.
It's quite obvious that basic data analytics is not used by management or upper management or senior executives.

As a result, it's basically a sales job with a very high commission. But don't be fooled by these high commi$$ion rates. You only get the commission pay if in total it's more than the hourly pay which is a mere minimum wage. No joke. So front desk associates, retail associates who don't have any trained skills set, license, certification for their role are getting paid more hourly unless your able to make commission which is near death impossible given the circumstances of failure the company’s business structure set you up for. 

Announcements, events etc etc absolutely ZERO advertising. Not on the members app, social media, in club or any visuals whatsoever. 
Instead corporate chooses to advertise the company on billboards, inside magazines, social media with visuals that have absolutely nothing to do with fitness, personal training, health, wellness, spa services or really anything that pertains to the services offered at equinox. 

Meanwhile management and upper management are useless. Absolutely ZERO help in solving discrepancies and building your business and growth at the company. 
You are forced to manage yourself when getting certified and trained with the vendors they chose. And simultaneously if you’re not available, certified, trained and ready to execute for that once in a blue moon service a client books, then management is all of a sudden questioning you why you can't cater to the client and be ready when they offered zero support in the training or service. Many of times the vendor they chose hasn't even had a training /certification class since the last one which management doesn't care to know. Because every added inch of revenue makes their sales goals and A+ from the executives they report to, in which they get a bonus, raise.

All they do is ignore and brush off everything and anything. It seems they don't have to answer to anybody regarding the poor statistics of client retention and the pattern of lack of employee retention. Great for them, but it's the service providers be it membership advisors, spa associates, personal trainers who in turn are forced to suffer financially, professionally, mentally …..u name it. 

Only perks - having a fun environment to work in and meeting great co workers 


In NYC, If you can make over $120 before tip with private clients, imagine dedicating your schedule to an employer where you make $35/hr, THEN have 30% deducted by NY & Federal Taxes! Personally I have seen therapists in some third world countries make that, and far more an hour! And NY requires us to get a full 2 year degree, which not only is costly, bit timely, and demands us far higher pay--not to mention cost of living in one of THE MOST COSTLY cities. If locations in different states charge more for services (like NY vs FL) therapists should have higher pay. I actually had an error on my 1st check--I was promised an hourly rate for non-busy work hours higher than minimum wage, yet on my 1st pay stub it was $3 less! Imagine uf I hadn't checked it! And sometimes the spa would get closed before your shift ends.

Not to mention there pay scale is NOT prorated! Meaning you DO NOT make 1.5X the rate for a 90 min session, they somehow skimmed a few dollars! I actually asked the spa manager about it once and he acted like it was negligable and couldnt explain it. 

What's also awful is there never-ending need to re-brand the spa (its name, the name of spa services, etc) and how they keep shortening offers: 25 min massages?? free ones to new members?? The new client free massage requires a full PT intake (postural and questionaire) that they cram into 10 mins, which even asks about how"well" they eat and when they wake/sleep! To top it off you must input it all into an Ipad with several folders and forms--there is a 8 pg training booklet for those who get a spa manager who decides not to train you in-person! And guess what? You actually get paid LESS for those! My colleagues and I were very unhappy about that program. More work for less money, and usually no tip. Senior therapists overokked and newbies sat around most of the day. 

And they keep inventing new high tech things to add(ie, SELL) into the session that we must train on and upsell.

Personally it is offensive and condescending. I am a highly-trained, exceptional therapist with nearly 10 years of experience, and I dont need 50 gadgets to effectively manipulate soft tissue. NO therapist does. We are already the experts. They don't need to reinvent the wheel.  

Clients can really test your patience. Spa manager seemed to avoid being present or responding timely. Break rooms, shared with trainors, have more of a frat vibe. Upper management was annoying and sometimes overbearing. The only real benefit is free gym membership and shower access.

 I wasn't even instructed to do a demo before being hired. So I understand why I got a trade with another LMT there, it was one of the worst I had eve had and I had to ask them to stop massaging me. I don't see Equinox gyms being any better than the massage mills. Pure greed. 

The need to pay therapists a PERCENTAGE, not a rate, and it should be much higher to account for above nentioned. The should have better management and make all spa services 1 hour or more, and stop adding all this useless technology to massage sessions. And supervising theapists or front desk should not be closing early to fit their personal schedules.

I worked in Equinox on W 50th street for 4 months. Now I know it doesn't seem like a long time but being there felt dragging. I'm going to explain what happened and how payments work. Here are the following reasons: 

Spa- I started working there May of 2016 to September 2016. There is very poor management and lack of communication between you and the manager. I was given an ultimatum in the beginning of August to have 5 facials at the end of the week or my hours will be cut. Fair enough all though in the summer the most you will get is 5 SERVICES in total to the month I accepted my hours will be cut. Later that week the manager was in denial ever having to cut my hours but had given me a lot of attitude the whole month. 

By the beginning of September I had received two write ups one for being late ( cool I take responsibility ) and the other was for not making a sale on products. Let me explain, I had stepped away from my post due to me not feeling well. A guest came and I wasn't there but the manager encouraged everyone to make a sell on products including the front desk ( so sells are competitive because it's not only between you and other estheticians). One of the front desk persons stated to me that they wanted to make the sell and I allowed them. Because they were unable to make the sell I got written up for it. 

I decided to put my two weeks notice in because it is very clear the manager didn't want me there no more and I was hoping to transfer to another location. Unfortunately because I was asking someone hire than her title about removing my write ups and transferring to another location she decided it was better to fire me ( although I had the two weeks notice in place she finalized it close to 12am midnight on September 14, 2016). 

Overall the staff there was pleasant but management is terrible there. In the winter business should pick up for estheticians but in the summer it's really dead. Word of advice you must make a sell and be available at all cost or you'll get written up for others mistakes. She hates it when you go over her head so everything must be run by her and forget about contacting her after she's gone for the day. Do not talk with maintenance manager either. Everything that happens to you he runs it the spa manager and spreads rumors to the other staff. I was told the day I left I was raising my voice to the spa manager when she told me she wanted to let me go. I was happy to leave I never raised my voice and I smiled all the way out the door. I don't understand why there was a lie saying I got fired because I raised my voice at her I never did. She likes to be in control so do what she says or go home. 

Also please don't be confused on how you get paid there. You make either commission or minimum wage, you can't get both. When I was first interviewed the spa manager made it seem like we were getting both but that's not the case. 

I hope this review helps others out there!

First thing you need to know is you won't get rich working this job -- it's a stepping stone job with very little room for advancement.  However, the pay and perks of this job make it a good short term solution (even though they sell it as a career).  You will learn how to be a great trainer here if you listen.

Advancement as personal trainer: Tier 1 to Tier 3+ (very select trainers qualify for Tier 4).

-- room for development, but unless you're Tier 3 or higher you're not making a sustainable living.  The average salary at my gym is around 30K for a personal trainer and it could take a year, or more to reach Full-Time equivalent, which makes this job ideal for young kids living at home.  It takes a month, or loner before they even allow you to take on a client.  (Tier 1 payout 25$ a session).

Payout:  You have to hit your bonus to make a sustainable living (not sure why it's called a bonus then).  If you don't hit it then your pay rate per session is 13$ a session less as a Tier 3.   As a Tier 3 trainer your payout is $38 out of 128$ session without bonus.

If you're not hitting your full-time equivalent in personal training sessions (42 bi-weekly) then you are demoted to working 3-hour floor shifts (handing out towels and cleaning up weights) where you make minimum wage (you have to do these shifts when you first start until your business builds).  You could be a ten year veteran of the company and if you miss your Full time equivalent (which is also called your bonus -- doesn't make sense) then you are demoted to do a floor shift or two for the next pay period until your business picks back up.

This happens to even the best trainers because people will go on vacation --  you are not protected from this in any way.  Your pay will go down because you didn't hit your bonus/full time equivalent and your pay check will really suffer loosing that extra money from not hitting bonus.

Benefits:

401K: yes, not a high match.

Health Care: yes, very good.

Vacation:  You have none.  Your Clients will take plenty (plan accordingly).

Sick Days:  You get none

Work Life Balance:  As a trainer you have to work six days a week to make decent money and a day that consists of 5 hours/sessions can easily turn into a 10 hour day, or more depending on where your clients fall on your schedule.  It would be very wise to live close to your job and plan to get your life errands done on your breaks.


Ultimately, this is a high turnover job.  There are trainers who do very well, but most do not -- its just the what the business model allows.  The trainer is expendable and not protected (even though you will be told time and time again that you are "the face of the company.").

In the end you will always outwork your pay at this company, but if it's a short-term job then it can be a great experience.  Like I said, your skills as a trainer will improve immensely and it's a great place to network.  The idea that you can make a career here is a pipe dream.

For the full details...read on. Actually, you should read all of the reviews and take them seriously before applying - they are similar to this one... build your network, gain sales skills, then get out. 

I excelled as one of the top Membership Advisors in my region. I was all in, actually thought I would even be a lifer. It was a lot of fun for a couple of years, though it was also a very stressful job with unusual expectations.

If you want to succeed, expect a low work/life balance. Equinox will be your life. This is fine for a young, good-looking or "on brand" as they say, single person. If you're in a relationship, you could be put into difficult situations with their parties. This will be your life even after hours. If you're successful financially you should be getting calls and emails at all hours, and you'll respond immediately. 

You are given a max of 3 months to not hit your goal before you lose your job, no matter how much money you made the company. 1st month you get a write up/plan of action. 2nd month another write up/final discussion. 3rd month, FIRED. I never got fired by the way. I quit to pursue other options.

The time clock....jeez. Welcome to California. You get 5 missed punches per YEAR (clocking in or out and missing the 5 hour deadline to take a break- even by one second) and...you guessed it... FIRED. This was extremely difficult to manage when you are the top performer and you're focused on your clients needs. After signing up over 400 members, your schedule gets pretty hectic. 

What are you supposed to do? 

The rule: First, ask your client to wait while you run to the time clock to punch out. Then you have these options:

1. Tell them to come back another time (the Be-Back Bus is never full)

2. Find another salesperson to take over for you (like anyone wants to sell your client and waste their time so you can win a contest)

3. Find a manager to take over where you left off (but they are never available, and if they are, I haven't met one that could close).


Lastly, it can be a very cut-throat environment between sales agents. I'd recommend not to make friends, keep it professional. The "team" environment is kind of a misnomer. They'll have you think you're on a team...but when you run into stolen leads and no one gets fired, it can put a bad taste in your mouth. You might have the feeling of having to look over your shoulder everyday.

Most enjoyable part - the people you work with. Overall, most of the employees are just like you, good people trying to get by, beat each other in sales and have a good time. Be the face of the club and make sure EVERYONE knows who you are, enjoy the ride and when the opportunity arises for you to move on, jump on it.

Hope this helps!

A typical day at work for me involves greeting members as they come in the door, checking them in, making sure the front desk is clean, spotless, and stocked, and making sure the team is focused, fired up, and ready to have a fun work day.

From time to time we deal with billing issues, member complaints, purchasing personal training services, spa treatments, and private Pilates sessions as well.

The management is excellent and they make sure you are constantly praised, appreciated, and on top of your game. They treat you like a family and make sure you are happy.

My coworkers are great, we have amazing synergy and we work like a team! I take charge but don't bark orders and we all get along, when something needs to be done they listen to me, and I listen to them as well. No power struggles, no issues in who's in charge, in the end we feel as though we are a team working together to provide the members the best experience possible.

The hardest part of job really isn't all that bad in my opinion. During peak hours we have members flood through the door and phones ringing off the hook. I'm an excellent at multitasking so I enjoy these moments. I answer the phone, greet, deal with billing issues, check members in, and at peak hours get members signed up for group classes.

Honestly the most enjoyable part of the job is the people. The staff I work with is so friendly, fired up and energetic, and the management team really does show concern and wants the best from you. There is no "being chewed out" or "yelled at". There are coachings, pep talks, and plenty of constructive criticism to help you understand what you are doing correct, and what needs to be improved.

This job has taught me how to take charge and be a leader without bossing people around and making them feel below me. It taught me to take pride and owner ship in the front desk and treat it as though its my own home and should be taken care of properly. Its taught me how to be quick thinking, quick on my feet, react fast, and handle a high volume of tasks in a fast but efficient and safe manner. Most of all it taught me how to work with a great team of people who have each others backs and in the end want to see each other flourish.

I love Equinox as a company. I went through their one year Pilates certification program, which was extensive and wonderful. Not only was I trained in Classical Pilates, but I learned many exercises on various apparatus, which many cert's don't offer. There were many practical and written tests based on anatomy, exercise choice, and cueing. All my teachers were amazing, and helped me to become a confident teacher myself. 
After being hired at Equinox, it becomes a lifestyle. An equinox membership is very expensive, and Pilates is a whole other financial commitment on top of it. Equinox tends to hide their Pilates studio on the top floor next to the yoga studio, so it does not get much exposure. Equinox expects you to teach a number of complimentary private, duet, and semi sessions. Their goal is for you to convert these clients into regular paying clients. Many of the people I have taught LOVE Pilates but are already struggling to pay for a membership alone. 
Equinox also requires you to teach a number of paid sessions each pay period. Unless you have time to be at Equinox everyday, work full time, or have a lot of extra time on your hands- it is hard to gather clientele working part time. Most hours of my shift are spent emailing, mingling and offering free pilates sessions to random members, or trying to find ways to expose Pilates. Equinox is a huge part of my life and has taught me how to be a great Pilates instructor, and manage my time and clientele efficiently. My favorite part about this job was my clients. I have met some pretty amazing people though out my time teaching at Equinox. I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to meet each one of my clients, who put their trust in me, from their time to their fitness goals. It is a very demanding job if you are only working part time because it does require you to put at least a minimum of 2 hours of work outside of the gym to attend to emails, programming, and gathering new clients.

I worked at Equinox several years ago as a PT. The environment was extremely toxic. You were not able to make a livable wage. They reel you in with the idea you can make good money. They give you floor hours while you work to build clientele, the hours were paid for but you could spend 12 hours at work to be able to work your floor hours as well as train clients. So it made it extremely difficult to supplement income with  another job while you build your clientele. When I worked there they had you give complimentary Equifit sessions to potential PT customers and that was supposed to be your way of building clientele as well as attract clients while on the floor to want to train with you. It was like car sales of PT. Customers knew all the new recruits were going to try and sell to them. We looked ridiculous walking around sparking convo with hopes these people wanted a PT. But All that seems fair in the beginning until you realized 90% of the successful trainers were being feed their clients and didn’t have to work half as hard as others. Once you weren’t hitting numbers you were constantly being dragged down by management with 1on1 meetings. Which meant you’re at risked of being fired. 
Let’s say you did eventually start getting great at selling PT sessions, you would sell this extremely over priced PT package to clients and not see any money from the sale unless the person actually showed up for sessions. You’d only get paid for each per hour sessions. So if clients cancel in enough time you don’t see any money. 
It was a very very competitive environment but for the most part the trainers/staff were fairly nice. They’d help you with getting better with different techniques and things like that. But I wouldn’t trust them too much just take the knowledge and run. “Keep your enemies” closer type of vibe
The one positive was the ability for continuing education. I was able to earn several different certifications while a PT there. 
Not for the faint of hearts but definitely a stepping stone if you have financial backing from a spouse or parents. Or if you become a favorite. 

I started my personal training at Equinox after getting certified by NASM. It really depends on what location you’re at and who your PT Manager is. I was there for a total of 3 years before they started focusing only on sales and less professional development. My most inspired moments were when I went through Tier 2, Tier 3, and Precision Nutrition training, and when my manager seemed to care about me instead of just the numbers due to pressure from upper management/corporate. Just like any sales-based job, you get out of it what you put in. You need to be comfortable approaching people and asking for the sale. If you’re willing to sacrifice your entire day from 4am-10pm to be available for clients and get on the floor and talk to members and try to convince them that your training is worth $150/hr while your commission gets cut due to minimum wage being increased, you’ll be able to reach full-time with no problem at all, but it will be difficult for most people. It got to a point where many trainers on the team were getting discouraged bc of lack of positive culture due to a few bad apples in the bunch and management who didn’t care about us growing - I mean, they’re just working for the big boss, too. At any point, there were only 1-3 “full-time” trainers out of 15-20 trainers on the team. Most trainers got by by having private clients or working other part-time jobs/sources of income and being able to keep expenses low (paying $0-$500 rent to live at home with family or with roommates). Recommend this job for beginner personal trainers who have savings they can pull from as they get “ramped up”, eagerness to get their feet wet at a luxury commercial gym, and future goals to become an independent personal trainer or staying at a commercial gym. There are a few trainers (4-6) who have been there for 5-10 years, but don’t expect to be one of those few unless you put in the work, effort,  and sacrifice of time. Don’t expect to make a good living only working this one job part-time, you’ll most likely be barely scraping by. The people you meet in the gym and the free gym membership at a luxury gym make it worth your time and energy here if those things matter to you.

Overall, Equinox offers extensive opportunities for growth and development within the organization. Responsibilities vary with each role. In my experience, as you grow within the organization, you are asked to take on a wide variety of tasks that you aren’t always compensated for. There are bonus opportunities, but you are often relying on the other members of your team to reach those financial incentives if you are working within a management role. As a trainer, the bonus structure is exceptional and very easy to hit with minimal effort and a consistent growth mindset. 
Equinox offers exceptional benefits including Health Insurance, 401k with matching dollars, and continuing education and development. 
Equinox believes in supporting their team members and incentivizes to develop long term relationships. There is unlimited growth potential and great job security. 
At the club level, management can be a mixed bag. I’ve had experiences with extremely poor managers and exceptional managers. The company does work hard to develop quality managers and they are largely successful. On the corporate level, there is some disconnect With some senior managers as they don’t spend much time in club and are often out of touch with what’s happening “on the ground”
Job culture varies from location to location, but in general, Equinox strives to create a culture of inclusion, positivity, support, and growth and they are very successful at it. 
Working for Equinox requires dedication and passion for changing lives. It often requires long hours, but if you’re willing to commit to your own growth and development, you can have a very successful and long term career with Equinox. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Personal trainer 144 salaries reported	$18.47 per hour
Front desk agent 80 salaries reported	$16.98 per hour
Membership representative 45 salaries reported	$17.73 per hour
Massage therapist 42 salaries reported	$28.49 per hour
Pilates instructor 59 salaries reported	$30.93 per hour

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