The Rise of Exclusive, Application-Only Gym Memberships

Monarch Athletic Club, based in West Hollywood, is another example. To join, an applicant must have a medical evaluation and a physical therapy and training assessment — all done in-house — which Dr. Ryan Greene, Monarch’s managing partner and principal medical adviser who specializes in osteopathic medicine, describes as “a few layers of checkpoints.”

Once an applicant gets past those “checkpoints,” they may be invited to pay a membership fee of $595 to $2,000 per month. At the top tier, members receive unlimited personal training and physical therapy, I.V. therapy, access to their physicians, ice baths, group fitness classes and saunas.

Dr. Greene said that while health is a universal right, he decided to make Monarch, which opened in January 2020, an exclusive club because he wanted his members to be proactive. Some people, he said, believe that since they are paying a premium, they can just show up and assume that their sessions will be booked for them with white-glove service. Those aren’t the type of people he wants, he said. Instead, Monarch is seeking a community of like-minded people who are motivated to get well. And to sign up for their own sessions.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/25/style/exclusive-gym-memberships.html