In a dramatic departure from its once very exclusive image, SoulCycle will now offer classes through the ClassPass subscription app in an effort to increase attendance.
The multi-year partnership announced on Tuesday means ClassPass credits can now be used to access SoulCycle spinning classes, a move that Well+Good says would once have been “absolutely unthinkable.”
SoulCycle, once famous for its sold-out sessions with top instructors booked well in advance, suffered backlash from members in 2019 over its owner’s fundraising for Donald Trump, and was later hammered during pandemic closures.
After reopening its studios last year, SoulCycle has struggled to regain its former glory, and in August the company closed around 25% of its locations.
In a dramatic departure from its once very exclusive image, SoulCycle will now offer classes through the ClassPass subscription app in an effort to increase membership.
SoulCycle CEO Evelyn Webster said the ClassPass partnership is “an incredible opportunity to bring our legendary instructors, a welcoming community, and the thrill of the original cardio dance party to a wider audience.”
SoulCycle CEO Evelyn Webster said the ClassPass partnership is “an incredible opportunity to bring our legendary instructors, a welcoming community, and the thrill of the original cardio dance party to a wider audience.”
Well + Good reports that SoulCycle courses are now available on the ClassPass app for the SoulCycle ride between 10 and 15 credits.
Each credit costs around $2-3, depending on the ClassPass subscription plan, and SoulCycle’s price isn’t much higher than other lesser-known spinning classes.
Prior to its struggles in recent years, SoulCycle routinely charged fees of $30 or more per class, dodging membership platforms such as ClassPass.
“It’s no understatement to say that SoulCycle was truly infamous for not being on ClassPass,” Well + Good reported. “If it was 2015 again, hell could literally freeze over.”
In 2019, Equinox and SoulCycle attempted to distance themselves from billionaire Stephen Ross, whose related companies own them, after hosting a Trump fundraiser
The struggles of SoulCycle, owned by privately held Equinox, mirror in some ways the downfall of another high-profile exercise cycling competitor, Peloton.
As Peloton’s home exercise bike has grown in popularity during pandemic shutdowns, SoulCycle Studios have been closed due to restrictions on public gatherings.
SoulCycle responded by launching outdoor classes and introducing its own $2,300 home bike in a bid to compete with Peloton.
The lifting of pandemic restrictions has hit Peloton, which has seen its stock price drop 65% since the start of the year.
But SoulCycle hasn’t seen the return to growth it was hoping for, in part because of a consumer shift to more budget-friendly fitness memberships.
Prior to its struggles over the past few years, SoulCycle routinely charged fees of $30 or more per class, dodging membership platforms such as ClassPass.
In August, SoulCycle closed about 20 of its 83 studios, according to CNN.
The closures affected six locations in the New York area, five in California and others in Washington, DC, Massachusetts, Illinois, Florida and Georgia.
SoulCycle’s Toronto location also closed, marking a full exit from Canada.
In 2019, Equinox and SoulCycle tried to distance themselves from billionaire Stephen Ross, a real estate developer whose related companies own them, after hosting a Trump fundraiser in the Hamptons.
A report by Earnest Research claimed that as a result of the controversy, SoulCycle sales dropped nearly 30% during the 2019 holiday season. SoulCycle disputed the data as inaccurate.
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