Equinox East 61st Street — Local services in New York

This is my favorite location. If you’re looking for the classic Equinox experience, the one we pay monthly millions to enjoy, don’t come here. It looks like the back rooms and there is carpet in the locker rooms. But it’s perfect.

This is one of their old sports clubs locations that they acquired whenever ago. It was called The Vertical Club in the 80s; celebrities including Brooke Shields were members and it played a pivotal role in the 80s fitness craze that swept through the city and popular culture. I think it was an LA Fitness afterwards, and now Equinox, making it a (I think 7 story) massive mashup of different carpets and flooring, peculiar yet pleasant familiar smells that strike some cord within you, idk which, and retro nostalgia. It’s a fever dream of a place that makes me long for a time I was never a part of.

There is such an insane variety of amenities that cover all areas. Rock climbing wall, squash courts, basketball court, pickleball, rooftop, pool, 20 person jacuzzi. So much more, you could and will get lost. Weight area is massive. Quantity takes over quality here.

I come to this location specifically for yoga and the spa amenities. The yoga room is tucked away in a quiet corner on the 5th floor and is so, so big. The mats are all far apart and the lights are dim, making for a true yoga sanctuary where genuinely nothing extends beyond your mat. Lauren’s Friday 5:30pm class is of note.

The locker rooms are interesting and smell strange. The bathroom stalls are hideous. And again, the floor is carpeted. But I prefer it even to the Hudson yards locker room. The steam room is like 600 square feet and powerful. I feel like I’m floating over a geyser, it’s so lovely. Sauna is HOT and might cook someone one day. The shower stalls are spacious and the water pressure is 💋. The bathroom attendant here is so sweet and the sign in/out key log makes me feel like I’m at camp or something. I also really appreciate that the eucalyptus towers are folded horizontally. They’re also always so cold.

Overall this is a perfect place to spend the day, relax, be left alone, and have a true me-day if that’s your jam. Men won’t bother you here either, and no one’s trying to network in the sauna. Love...

I shared this on YELP as well.

I’m an all access member visiting from LA and decided to use the 61st location due to it being close to my bnb and it was the largest gym in NYC. This will be a review of the club from my experience. I visited the gym from Aug15-Sep25 overall my experience was good.

This is the part where I would like to focus on the Greet Team. There were moments when other members made the front desk jobs way too hard though they handled it with stride.

I would like to shout out 2 specific greeters, Danielle and Logan. These two were the faces I saw most while frequenting the gym. Danielle was very sweet and catering to my needs. My first time there she explained everything so great any questions I had she didn’t hesitate to answer.

Logan was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! I saw him more than anyone especially in my last couple weeks. His personality alone is what made my gym experience great. I was always greeted and sent home with a smile and compliment. It must be the southern charm he brings, more people should take note. I personally feel he was the backbone of this gym. During my duration I’ve seen him settle disputes between other male gym members on several occasions. He was verbally assaulted by a mad woman for about 2 hours about a week ago. If you noticed I speak in past tense when talking of Logan. I found out that Logan was let go from equinox due to the incident with the lady and his “poor behavior”. The lady was a Karen and this is coming from a white woman.

Management is atrocious!!! The general manager Joe is a disrespectful prejudice pig. The way he treats his staff members is awful. I’ve never seen a general manager introduce themselves and conduct business sweaty, out of breath, and the worse part he was in workout gear.

Corporate should really look into this gym and how it’s ran. The gym has the equinox title but it doesn’t have the look. My next trip here I will definitely try out one of the other gym to see how they stand...

This is probably the worst equinox I have ever been to. The only area that is properly maintained and cleaned is the weights area. All other areas of the gym look outdated and are covered in dust. There is a spa that's been closed for years. The café is always closed. The carpeting in the upper floors is from the 1980s. The showers constantly have things left behind.(i.e. razors and cleaning products from previous occupants) The basketball court is overrun by a high-schools basketball team practice. I reached out to management and they were fully aware about this arrangement that strictly goes against all policy with the club. There are plenty of places in NYC where a highschool basketball team can practice, a "high end" gym should not be one of them. The staff here tend to lounge around on the fitness floor in full uniform and have no regard for the members, not even a hello or a welcome. Clearly they have no interest in the company's values(with the exception of the cleaning crew) I am astonished that management is so lax at this location. Equinox has always been a staple of high quality and elegance when it came to self care and fitness. This is an internationally renowned brand and is being disgraced by poor management/staff due to lack of care and backdoor, off the books dealings. You can go to literally any other location in the world and have a much better experience than location can possibly offer. My experience at this location have genuinely been the worst I've ever recieved. The staff are more suitable for a lower end gym where occupants do not pay a premium. Do...