Equinox and SoulCycle to require proof of vaccination for customers, employees
Equinox and its SoulCycle spinning studios are both set to require proof of vaccination for customers and employees alike, The Post has learned.
The mandate will take effect in New York City in early September but will eventually cover all of the two chains’ locations around the world, according to the companies.
Equinox, which owns SoulCycle, said it will accept physical vaccine cards, photos of vaccine cards or state-issued digital vaccine passes as proof. The company added that it will “work with” customers and employees who have not taken the vaccine for medical or religious reasons, according to a release.
The move comes amid a surge in US coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, with the latter mainly hitting unvaccinated people.
Last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged New York businesses to “do their part” by refusing to serve unvaccinated guests and only employing vaccinated workers — and many restaurants, bars and clubs around the city have started requiring proof of vaccination for entry.
In a recent internal survey, Equinox said it found that 96 percent of members and 89 percent of employees were already vaccinated. The majority of members also supported a vaccine mandate, according to the company.
Equinox operates more than 100 fitness clubs around the world — including 34 in New York City. SoulCycle, meanwhile, has more than 90 studios globally and 19 in the city.
In January, a New York SoulCycle instructor who has worked with celebrities like Madonna and Kelly Ripa was accused of jumping the line for then-rare vaccines by claiming she was an “educator” — even as medical workers struggled to score appointments.
But now, with vaccines having been widely available for months, Equinox says the time is right to mandate vaccines.
“We have always made the health and safety of our communities our top priority, and we will continue to do so in partnership with infectious disease experts as well as local governments,” said Equinox Group executive chairman and managing partner Harvey Spevak. “We have a responsibility to take bold action and respond to changing circumstances with urgency.”
