ClassPass Hikes Boston Rates to $180 per Month
A class at Barre & Soul, a ClassPass partner/Photo by Lucie Wicker
When ClassPass came to Boston in 2014, it seemed like a fitness dream: a service that lets exercisers gym-hop, taking classes at top-notch studios around town under one, $99-per-month umbrella membership.
Then, in 2015, monthly rates crept up to $120. Users grumbled.
We’re sorry to say more grumbling is on the way. ClassPass announced today that unlimited memberships will now cost $150 per month for existing users, and $180 a month for new users—nearly double what the service cost just two years ago.
To accommodate subscribers with different budgets and fitness needs, the service also announced today that Boston members can now buy 10 classes a month for $120. That option will serve as a middle ground between ClassPass’ prior Boston membership models: either five classes a month for $65, or unlimited classes.
“The tremendous growth we’ve had shows that we are fulfilling our mission of helping people live a more active life,” CEO Payal Kadakia said in a statement. “But we’ve also realized that a one-size-fits-all membership is not diverse enough to serve all of our members’ unique needs.”
In an email sent to members, Kadakia attributed the price increase to high drop-in prices at Boston studios. While she isn’t wrong—drop-in classes can easily reach $30 around here, and most unlimited boutique fitness studio memberships are significantly more than $180 per month—the cost bump has already frustrated users, many of whom first came to the service because of its affordability.
“I was taken by surprise that ClassPass is raising their rates again,” says user Stephanie Janes. “They raised them from $99 to $120 [last year], and to raise them again to $180 just [a few] months later seems like a huge price hike. I think it will turn a lot of ClassPass loyalists off.”
Janes, for one, downgraded her membership to the service’s five-class option a few months after prices went up to $120. If the uptick continues, we’re guessing she won’t be alone.
