s treat their employees as disposable. Yet here I sit, surprised that a company that refers to instructors as “rockstars” and describes itself with the
narrative of the“SoulCycle family” is acting like, well, a business. Cutting employees with scant resources is a behavior that’s antithetical to the gospel SoulCycle preaches in every single one of its classes—a narrative that kindness and unity can be derived from a shared experience. It’s also a bad move long term: WhileWhen all the positivity IS stripped away, a SoulCycle is just an Expensive form of exerciseIt’s especially precarious for those boutique fitness brands that have risen by turning their instructers into micro-celebrities.
When all the positivity is stripped away, a SoulCycle or a Barry’s is just a form of exercise–no more, no less. But the way that these classes are packaged to feel like a small family is what makes attendees so adamant about where they work out. Fitness culture is an all-consuming arena, where the gym you attend subs in as an extra personality trait. Where you sweat signals to others who you are, just ask anyone who does CrossFit. Studio memberships are a status symbol.
draiser for Trump. But perhaps the stakes are higher for spin lovers. Politics can be pushed aside for 45 minutes, but this latest move is more than a faux pas: Lay-offs without severance is an inhumane choice. If studios reopen, gym-goers will actually have to consider the human cost of their personal brand.