NYC Could Become America’s Next Wellness Capital, Experts Say

The growth of Strong New York, the city’s biggest fitness and wellness festival, reflects a broader post-pandemic transformation across the city, as gyms, studios, run clubs and races flourish — and industry leaders believe NYC is only getting started

During the pandemic, New York City became a chilling symbol of the global shutdown. Streets emptied, restaurants shuttered and gyms struggled to survive. But now, the iconic city is witnessing a fitness resurgence like it’s never seen before.

Consumer demand is fueling explosive interest in gyms, studios, in-person events and competitions, and even wellness-focused hospitality. The growth of the city’s own massive fitness and wellness festival, Strong New York, is one of the biggest markers of NYC’s post-pandemic comeback, as the event enters its tenth year.

“It’s scientifically proven that when somebody’s taking better care of themselves, they’re less anxious, they’re less stressed, they’re more motivated to do things, to improve themselves,” Strong New York founder Kenny Santucci told Athletech News. “If everyone’s helping everyone to get better, then the whole city gets better. If we can make that cool and viral here in New York, then it could work everywhere. But it has to start here.”

Strong New York — taking place on September 26 — brings together over 100 brands across the industry in a day of over 50 workouts and 30 speakers, all under one roof.

Santucci structured the event to cater to people across interests, abilities and experience levels who could not only educate themselves about the how and why behind taking care of their health, but also discover the workouts and brands that best support their individual fitness journeys. It will also feature the New York City debut of ATHX Games, a functional fitness competition that’s challenging Hyrox.

The Case for NYC as the World’s Next Wellness Hub 

Santucci envisions a future where New York goes all-in on wellness in the same way cities like Miami and Los Angeles have — and now is the critical moment to carry that out.

The pandemic thrust health into the spotlight, while an exploding industry and shifting priorities favoring fitness and longevity position one of the world’s biggest metropolitan areas to center wellness now more than ever, he pointed out. 

The shift toward wellness, coupled with a robust desire to build community after years of isolation, has led to unprecedented fitness engagement throughout the city, with new boutique gyms and studios in high demand, a run club boom and the emerging fitness racing market led by Hyrox.

There’s a reason that big-name partners have joined Strong New York as well — they too see the unique potential of NYC’s fitness market.

“New Yorkers are some of the most educated wellness consumers anywhere,” Rachel Katzman, the founder of Pvolve — one of Strong New York’s partners — told ATN. “That raises the bar for everyone building in this category. People here treat their workout like a non-negotiable part of the day.” 

“People aren’t just chasing trends. They want to know what actually works for longevity and injury prevention,” she continued. “That’s a rare kind of engagement, and it’s exactly the audience a brand built on movement longevity wants to serve. Add in the sheer concentration of studios, trainers, and brands testing new ideas across five boroughs, and you have everything a hub needs.”

Yoga Joint, a Strong New York partner with serious momentum in the Northeast, is betting on the future of NYC’s boutique fitness market, according to Adam Shane, a managing director at Yoga Joint who signed on to own franchises in NYC and surrounding areas.

“Everyone seems to be chasing New York City,” Shane told ATN. “It does feel right now that there’s a lot of capital and a lot of product chasing New York City consumer dollars.” 

Shane says the city has everything going for it in terms of an ideal consumer market with vast potential and an energetic atmosphere that encourages ambition across all aspects of life — especially for young adults.

“It is an incredible sort of live, work and play atmosphere for young adults,” he said of NYC. “It’s got everything you could possibly ask for in terms of lifestyle enjoyment — outside the expense of living there — but it’s got entertainment, food, fitness. It’s a 24/7 lifestyle play for a lot of people.”

NYC’s Growing Fitness Footprint

Other operators eyeing growth in New York include TMPL, a chain of upscale gyms in Manhattan that’s hosting Strong New York’s official after-party at its new bathhouse location.

“We are more bullish on New York fitness today than at any point since starting TMPL,” owner and CEO Patrick Walsh told ATN. 

“The pandemic obviously disrupted the industry, but what has come back is different and, in many ways, stronger,” Walsh added. “People are prioritizing their health, fitness and longevity more than ever, and they are willing to invest in experiences that become part of their lifestyle. That has inspired us to continue investing in TMPL.”

Similar to Pvolve’s Katzman, he sees NYC consumers as sophisticated, informed and ambitious in their pursuit of performance. Moreover, Walsh believes New York has the potential to become “the most important fitness and wellness market in the country” — and well on its way to overtaking Miami.

“You have this incredible ecosystem of trainers, instructors, entrepreneurs, brands and consumers all concentrated in one city,” Walsh noted. 

“What’s particularly interesting now is that fitness is becoming social again. People don’t just want somewhere to work out,” he explained. “They want community and experiences. You see that in running clubs, boutique fitness, strength training, Pilates, recovery and events like Strong New York. Fitness is increasingly becoming part of New York’s social culture.”

TMPL, for its part, is aiming to become the “best fitness and wellness brand in New York,” looking to build an “ultra premium” community-oriented ecosystem for New Yorkers constructed around fitness, recovery and TMPL Baths, a luxury contrast therapy experience featuring saunas, a eucalyptus steam room, spa lounge as well as full access to the TMPL gym.

As operators like TMPL and Pvolve look to grow their footprints, Santucci pointed out that part of what’s fueling the growth of NYC’s fitness scene, in addition to Strong New York, has been the increasing investment in wellness real estate.

“Pre-pandemic, you didn’t see hotels and buildings building out the spaces that they are in. Every wellness hub or coworking space, any third space now has to have some wellness aspect to it, otherwise people don’t go,” he said. “There’s this double-down on the fitness and wellness scene when it comes to any type of hospitality.”

New York’s Biggest Challenges

Despite the momentum, getting the biggest city in the U.S. to go all-in on fitness and wellness is no easy feat, as Santucci has discovered firsthand.

Collaborating with the NYC government has proved difficult, with strict rules and permitting requirements and limited funding available for fitness and wellness events like Strong New York, he said.

In contrast, Santucci revealed he was offered a grant from the city of Miami to bring the event down to Florida, an option he may explore in the future. But for now, he’s focused on New York.

“I think one of the focuses of local government and countrywide, we should be encouraging people to take better care of themselves,” he said.

Katzman and Walsh have faced similar infrastructure barriers in building their brands in NYC, they said.

“New York has some obvious structural disadvantages: real estate is expensive, space is limited and it’s a much harder environment in which to build and operate large wellness concepts,” Walsh said.

Additionally, Katzman and Santucci point to several sociocultural hurdles to overcome in realizing that idyllic wellness city.

“I’d also point to the city’s culture around intensity. Too much of it is still about who can suffer the most, with not enough infrastructure around recovery and injury prevention,” Katzman said. “I’d love to see NYC’s wellness identity mature the way its food and culture scenes have. Less about enduring the hardest class, more about building something people can sustain for decades.”

Meanwhile, Santucci has been grappling with how to broaden the market he’s capturing, and reach debatably the most important consumers he can reach: the people who need the most support around their health and wellness, who lack motivation and access to education, resources and communities to help build a sustainable fitness routine.

“That’s my biggest struggle,” Santucci said. He’s hoping that once people simply enter Strong New York, the atmosphere will spark change within them.

“When you come to the event, you’re not just coming to an event, you’re coming to an experience,” he said. “You’re paying for the access to be around these people, who are going to make you want to do more for yourself.”

Santucci even said anyone who leaves Strong New York feeling they got nothing out of it — learning something, building community, finding inspiration — then he will happily refund them.

“At the end of the day, I want to know that I’ve added value to people’s lives,” he said. “I want to make sure that people do genuinely have a good time.”