Wellness Enthusiasts Are Choosing Workouts Over Nights Out, Data Shows

A new survey points to a weekend-night opening for gym and studios, with fitness booking demand in prime nightlife hours more than doubling in two years

Many young adults, ages 18 to 34, would rather meet for a fitness or wellness experience than hit up a bar.

That’s according to ClassPass, a booking and discovery platform for fitness, wellness and other experiences, whose latest data points to an opportunity for gyms and studio operators.

The major finding: reservations on Fridays and Saturdays between 7 and 11 p.m. more than doubled in 2025 compared with two years earlier, per the company’s booking numbers. 

In a survey of more than 900 U.S. and international ClassPass users conducted in late spring, 53% of respondents aged 18 to 34 said they’d booked a workout or wellness experience over a night out in the past year, and 51% said they’d asked a friend to work out instead of drinks.

It’s worth noting, however, who’s being counted. The survey polled ClassPass members, all of them active on the platform for at least six months, not the general public.

But in the age of loneliness and at a time when 45% of Gen Z say they lack meaning, purpose or both, there’s a case for showing up.

According to ClassPass, 49% of members who traded a typical night out for a workout or wellness experience said they’d made a new friend or connection through the platform, compared with 37% of those who didn’t make the swap. More than half of younger users said they’ve used a class to catch up with someone, and roughly one in five joined a run club or class community in the past year.

There appears to be a level of commitment to fitness and wellness at work, as well. Some 44% reported skipping or canceling a night out so they’d be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for a morning class, and 64% said they’d booked an early class on purpose, using the next-morning wake-up call as their cue to head home earlier the night before.

ClassPass isn’t the only one reporting the change from long bar tabs and late-night diner runs to sound baths and early alarms set for Pilates. A February report from Bank of America found fitness-related spending among Gen Z and Millennials on the rise while alcohol consumption keeps falling. 

Some operators don’t need convincing to explore later-than-average class times. As ClassPass points out, Solidcore schedules classes starting at 10 p.m. at studios in New York. The popular Pilates-inspired boutique fitness brand uses the booking and discovery platform to fill off-peak classes and has spoken favorably of the partnership.

On the West Coast, Bay Club, the KKR-backed operator of sports and lifestyle clubs, has created weekend programming with pop-up social mixers like silent disco dance classes, sound bath meditations and holiday-themed events. It’s not exclusive, either. Bay Club members are encouraged to bring friends as guests.

Meanwhile, Planet Fitness, the low-price gym giant that’s made no secret of its designs on Gen Z, ran a ’90s Night pop-up at more than 600 U.S. clubs this summer, complete with an Apple Music playlist and throwback decor.

Then there’s the wellness end of the spectrum. Earlier this summer, Amsterdam-founded Sanctum brought its music-driven movement format to New York in a pop-up with social bathhouse operator Othership, pairing guided breathwork and somatic movement with sauna and ice bath programming.

Even the dating industry is wagering that singles would rather meet a future partner mid-workout than across a noisy bar.

Ateam, a wellness-first take on dating and platonic connection, relaunched in New York this spring with an 8,000-person waitlist and more than 15 studio partners signed on for a Date Night Series, SoulCycle and Brooklyn Track Club among them.