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New Yorkers who got trapped in a costly gym membership could be eligible for cash
By
Samantha Max
Published Aug 4, 2025
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Samantha Max
Published Aug 4, 2025
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Working up the motivation to join a gym can be hard. Sometimes, cancelling a membership can be even harder.
The New York attorney general’s office recently sued a Long Island City gym whose cancellation policy was so cumbersome that it violated state law. Now, the gym has agreed to make it easier for people to walk away. Attorney General Letitia James announced Monday that Aneva Gym has agreed to change its policy and pay back customers who got stuck on the hook for costly memberships they no longer wanted.
The settlement follows a similar agreement with Equinox and SoulCycle earlier this year. The company that owns both of those chains agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to New York customers after the attorney general’s office found the gyms didn’t provide enough information about their strict cancellation policies and membership auto-renewals.
A new law took effect this year that strengthened the state’s protections for New Yorkers who want out of a health club membership.
“Aneva Gym misled its customers, causing many to keep paying for gym memberships that they should have been able to easily cancel,” James said in a statement. “Clear contracts and simple cancellation processes protect consumers. I will continue to enforce our laws to make sure businesses do not take advantage of New Yorkers.”
The attorney general’s office found that Aneva’s cancellation policy broke state law. Health clubs in New York are supposed to allow consumers to cancel their membership online, by mail, by phone or in person. But Aneva required its customers to cancel their memberships in writing and person, the attorney general’s office found.
Investigators also discovered that the gym forced patrons to cancel 30 days before their memberships renewed, while state law allows consumers to cancel up to three business days after a monthly membership restarts or 15 days for an annual membership. The gym didn’t provide members with contracts, which are required by law, adding to the deception, the attorney general’s office said in court papers.
Howard Rubin, an attorney for Aneva, said the health club plans to uphold the highest standards moving forward.
“We’re grateful that the attorney general found that we were acting with good intentions, and we welcome the opportunity to comply with the regulations, which, frankly, we should have known but were unaware of,” he said in a phone call.
Aneva is a luxury gym that opened in 2022, according to court papers. The Long Island City facility boasts on its social media of a rooftop turf field, a sauna and cold plunge tubs. Customers can attend group fitness classes like “Sweat Camp” and “Power Hour” for $35 or personal training sessions for $150 an hour, according to its website. The website also allows people to sign up for membership packs, including a month of unlimited classes for $199, six months of unlimited classes for $179 or 20 personal training sessions for $2,300.
As part of its settlement with the attorney general’s office, Aneva agreed to update its cancellation policy to follow state law.
The health club also agreed to pay $5,000 to the attorney general’s office for failing to post a legally required bond with the Department of State when it opened, and restitution to customers who struggled to cancel their memberships.
New Yorkers who have had trouble canceling memberships at Aneva or other gyms can file a consumer complaint online or by calling the attorney general’s hotline at (800) 771-7755.
Tagged
economy
new york city
new york state
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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