A new Club makes its home on the edge of Rittenhouse Square.
On Walnut Street and just off Rittenhouse Square, amidst the trees and historic architecture, Philadelphia residents may have noticed something new: Equinox’s Rittenhouse Club, which marks the brand’s first foray into Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania.
The Club — one of Equinox’s largest in its portfolio — spans 37,000 square feet over three floors in a high-end residential building with a 75-foot, three-lane saltwater pool, regenerative hot and cold plunges, a spa with two treatment rooms, and unlimited Signature Classes for all members, plus all the amenities and offerings Equinox has made its standard.
“I think what stood out to me first was the scale,” says Tim Gaiennie, Equinox’s vice president of architecture, of the new Rittenhouse location. “Even though I know the square footage, it still feels huge. It's inspiring to work with that amount of space, especially for our first Club in Philadelphia.”
Once Equinox had the location, Gaiennie and his team turned their attention to design inspiration.
“In terms of design, we knew we wanted to lean into the neighborhood,” he says. “It needed to feel very finished and refined but also urban in this particular, luxury way. This is a neighborhood where people are on the move, living and working, with a backdrop of this manicured park nearby that’s full of trees, paths, and a fountain. It’s beautiful.”
Informed by Rittenhouse Square and the surrounding community, the Design and Architecture team created a space with a deliberately elevated feel, with floors bathed in natural light and as many panoramic views of the neighborhood as the building allowed.
Members will enter through a door adjacent to the residents’ entrance of the building to find check-in, a retail shop, a cafe, and membership advisor offices that feel distinctly Equinox. Then, they’ll take the stairs to the second floor, which Gaiennie admits is one of his favorite parts of the project.
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“You arrive at the top of the stairs to this much larger lounge area with windows facing out over the Square and the [The Church of the Holy Trinity] across the street,” he says. “The well-appointed lounge is large, with different areas for members to work or relax before or after their workouts. It’s where I always feel the sheer size of the space.”
The yoga, barre, Pilates, and main group fitness studios are also on this floor at the top of the stairs. From there, the architecture gets a little interesting in a distinctly Philadelphia way. “As you move deeper into the building, you realize that our Club is divided between two areas that almost seem like two buildings,” Gaiennie says. “Like so much of Philadelphia, there’s a back alley separating them, so there’s a bridge that spans over that. You can look out windows down the alley and into the neighborhood. That bridge takes you to the locker rooms, the strength and cardio areas, and the stairs to the third-floor pool area.”
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And you can’t talk about Rittenhouse without talking about its massive saltwater pool. Members will swim laps in lanes bathed in natural light, courtesy of floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides. On one end, a hot tub and cold plunge pool offer an opportunity for a post-workout contrast therapy session. Gaiennie’s team also designed a lounge area on the pool deck for toweling off or checking messages after a swim. The final effect is a space that feels distinctly Equinox but also distinctly Rittenhouse — precisely the intent.
“We’ve moved right into the heart of where our members live and work and play,” says Gaiennie. “I always get excited when it's a new market. And with Philadelphia, we have this interesting mix of potential members. There are people who used to live in New York or somewhere else but moved away and have been pining for their Equinox back. They're going to get it. And there are people who know of Equinox but have never had one. Now they do. And then there are the people who don’t really know us yet, and they get to come in to see this Club — this big, beautiful Equinox with this spectacular lounge — for the first time. I love all of that.”