Signing up for a gym when you’re full of motivation and energy is one thing, while actually packing up your bag and getting ready to work out is another.
For most people, once that motivation runs out, it’s easy to cancel. But for U.S. consumers, things can get a little tricky, as companies often use contracts and cancellation terms that critics describe as deceptive, which make memberships difficult to get out of.
One Los Angeles man found this out the hard way when trying to cancel his Equinox membership.
In his video that got 550,600 views, TikTok creator Caden (@caden7376) explains why he considered taking dramatic measures in order to get out of his membership.
“Why I almost faked my death to escape Equinox,” he wrote in the video’s on-screen text.
Why Was Canceling His Equinox Membership So Hard?
“So I literally was debating on faking my death to escape my Equinox membership,” Caden says at the start of the video.
He explains that he signed up for the luxury gym thinking it would push him into a new fitness era.
“I signed up for Equinox, and, mind you, it was $300 a month,” he says. “And I thought I was gonna be in like my gym, body gym shark… bulk era.”
For a few days, it seemed like the membership might work. “I literally went like three days in a row,” he says.
Then, according to Caden, the motivation disappeared. “I was fed the f— up,” he says.
Instead of using the gym the way he imagined, Caden says he started going there just to sit in the sauna or scroll on his phone while walking on the treadmill.
Eventually, he says he was only going once a week.
“So I was like, ‘OK, this John isn’t even worth it,’” he says. “Let me try and cancel.”
He Says He Signed A Contract
Caden admits he did sign a 12-month contract at Equinox. That meant canceling was not as simple as deciding he didn’t want to go anymore.
“The only way to get out of it was to die or to move,” he says.
That left him weighing his options. “My lease here is six months, so I guess I’ll have to die,” he jokes.
Caden says he actually started thinking about how he could get around the membership.
“So how do I fake my death?” he says. “Like actually considering it.”
But then he landed on the less extreme option.
“I’m just gonna move,” he says. “So now I’m actually moving to escape Equinox.”
Caden addresses the gym directly.
“Equinox, if you see this, respectfully, disrespectfully, I hope that your company blows up and dies and dies again and then blows up,” he says, jokingly.
Viewers Shared Their Own Gym Cancellation Hacks
In the comments section, viewers shared their own extreme—or at least extremely questionable—ways of getting out of gym memberships.
“I told planet fitness i was going to jail,” one user wrote.
Another suggested a more chaotic approach.
“Just steal something from the shop they’ll ban you,” they stated.
One commenter said their friend even got a therapist involved.
“My friend had her therapist write that she was afraid of mirrors and couldn’t go to the gym,” they shared.
“I literally faked my move to get out of a $700/mo pilates membership and saw my instructor/owner at whole foods 2 weeks later LMAOOO,” a fourth shared.
Why Is Canceling A Gym Membership At Equinox So Hard?
On its FAQ page, Equinox says members can cancel in-club with a manager, by mail as described in their membership agreement, by emailing Cancellations@Equinox.com, or by logging into their Equinox account.
However, the company also says notice periods vary by state and tells members to review their own membership agreement for the requirements specific to their membership.
According to Redditors posting on r/EquinoxGyms, canceling seems to only be an issue when members are still in their first year. Users claim that when people sign up, Equinox often locks them into a one-year contract. After that, the membership reportedly turns into a month-to-month agreement.
Some Equinox members say, however, that this is not clearly stated upon them signing up. “My membership advisor never disclosed the one year contract to me when I signed up,” one wrote. “She had me quickly sign everything at the desk and would briefly tell me what I was signing but she never once said the one year contract rule.”
The company has also faced official scrutiny over its cancellation practices. In 2025, the New York Attorney General announced a $600,000 settlement with Equinox Group after finding that the company made it hard for New Yorkers to cancel memberships and failed to clearly disclose certain subscription terms.
@caden7376 Like enough #equinox
BroBible has reached out to Equinox via email and Caden via TikTok messages for comment and additional details.