Across the world, as millions of people are being asked to stay home to flatten the Covid-19 curve, fitness studios and gyms worldwide are being forced to close. Many of these studios are run by small business owners who may not be able to afford rent or pay their employees while shutdown, so ClassPass, the world’s leading fitness platform, is taking efforts into their own hands to help the fitness industry survive the pandemic. 

 ClassPass is launching a new feature to enable fitness and wellness partners to offer live-streamed classes through the ClassPass app and website. Through June 1, 2020, one hundred percent of the proceeds will go directly to the studios and fitness instructors who are unable to host in-person classes due to COVID-19. ClassPass has also created a Partner Relief Fund, giving people an easy way to donate to their favorite studios directly through the app. ClassPass will match all studio contributions up to USD $1 million. 

“I founded ClassPass to connect people with their passions and to help them stay active. I also wanted to support the growth of the then-nascent boutique fitness industry. In our new coronavirus-inflicted world, our industry is struggling as never before. We’re stepping up to help the industry at a time when it needs it most,” said ClassPass founder and executive chairman Payal Kadakia.

“Ninety percent of our 30,000 partner studios have indefinitely closed their doors in the past two weeks, and many have already started to lay off their teams. It’s imperative that we act now to save these businesses that play such an important role in keeping our communities healthy,” added Fritz Lanman, ClassPass CEO. 

 ClassPass will use its technology and database of over one million subscribers to bring much-needed revenue to studios and their employees. These new live workouts will help members interact in real-time with their favorite instructors, offering connection, stress relief and physical activities from the safety of their homes. “It’s never been more important for people to stay active and healthy. We’re excited to work with master instructors from studio partners around the world in creating high-quality content that helps consumers build healthy self-care into their new study-at-home and work-at-home routines,” added Kadakia. 

Reservations are open for upcoming livestream classes hosted by more than 500 fitness studios, including Fhitting Room, Mang’oh, Conbody, Training Lab, and Switch Playground. ClassPass plans to add thousands of classes in the coming weeks. In addition, ClassPass has made its existing library of over 2,000 pre-recorded video and audio workouts completely free of charge and has surfaced these digital workouts on the homepages of the app and website. For studios interested in hosting online classes for the first time, ClassPass will offer training and resources to educate fitness professionals on best practices and help them get started through the ClassPass platform. They will also aid studio owners in understanding available financial resources and will help fitness businesses apply for short-term loans and government assistance.

 ClassPass has also joined forces with the CEOs of several top fitness businesses to call for immediate government intervention to help fitness and wellness businesses survive shutdowns. They have just shared a change.org petition that gathered thousands of signatures within an hour of going live. The petition calls for help in the following areas: rent, loan, tax and interest relief, financial assistance to support the workforce, and leveling up incentives for employers to invest in employee wellness. It has already been signed by CEOs from leading fitness companies, including Joey Gonzalez (Barry’s Bootcamp), Andy Stenzler (Rumble), Travis Frenzel (Flywheel Sports), Chuck Runyon (Anytime Fitness), Patrick Walsh (Town Sports International) and Colin Grant (Pure Group). 

“Working together with our valued partners, members and hopefully local and national governments, we can help these incredible fitness entrepreneurs weather this extremely challenging time,” concluded Kadakia. “The next few weeks are crucial for the health and wellness industry to survive,” added Lanman. “ClassPass has rallied to help our community of studios and fitness enthusiasts get through the coming weeks. We need our governments to intervene and help studios get through the coming years. Now is the time to come together as an industry.”