A new social club that has landed in New York City is The Wing, and women are doing everything they can to get a membership.
Founded by Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan in October 2016, The Wing is a women-only social club, which has already raised a total investment of $42 million, according to Business Insider.
The club currently has 1,500 members along with a lengthy 8,000-person waiting list for its two locations in Manhattan – one in Soho and one in Flatiron – despite the rather hefty $2,700-a-year membership fees.
No men allowed! The Wing is a women-only social club in NYC founded by Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan in October 2016 as a place where women can get together and communicate
Members only: A membership to The Wing costs as low as $2,350 and as high as $2,700 plus tax, for basic amenities such as a library, work-space, café, and ‘really good WiFi’
So what exactly is offered for such a sky-high price?
‘Membership to The Wing includes access to open-plan and private work-space plus amenities designed with women’s needs in mind,’ the company states on its website.
‘Included with membership is a robust and unique calendar of events and a community of women dedicated to living their best lives.’
However making it to the front of the waiting list and paying a hefty fee is not enough; to belong to the female-only club, you have to first apply, then, if chosen, there are two types of membership passes to choose from, the cheaper of which grants you access to just one club of your choosing, while the other gives you ‘unlimited access to all current and future Wing locations’.
‘We look at membership in terms of diversity: career, racial, and ethnic diversity, age diversity, and usage diversity,’ co-founder Kassan told Business Insider of how they pick members.
‘For me it’s really about the community that can come out of this space. The original idea of having a space of convenience – but also creating a space that you can meet new women in,’ Kassan continued.
Wait-list: The social club boasts on their website, ‘No woman left behind’, while 8,000 women and counting are still being wait-listed after applying to the club.
Membership: ‘We look at membership in terms of diversity: career, racial, and ethnic diversity, age diversity, and usage diversity,’ said co-founder Kassan on how they pick members
Convenience: The original idea for The Wing was to have a space that was convenient and ‘a space that you can meet new women in,’ said Kassan
Price-wise, the full membership costs $2,700 annually – or $250 per month – while the single club option is a slightly cheaper $2,350 annual cost, and $215 monthly.
In terms of amenities, however, The Wing is somewhat limited in what it has to offer when compared with other private members’ clubs of a similar caliber.
According to the website, members will gain access to a library, workspace, café, charging station, lactation room, perks and freebies, speakers and events, showers, phone and conference rooms, blowouts on demand and ‘really good WiFi’.
However, at such a high membership cost, The Wing puts itself in the same league as Soho House which charges a similar fee for all-access membership, as well as offering many cheaper options for its elite clubs, which boast much better amenities.
When registering to join Soho House, there are five different membership options to choose from, with the club founders stating that ‘the majority of our members work in traditional creative industries, with the film, fashion, advertising, music, art and media sectors, among others, heavily represented’.
Rooftop pool: Soho House, one of the most elite members-only social club, has more amenities than The Wing, such as a pool, restaurant, club, movie theater, and more
Cheaper: Not only does Soho House have more amenities than the no-men-allowed club, it’s also cheaper with memberships costing as low as $250 and as high as $3,200
There are many more amenities on offer at Soho House than there are at The Wing as well as more privacy; while The Wing offers content-friendly rooms for people to take pictures of and post on Instagram, Soho House has a no-photos rule in all of its clubs.
When it comes to amenities Soho House in New York’s Meatpacking District offers a sprawling main club floor and restaurant, Cowshed spa, screening room where pre-release movies are shown to members and their guests, a rooftop swimming pool and bar, and a busy event programming calendar.
However this doesn’t mean that membership passes at Soho House cost any more than at The Wing; options include the Local House pass, which gives you access to Soho House New York facilities only, at $2,100 per year, plus tax.
Then there is an Under 27 Local House pass which is $1,050 for members under the age of 27.
An Every House pass, which gives you access to all of Soho House’s many clubs around the world, in locations including Chicago, London, Malibu, Los Angeles, and Barcelona, costs $3,200 per year; an Under 27 Every House pass at $1,600 per year.
In addition there is the Child membership for just $250 a year.
Not only does Soho House offer more amenities, they’re also a bit more inclusive with their memberships, in the obvious fact that they allow both men and women to belong.
Meanwhile, The Wing boasts on their website, ‘No woman left behind!’ despite 8,000 women and counting still being wait-listed after applying to the club.