Analysis
Mark Wahlberg is opening "Municipal Gym," a 32,000-square-foot fitness club outside Las Vegas, positioning it as a budget alternative to the five-figure longevity clubs that have proliferated in 2026. Speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, Wahlberg told TechCrunch the club will offer blood work, epigenetic testing, recovery gear, compression therapy, cold plunges and a cafe when it opens in December, extending his Municipal apparel brand launched during COVID.
The pricing gap with competitors is the point. Fountain Life, co-founded by Tony Robbins, charges a reported $21,500 a year for its full subscription. The Estate, backed by Robbins and Sam Nazarian, is planning $35,000 memberships. Equinox is layering a $36,000 longevity add-on on top of its existing gym fee. Wahlberg's pitch undercuts all three: for $99, members get three rounds of blood work and an hour with a doctor, with no subscription required. "We have a better price point than our competitors, and we're going to get far more results," he said.
“Fountain Life, co-founded by Tony Robbins, charges a reported $21,500 a year for its full subscription.”
- Fountain Life -- ~$21,500/year full subscription; raised $18M last year; co-founded by Tony Robbins.
- The Estate -- planning $35,000 memberships; backed by Robbins and Sam Nazarian.
- Equinox -- $36,000 longevity add-on on top of standard gym membership.
Wahlberg has fitness-business history that cuts both ways. He bought into F45 around 2019 when it was valued near $450 million; the chain went public in 2021 and was delisted from the NYSE by 2023, a reminder that celebrity involvement doesn't guarantee a clean public-market outcome. The article disclosed no funding figures for Municipal itself, and Wahlberg gave no indication of institutional backing for the new venture, framing it instead as a self-funded extension of his existing apparel line.
The bet is on volume over exclusivity. Fountain Life, The Estate and Equinox are all chasing a wealthy membership base willing to pay five figures annually; Wahlberg is wagering that a mass-market price point on the same diagnostic services -- blood panels, epigenetic testing, recovery tech -- can build comparable revenue through sheer throughput. On his own goals at 55, he said simply: "I just want to feel good when I wake up in the morning." Whether a $99 entry point can fund a 32,000-square-foot facility's overhead as reliably as five-figure annual dues is the open question for anyone watching whether longevity clubs are a durable category or a wealth-tier fad.